How to Stay in Shape <i> and</i> Watch TV : RATING THE FITNESS SHOW SMORGASBORD
My annual fall from diet and exercise grace started several weeks ago when my friend married a celebrated French chef. The wedding was a three-day-long food fest, and I sampled every last piece of fromage . The weekend is a distant memory now, but I can’t seem to forget the creme brulee that has settled not-so-nicely into my thighs.
With my defenses already down, Halloween proved to be a scary experience. I’m not a candy nut, but I am a pumpkin freak, so I feasted on pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones, pumpkin ravioli. All that pump can make you plump. Once I get started on a holiday roll, I go unconscious when it comes to my usual health-consciousness. The trend continues through Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas.
By the time Dec. 31 arrives, I’m ready to scream “Stop the insanity” and beg Rosie to be my personal chef. My uniform is stretchable leggings, and it’s not because I’m working out. Then it’s resolution time. Phew .
This year, I decided to short-circuit my pattern and get a jump on my new routine. Why have heartache on New Year’s Eve when I can be cardiovascular fit? But I wasn’t ready to face my L.A. gym where everyone looks like the aerobics instructor. And the early mornings (when I like to workout) are too dark and chilly to be outside. Where to turn when you’ve ruled out thigh cream and liposuction? Turn on--and to--the TV.
There are more than a dozen workout shows on the tube, and they’ve come a long way since Jack LaLanne. So for a week I tried them all. I found that the hardest part of fitness TV was staying on my feet. Couch potatodom is an easy option when your instructor can’t see you.
The shows are rated on the heart (*) scale, with **** being excellent.
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
BODIES IN MOTION
Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. ESPN
*** 1/2
The Workout: “Welcome to Hawaii,” says Gilad Janklowicz, host of this mid-to-high impact aerobics class. The setting--white sands and blue sea--is enough to scare me off the couch (the beach ... swimwear!). The former Israeli decathlete and head of the fitness programs for the Israeli army starts out with a warm-up and progresses quickly to an intense routine followed by a cool-down. He of the tight buns and booming voice yells out instructions throughout. “Exhale!” Hey, I can do that. Gilad’s squats were not as easy.
In Shape (Pros): Gilad’s no-nonsense, high-energy style may work. He’s more drill sergeant than cheerleader, but his down-to-business attitude is motivating.
Out of Shape (Cons): Me. This is not aerobics for the fainthearted--I was drenched. I recommend this solid workout to those who are already somewhat in shape.
GETTING FIT WITH DENISE AUSTIN
Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. ESPN
***
The Workout: “Are you ready to burn fat? Get up on your feet!” chimes Denise Austin, the ultimate cheerleader-style host. This exercise maven, sister-in-law of Tracy Austin, takes a friendlier approach than Gilad. She chatters throughout the low-impact aerobics workout set in a different exotic locale each week. When I watched, it was just Denise on the balcony overlooking Acapulco and me in the living room. She emphasizes personal attention: “Just turn on the TV and say, ‘Denise is here, my personal trainer.’ ” Yippee. Her favorite catch phrase is “Oh, it feels so good” (speak for yourself, honey).
In Shape: This fitness expert knows her stuff. She focuses on problem areas that women in particular deal with, such as the upper arms and thighs (“No more jigglies”). She also gives constant reminders about form. Denise deals with self-esteem issues: “You’re worth it, you deserve a great body,” she says during some grueling leg lifts. Her tips, such as how she lost 30 pounds after pregnancy, are informative.
Out of Shape: Her outfits. Denise, can you lose the hot-pink leotard, pink hairbow and pink socks ensemble? And some of those pep-talks drove me to grab the remote and ... bye-bye.
STEP REEBOK
Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. ESPN
***
The Workout: After Gilad and Denise inspired me to make travel plans, the high-tech studio in Universal Studios near Orlando, Fla., where Gin Miller and the Step Reebok gang do their stepping, looks austere. But Gin, an inventor of the step movement, has a friendly style that lends warmth. Not to mention that after her thorough workout, I was downright overheated.
In Shape: This class, which has cool music, cool routines and cool class members (one even keeps his sunglasses on), provides the cutting edge in step aerobics. One of the steppers does the workout without a step for the viewers who don’t have one. Gin also includes resistance training with weights.
Out of Shape: Some of the sequences are hard to follow. I had to stop when I just couldn’t get in step.
BODYSHAPING
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. ESPN
**
The Workout: Want to get pumped up? This show is primarily about weightlifting. So unless you have a state-of-the-art home gym (I don’t), TV viewers are best served by watching the cast members’ routines and trying them out later at the gym. Or not.
In Shape: Just seeing those sculpted bodies is an inspiration to begin strength training. The cast is a title-holding crew ranging from former Mr. Los Angeles Rick Valente to Ms. Olympia Carla Dunlap to Miss Fitness Laurie Donnelly. (In comparison, I was Ms. Flabby). The outdoor Tucson, Ariz., setting is a plus. And because the cast members are so scantily clad, it’s easy to see their form. This show has its own resident chiropractor, the super-buff Dr. Peter Gratale.
Out of Shape: I watched most of it from the kitchen while eating. And are those skimpy bikinis really necessary? I found the gratuitous camera angles even less necessary.
ESPN FITNESS PROS
Check your daily listings on ESPN and ESPN2
***
The Workout: The guys wear Doc Martens and baggies, and the women wear neon Lycra shorts and bra tops. Made me feel a little schlumpy in my T-shirt.
In Shape: This fun hip-hop, cardio-funk workout from Utah rivals the best aerobics classes at L.A. health clubs. The “pros” also give tips on stretching and weightlifting. After a jolting dose of these fitness nuts at 4:30 a.m., who needs coffee?
Out of Shape: Slow down! I tripped over my own feet in an attempt to get funky. It’s X-ercise for Generation X, and may be intimidating to others. Beginners beware.
BODY BY JAKE
Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. Cable Health Club on the Family Channel
***
The Workout: “Squeeze that buttissimo,” Jake Steinfeld shouts as he plays personal trainer to one member of “Jake’s Gang” (a regular person), a “Jake Pro” (workout monster) and me. The fitness guru leads us through what he calls a “fun workout.” (Don’t joke, Jake. You’re Steinfeld, not Seinfeld.) Abdominal crunches, bent-leg pushups, bicep curls--it’s serious stuff.
In Shape: He’s Jake. He’s a personality (and actor). Another highlight: Instead of doing the exercises himself, Jake puts his two studio victims through the paces and makes sure they’re in proper form.
Out of Shape: I wasn’t in proper form. Despite Jake’s motto, “Don’t quit,” I did. I didn’t find his set, with its sky-blue carpeting, at all appealing. The 15-minute class is too short for a serious workout. Can you believe I wanted more pushups?
EVERYDAY WORKOUT
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. Lifetime
* 1/2
The Workout: Want to learn how to count to 10 in Swedish, Hebrew, Mandarin-Chinese? Counting in different languages is a gimmick that Cynthia Kereluk, exercise physiologist and former Miss Canada, uses to get you through her often-monotonous aerobic workout, which incorporates floor work and a cool-down.
In Shape: During her S.O.S segments (Soft Odd Spots), Cynthia uses a split-screen to show herself doing a modification of the exercises for beginners and those with specific problems (lower back pain). And she encourages me to keep going through the commercials.
Out of Shape: This show, with Cynthia in her pastel leotard working out in her Pier 1 living room, had a retro feel. And there is no TV class to watch. The music reminds me of my dentist’s office. Cynthia’s breathy, sing-song voice is the opposite of motivating. “There you go,” she coos. “You’re doing a swell job.” Made me want to cry “S.O.S.”
AEROBICS
Check your daily listings, Prime Ticket and the Cable Health Club on the Family Channel
**
The Workout: No, that’s not Josie Bissett and Doug Savant from “Melrose Place,” although I did a double take. It’s just Petra and Michael, your aerobics instructors. “Get funky, get loose,” Petra yells at me with her British accent. A little intimidating. Then she gets nicer: “We’re your friends. If you need someone to work out with, we’re right here.”
In Shape: Petra and a few other hipsters lead me through a high-energy workout featuring club music and dance moves set outdoors at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington hotel in Pasadena. They remind me to go at my own pace: “Remember, this is your thing.”
Out of Shape: I can’t get a grip on any of the instructors’ personalities, which gives the show a generic feel.
LILIAS!
Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m KOCE
*** 1/2
The Workout: If you want to join the latest fitness craze without paying for an expensive class, Lilias is your yoga master. After my high-powered TV workouts, it feels great to sprawl out on the rug and “inhale, exhale” as Lilias gets me ready for the warrior pose. “Don’t force anything,” Lilias says. I like that after all those motivators.
In shape: The relaxation segment is heavenly as Lilias tells me to slacken my jaw and relax “my good friend,” the brain. She uses vivid imagery to convey the moves: “Fold like a piece of wet laundry” and “build a rainbow with your arms.”
Out of Shape: When you’re upside-down, it’s hard to see the TV. I lost my balance more than a few times, but the maternal Lilias made me feel better: “If you start to wobble, that’s fine.”
SOME OTHER SHOWS
FLEX MAGAZINE WORKOUT (ESPN): I’m not sure I want to look that pumped-up. Power weightlifters with names like Flex Wheeler and Boyer Coe go at it on the machines.
CITY JAM (ESPN): A hip-hop class for the MTV generation edited to look like a music video--with quick cuts and quirky camera angles. The dance moves are ultra-cool. If only I could do them.
SIT AND BE FIT (KVCR): Tone and stretch without getting out of the chair. Host Mary Ann Wilson provides a welcome alternative to super-charged TV classes. She gears the show to anybody who needs gentle movement, but the physically challenged and elderly are her targeted audience.
BASIC TRAINING (ESPN2): You’re in the Navy now. A basic workout set on the dock in front of ships at Pearl Harbor. TV class members wear sailor hats and count military-style.