get a pilates dvd to do at home. id suggest Stott pilates from my personal experience. ill link the site up below. my partner loved to run. every time her body added some weight, usually from that getting-a-little-older-and-your-metabolism-changes-crap, shes tried to run it off. you know, cardio the lbs off.
well, after my son was born she took a different route. she cut her running in half... maybe even a third, with some walking instead, and she began to cross train. billy blanks tae bo amped for upper arm work (lots of shoulder work with a weight) and pilates for core strength.
shed done pilates before, but not 5-7 days a week. she was in pretty solid shape, but had a little toning in the abs she wanted and also some lower back fat that pestered her. within two weeks of doing intermediate pilates (after about a month of beginner, and all of it 5-7 days a week) she got that line down the middle of her abs. within a month she lost the lower back fat and just tightened up and cranked it in. but she did it religiously and deliberately, with good form, good breathing, and good muscle contraction.
she isnt quite going to show a six pack today, but she can do a rolling situp with the best of them and has awesome core strength. and you can honestly see the rough outline of that pack...and you can feel it with your fingers. she can wear anything she wants and not worry about her form, but she worked it off with a plan.
pilates bores the crap out of me sometimes... i like faster paced stuff or to hit a heavy bag or weight machines to work your core... but ive been doing it twice a week for a month now and i cannot deny its results. it might not get you exactly what you want, as each persons body can respond differently, but im damned impressed with it.
i like the following dvd set.. but if you cannot buy it, check out your local library... you can usually try out a few exercise dvds just to see what might stick... and id seriously try pilates, especially a program that has a beginner and intermediate level. i have a friend who is a trainer... all she does professionally is pilates sessions in her basement studio... and she says once you get the intermediate forms down, you have a program you can do the rest of your life.
the first time i did it, on the into training level, not the intermediate level, not even the beginner level, i think i asked my wife, as they asked me to damn near levitate on one foot and a hand, "what kind of sado-masochistic bull$hit is this?!?!"....
well, its an exercise program developed by a prisoner of war who knew how to tone the body with limited resources.
when you are in a time crunch, get a dvd. also get up early to do them, even if it means missing an hour of beloved sleep. it gets your routine done and over, and cranks your metabolism up for the first half of the days calories.
link to stott pilates coming up...
STOTT PILATES | At Home Video Series
scroll down to the first four part series, starting with the secret to flat abs, core challenge, etc... thats the series we both use. my partners on level 3, im level two with still sloppy form.
you can buy dvds with the bells and whistles too... the rings and straps and balls... but honestly, that four part series i linked, i believe in.
looks like you can get the intro tape from amazon for less than 5 bucks...
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