ladysprite: (Default)
[personal profile] ladysprite
So a little while back I posted asking for recommendations for workout videos, and a bunch of you came through with some very good suggestions. And my library made things even better, having an impressive selection available - if not in my local branch, easily ordered through Interlibrary Loan, letting me audition new videos before shelling out inordinate amounts of money just to try them.

I've tried out a handful of new workouts at this point, and I've come to a realization: I like most forms of exercise. Yoga, cardio, dance, you name it, the motion itself seems to work for my body no matter what. There's just one thing that seems to really run the risk of making a particular workout intolerable, but it's a common problem -

The workout instructor. They seem to feel the need to inspire me, and reassure me, and tell me how shiny and good and worthy I am, instead of just telling me how to stretch and burn calories. They want to motivate. I want to exercise.

Today's video (Denise Austin's Pilates for Every Body) was a particularly heinous offender. She just *stood* there, with her giant creepy overly-made-up eyes and kept telling me in her strangely perky yet breathy voice that I was beautiful, and good, and that she wanted to see my bright, smiling face, and that I was making myself a better person, and fulfilling God's plan for me, and exhorting me to zip up my inner girdle, whatever that means. (Do girdles even have zippers?)

This was made even worse by the fact that, other than her incessant self-help blather, it was actually a pretty decent workout. Nothing strenuous or challenging, but I could imagine it becoming a nice low-impact variant in my standard schedule. Except I'd want to take a spork to my TV screen after the third or fourth time through.

Do not tell me I am doing a good job. You can't see me. Don't talk about my smiling face, or personal empowerment, or the flow of my chi. Tell me to do three more repetitions and then change sides, or to keep my shoulders down as I stretch, or to use one leg for the next exercise if it's not challenging enough with two. I want an exercise instructor, not a motivational speaker.

Thankfully, Miss Creepy Eyes and her Inner Girdle are bound for the library again in a couple of days. With any luck, the next one I try won't be quite as... motivational.

Date: 2009-06-17 09:49 pm (UTC)
grrlpup: yellow rose in sunlight (Default)
From: [personal profile] grrlpup
I accidentally ordered a workout video in Spanish, and it turns out I love it. I know just enough to understand right, left, forward, back, and names for body parts-- but the extraneous stuff goes harmlessly over my head.

Date: 2009-06-17 10:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jiggliusceasar.livejournal.com
I felt the same when using Yourself!Fitness for the PS2. I could sit on the couch and still get praise, but if there was an exercise where I had to look some other direction but straight ahead, there was about a 60% chance I would have to make things up because there were no instructions. Wii Fit can at least tell if I'm still there and doing something resembling correct.

Date: 2009-06-17 10:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] braider.livejournal.com
There is that problem with her. After watching it enough times, you learn to ignore her. Alternately, you could turn off the sound and turn on some good music. She doesn't stick in time to her own music anyway.

No, I'm serious. She doesn't.

Date: 2009-06-17 11:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pixel.livejournal.com
Miss Creepy Eyes and her Inner Girdle

Worst Band Name Ever.

Date: 2009-06-17 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tafkad.livejournal.com
On the Richard-Simmons-O-Meter, how did she fare? Was she half a Richard Simmons? A full one? One and a half?

Date: 2009-06-18 01:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] felis-sidus.livejournal.com
Zip up your inner girdle?!

I'm dreadfully afraid I'd have thrown something considerably more damaging than a spork at my TV set when she came out with that. Your self control is impressive!

Date: 2009-06-19 09:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] qarylla.livejournal.com
I hate that kind of motivational crap for videos. In a class it's cool, because it is an indication that the instructor is looking at you and noticing your form. The banter doesn't stay consistent.

The Yogilates instructor often says she wants to see our smiling faces. She's trying to get us to not clench our entire bodies when we're doing something hard, so this is her reminder to us that we need to not let the difficulty show everywhere. With a video, it would be machete time.

Date: 2009-06-28 04:46 pm (UTC)
citabria: Photo of me backlit, smiling (Default)
From: [personal profile] citabria
Huh. Maybe that's why I like the 30-day Shred -- Jillian Michaels may be many things, but she's not that kind of cheerleader.

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