A few weeks ago, I mentioned a Tabata-style workout on the The Biggest Loser: Calorie Knockout. That particular workout fell a little flat for me. I don’t blame Tabata, though. Tabata is a form of interval training in which you give an all-out effort for 20 seconds, followed by ten seconds of rest, and then you repeat that series eight times. The concept is very good for a cardio workout; it’s all about the delivery.

Amy Dixon’s Breathless Body: The Ultimate Calorie Burn is a challenging, fun Tabata-inspired workout that delivers an awesome workout. In this DVD, Dixon leads a warm-up, interval workout, and cool down. The total workout is 55 minutes. The focus is cardio, and no equipment is required. Well, maybe a towel to mop off all the sweat. And water nearby!

The intervals include eight drills. Each drill is done eight times for 20 seconds. There is a ten second recovery between each 20-second drill. A longer recovery between each new drill allows for more recovery and time for Dixon to explain the next set of drills. The idea is to go breathless during the drills (hence, the name Breathless Body).

Three levels of intensity are demonstrated for each drill. Dixon is joined by two other women (Aimee and Sarah), who demonstrate the beginner and advanced version of the drill. Dixon herself does the intermediate version of the drill. If you’re feeling like Superwoman, you can do the advanced version throughout the workout. As Dixon says to Sarah, who is demonstrating the advanced workout, “Bless you.” It’s tough. I preferred to mix it up by trying each level.

The workout is easy to follow because it’s repetitive, and Amy Dixon is a motivating instructor.

Dixon has a follow-up to this DVD, Breathless Body 2: The Edge. I haven’t tried that yet, but I hope the sequel is as great as the original!

Image by Leo Reynolds

Do you feel like you need to spend a certain length of time working out each time you head to the gym? How long is long enough for a workout? An hour? Two hours? With High-Intensity Interval Training, 15 minutes could be all you need to get in a great fat burning workout. » Continue reading “How Long Are Your Workouts?”

Photo by Flickr user aarmono

Last week I had said I was hoping for nothing but good news this week and I did it!

I am down 1 pound from last week, which is actually pretty significant for me since I usually only lose anywhere from .30-.50 pounds a week now.

I wasn’t able to go right back into working out five times a week, but was able to work out 4 times last week with some pain, but it was very little.  What is important to me, is that I am able to finally run again, which is probably why I was able to lose last week.

This week I will talk about my two favorite forms of exercise that I find really work for me:

Running: 

I was never a runner until about six months ago, I didn’t even run in High School in PE.  Six months ago I decided I wanted to give running a chance, I did my research and found a way to slowly turn myself into a runner.

I found a simple method that helped me when I first started out.  Start off walking for four minutes then jogging for one, walking for four minutes, jogging for one.  You can do that from anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour (or longer if you’d like).  The following week try walking three minutes and running for two, the third week do two minutes walk, three minutes run and the fourth week try one minute walk four minutes run.

I remember how hard it was for me to run for four minutes straight so don’t feel discouraged if it’s hard for you in the beginning.  If you feel like this pace is too fast for you than try doing each set over a two week period of time instead of one.  Do what you feel most comfortable with, because if you push yourself too hard you’re more likely to quit. » Continue reading “Wedding Weight Loss: Back On Track”