try tae bo

I discovered Tae-Bo last summer while rummaging through old tapes with my sister. My mom must have purchased the tape during the Tae-Bo craze of the late '90s. Upon our discovery, I suggested (as a joke) we dress in cute work-out clothes and do the Tae Bo Basic Workout together. I was persuasive and my sister was bored, so she agreed.

After this full-body workout, we were sore and tired. My sister was unimpressed, but I saw potential in the 27-minute tape from 1998. I started doing Tae Bo almost every day. After a week, I was hooked.

By the end of the summer, I was in awesome shape. I genuinely felt healthy and looked toned, too. And I was only doing the basic workout.

The tape is entertaining. Billy Blanks (Tae-Bo creator) wears a funny jumpsuit, and cheesy music plays in the background. I’ll admit I felt silly using an exercise tape at first, but it really did help when B. Blanks told me I only had one more set left.

A work-out tape allows you to exercise on your own schedule anywhere there's a VCR. I know, I'm old school, but you can find exercise DVDs, too. And after using any video for a while, you'll know it well enough to do the moves anywhere. (Maybe even on the beach.) The best part: no gym membership fee.

You can buy the tape I use (used or new) on amazon.com for very cheap. And Billy Blanks has tons of other workout videos, too.

Do you swear by an offbeat workout? Have you ever tried an exercise video? And if you're a Tae Bo girl, too, let me know!

Love,
Jaimie Dalessio
CG! intern

PS. You can always check here for new work-out moves.