Summer Shape Up

Summer is here! Well ok maybe not quite yet but we have had enough sunny weather of late for that ‘I need to get fit for summer’ panic to set in.  My plan, as always, is to get started at the beginning of the year however, as always, this didn’t happen.  

So as part of my get fit campaign I started off by buying My Fitness Coach Dance Workout for the Wii.  The theory being that this would be more fun and therefore less like actual exercise.  And it is actually quite fun!  I’m not sure salsa dancing is my forte (I think I need to learn the moves a bit more) but there are a number of boxercise routines as well which is much more my thing – I’m practically Jean Claude.


As well as the dancing and boxercise routines there are various mini games that you can play.  My flatmate (Katie) and I are now very adept at bullfighting and karate chopping china vases and melons but could do with a little more work on our Rodeo and kangaroo fighting.




My other get fit product is the Slendertone.  Katie and I went along to a recent Slendertone media event at the Sanctum Soho Hotel.  It was really interesting finding out about all the products for zapping different parts of the body.  Slendertone is probably most well known for its tummy toning device but they also have ones for the arms and face.  And although Katie and I were both envisaging the ‘Face Bra’ when beauty expert, Nichola Joss, was telling us how she and her celebrity clients used it on long flights, it is actually very discreet looking and thankfully nothing at all like the ‘Face Bra’.

I was quite impressed with the all the scientific research behind the products (they have many years of medical experience and strong clinical trials) so it makes me think that it will actually work as opposed to some of the cheaper version you can buy.

The latest product they are launching is the Slendertone Bottom – does exactly what it says on the tin and trims that tush!

 

Katie and I were very kindly given the Slendertone Abs Belt and Slendertone Arms so we’ve got a couple of those problem areas covered between us.  Once we got them home we thought we get straight on with it and strapped ourselves in (it was actually really easy to put them on).  We nervously started off quite slow; I think we thought we were going to get some kind of electric shock or something.  It is in fact electro muscle stimulation technology that mimics the body’s natural muscle action by stimulating the nerves supplying the muscle groups – nothing at all like an electric shock.  It didn’t feel too bad at all, so we started building up the intensity – I possibly got a little carried away had to come back down a level or two as my arm seemed to develop a life of its own.

We were told we’d start to see the effects within about 4 weeks, however as we have not quite been that strict with ourselves and may have a missed a few of our daily 20 min sessions it may take us a little longer.  The good thing about the Slendertone is that you can wear it and carry on about your daily business so you don’t actually have to stop what you are doing to fit your exercise in (note to self: must think of another excuse now).

So I’m feeling motivated and have my first trip coming up in a couple of days so will defiantly have a few last minute sessions with both the Slendertone and on the Wii (and I will look like the women on the front of the box)!