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Old 06-29-13, 11:34 AM  
altinker
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Placerville, CA
Well, I am one of those newer VF'ers who has gone a little hog wild this year in buying so many different exercise dvds that it is hard to focus on what to do. I find that doing a little of this and a little of that doesn't really work out well for me. It gets confusing, and I forget about other cool stuff that I have already purchased because I have the latest and greatest on the brain. As a result, it is hard to be consistent.

I think that whatever you do, it is great to come up with a plan. So, I'll tell you a bit about my evolution and what gave me the best results:

1. When I first started exercising 8 months ago, I just bought barre workouts and started just doing the workouts. I did just kind of wing it on diet and didn't really lose but a pound or so. (It's a little fuzzy here as it was awhile ago). I wasn't happy with my results though. I was noticing that I lose a couple of inches though -- but I still had chub I didn't like.
2. I bought a heart rate monitor and started to use it. I realized that the barre workouts I had at the time only burned 200 or so calories. That wasn't going to be enough to sustain quicker weight loss.
3. I bought a Zumba exercise dvd set. I started to rotate in Zumba every other day with the barre, and I would burn 400 to 500 calories for an intense hour of Zumba. Since my fitness goals included weight loss, I knew that I would be more successful adding in higher calorie burns.
4. I know this is a sensitive subject for the poster, but I'm going to add in my personal experience because this is where I started getting the results. I began tracking my calories on my fitness pal. It took me a couple of weeks to get on track. And, I was strictly monitoring calories burned versus calories I took in. My food wasn't particularly clean. So...
5. I lost 8 lbs over about 3 months following a rotation that I created where I did barre 3 days a week, Zumba 3 days a week, and I tracked my calories using myfitnesspal. I also had some great muscle tone in my legs, my arms, with my abs not as strong as I wanted them to be.
6. Life got a bit crazy as I'm working on a Master's and was working long hours. My diet slipped. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as heavily monitored. My exercise rotation pretty much stopped. I started doing a bit of TA Abcentric and Bellyfit and others of the latest craze on this board. The Abcentric caused my shoulders to lock up, and I would not exercise for 3 days because I'd have a vicious headache. The Bellyfits only burned 300 calories for me. Now, I did start seeing the results I wanted with my abs (or more results than I had with barre), but I need to figure out a modifier to add in TA and not have vicious headaches. So, my fitness and diet slipped for a couple of months.
7. I gained about 4 or 5 lbs back as a result. For me, I was taking in more calories than I was burning.
8. During the last month, I have been taking another class and working long hours. So, my workouts are sporadic. I have been trying Ultimate Yogi, but only for about 20 or 30 minutes at a time. I don't know that I could do it everyday and have the muscle tone I want to have (not sure though). I have also been modifying my diet to the Genotype diet -- which is kind of like the Blood type diet. And, I am down 3 lbs. So, I'm still about 2 lbs over my lowest since I started, but it feels like that weight is going to come off. However, I don't have the great muscle tone that I had when I was doing barre.
9. So, I am short on time, but I need to create a rotation with what I have on hand to help me with mental clarity, calorie burn, and muscle tone. I am not sure that I can dedicate 1 hour per night -- but when I did, that's where I had the best results.

So, in short, having specific fitness goals and setting up a rotation can definitely help you meet those goals. Sounds like you are already monitoring your diet, so that is a big bonus. Maybe go through what you already have that has given you results in the past and set up a rotation for yourself. I mean, I know how people can buy turbo fire and lose a lot of weight or some other exercise program and lose weight. Somebody also mentioned that if you pick something for your rotation, you can track your own personal results as you were only about to do 5 pushups when you started, and 5 weeks later, you can do 13 pushups. I think that you can have the same results using what you already have.

For me, I was able to do harder barre workouts for my rotations. I didn't need to do the beginner anymore. I could do the more advanced workouts.

Good luck to you. I hope you meet your goals!
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Old 06-29-13, 11:46 AM  
ellaenchanted
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
For me, sticking to a rotation is the only way I get results. I like following premade rotations/systems but sometimes I create my own.
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Old 06-30-13, 09:19 AM  
lorajc
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
I've been assessed, but all the answers I get are "if it hurts don't do it"...which is not really acceptable. That is an answer from someone that doesn't know what else to say. I live in a smaller city.

Let's all just move on from this thread and not let this keep us from posting and not have any animosity towards each other, please?
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Old 06-30-13, 09:33 AM  
poohpeggy
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: michigan
Altinker, what a great response. Thank you for taking the time to post all the specific information. Even tho I am not the original poster I will definitely use it for a reference. Peggy
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Old 06-30-13, 10:17 AM  
shortie
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura S. View Post
There are some of us (and I say "us" because I assume I'm not the only person for whom this is true) for whom the exercise component is the driver of weight loss. That doesn't mean that it's the biggest factor in weight loss, but that it's where a successful process of losing weight starts. Whenever I have been successful at losing weight, I have gotten my exercise "right" whether that means getting the duration, the intensity, the mix of activities (strength vs. cardio), etc. right. Once the exercise part of the equation is going well, then that makes the eating portion that much easier. It motivates me to eat better. My body starts to feel more fit, stronger, better and that helps me make better choices about what I eat and to stick to my planned diet.

.
I could have written this! This is, for me, the core principle -- it's like a mental/physical momentum that builds and all the components reinforce each other.

Lora, sorry you're going through this -- I'm in pretty much the same boat you are, so can definitely relate. For me, a rotation really helps. With a rotation, I feel more organized, I get "into the zone" (that mental part) better, and everything just falls into place. I also feel like most rotations have the guesswork taken out, as far as the way the workouts optimize physically. For me, that works better than building something on your own.

The trick is what kind of rotation. Just as many people here will say that lifting heavy did the trick, as will say lifting heavy made them gigantic. Some will say high rep/low weight did it, and others say Leslie every day did it. So, figuring out which one happens to work for your body is a bit of trial and error, isn't it? For me, a few years back I lost a bunch of weight when I fell in love with CLX -- again, for me it was the idiot-proof I-know-what-workout-to-do-today thing that kicked everything into gear.

Good luck figuring out what works for you!
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Old 06-30-13, 02:06 PM  
Leonana
 
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Arizona
I also gained a lot of weight from menopause. I'm another one where exercise was the catalyst for change, in being fit and healthy and in changing my diet.

I enjoyed Jessica Smith's Summer Challenge. It's a five week program, and it's on You Tube, so it's free. She has walking workouts for cardio, and some are more dancey. She has some strength training and also some barre. There are also one or two stretches each week. It's a big variety, and more on the intermediate side, and can be modified if you have an injury.

I definitely saw improvement in my body after doing this rotation. I started it up again this week. However, she has a new rotation for next week, and I'm going to try that.

I don't mean to mention the diet word, but to be completely honest, it was using MFP that gave me the weight loss. However, Jessica Smith's rotation toned me up nicely, and made me stronger and more fit.

Good luck!
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Old 06-30-13, 07:46 PM  
lorajc
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonana View Post
I also gained a lot of weight from menopause. I'm another one where exercise was the catalyst for change, in being fit and healthy and in changing my diet.

I enjoyed Jessica Smith's Summer Challenge. It's a five week program, and it's on You Tube, so it's free. She has walking workouts for cardio, and some are more dancey. She has some strength training and also some barre. There are also one or two stretches each week. It's a big variety, and more on the intermediate side, and can be modified if you have an injury.

I definitely saw improvement in my body after doing this rotation. I started it up again this week. However, she has a new rotation for next week, and I'm going to try that.

I don't mean to mention the diet word, but to be completely honest, it was using MFP that gave me the weight loss. However, Jessica Smith's rotation toned me up nicely, and made me stronger and more fit.

Good luck!
What is MFP? I love Jessica Smith.

Yes, I've also heard other people having good results with CLX and I have that but have never done a full rotation.
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Old 07-01-13, 07:13 AM  
ddj
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Quote:
Originally Posted by lorajc View Post
What is MFP?
I think perhaps it's My Fitness Pal.
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Old 07-06-13, 12:13 AM  
Leonana
 
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Arizona
Quote:
Originally Posted by lorajc View Post
What is MFP? I love Jessica Smith.

Yes, I've also heard other people having good results with CLX and I have that but have never done a full rotation.
Sorry to be so late getting back to this! Yes, it is My Fitness Pal. I track my calories with it.
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