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Age: 30
Hometown: Cary, NC
Family: husband - Mike, cat - Jadzia
Occupation: applications software developer
Fitness level: intermediate - if I'm dealing with or recovering from a back injury; otherwise advanced
Collecting videos: since: 1991 - Jane Fonda's Lean Routine and Low Impact
Aerobics were my first 2 videos. In 1992 I bought the Jane Fonda step
which
came with a video and have been collecting videos ever since then. My
hobby
has really picked up since 1996 when VF became a more important part of
my
life.
Number of Videos Owned: 150+
Other Fitness Activities power walking, running, dancing, and walking
around the neighborhood and other cities with my husband
Current fitness goals: Even though I'm down from a size 22/24 to a very
average looking size 10, I still have a roll (not just a pooch) for the
lower part of my stomach. I still have a hard time finding jeans/pants
to wear that will fit (and not be too loose) when I stand up in them and
won't be too tight when I sit all day. I don't care if I never see my
abdominal muscles and I don't care if I never have a completely flat stomach. I would, however, like to have a flatter stomach that won't form a roll
pushing against my jeans when I sit down. So, my current fitness goals
include trying to get rid of as much fat as possible on my stomach and
continue to define and strengthen my arms, shoulders, legs, and butt.
Best motivation: being able to buy all of the cool clothes I now get to
wear, knowing that I'm a lot healthier now than I was at the start of
1996,
and trying to prevent as many recurrences of my back injury as I can
Loved ones' opinion of video habit: My husband is extremely supportive of my exercise program. He does sometimes wonder why I don't already have enough videos but he definitely likes who I've become since I started exercising so
he doesn't question it too much. My mom is extremely supportive...
especially since I've gotten her started on a video fitness program. She
loves having the variety and enjoys being able to work out no matter what
the weather is like. My younger brother thinks I'm part of a cult. And
my dad just wants me to take care of myself and remain healthy. My in-laws
see what exercise has done for me and exercising to videos is fine. It's the
going on VF road trips that's nuts!
Sharon's opinions:
Current Favorites:
Cardio:
Cathe Friedrich - Step Works
Aaron Lankford - Power Kicks
Billy Blanks - Tae Bo
Kari Anderson - Hi/Lo H.I.T.S
Christy Taylor - CIA 9801
Heather Day - CIA 9703
Strength:
Cathe Friedrich - Pure Strength series
FIRM - Tough Tape
FIRM - Standing Legs
Cory Everson - Get Hard Arms & Shoulders
Circuit:
FIRM Strong Heart (Cardio)
FIRM Tortoise
FIRM Hare
FIRM Volume 1
FIRM All Weights (Maximum Body Sculpting)
FIRM Better Body and Buns
Cathe Friedrich - BodyMax
Spot Toning:
FIRM Lie Down & Workout (Sculpted Buns, Hips, & Thighs)
FIRM 5 Day Abs (minus Tracy James)
FIRM Floor Legs (Lower Body Sculpting)
Favorite Instructors
Cathe Friedrich
Tracie Long
Jen Carman
Heidi Tanner
Susan Harris
Kari Anderson
Christy Taylor
Underrated:
FIRM All Cardio (Fat Blaster) - I think this is a great little video. I
love the music and the bright colors of the set and outfits. I would
never
consider this a beginner video because beginners shouldn't do plyo jumps
and
bunny hops. But I also feel that advanced exercisers can get something
out
of it by raising their step height and making their jumps higher.
Men of Steel: Arms of Steel (Gilad) - This is an excellent, complete
upper
body workout that includes some different exercises for the arms and adds
in
chest and back which you miss by doing Cory's tape.
Biggest Disappointments:
Extreme Step - I was really hoping that this would be the next level up
from Intense Moves. Instead, non-interesting steps kept getting added on to
the routine and I found it extremely boring.
Tae Box - This was a total joke of a video. Someone was trying to cash
in on the kickboxing wave and this video was ridiculously funny.
Would love to see:
New FIRM videos in the format of the cross trainers that closely resemble
the intensity and choreography of the live studio classes.
Tough circuit videos that would mix the weights of The FIRM with the step
choreography of Cathe, and the hi/lo choreography of Kari Anderson and
Christy Taylor.
Words of Wisdom:
Crosstrain. Keep variety in your exercise program by trying different
things and adding to your video collection. You don't always have to do
step aerobics for cardio. Hi/lo floor aerobics can be an excellent way
to
shake things up a bit and expand your horizons.
Try doing the same strength training program for 2-3 weeks in a row. It
will give your muscles a chance to take advantage of knowing what to
expect
and growing as much as possible with that particular routine. Then
you'll
change the program again before you plateau out.
Never give up. You might need to take some time off for a variety of
reasons (illness, mental break, physical break, injury recovery), but
always
come back to it when your mind and body say you're ready. Don't come
back
from an injury or illness too soon because all you do is set yourself
back
further than if you had just waited. I've done that on a couple of
occasions with the herniated/ruptured discs in my back and I've always
regretted pushing myself. When I do take the correct amount of time of
to
recuperate, I bounce back a lot faster because I no longer have to baby
myself.
