If you're a contemporary of mine, or were just old enough to know who Jane Fonda is, you'll most likely remember when she started her fitness boom in the 80's. She put out a number of exercise videos in the 80's, up through the mid-90's. From working out on a mat (which is predominantly what her first tape entailed), to low impact aerobics, to working with weights, she touched on a number of fitness programs.
A number of years ago...ten or fifteen...I used a few of her workout tapes to get in pretty decent shape. Lately I'd been kind of jonesing to get back into some semblance of physical health. It's been about seven months since I kicked the nicotine habit, and during these smoke free months I've put on a few pounds. Yeah, it's pretty normal for people who quit smoking to gain some weight, but I was down to a weight I hadn't been at in some time and I intended to go the other way. Down. True, my previous rapidly plunging weight loss was mostly due to a Graves thyroid that thrust me into a thyroid storm that put me in the hospital and almost killed me, but...I lost a lot of weight DAMMIT!!! So moving to Savannah, not doing as much walking as I did in L.A. (I was walking at least 3 miles a day there.), having some pretty severe problems with my RA, and quitting the cigarettes...well, all of these things took their toll. I've been thinking I'd eventually get a Wii when I have the cash, so I could start doing some of their Wii-Fit programs. Then I remembered Jane and the workouts she guided me through many years ago. I know some people think yeah-yeah-yeah, Jane Fonda...she's the Shirley MacLaine of physical fitness (before I move on from that comment, I'd just like to say that I love Shirley...have a lot of respect for her...moving right along). If you've seen any footage from one of Jane's workouts you'll know...that chick was in fantastic shape. She had ME in fantastic shape. It's remembering that that brought me around to wanting to find those old workouts I used to do. I still have videos of them, but after all these years the quality ain't so good anymore. Went to my go to site for DVD's, Amazon.com, and it had a bunch of her workouts. They're all on DVD now, with several on each disc. Glenn bought me a couple I picked out (thank you, Glenn), and today marked day two of my new workout routine. One of the workout videos I did in the past is on one of the DVD's, so that has been a big help. It's called 'Jane Fonda's Complete Workout'. It's in three parts: the first section is working with handheld weights, the second section is aerobics, and the third section is lower body. One day you do the weights and aerobics, and the next you do the aerobics and lower body. The really great part is that the aerobics kind of came back to me the first time I did them because I used to do that workout a lot. I'm using this familiar regimen to get my sea-legs, then I'll start adding the workouts I haven't done. There is a low impact aerobic workout on one disc that I was hoping was a 45 minute deal I used to do, but it's not the same one. I put that on and was completely lost. Couldn't keep up. I know it takes time to get those things down, but...as I said, getting my sea-legs with what's familiar. In the past I've always been one to push myself, but I'm forcing myself to workout every other day this first week or so instead of every day. My RA is a factor I have to keep in the forefront. Today was day two, and it felt great. On to day three!
Oh, one more thing...there's one thing I've learned about myself during these first couple of workouts...I'M FRICKIN' OLD!!!!!
Some time in the 90s, I bought a cheap foam step at K-Mart and a friend of mine lent me Jane Fonda's step aerobics tape. I loved it. I kept it for a year and did it over and over and over. It had a bonus abs routine as well. I gave it back when the friend moved, but I've missed it. Your post reminds me and maybe I'll do the same and get some of her dvds from amazon. I'm trying to lose weight/stave off further weight gain constantly. I can't seem to stop eating too much, so at least I persist with the exercise. I've gotten a lot of use from some exercise games, but know that the Wii Fit workout is way gentler and slower than a Jane Fonda video. You're probably burning a lot more calories with Jane. Hey, I can relate to feeling FRICKIN OLD. Lots of parts hurt now that didn't used to. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI know about the trying to stave off weight gain. Plus I'm just so out of shape. I know I have some severe physical ailments that need to be considered, but when I start working out I tend to really push myself. Especially with these Fonda workouts. They're better than anything I've tried over the years, and that includes joining a gym. Let me know if you do get some of her stuff. I'll be curious to see how they work for you. I'm pretty early out of the gate, but I already feel really good. As long as nothing breaks or fall off, I should get in decent shape pretty quickly. lol This particular workout I'm starting with really did wonders for me when I used it before. If you want to try it, it's on the disc called 'The Complete Workout & Stress Reduction Program'.
ReplyDeleteCool! I'll let you know. :-) I've known a couple of people with RA - what a crappy thing to be saddled with. How is that new pain med working out?
ReplyDeleteThe Tramadol seems to help. I take that with acetominophen (doctors' instructions), but since I'm not big on taking pills I only take one if I'm in excruciating pain. Takes a little bit to kick in, but when I get hit with the type of pain I get hit with I really don't care if it takes a little time to get relief. Some relief is better than no relief.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any extreme flair-ups in the last couple three weeks, just my usual basic nagging ache. I haven't really read up on it like I keep intending to. Hoping that getting in better shape might help the RA, but I don't know if it's the type of ailment that can be helped in that way. I've pretty much accepted that I have it, it's not going anywhere, and life goes on. I just conduct my business as usual and take it easy when I need to. :)