Mean, but not lean!

Faced with the realisation that I can no longer put off doing some sort of regular exercise I have been looking for inspiration at Lean But Not Mean, a fitness blog kept by a group of Catholic homeschooling mothers.

My last push for fitness took the form of joining the gym at our local leisure centre. It worked! I went regularly two or three times a week and felt much better for it ... then came pregnancy and that was the end of that! Right now, I honestly can't see how I could fit regular visits to the gym or exercise classes into my week, so I'm trying out exercise videos and DVDs that I can fit into my normal day. My main criteria for choosing is cost. Given that I have no idea what sort of exercise routine I would like, having not done this before, I'm trying to pick up a selection of cheap used or discounted tapes and DVDs to try out. Hence the "mean, but not lean" title of this post (the "not lean" part speaks for itself!).

So far I have three workouts ...

• Rosemary Conley's Whole Body Programme 2 - too easy, which is encouraging! I think I may recycle this one back to Oxfam.
  
• Taebo: the Future of Fitness - as recommended by Leonie, so I was pleased to spot this for a pound at a charity shop. It combines a Taebo Live workout with instruction for beginners (that's me!). The girls think mummy kick-boxing is very funny. It is a stretch, but I can just make it through the 30 minute routine.
• Kym Ryder's Burn and Firm Workout - promises "four weeks to a firmer, fitter you". Hmm. I guess that depends how often you do it and how much you eat. I'm not holding my breath. I tried the basic routine for the first time this morning - easier than the Taebo, but still felt like good exercise. There are also extra segments I can add in if I'm feeling inspired and have the time.

I did the Taebo work out four or five times the week before last, but last week went by the board as I struggled to get going after a weekend fighting a virus. No excuses this week, so I'm aiming for at least four workouts again.