Cathe Travel Fit DVD Review

Woohooo!!! Back down the four again. I feel like a horse in a race, "ahead by four, down by six and rounding the first turn." Who knew weight loss could be so exciting!

Anyway, as I'm sitting here listening to the rain and debating driving 20 miles for a REAL bagel with hummus and sprouts or actually getting up and fixing a salad...I figured NOW would be a good time to critique the Cathe - Travel Fit DVD my friend Lorraine Esposito sent me!!  Yes...I plug her every chance I get because the woman is AWESOME...If you do nothing else to make someone's day, please click through to her website so she knows I wrote this!

Okay, Video time!! First of all, it kicks your butt, as expected. It left everything on my body that could jiggle, shaking with exhaustion. And that was just from fending off my two kittens who LOVE, LOVE, LOVE dangly things and me screaming "NO NO NO! STOP, STOP, STOP!" at them. After locking them in the bathroom to protest while I worked out (They actually LOVE the bathroom. During the day they sleep there on a towel on the floor, so trust me, it was no hardship. They were not harmed in the execution of this workout. They just didn't get to shred my band!). After that, it was Go TIME!

The Cathe - Travel Fit DVD REVIEW

OMG! This woman moves in "fast forward" mode! I could do maybe ONE move to her four. This video in slow motion would be me  moving FAST. The rubber band is great. When I hit myself in the head with it, it doesn't hurt. Seriously. Dumb bells and my weak body are dangerous. This video will BURN calories. I really like her. No talking and BS to "get started." She jumps RIGHT into warm up and work out. Her heart rate rising remarks are perfectly timed. Whether I'm chugging along at my speed, or she's moving at the pace of a squirrel on Aderol, (SPEED) our heart rates go at the same time.

She does give beginners the option of using a lighter resistance band...which is nice. This is a non-stop 45 minute video. I lasted 10 minutes and I wanted to quit at 3. I like her reminder that it's okay to do half (or less) of the exercises until you get in shape. I felt clumsy. But then, I have two left feet.

This walking, kicking, crossing, hopping, stretching at the same time made my eyes glaze over, so I picked one move, like stretching the rubber band, and did that. As I get comfortable with doing more, I'll do more. You do more things than I ever thought was possible with this band and boy, do you FEEL IT!!

Move at Your Own Pace, But Don't DOG IT.

I think that's the most important thing you can remember when doing ANYTHING, not just working out. Move at your OWN pace. Don't let someone more experienced, or in better shape, tell you you're not doing enough unless THEY are a trained fitness coach. On the other hand, YOU have to be the one to push yourself past your comfort zone just enough to advance. I've had personal trainers who are trained to push a person past their comfort zone, but not into injury zone.

I've also had other people with their own unresolved emotional baggage try to push me because they didn't have the balls to push themselves or deal with their own issues. So, if you need pushing, hire a professional, but hire one who LISTENS to you. Trust your gut. You know the difference. If they get offended or angry or belittle you when you ask questions about their pushing you, find someone else. A coach or trainer should be able to discuss your fitness level without SHAMING you, or getting angry.

One of the things I HATE about Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser) is she takes her anger issues out on people by demeaning, belittling and crapping on them. Makes for great television, but it feels bad enough to be fat without her screaming hate at you. I get the sense she could/is a good listener one-on-one, but her having a mother who is a therapist doesn't make her one because she lived in the same house. I don't know what her psychological training is, but the screaming and yelling thing? Doesn't do it for me. It's a fine line...Take your time finding someone who can push you without making you feel like dog poop.

Okay, enough complaining. If you're not sweating, hating it and feeling like giving up, you're not working. I'm also feeling angry that I'm so out of shape I can't do 20 minutes of exercise with big rubber band. But, I also know that I need to take baby steps. 5 minutes a day, then 7, 8, 10 and my body will VERY quickly adapt and in a month I'll be doing the entire 45 minutes.

This is one long workout, but the menu breaks it down into "chapters." Each chapter addresses a particular part of the body, like triceps, biceps etc. So, very happy to see that. I can personalize my workout, or just do the parts I'm working on that day, or I can work on working through the whole thing, or skip to something I CAN do when she's doing stuff I can't do without having to cool down or do something else. Versatile. I like that! My only complaint about the whole video is that I'm too slow and fat to keep up with it, but I can fix THAT!

Anyway, excellent video! Cathe - Travel Fit on Amazon.com, or look for it wherever you buy your fitness videos, or get it from her website.

If you travel a lot, these bands are lightweight and excellent to tuck into a bag. She recommends wearing weight lifting gloves. Amazon has a variety of gloves, like Women'sMeshback Lifting Gloves , for $6.42. Or the women's pink back, leather gloves for $13.60. I got mine at Walmart for $10.95. So look around and try them on. Get a snug, but not tight fit. When you start sweating like a pig the rubber band thing gets slippery, and it's hard to hold onto. Look around though. LOTS of styles to choose from!