I never thought I would see the day us UK chicks had an exercise thread.....

Does anyone out there do callenetics or know any thing about it?? I 'won' a callenetics video on eBay (although I haven't got it yet) - does anyone know how it is supposed to work/how effective it is supposed to be?? The other thing is that I think I am getting confused between callenetics, the new kind of yoga and pilates - does anyone know the difference?

P.S. Carol - there are several cheap callanetics videos for auction on eBay at the moment - no Pilates though (or none in my price range 50p - £1.50!!)

Callenetics is toning. Lots and lots of very small movements on the muscles to tone. Looks daft but it really hurts. Don't know about pilates, but I think that's toning too.

carol that sounds exactly what im on about the market here has them for about a tenner ......i know its only 10 pound but i dont want to buy any more until i know there good, sarah i forgot to check argos online i was so tired will do it as soon as ive caught up on all todays gossip though

Callanetics is moving heavy body parts teensy weensy distances! For example you pulse ab crunches many many many times, causing the muscle to fatigue very quickly! The ideas seems to be that you can do an effective workout by moving the muscles no more than an inch!

Pilates is quite different. The muscle groups are encouraged to work at full stretch and in a functional manner. That just means that you may spend a lot of time stretching AND working or doing things that you can see what kind of every day activity you may be mimicking.

Yoga is similar but without the functional bit! Yoga moves are pehaps the most contoverial for an exercise regime in that where a fitness instuctor would show you how to do a move with your back fully supported Yoga does not. That is why a Yoga routine WOULD ask you to place your hands flat to the floor without bending your knees and an aerobics instructor wouldn't!

All of them are toning routines and whichever you choose to do you will notice differences. It's just that some make you more prone to injury or take longer to work than others.

Hope that was helpful! Stef

Thanks for that Stef - I am really looking forward to the arrival of my Callanetics video now! I was overbid on the Pilates one, but I have bid on a Pilates book.

I 'did' my Barbara Currie Power Yoga video yesterday for the first time for months.... Its a very gentle routine - nothing too strenuous - she tells you several times never to strain or go beyond what feels comfortable (and I didn't) - at the end of it I felt sort of refreshed and calm...... so why do I ache all over today??? Every muscle seems to be throbbing. I swam for 45 mins on Monday evening and jogged (on the rebounder) and walked for 90 mins yesterday - and none of any of that has caused so much pain as my 30 mins of 'gentle' Yoga!

Does anyone else's husband/partner think they have gone nuts? Kevin 'understood' the dieting, to a certain extent - but I can tell that he thinks I have gone slightly nuts when I mention exercising. (Except for swimming - he enjoys that!)

Ray just thinks I am completely nuts all the time!!!!!

Sarah my Callanetics came yesterday. I watched it at teatime and was going to work out to later but didn’t. Too long story to go through again it’s all in the Hello from…. Thread. It looks very simple but effective. The blurb on the tape says that we will feel a difference after doing it for one hour and see big changes after 10.

My exercise has been a bit lax recently. I am doing 30 minutes a day minimum but I would like to do a bit more. I walked 3 miles yesterday and was upset because I didn’t manage to fit in my callanetics – what do I think I am superwoman?

Like Kevin I love to swim. But my kids have over taken my weekly 40 lengths at the pool. They sussed where I was going and I hate to discourage them. Hence the fact they come too now and I spend my time playing on the flumes and rescuing almost drowning boys when they dive in.

Getting a bit p!ssed about this Geri tape. I don’t think the woman has done a runner with my money, but she is so slow at sending something on. She was on holiday, which slowed down the process, but she promised to send it on to me on Monday first class, but no tape yet. If it doesn’t turn up today I’m going to start harassing her by email until it does arrive.

Think today’s exercise is going to be a walk at lunchtime in the rain. Tonight is Sean’s swimming lessons so I’ll have a splash around with Steve. If I can still breathe when we get home and I’ve got everybody organised. I might even try just doing the warm up of that callanetic vid.

Carol - I go to the adults only exercise night at the local pool. They have two of them a week. No flumes or playing around allowed - just adults doing lengths! Do they do something like that near you that you could go to without your sons??? Maybe they would understand an 'adults only' evening.

I think I would email the Geri tape lady today - perhaps you could mention that you have to give her a feedback and that yours might be less than complimentary!

I am waiting for my Slendertone thingy which I 'won' on eBay to turn up! Anyone else had any experience with these...

How on earth could we possibly see a difference after one hour's callanetics? Hmmm! My US diet buddy says she has never heard of callanetics - so much for it being America's No. 1 Exercise Video! She does the Richard Simmons (I think thats his name) aerobic videos which are very popular - she sent me one - its AWFUL!

I have seen Richard Simmons on the Ricki Lake show, isn't he like Leo Sayer in pink spandex? Very popular in America though. I MUST do my Tae Bo video tonight.

Very much like Leo Sayer! And you ought to see the strange people he has in his pretend aerobic classes demonstrating the moves! I couldn't do any of the exercises because I was laughing so much.

I have just splodged my way round 4.5 miles of extremely muddy countryside - do you burn extra cals for wading through mud??

Anybody ever tried the Vanessa Felps video. I’m keeping an eye on 2 copies of it in Ebay. For some strange reason I am quite interesting in trying it as it obviously worked for her. Although I think she is putting a bit back on now. What a terrible thing to say, what if she reads this, I’m sure she pops in most days. Maybe BPB is actually Vanessa, you know how we’re sure she’s famous but won’t admit it.

Any comments, good or bad, before I go splash some cash on the vid?

No..... I figured it out ages ago... BPB is really Posh!!

I dunno about Vanessa - I was always 100% behind her when she was losing the weight after her hubby did a runner, but somehow I lost my sympathy when she did that weird thing on Celebrity Big Brother. After all she was 'having a relationship' with that rather nice personal trainer of hers - so I couldn't really understand the 'why does everybody hate me?' thing - she is SUCH a lucky lady and there are so many people out there worse off than she is....

Sorry for the rant... I think the personal trainer had more to do with her weight loss than anything else though! She probably didn't have time to eat much when they first got together..... Maybe we all need to find ourselves superfit toyboys!

Is Vanessa the lady who used to do a chat show thingy in the mornings on ITV? It's been that long since I've been home I think I know who you're talking about.
I used to Callenetics quite a few years back. I loved it and felt and saw a difference, although I hurt myself doing one excersise one evening, crunchd the old knees in a move, so I stopped doing it. I actually liked it at the time but I much prefer an aerobic work out now, like the Tae-Bo, which I've not done in over a week cos of these pills, these blooming things have a lot to answer for I must say.
I am in hysterics here thinking of Richard Simmons as leo Sayer in spandex, how true a comment, although I really love Richard cos he's such a wimp and cries a lot when he helps huge people lose weight and they come and thank him, sensitive is the proper word I should have used rather than wimp, sorry Richard.
What did happen to Leo Sayer, anyone know?
Ok, waffled on enough as usual...going now....

oh oyes there is a god after all(he works in argos warehouse ) today i bought my instruments of torture one rebounder and one ab frame. youll be lucky if i can walk tomorrow but ill just get DH to lift me and place me in front of comp and my day will be saved , ok any tips on whats best to do on these" objects " will be greatly appreciated

Yes Vanessa is the one who used to be in the mornings...her hubby dumped her and she lost weight.

I heard Leo on the radio being interviewed a bit ago so guess he is still going!