BODY PARTS

I was lying in bed one night recently, awakened by the tv, at 4 am. Not my usual practice, as I generally fall asleep by midnight and stay asleep, but something on the screen (or someone snoring next to me) woke me up. So I sat up, found the remote, and clicked thru the channels to find something worth watching.

The thing that grabbed my attention, oddly enough, was an infomercial for a fitness DVD package, the name of which escapes me. Not important, since there are many such things available on late night/early morning TV, and countless more on the web.

What intrigued me about this one, however, was that it was really well done, and made sense. The gal had done her homework, and actually had something sensible to say about losing weight, not only from an exercise perspective (she is a celebrity fitness trainer, and some of her celebrity clients were on hand to add authenticity, as well as some Hollywood glamor), but from a nutritional standpoint as well.

What intrigued me more than the content, was the price. “Get the 4 DVDs for only 4 easy payments of only $29.95…but if you act now, we will DROP ONE PAYMENT!! AND we will send you the calorie calculator, the personal diet diary, the miniature veggie chopper, the stretchy bands, AND the workout mat ABSOLUTELY FREE!!”

Hmmmmm, I thought. A rip-off? Maybe. But only for those who send for it, and don’t use it. For those that actually use it, it looked like a good investment.

But what about folks who don’t want to, or cannot, spend the requisite $89.95 ( plus tax plus shipping and handling) for yet another diet and fitness program? We are smart women, aren’t we? We can figure out how to feed the kids, manage the husband, work full time, care for our elders, keep the house clean, run for Congress, finish law school, drive the school bus, and make the cupcakes, so we can figure out on our own how to lose 20 pounds and re-shape our own jiggly butts, can’t we??

Apparently not.

There is an alarming epidemic of obesity in this country, as we know. Our kids, our men, and approximately 60 percent of us, are overweight, and the numbers are getting worse. This fact provides a goldmine of opportunity for people like the young, slim, energetic blonde in the infomercial, people who find endless ways to sell fitness products to those of us who cannot figure it out on our own.

Having recently completed my own fitness trainer certification program (2 years at night school, yes I did!!), I can attest to the fact that there is a lot to learn, and a lot to understand, which is why I did it. I wanted to understand the basics of health and fitness, not only so that I could write about it, but so that I could make sense of it for myself and my family. And the first thing I can say about the subject is…there is NO magic bullet. NO secret formula, no simple routine, no “one method fits all”, which is why so many people have a hard time with it. And why I have a hard time accepting the idea that health and fitness can be bought for 3 easy payments of $29.95 (plus tax, shipping and handling).

If you want to get healthy and re-claim your body, it takes commitment, work, patience, and time. You have to start by “knowing your numbers” (see my last posting), and by taking a good, hard look in the mirror. Evaluate your own body, realistically assess what you want to change, and then tailor an exercise program that will help you tone, trim and strengthen YOUR body, part by part.

Yet I do admit that I was fascinated by the program that the blonde was selling. She had broken it down to four separate DVDs, one for each body part. She recognized that some of us need to work on our core (midsection), others have, yes, a saggy butt. Still others have “thunder thighs”, or huge hips, or weak, flabby arms.

Fortunately, there are resources out there that can help you target your exercise program to specific body areas, whether you work out at a gym, or at home. A good trainer, if you can spend the money for a session or two, can help you focus on the areas that you would like to improve. If you can’t afford a trainer, go to the bookstore (assuming you can find one!) and spend a few dollars on a book. If you can’t decide which one to get, check out the web, or send me an e-mail and I will recommend some of the books I use.

Cut the carbs, give up the soda, get to work. If you want to do it, you can. It won’t be easy, but a better, healthier body is absolutely attainable. For a lot less than $89.95 (plus tax, etc).

Good luck!!

Donna
donna.white790@gmail.com