Baby, Give It Up to Me: Core Fusion/Yoga Vibes Remix

So like I said yesterday, my May goal was going to be a Core Fusion/Yoga mash-up. (Like something Jay-Z might do.) I loved doing Pure Arms & Abs and Pick Your Spot Pilates in April but I just like to keep things exciting. I mean, it’s like anything in life. A girl can’t eat oatmeal every day or kick it in missionary her whole life, can she? I was also thinking about giving myself a yoga goal. I’ve tried yoga and quit so many times but I think that I just need to stick it out for longer and commit.

So how to make it happen? Luckily, all these things found me!

Last week, Dori directed me to YogaVibes.com, which she had just found out about from one of her Core Fusion instructors. OK, first of all, this site is really cool; it allows you to stream actual yoga classes, so it’s a little different from doing DVDs. But here’s the kicker: you can now stream Core Fusion classes!

OK, listen. The next time a guy is like pathetically attempting to get me off, I’m just going to be like, “Um, maybe you should stop doing that and then just tell me how I can take a Core Fusion class in the middle of Michigan” because oh my God, that’s the quickest way to get me excited!!! I’ve never been able to take an actual CF class. From what I’ve heard, the classes are a lot tougher than the DVDs. Plus there a lot of different classes like Core Fusion Sport and Core Fusion Yoga that I am dying to try. And…this site makes it possible!

There are a few different payment options, but the one that made the most sense to me was the $20/month plan. It gives you access to five different classes (that you can watch as many times as you want in the month). That’s way cheaper than a gym membership, cheaper than any yoga classes near me, and way cheaper than going to an Exhale Spa to take Core Fusion classes. SIGN ME UP!

At this point, I was a little overwhelmed by all the Core Fusion opportunities in my life. I mean, I know some people do it five times a week but I also know that a lot of strength training requires days off in between. I Direct Messaged Fred Devito on Twitter. Fred is the guy in the DVDs (his wife, Lis, is the woman) and they created Core Fusion. He gave me his e-mail address so I could ask all my questions about how to create the best plan for myself. This was a really big deal for me and probably another example of why I love Core Fusion (and Twitter). It means a lot to me that the creator of the company and the guy that I see in the DVDs every day (so a celeb in my book) would take the time to help me like that. I really wish all companies would recognize that they should use social media in this way.

So Fred told me I could do Core Fusion daily without rest days because of the unique way it combines strength and flexibility. I remember something Dori said once that Fred said in class. “Some women take Core Fusion every day and it shows.” I want to be that woman!!!

Core Fusion Sport two times a week (three if possible)
Core Fusion Yoga once a week (two if possible)
Lean & Toned DVD once a week (the new DVD, which I don’t own yet — this week!) or Core Fusion classic on Yoga Vibes once a week
Pure Arms & Abs (just two segments) if I feel like it…I just really love this DVD.

In honor of French Women Don’t Get Fat, I’m being kind of laissez-faire about everything beyond CF Sport. I know I’ll be doing Core Fusion most days, but if I can’t on certain days (for good reasons like having to teach spinning, not silly reasons like being hungover) I’m not going to stress too much.

I started things off on Sunday with Core Fusion Sport. I actually watched the entire class before I did it. (I love watching workout videos in bed and just not moving!) I was a little nervous after watching the video. I recognized a lot of the moves from the DVDs, but there were definitely some new ones, and there were cardio bursts in between…and lots of planks and push-ups. But whatever; if this is what an actual class is like then I’m ready to go to work!

This was the view from my computer.

I set up on the gym side of my office and gathered everything I’d need: mat, band, sweat towel (for real!!), and ball. They recommend a six pound ball but I went with a $9 five pound Danskin one because I couldn’t afford the $46 one with the handles that they use in the video. Mine worked fine; I just made a few small changes to certain moves. (And that’s why I pre-watch workout DVDs in bed!)

Well I have to say…I honestly felt like I was taking the class! I mean, maybe I was so busy literally crying out for my glutes that I detached from reality long enough to believe I was at an Exhale Spa in NYC and not in my basement in Michigan. Who can really say for sure? You can see from the picture above the angle at which it’s shot. Because I could see both Fred and the other people in the class, it’s more like a real class, unlike a DVD where the people face you. It’s a small thing, but it makes a difference. Also, I liked that these are just real people. Sometimes they miss a beat or modify things. And they have bodies that look more like mine. That definitely gave it a class-like experience.

The thing I love about the regular Core Fusion DVDs is that you can do the segments throughout the day since you don’t really work up a sweat. Not so with CF Sport…not so at all. I was soaking wet like a girl in a Ying Yang Twins song. In between new moves that I can’t even name (lunge-lift-ball-twists?!) I was frantically trying to get my hair out of the nice low ponytail where I’d had it to begin with and up in that “cute skinny white bitch” top knot that I now understand. It reminded me of the Shred class at Equinox I took last spring, which was the hardest class the gym had. The cardio bursts made it more like a boot camp, but it still was unmistakably Core Fusion, which I loved.

The cardio aspect is what really made it a new challenge. I mean, yes, I’m kinda over cardio, and I hadn’t planned on getting so sweaty this month, but I do like getting more bang for my buck when it comes to strength training. That’s the American girl in me. But screw running; this is the kind of cardio that’s worth washing my hair for!

When I woke up on Monday I wasn’t too sore — more sore than I’ve been with the other DVDs, but I think that’s because this one is giving my glutes a major workout in a way that Pure Arms & Abs obviously does not. I also could feel all those push-ups and planks, but again…fine. That’s what’s going to change my bod. Then around lunchtime I stood up and…Oh. Hello. There you are, delayed onset muscle soreness. Greetings, old friend! Let me just go ahead and take all the hard songs off tonight’s spin playlist…

I woke up this morning even more sore. I’m supposed to do Sport again today and I’m thinking about it and wincing with that face you make when you’re a kid and you know you’re in trouble and that one of your parents is going to whoop your ass. Like, do you want to just get it over with? Wait for later and hope it somehow hurts less or that they’ll forget? I’m thinking a little walk first might help the soreness before I go back asking for more.

Despite my pain and suffering, I’m really excited to try Core Fusion yoga tomorrow because if it’s ever going to be possible for me to stick with yoga, I’m pretty sure it’s when Lis (with her amazing arms) is telling me to downward dog.

So after that very long-winded review/story/gush, here’s the best part… I e-mailed the Yoga Vibes people and told them I’m obsessed with Core Fusion and talk about it all the time on Shedding It and that making the actual classes accessible to Midwestern girls like me is pretty much amazing (I tend to do things like that because I just believe it means as much to them as your comments and e-mails mean to me). Well, it did mean something to them and they hooked it uppppp. Giveaway time, people! One of you will get access to one free class from YogaVibes for a month!

To enter: head to YogaVibes.com and browse the classes and tell me which one you’d choose as your free class. (It doesn’t have to be Core Fusion! There are tons of other classes that look great too; I promise I won’t judge you if you want to try a different one.) Come back here and leave me a comment with your class of choice AND tell me why you want to win! What goals would that class help you achieve? Did you just quit your gym and miss your classes? Are you on the NA Diet and you need to get a hot break-up bod?

Bonus entries:

Become a fan of Shedding It & Getting It on Facebook (if you’re already a fan, suggest it to five of your friends).
Blog about it and link to this post (if you don’t have a blog, you can post it to your Facebook page).
Tweet about it: “Win a free #corefusion class from @yogavibes via @sheditandgetit http://wp.me/pD1Si-1hL”

Just leave me a comment here for each entry. Please only enter if you’ll really use it and think you would like to do a YogaVibes class regularly — this is a cool prize and I would hate for someone to win and then think, “Oh actually, my workout schedule is set for May. Oh well.”

You have until tonight (Tuesday 5/4) at 10 PM EST to enter! It’s a quickie, so get on it…I’ll select a winner randomly from all the comments tonight. And if you want to try your luck at winning the new Lean & Toned DVD, don’t forget to enter Dori’s giveaway!

I’m going to go mentally prepare myself for day two of Sport. Over and out!