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Method To My Madness!
We've all heard of this sprite of a woman named Tracy Anderson and her so-called "method". She's famous for creating Gwyneth's bum and dreamy lean legs (at age 34 with 2 kids under her belt), and boasts Madonna as being the hardest working woman she's ever trained. Her celebrity clientele is growing and so is her popularity (once you're on Oprah, you've arrived)! She proclaims after 8 years of research as well as extensive training in dance, she's found the key to trimming bods and transforming our genetic destiny (does that mean I can turn this hourglass fig into a sinewy ballerina with bulk-free thighs?). After psyching myself out that I can be dedicated to another promising workout dvd - my last being Cindy Crawford's Shape Your Body video (this was 1992 after all), I impulsively took a trip to Amazon.com and purchased the closest thing I can get to a Hollywood silhouette - The Tracy Anderson Method Cardio DVD. Since the focus of the workout is cardio through dance, how difficult can that be, right? I confidently began the dvd with some optimistic beliefs that a)I am a decent dancer, b)I bet this is a rip off and I won't sweat, c) bring it on, Tracy! I was wrong about everything except C! Tracy presents eight separate dance combinations with full instructions done slowly then repeats the dance from behind so you can follow her, and finally performs the dances to tempo. I barely learned the first two dances, and stopped after my dog got in the way and I was tripping over my coffee table. I showed off for my husband that I had stamina but collapsed the minute he left the room. Finally, once all of the dances are learned, you perform a total of 45 minutes of each high-energy choreographed routine consisting of ballet, boxing, jazz, jumping jacks, kick-ball-change-fancy footwork all to the speed of dance club music. No relaxing Seal music like Miss Crawford included in her back-breaking video! Tracy is tireless and incredibly light on her feet. She dances across your screen back and forth like the momentum of a great tennis match. Her leaps and kicks look effortless while mine are still awkward and incorrect. Her transitions between movements are fluid and seamless while I am losing fluids, panting like I took a spin class! But...I am still confident and determined to perfect the routines and glide across my living room like a lean Peter Pan! I intend to complete all eight dances with the same perfection, verve and enthusiasm as the master herself! After the cool down session, I listen to a testimonial by Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy's closing words soon follow. I learned that I have to get the mat exercise dvd in addition to cardio for optimum results - and performing the moves 6 times a week until you die will give you an A-list physique. I am kidding, but I did buy into the "method" and hype after all. -BH
We've all heard of this sprite of a woman named Tracy Anderson and her so-called "method". She's famous for creating Gwyneth's bum and dreamy lean legs (at age 34 with 2 kids under her belt), and boasts Madonna as being the hardest working woman she's ever trained. Her celebrity clientele is growing and so is her popularity (once you're on Oprah, you've arrived)! She proclaims after 8 years of research as well as extensive training in dance, she's found the key to trimming bods and transforming our genetic destiny (does that mean I can turn this hourglass fig into a sinewy ballerina with bulk-free thighs?). After psyching myself out that I can be dedicated to another promising workout dvd - my last being Cindy Crawford's Shape Your Body video (this was 1992 after all), I impulsively took a trip to Amazon.com and purchased the closest thing I can get to a Hollywood silhouette - The Tracy Anderson Method Cardio DVD. Since the focus of the workout is cardio through dance, how difficult can that be, right? I confidently began the dvd with some optimistic beliefs that a)I am a decent dancer, b)I bet this is a rip off and I won't sweat, c) bring it on, Tracy! I was wrong about everything except C! Tracy presents eight separate dance combinations with full instructions done slowly then repeats the dance from behind so you can follow her, and finally performs the dances to tempo. I barely learned the first two dances, and stopped after my dog got in the way and I was tripping over my coffee table. I showed off for my husband that I had stamina but collapsed the minute he left the room. Finally, once all of the dances are learned, you perform a total of 45 minutes of each high-energy choreographed routine consisting of ballet, boxing, jazz, jumping jacks, kick-ball-change-fancy footwork all to the speed of dance club music. No relaxing Seal music like Miss Crawford included in her back-breaking video! Tracy is tireless and incredibly light on her feet. She dances across your screen back and forth like the momentum of a great tennis match. Her leaps and kicks look effortless while mine are still awkward and incorrect. Her transitions between movements are fluid and seamless while I am losing fluids, panting like I took a spin class! But...I am still confident and determined to perfect the routines and glide across my living room like a lean Peter Pan! I intend to complete all eight dances with the same perfection, verve and enthusiasm as the master herself! After the cool down session, I listen to a testimonial by Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy's closing words soon follow. I learned that I have to get the mat exercise dvd in addition to cardio for optimum results - and performing the moves 6 times a week until you die will give you an A-list physique. I am kidding, but I did buy into the "method" and hype after all. -BH
