Self Magazine Workout-Gimmick or Not?

I've realized in my foraging across cyberspace that there are a lot of "Lose 10 pounds in 1 week!", "5 minutes for a Better Butt", and "Easiest Weight Loss Plan Ever" things out there. Most of them I look at and think "Sh*t 10 pounds in 1 week is super unhealthy, what the heck are these people thinking?" or "If it really only took 5 minutes a day to have an amazing butt, I would already be styling Beyonce's booty." In a quest to find some diamonds in the rough, I decided to give a promising workout regime a try, and post my thoughts here.

Questionable? I think so... [Image]

I must admit, I didn't go very far out on a limb with the first workout regime I want to try. I found it on Self Magazine's website, called The One-Hit-Wonder Workout, by Jessica Smith. I think it's the name that caught my attention, I read One Hit Wonder and I'm thinking of that old movie, "That Thing You Do." If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check it out-pretty sweet movie if I remember correctly. 

Glancing through the workout, I saw some cool exercises that definitely looked like they would challenge my flexibility and coordination, but I wasn't too sure about pushing my strength. Overall, I deemed it worthy of a try. I'm not going to write down the exercises or how to do them, because the website already does a way better job of it than I could ever do.

Here's my analysis:

Overall, I liked the workout today. So far, Ms. Smith at Self has my vote-it does not look like she is pulling our leg.

It was WAY more difficult than I imagined. Though it did not directly challenge my strength, the exercises asked my body to do things it wasn't used to-and my muscles weren't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect. Smith suggests doing 3 sets of the circuit-I did only 2 today and am already starting to feel it especially in my back, inner thighs, and calves. I often neglect these muscle groups, so it's nice to finally be making them work.

 [Vanessa Rogers Photography]

If you do this workout, you'll need a decent amount of space. I live in a small apartment where it's difficult to not stick an arm out and hit a wall or piece of furniture. Some of these exercises require kicking or reaching out, and left me scrambling to find a way not to accidentally kick through a wall. I had to stop and reset for the exercise in the photo or else I would have put my foot through a glass door every time.