Buff, or Bluff?

April 1999

It’s no secret I’m no Linda "Kick Some Terminator Butt" Hamilton. My inability to lift a five-gallon jug of water onto the cooler is a legendary joke around the newsroom. Running to my husband every time a jar needs to be opened does wonders for his macho self esteem, but little for mine.

So I decided it was due time to change all that.

I’ve tried lifting weights dozens of times at the gym, and I hated every minute of it. And yes, I do realize that walking on a treadmill won’t exactly develop my biceps into anything Muscle Magazine would want to feature.

One day not so long ago, my sister (the one TV infomercial reps love, send Christmas cards to, name their first-borns after) purchased yet another "fabulous, wonderful, guaranteed to work" fitness fad: the Billy Blanks Tae Bo video collection.

I laughed and laughed when she told me, especially after I found out the price. Just go for a walk, I told her. Take a kick-boxing class at the gym.

But my baby sister swore by these videos, testifying they increased her stamina and strength.

Guess what? All it took was one workout for me to become hooked. Now I have to tell my little sister she was right–this fitness fad is different.

I borrowed the beginner’s tape one rainy afternoon I didn’t want to venture through flooded streets to get tot he gym. Before I knew it, I was throwing punches and roundhouse kicks with the best of them. Those infomercial testimonies (seriously!) rang true: I had fun and felt more fit, even if I did want to barf after the intense half-hour workout.

The combination of boxing and slow, controlled movements really impressed me. There’s nothing like imagining your ememy's car (or face) as you do those back kicks.

So after a few weeks with this new workout, am I more fit? Sure. Can I lift a Sparkletts bottle? No way.

But I do drink more water.