Fitness videos are not the be-all, end-all
“I read your article on home exercise equipment a couple weeks ago and watched the YouTube video on the neck slimmer . . . wow. I was curious as to why you didn’t mention fitness videos in your piece. They seem like a great at-home way to get fit. Are you a fan?” –Home Video Warrior
I expected this question after writing the piece on home exercise equipment. I originally intended to include home fitness videos, but I just had too many other things to say. Discussing fitness videos, though, seems like a great way to end the year and provide some pre-holiday advice on what is commonly a present you may find under the tree.
Fitness videos have been around since spandex was inexplicably allowed to invade our living rooms on TV. There are some classics out there, and, of course, your mind can’t help but wander to someone like Richard Simmons, who was in Halifax last year for the annual Bust a Move fundraiser.
Since then, there have been fads like Tae Bo, which have come and gone just as fast as other home workouts have done the same. The latest of such crazes is P90X, which has been around for a couple years, filling late-night infomercial space with its fitness models and pumped up jazz talk.
To be honest, I have not done P90X myself. I have seen the infomercials and watched a couple videos online, but from what I’ve heard from friends who have done it, you need to spend a few weeks committed daily to fully get the workout’s intended effect.
For those of you not familiar with it, P90X consists of a collection of DVDs that cover different components of a full workout including yoga, upper body and abdominal exercise and more. With a limited number of accessories, the videos attempt to engage your body in a complete—and from what I’m told, exhausting—workout.
Sounds pretty great! It covers all the health-related components of fitness and, if adhered to correctly, you are bound to see some significant change even in the intermediate to advanced fitness category. Looks like you might as well start your first video immediately following Christmas turkey and stuffing, right?
Well, sadly it isn’t the bullet-proof key to getting fit we all wish it was.
The first complaint I got from my poll of friends is that it is a huge time commitment. You do the videos everyday and some of the workouts start to get repetitive after awhile. If you are someone who does not exercise at all right now, jumping into a daily workout regime may not be a realistic move for you.
Another problem with this program is that a lot of creativity is required to match the benefit of thousands of dollars of exercise equipment you find at the gym. There is nothing wrong with body weight workouts and they should be part of any full workout; however, when this is your only resource, you are going to be limited in the benefits you will see. It is unlikely anyone will get ‘buff’ on P90X alone. Similarly, yoga on these videos eliminates the invaluable assistance you receive at a yoga studio to make the small adjustments in your poses/movements that greatly enhance the result you are looking for.
Given the above limitations, this workout is likely ideal for an experienced exerciser looking for a break from the gym, or perhaps a past exerciser who wants to get back into the groove of things. I wouldn’t suggest it for a beginner or someone already maximizing the benefit of the gym. Most importantly, if you are short on time, this likely is not the plan for you.
For those of you looking for some interactive at-home fitness, perhaps try some of the more standard (and cheap) one-off fitness workouts to see how you feel about that medium of exercise. Wii Fit and related software are also good options.
Again, there are limitations, but for a beginner, it could be a great first step into getting active.
Send your fitness-related questions to sports@dalgazette.com and check back in the Gazette weekly to see if your question gets answers
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