After being a high school athlete, I should not have been surprised when I put on some weight in college. I went from swimming, running or playing tennis three or more hours a day to walking between classes on a small campus for 20 minutes a day. Tack on the addition of eating all my meals at the dining hall, and voila, you have the freshman 15.
Plan of Action
My aha! moment came after a photo shoot-did I mention that I model in my free time-in a strapless Nicole Miller. There are a lot of weight misconceptions in the industry, but when you have some tummy rolls going on, it is time to make a few changes. Once I realized I had packed on some pounds, it was time to formulate a plan. I had always thrived on extreme workout regimens, but my schedule, not to mention budget, would not allow for several hours of exercise a day, or so I thought.
My husband and I had recently made the switch from traditional cable TV to Netflix, a workout gold mine and my key to getting back on track. Using Netflix or a similar media streaming service, like YouTube or Hulu, anyone can sample a whole host of different fitness videos to see what is comfortable for his or her individual level of fitness. Pilates and yoga are my focus because I do not want a lot of “hard” muscles, plus the flexibility and increased full body strength benefit my modeling, so I based my exercise routine around the goal of slimming down and lightly toning my target areas: arms, abs and thighs.
· Monday – 7am Crunch: Super SlimDown, 9pm wind down with Crunch: Candlelight Yoga
·(sadly removed from Netflix but easily found online), extra points if you make it through the entire workout
· Thursday – 7am Crunch: Burn and Firm Pilates
·! I rarely take the day off due to my workouts being pretty low impact-and addicting-but Sunday is my designated day to slack off and take it easy.
Result
You might alter your workout schedule based on how quickly or drastically you want to see change, but this is what I have found works for me. Combined with my diet plan, I lose around a healthy two pounds per week on this exercise program, and I see noticeable results in two weeks. If you are someone who gets bored easily with exercise, I recommend trying other Crunch workouts, especially Cat Chiarelli’s Burlesque and Cardio Tease which is tough but fun and rewarding, as well as outdoor activities like landscaping, ultimate frisbee and even walking. Daily walks can work wonders on your circulation, improve your mood and ease you into more strenuous exercise.
Stay tuned for my article on diet, an equally important component in molding your new and improved figure!
