Trying tocreate a rotation with tapes....I am new!!

N

nik13

Cathlete
I just ordered the 6 pack express, body max, Step Works, MIS, And Cardio Kicks. I have a treadmill and Stepmax, too.

I need help with making up rotations. I am new to exercise and search many posts but I am getting confused since I am so new.

It is very important for me to lose the extra 72lbs I am wanting not only to be healthy but to have a baby.

My story goes like this....
I have been infertile for 5 years and tried clomid, but the more I took drugs the more my physical and emotional health declined.
I discussed with my doctor how I could possibly conceive without ovulating and she said that fat cells store estrogen and if there is too much estrogen levels in the body your body will be tricked into thinking that your pregnant and not ovulate.

SO here I am, I have gained 72 lbs in the last 5yrs and am ready to get healthy, happy and become a mommy.

I hope you all will help. I know from my last post you are a wonderful group, patient and informative.

Getting long, Sorry!

I have lost 15lbs in the last 2 months w/o exercise, and have hit a plateau for the last 4 weeks.

So please help with rotations.
Thanks for your help!!
Nikki:)
P.s. I am 28 not many fertile yrs left.
 
Hi Nikki!

Good for you on wanting to get healthy and GOOD LUCK on the pregnancy! I would just start off with the 6-pack X-Press tapes as a good introduction to working out. It has everything included in the 6-pack, cardio(which inlcudes step, kickbox, hi/lo some interval work), strength-work and ABS. The 6 tapes will give you 6 days of working out with a day off to recoup. IF you want to incorporate your other step tapes you ordered, you could skip one of the cardio sections in the 6-pack and insert the step tape. I personally like doing all the 6-pack at this point because they are so new. It is up to you if you want to jump around and do other's. Sometime's, it is better to stick to a basic rotation to see how well it works for you, then switch after 6-10 weeks. That way, you have plenty of time to see if something works for you. Does that make sense??:-hmmm I hope I haven't confused you. I basically wanted to welcome you and say CONGRATULATIONS on taking a big step forward.:D You will love all your Cathe tapes. Let us know what you decide to do. Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
 
Infertility/New rotation

Hi Nikki,
First of all, I think Debbie had a great suggestion as far as starting with the six pack. It will give you a great combination of strength and cardio workouts. Just remember that Cathe made these videos for people familiar with her choreography so don't get frustrated if you don't get the moves right away. Also, the cardio sections are pretty intense, so you might need to modify to a lower intensity if you are just starting out. The exercise will do great things for your metabolism and I'm sure that plateau is going to just disappear for you once you start working out.
I tried to email you privately concerning the infertility, but couldn't get your email address. Are you seeing a specialist? I am concerned because you said you have been trying for five years but have only taken clomid and I wasn't sure why you wouldn't have gone on to more aggressive treatments. I went through many, many years of infertility treatments and succeeded in getting pregnant twice - the second time with twins. I also don't ovulate - but it doesn't seem to be related to my weight - I've been very thin and very heavy - I just have hormone imbalances.
Wishing you the best with your weight loss and pregnancy goals!
Erica
 
RE: Infertility/New rotation

HI Erica & ebh87

Erica

For the last 5 years most of the doctors have said it is my weight. I triede clomid and ovulated 2 out of the 3 times, but no baby. She wanted to go to higher drugs, but after taking clomid my husband & I had it emotionally as well as physically, you understand that phase.

So we decided to ake the weight factor out of the equation.

I want to lose my weight in a year.

I am so glad your on the board you probably understand my feelings.

Thanks,
Nikki
 
Hi Nikki,
You are gonna love your Cathe video workouts! I just started working out with Cathe back in May and have already (almost) purchased her entire video library! Boy, has my charge card taken a hit! The 6 pack is excellent. Working out with Cathe will get you in great shape. I'm trying to lose some more weight too before I become pregnant (we are gonna be trying for baby #2 hopefully soon). Good luck to you! Keep us posted on your progress.

Lisa Seymour
 
Thanks Erica!

Thanks for reminding Nikki to modify especially because she is new to the tapes. I meant to mention that to her. Also, Nikki, like Erica said, the moves do come after some practice so don't get frustrated. It is worth the trials & errors!! Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
 
Hi Niki!

First of all congrats on losing that first 15lbs :-jumpy ! As usual, everyone has given you good advice but I thought I toss in my 2 cents regarding the rotations.

What I find helpful is writing everything down, sort of an exercise journal. This helps you keep track of your weekly workouts. Write down the amount of weights you use for each exercise and how much cardio you do in a week. It will help in targeting what brings results as well as helping you to progress more quickly each time you do a tape.

AS Debbie said, the CTX series is a good place to start because you can combine them in so many ways to fit your fitness level and as you progress you can do 2 body parts per day or 2 cardio sections per day etc. Then after 6 to 8 weeks of CTX do a different rotation using your other tapes. This change will help keep you from plateauing. CTX combines cardio and weights daily with the emphasis on endurance, so for your next rotation you may want to alternate days of cardio and weights with your other Cathe tapes and treadmill (Cardio Kicks is such a blast!). Also, maybe you can do a search thru other threads as Cathe has made rotations for other people you might find helpful.

Best of luck to you! BTW, you're still a spring chicken, my hubby and I are planning to try to conceive in 2001 and I just turned 36. :)
 
Thanks for all the great ideas and support.

My Tapes will be here Friday!!!!
I will start the 6 pack rotation for 8-10weeks.
I'll post later to let you know my progress.

nikki
 
Yeah Nikki!!

You are going to be one Happy Camper when you get your tapes! They are sooo much fun. We'll be anxiously awaiting to hear from you. Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
 
RE: Infertility/New rotation

This is just an idea I thought I'd chime in with concerning the infertility. It may sound "out there" but my mom's best friend tried for years and years to have a baby and they just couldn't conceive. She went through hell and I I lost track of how many drugs and therapies they had her try. Then one day she was reading some magazine that mentioned a possible link between ingesting Apartame (NutraSweet, etc) and infertility and miscarriages. She was so desperate at that point she would have tried sleeping standing on her head and she did drink a lot of diet colas and ate deserts and things made with NutraSweet. So she stopped eating or drinking anything that contained Aspartame to see if it made any difference, while still pursuing the more medical avenues. Within about 6 months, she was pregnant and carried a healthy baby boy to full term. Her son is 7 years old now, and while of course that could have been a total coincidence, she feels in her heart that it isn't and still won't eat or drink any artificial sweeteners, even now.

I figured it couldn't hurt to share her story, I'm sure she'd want me to. It was her who first got me to stop ingesting the sweetener and I've been off it for years. I want to have kids one day myself and if there's even a remote possibility that the stuff does effect pregnancy and conception I figure it's worth it.

I wish you the best of luck in your quest for a family and in your fitness quest. You sound like you're on absolutely the right track and that you're really determined. And you always have everyone on here to inspire you and talk to if and when things seem tough!

Take care,
Lex
 
Hi Nikki

Congratulations on deciding to lose weight. It sounds as if you're determined to be successful -- and I think you will be. I spent a few years in infertility limbo and I remember how helpless and out of control of my body I felt. Getting healthy and in shape helped me combat those feelings.

I love Cathe's tapes, but I have to warn you that even Cathe says they are not the best choice for new exercisers. They are extremely advanced: in fact, Cathe makes the toughest exercise videotapes of the hundreds and hundreds that are out there. I would hate for you to start out by attempting too much, too fast. So please, if you start out with Cathe's tapes, start out exercising every other day or only 3 or 4 days per week. Most of the men and women on this board have been exercising for YEARS -- some, like Debbie H, are instructors themselves. None of us started out at the level of Cathe's videotapes, we all built up to it slowly. You will have to trust me when I tell you that you'll be more successful if start out slowly. You'll burn out or injure yourself if you try to start out at the Cathe-level. If you do Cathe's tapes, try to do only short segments of Cathe's tapes at a time. And modify as much as you have to.

I have to tell you that I think it might be better for you to start out with more intermediate or beginner-level videos. Have you visited www.videofitness.com? It's a web site with consumer reviews of lots of videos. If you click on the link for "Hall of Fame" or "Favorites," you'll see the videos that most home exercisers think are the best in a variety of categories and fitness levels. You can also take a quiz that will recommend specific videos to help you meet your fat loss goals. There's also a great discussion forum over there and if you want advice, I guarantee you'll get some great advice from other women who have stood in your exact shoes.

I didn't start trying to conceive until I was 32 and I was shocked to find myself still trying 3 years later. One day, I realized that I was making all my life choices based on wanting to get pregnant: I'd stopped drinking any alcohol, diet drinks or sodas, wouldn't exercise strenuously, wouldn't diet to lose weight (I was 15 pounds heavier than ever before in my life) and basically wasn't a lot of fun to be around. And I wasn't happy. I finally said, "what the heck" and decided to start living my life for real again. Wouldn't you know it, two months later I was finally pregnant. I don't know what will work for you: the human body is a very mysterious and complex thing. But I can urge you to do as much as you can to take control of your own body. And getting your good health back through weight loss is a great place to start.

Best of luck to you.
 
ditto!

Daphne,
I was so glad to see your post, and I hope Nikki will take it to heart. I was just about to post the same thing about not starting out with Cathe. Her workouts are challenging even to advanced exercisers (of which I am not :) ) , and I really would hate for someone to give up or injure themselves if they are not ready. Nikki, if you have not been exercising, even a small amount of light to moderate exercise will make a tremendous difference, especially if you continue to eat in a healthy way!
Good luck, and keep us posted :)
Wendy
 
Hi Nikki,

I too struggled with infertility, and what helped me more than anything else was yoga. I started with Kathy Smith's New Yoga Basics (simple, relaxing tape with good instruction) and moved on from there. The Living Arts tapes are also very good. I found that yoga helped me cope with the (major) stress and depression that came along with infertility.

If it helps (and it may not!) I agree with the others that at age 28 you still have lots of time. I didn't succeed until age 36--delivered twins just before my 37th b-day. Also, the success rates for IVF are increasing significantly every year, so hang in there. (We did two cycles of IVF and I found it much LESS stressful than the clomid because we felt more "in control".)

Good luck!

Barb
 
RE: Infertility/New rotation

Hey Lex411,

I do drink a lot of diet pepsi. I think I wil give it up to see what happens. My 86 year old grandma told me diet pop makes you retain weight. Every time I quit for a couple weeks I lose weight faster. I think I will quit it all together.

Thanks.
Nikki
 
All of you have given me such wonderful thoughts and advice.
I think I will use the videos that I ordered and modify parts to my level of fitness or do 10 minutes of them and add on minutes as I progress. I spent a lot on the videos I bought, I better use them.

Thanks again and I will post on how I am doing and modify my exercise routine according to the results I get.

Thank you all you are a wonderful group.
Nikki
 
don't worry, you didn't waste $!!!!

Hi Nikki,
Your ideas on modification sound good. I'm so glad you are choosing to do it that way. If you do find yourself frustrated at first, don't worry--you will get used to Cathe's style and the choreography. And you could always get a few more basic tapes to supliment, such as Gin Miller or Kathy Smith stuff. But your money you spent on the Cathe stuff wouldn't be put to waste, you would just be building up to them. And you will progress quickly, I'm sure! Good luck :)
Wendy
PS When I first started out with Cathe, I asked for advice on which tapes were the most basic. I was very intimidated by everything I had read, and everyone here gave me great advice. I ordered The Wedding Video as my first tape, but it actually wasn't challenging enough (in the choreography department, that is--believe me, the intensity WAS challenging!) I'm not trying to "toot my own horn" :), I'm just saying that even though we are cautioning you, you may pick up on this stuff very easily anyway. Oh, I'm just babbling now!
 
I made it through my first tape.!!!!!

Well I received my tapes yesterday, how exciting.

I did Power Circuit this morning. I made it through the whole tape. I really enjoyed it, it went very fast. I did do it low impact and low weights. I think I need to practice a few of the moves, but that was kind of good because when I couldn't get it I just stepped up & down on the step and watched how she did it. After a few weeks I will get it and I will be able to increase my intensity. My only concern was the strength training I get nervous that I am not doing it right, but I checked Cathe's form pointers on the web site. I know when you are doing a crunch you shouldn't strain your neck, but I always do, any pointers would help. You wonderful people have helped me so much anyway.

Cathe I really enjoyed my first tape and felt good the whole day.
One day at a time, is my motto to meet my goal.

Thanks again,
Nikki
 
TOLD YOU!!

I knew you'd love the tapes Nikki! So glad the tape made you feel good. As always, listen to your body and modify, modify, modify if you must! You might want to "sit" and observe the moves you are having trouble with or even work on them separately at another time in the day when you aren't trying to get a good workout in. As far as a crunch, concentrate on using your ABS to lift. Contract them very tight. I also find that it helps sometimes to just place my fingers around my ears rather then behind my head, then I don't have anything to yank with. Does that make sense to you? Another pointer might be to think of your belly button and your ribs trying to meet in the middle. Let us know how your other tapes go. YOU GO GIRL! You are on your waaaay! :-jumpy Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
 
RE: I made it through my first tape.!!!!!

Hi Nikki,
Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first Cathe video! Just so you know, I have trouble with crunches also. I can't seem to work my abs without (somewhat) feeling it in my neck. However, the strain on my neck seems to get less each week. Possibly, as my abs are getting stronger, I am straining my neck less (that's my reasoning anyway). I think you will find the same to be true. I believe crunches take a while to "perfect". So, like me, you will feel it in your neck less as you get more practice doing ab work. I also try to keep my hands near my ears instead of behind my head (like the other poster mentioned to you). That will help to concentrate the work in the abs instead of the neck. But still, I think crunches take practice. So, keep up the good work!!!!!
Lisa
 
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