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Age: 41
Hometown: Charleston, Illinois (amid corn and soybean fields!)
Family: 3 cats
Occupation: university professor of French and Spanish
Fitness level: intermediate/advanced (depending on type of workout)
Collecting videos for: 8 years
Number of Videos Owned: currently 85 (I counted!) with more on the way.
I've gone through about 150 videos since I started.
Other Fitness Activities none consistently
Current fitness goals: Increase upper body size and strength, keep improving
lower body flexibility, strength and tone, firm triceps, shrink that
stubborn "bulge" at the belly-button!
Loved ones' opinion of video habit: My three cats are able to witness my fitness feats
first hand. Tina keeps out of my way and runs off when the exercising
begins; Frisco is motivated---after I work out, when I pass by my
bedroom door, I hear a "murrph" that lets me know he is waiting on the
bed to go "fishing" (his exercise); Scooter like to rub all over me
while I do floor exercises, and lick salty sweat off of me. My best
friend (who is not a cat) is an every-day exerciser, but just can't see
the interest in exercise videos or weight training.
Kathryn's opinions:
Current Favorites:
FIRM total body strength
KIAerobics (both tapes back-to-back)
C. Freidrich Body Works.
Underrated:
Barbara McDermott: One of the best step instructors, rating
up there with C. Friedrich.
Biggest Disappointments:
Many "almost-but-not-quite-perfect" tapes: Firm
tapes where the left vs. right side exercises are miscounted; CIA 9002,
with a great first workout by Barbara McDermott, followed by a mediocre
step + weights workout (with BAD form on the weight exercises) and
another mediocre step interval workout; Tae Bo advanced workout with NO
cooldown/stretch and with Billy Blanks stopping the exercise while
you've got one leg in the air, in order to show form (isn't that what
the instructional tape was for?); Karen Voight getting breast implants,
and not following the musical beat in "Streamline fitness"...
Would love to see:
A new Barbara McDermott tape (solo!); an
athletic-style tai chi tape (rather than meditative); Stephanie Steele
developing charisma and choreographic skills and redoing her intense
"Knockout workout" tapes; "Collage" video giving discounts to customers
who have ordered mass quantities of tapes in the past!
Words of Wisdom:
Mix it up! Vary your workout routine to keep it from
getting stale. Keep a notebook (nothing special, just a regular
spiral-bound one) where you can write down your planned exercise routine
for the following day, what you actually do, and notes on how you feel
(both during the exercise and the next day--triceps still sore? any
twinges or pinches?), and suggestions for changes for the next time you
do the same routine.
Just because something works for one person doesn't mean it will work
for everyone (Denise Austin must work for someone if she's selling so
many tapes!). Find what works for you and build on that.
Find a fitness buddy you can share your goals, successes and ideas with.
