Overwhelmed by choices

[Helen]

Originally Posted by FirmDeb

<snip> For me I think it's because I second guess my choice of workout because I wonder if I made the right choice. <snip>

This is EXACTLY what I was referring to. I've heard podcasts discussing this problem associated with the multitude of choices in many areas of our lives: insurance, cars, even groceries! There's an ad here for milk that plays on the same notion: >> I just want milk that tastes like real milk. <<

[fit44]

Originally Posted by FirmDeb

I've been feeling the same way. There's so much to choose from and I do feel overwhelmed. For me I think it's because I second guess my choice of workout because I wonder if I made the right choice. The whole aging thing, body changing... So I do need to simplify.

This is exactly how I feel. I don't know what is the best approach for my aging body. I want to add muscle safely and the choices I have are not limited to video workouts. I have so many paper workouts that look good too.
Plus I love workouts like Tonique and Dream Body, but have not idea how to fit them all together.

I did 2 months of paper workouts and decided to go back to all my original Cathe weighted workouts and work through each series.
I always go back to Cathe.
I need to stop buying all the other systems that pile up in the unused pile!!!

[leslie w]

I skipped doing rotations for that reason. I was just too overwhelmed by all my choices. I've come to the point where I just do what I want now and what I'm in the mood for on that particular day. Last week I did an Insanity workout on Monday, Dream Body Barre Tuesday and a Leslie workout Wednesday. Today I'll do Tonique Premier. I figured as long as I'm moving it's all good and I'm not going to obsess over it. Besides, in my case it's all about the diet anyway.

[loverly7]

I don't do "real rotations". Right now I'm injured so I'm not doing anything, but when I'm not hurt I have a very generic plan for workouts, which includes at least three days cardio, at least two days strength training, and at least one day flexibility. Usually it includes Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday as strength days, because of the workout days I'm most likely to skip, a strength day is usually it. Hence the goal for only at least two strength days a week. But I must say, I really do like Les Mills Pump, which was quite the surprise. Anyways, this plan gives me a lot of wiggle room for what I'm going to do on any given day, because cardio could be hiking, walking outside with DH, doing any of a great number of DVDs, whatever I want. I don't know how any of you do an entire rotation of the same thing. I couldn't do it. The only real rotation I ever am planning to do would be ultimate yogi, and not yet, and I will still add in cardio to it.

[herya]

I think this is a common problem hotncmom! Especially for us here, who are used to workout research and comparison. You are trying to find something perfect for today, instead of committing to "good enough".

I certainly had this problem with my yoga practices - so much choice! YogaGlo was especially challenging in this aspect, I was spending hours watching clips, I think they have 1500 classes.

I credit YogaToday for giving me a tip - they had that series of seven chakra based practices, each focusing on a different chakra and accompanying practice aspect (forward bends, hip openers, inversions etc). I did it one week Monday to Sunday and enjoyed the sequence so much that I borrowed it, with slight modification, to arrange my practice:

Mon - Forward bends
Tue - Hip openers
Wed - Core/Balancing
Thu - Backbends
Fri - Twists
Sat - Shoulder openers
Sun - Inversions/arm balances

I now select a YogaToday or Ultimate Yogi practice for the day based on this schedule. If I don't feel like doing inversions on a inversion day etc. I will do a general, all-round practice instead. It reduces dithering so much.

[lesia]

I finally figured out what I want to do. I met with a local trainer who trains a teacher friend of mine. I went with the idea that I needed to sign up with her because I thought I needed some motivation/guidance/whatever. Cassie basically told me that I didn't need her. I just needed to figure out what I really liked and do it. I told her that I loved high intensity/challenging workouts.

Long story short, she told me to line up all my dvds and pick which 3 days that I wanted to work out intensely. Just do it. (her advice) On the offdays, just stay active...25-30 min. treadmill run or outside walk/run, etc.

Fwiw, my friend has been going to her for a year and has lost 30 lbs & tons of inches. Cassie gave Ruth an eating plan, but she doesn't follow it. Ruth has even said that Cassie gets on her about the nutrition because she's would see more results.

Having a great dvd collection has it's good points but even the best of the best causes me to be anxious. Not because I don't want to workout, I just want to do this, this, and that and end up making it more that it is.

So with that thought, I lined Bob, Jillian, Toby, Patrick, BodyPump, Step & Attack and others to pick and choose. Each week is a different week with different workout/instructors.

Hope this made sense.
Lesia

[Taramisu]

Originally Posted by lesia

Having a great dvd collection has it's good points but even the best of the best causes me to be anxious. Not because I don't want to workout, I just want to do this, this, and that and end up making it more that it is.

So with that thought, I lined Bob, Jillian, Toby, Patrick, BodyPump, Step & Attack and others to pick and choose. Each week is a different week with different workout/instructors.

Hope this made sense.
Lesia

I have often thought of doing the same thing. I like many different instructors and I like to rotate through them all. One thing I have learned not to do over time is accumulate too much of one instructor. I have done that in the past and it's backfired because I later realize that I click with A, B or C workout more than D, E and F, then I end up weeding out a bunch and just keep a few favorites. With the exception of the 16 Firms that I own, I usually have anywhere from 1-5 workouts from any given instructor. That way I have the best of each one. Depending on how much I have from an instructor I will stick with them a week or two and them move on to someone else. That way I don't get bored with one and all the DVDs on my shelf get used on a regular basis. It works for me!

[Eibhinn]

Originally Posted by herya

I credit YogaToday for giving me a tip - they had that series of seven chakra based practices, each focusing on a different chakra and accompanying practice aspect (forward bends, hip openers, inversions etc). I did it one week Monday to Sunday and enjoyed the sequence so much that I borrowed it, with slight modification, to arrange my practice:

Mon - Forward bends
Tue - Hip openers
Wed - Core/Balancing
Thu - Backbends
Fri - Twists
Sat - Shoulder openers
Sun - Inversions/arm balances

Thanks for this - it's a great idea, and I might try to organize my yoga practice this way myself.

[hotncmom]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm not quite as anxious about it today as I was yesterday. I think I'm just going to do rotations in 2 week cycles until I get it out of my system. I was looking at Strong Stride today (the 2 mat workouts with the planks and floorwork), and I was thinking that I could alternate those every other day for 2 weeks with yoga on in between days, where I would use some of the downloads I have not done (like Buti, Sadie Nardini), and some of the lesser-used DVD's that I have like Flowetry. So at least for the next 2 weeks I have a plan.

I look at my Ballet Body segments, and there's a bunch I have never even done because they're so advanced, and I know the only way to build up to them is to do Ballet Body consistently, and I haven't been able to get more than halfway through her periodizaiton plan in the past. It's frustrating that I can't make a commitment to one method long enough to get really good at it so I can do the advanced stuff.

To the person who had talked about too many choices being a bad thing, I have heard that before that we are often overwhelmed in other areas as well. It is the idea of that magic bullet workout that grabs so many of us here. We get average results with our existing workouts, and we read about great results from someone else's workout, so we gravitate toward that. I frequently find that in my many, many workouts, that there are usually just a few exercises that are new and different and the rest is just stuff that you can get anywhere. I really just need to go through my workouts and write down the really cool stuff and then get rid of a lot of them.

[F1mom]

Originally Posted by hotncmom

To the person who had talked about too many choices being a bad thing, I have heard that before that we are often overwhelmed in other areas as well.

That was me, overwhelmed with life changes from the last few years, most of them wonderful, some not so great and a few very tragic.

But I've also noticed after 25 years of doing this video fitness thing that workouts tend to be pretty interchangeable with a few exceptions here and there. Low weight/hi rep is the same except for music, background, instructor and outfits, heavy weights are heavy weights, cardio tends to be cardio.

I get bored doing the same workouts over and over. I know the few I started out with work and give me great results but I couldn't have spent my time doing nothing but Callanetics and FIRM Vol. 1. I would never have discovered Squeeze, Zumba and Tracy Anderson.

And it beats buying different permutations of nude pink lip color, my other obsession since Revlon's Deep Nude was discontinued.