Former cardio naysayer converted

[SarahJane]

Sunday, how do you fit it all in? If you do cardio 5-6 days a week, do you do toning on top of that then? I am having a hard time trying to do everything I want to do

[sunday]

Sarah,
I do it all at once. I do the 30 minute TA first, then then 45-60 minute Leslie walk. I am not working right now, but even when I taught full time I still did 1-2 hours per workout; usually one hour on week days and 90 minutes to 2 hours on weekends. HTH.

[SarahJane]

Wow, you are committed!!! That's awesome! I need to step it up. Usually an hour total is my max... You have inspired me to try and work out a little longer this week, thanks!

[slysam]

Really I think it is usually best to have both cardio and some sort of effective (for you) strength or "toning". I did just cardio and minimal toning for years with little results, well who knows what I would have looked like with no exercise, but never what I thought I should achieve. When I added strength it was a big change. But... I never dropped cardio completely. I had pretty good results when I was doing P57 for my strength but I was also walking, dancing a lot and swimming. My legs did look their best so far doing that particular combination so you may have hit something if you are anything like me by adding the cardio. I am short, my body likes to store fat in an hourglass type pattern with most being stored in my chest, but, thighs and lower belly.

I often wonder whether some of the many people who see good results with strength only or just strength and yoga are actually getting some cardio (enough for them) in through their strength training or their other activities. Some of the faster barre workouts like P57 and Booty barre do elevate my heart rate similar to a brisk walk. And when I do most kettlebell workouts my heart rate is similar to what I would achieve on a run. So I imagine people doing these types of workouts 4 or more times a week are getting some cardio benefits in addition to the strength/endurance/toning. But if you have been doing barre and fusion a long time, maybe it isn't giving you the same cardio benefits since you are conditioned for it? I also seem to respond to whatever is new to my body at least for a while.

I am glad you are seeing nice results! While it should be about our health, it is always a nice perk to see a little pay off in the mirror.

[sunday]

Slysam, I did pretty much toning only for three years straight - started with barre, went to fusion, belly dance, light weights, etc., and then totally yoga since I'm finishing yoga teacher training. I always hated cardio!!!! But I finally decided to add it to see if it would make a difference, and it has! But I definitely am keeping up the strength work. People at YTT always ask me what I do for my arms, because they're so sculpted, but I have to say that's all from yoga. I think I have hit a good combo for me now: TA toning, some other stuff thrown in, and lots of Leslie!

[Debbie S.]

Originally Posted by sunday

I lost most of my 45 pounds with fusion and barre and never did cardio. However, I still had unsightly cellulite and fat on my legs - thighs, knees and calves. In October I decided to cut back on the toning aspect a bit and concentrate on adding in Leslie daily, six days a week. Now I can definitely say Leslie, of all things, has made the biggest difference in my legs!

The fat is literally melting off, the inches are leaving, and my legs have a really nice shape - all the toning I had been doing is showing! Now that I'm using TA the results will finally start to show! TA is right when she says the cardio is so important.

Has anyone else had really good fat loss results with added cardio? For reference, I do 45-60 minutes of Leslie daily, six days a week. I never would have believed something so simple as Leslie would cause such dramatic results. Unfortunately, due to a bad knee I can't do any high impact, so Leslie it is!

First, a huge congratulations! I know you work out hard and it's great that you are now seeing results.

I always cringe when I see "no cardio" threads. Cardio is such a huge factor in a person's life, not just for fat loss, but for heart health, and for your mental well being.

[tigerbaby]

Deana, those are fantastic results and I couldn't be more pleased to here this! My DD has been struggling with her weight and wants to exercise but comes from a place of never really exercising. I'm trying to encourage her to use strictly Leslie for her exercise of choice but she's not entirely convinced it'll work. I'm going to have her read your post for inspiration. I think starting her off with something low impact like Leslie and having her work on committing to at least a half hour a day will not only prevent injury to her but hopefully help form a habit without getting burnt out by being over zealous in some exhausting exercise regimen that sets you up for failure.

I need to lose about 15-20 pounds and have been trying to sneak by with just toning, and while I'm getting some benefit I'm realizing just how important cardio is for overall health. Since adding daily cardio, my toning results are increasing and the fat is finally starting to disappear, albeit slowly.

[SarahJane]

So what are everyone's thoughts on walking with Leslie versus walking on a treadmill? My husband just bought us a treadmill and I'm thinking I should start using it. Anyone have better/worse results with a treadmill vs. Leslie?

[sunday]

Thanks for the congrats Debbie!

Tiffany, I think Leslie would be perfect for DD! I never would have believed Leslie would make such a difference, and at first I thought I was imagining what I was seeing! I always avoided looking at my legs (silly, I know), but when I did happen to glance down at them at Thanksgiving (after a shower) I was speechless! Now I'll be the first to say I lost all my weight without cardio, but now it's really making the difference for FAT loss where I need it. I am seeing muscle striations in my legs that I didn't know I had, let alone knew were toned! Even more exciting is adding in TA now, which I know you understand.

[Artist of Eyes]

Originally Posted by sunday

Hey Breezy!

I actually have only a small list of favorites since my Leslie collection is not super huge:

3 Mile Slim and Sleek Walk
Walk Your Belly Flat 3 Miles
4 Fast Miles!
3 Mile Weight Loss Walk

These are the ones I use the most. I also just discovered her 1 Mile Advanced Jog, which was an extra with the 4 Fast Miles, and have just started adding that, which I also really love.

It's funny because I always dreaded Leslie, until I actually started using her a lot. Now I love her! And of course once I realized I wasn't imagining my results, I started loving her even more. Once you get into her, her workouts really are all different, so I feel like I'm not using the same muscles all the time. Yes, they're the same steps, but like with dancing, they're choreographed differently so it's always somewhat mixed up.

I agree, I love her workouts! I also love the ones you've picked along with her recent Bootcamp workout and Walk Off 10 Pounds. She has so many that I love, it can be hard to just pick a few. Congrats on the results and more importantly, congrats on finding a style of workout that you really love!