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Age: 28
Hometown: Ondo, Nigeria but lived in England for over 20 years
Family: Married
Occupation: Corporate attorney
Collecting videos for: about 1 year
Number of Videos Owned: Over 200 - all acquired since February 2001
Current fitness goals: I have reached my goal but would like to maintain it!
I want to continue to have a strong athletic build and to have bags of
energy to cope with the demands of my job and life in general.
Loved ones' opinion of video habit:
My husband is unbelievably supportive
and recently gave me his credit card to get as many videos as I wanted for
Xmas! He loves the changes not only in my body but also my general
well-being - exercise is a major stress-buster for me and I am much nicer to
live with when I have worked out! He even understands when I receive a new
tape and want to review it immediately!
Other family members who don't live with me think I've lost the plot! Yet at
the same time they are envious of my motivation and good health. I often
bore people once I'm "on a roll" in a conversation about exercise and have
had many a "glazed expression"!
Fitnik's opinions:
Current Favorites:
Strength:
FIRM Vol 4 - Time Crunch workout
FIRM Tough Tape
FIRM Super Sculptv
Karen Voight Great Weighted Workout
Kathy Smith's Secrets of a Great Lower Body
Cardio:
Gin Miller's Intense Moves
Kathy Smith's Great Buns and thighs step workout
Favorite Instructors:
Gin Miller
Kathy Smith
Karen Voight
Underrated:
Kathy Smith - she is usually branded an instructor for intermediates yet her
"Secrets - Lower Body" tape is high rep and tough!
Biggest Disappointments:
There have been several of these. Many of Denise Austen's were simply too
easy for me and it took ages to see toning results because there was hardly
any exercising and far too much chatter. I can , however, see her appeal for
a beginner as she is so encouraging.
The Firm Classics (Vols 1-6) are all very effective workouts but sometimes,
depending on my mood, the "dated" look of these workouts is very
off-putting. (Somehow Vol 4 is more palatable though!)
Would love to see:
A truly updated version of the Firm's Vols 1 and 2 combined that is an hour
long with the same ratio of high rep strength work to aerobics and which
truly balances upper and lower body strength work
Words of Wisdom:
For anybody who has a tricky and unpredictable schedule, home videos are
often the only way to guarantee a workout. It's sad that many people do not
think a home tape can be challenging - there are some fine advanced
instructors on tape that will really put you through your paces! Keep an
open mind and don't miss out!
I also have now realised the importance of setting realistic goals that are
a bit of a challenge but at the same time attainable.
Similarly, other VF readers have taught me that our approach to exercise has
to be balanced and flexible. We have to remember that we all have very
different body types which respond differently at times to the very same
exercise. Exercise is just one element in the equation - a sensible diet and
optimistic approach to life generally also go a long way. It is important to
exercise everything in moderation (pun intended!).
