What I've Learned from 30 Days of Home Workouts

Well, it's over. It was interesting, and I guess I'm going to end with what I learned from this experience.

I started out wanting to know, do all these home exercise programs that you hear touted on late-night TV really work? The answer is: yes and no.

If you really stick to any exercise plan, you can bet that you're going to look and feel better, although I would venture to guess that the body of your dreams is not going to be found doing dance videos at home. The DVD's that really seemed to help me were Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets and Billy Blanks' Tae Bo Amped! workouts, mostly because they combined aerobic fitness and weight-bearing exercises. The only true way to change your body is through a combination of both.

Some of the other programs like Marnie Winsor's Pilates program and Core Rhythms dance program are great as supplements, but from my experience, all your fitness and physique goals cannot be met by stretching and dancing alone. Weights are a MUST to change your shape. I know some of you hard-core Pilates gals will disagree with this, but you have to remember, the Pilates machines that truly will change your shape are not found in the average American woman's home.

The other component that I must stress (and I hate to do this!) is that you will NOT lose anything if you work your butt off in the morning and then eat crap for the rest of the day. You MUST MUST MUST eat clean if you are going to be lean.

Finally, I realized during this last month that I have to get a game plan together for holidays, travel and PMS. I did wonderfully while I was home and not dealing with any of these obstacles, but put me on the road, in the middle of a big, fat Thanksgiving dinner, and then add a splash of PMS, and presto! I am off the wagon and shoveling in the three horses of the apocalypse: fat, salt and sugar. YUCK. It only took a week off the wagon for me to feel crappy again, which totally sucks, but that's the way it goes. In the future, I plan to plan -- something which goes against my nature as a spontaneous person -- which should save me time, calories and weight gain.

I wish you all the best of luck in your fitness quest. I know I've said it before, but I highly recommend Oxygen magazine for those of you who are looking to hone your physique. The information on workouts and nutrition are priceless, and every issue I get is worth its weight in gold.

Have a happy New Year, and go work out!