Without adding bulk, this method of exercise really works. Accomplish the most with the least time expenditure, by learning specific movements. The creator of this system devoted several years putting it together. The ingenious part is that it trains the body to maximize the workout by retraining muscle usage. Afterwards, every movement throughout the day is geared toward a better figure. I went down two dress sizes after I made it through all of the repetitions.

This exercise system got its inception from beginning with devising a way to get rid of back problems. The creator discussed how ten years of traveling overloaded with a sixty-pound backpack eventually took its toll. Upon returning to the U.S. she decided to re-establish her involvement with ballet, the love of her life. During workouts to get her conditioning back, she used small movements so as not to exacerbate the muscle spasms in her back. With the restoration of her flexibility and strength, she decided to share her methods with the world. None of the movements are over three inches.

When I got started, I used up a lot of time going over the detailed instructions. I thought everything would be effortless since the focus was all on small movements. Well, they weren't easy, but they weren't strenuous either. Improvement photos of the students encouraged me to move onward. I was astonished and elated to get into a smaller size, but more than that, I felt energized, and relaxed all at the same time. An additional pay off was that I never got the knee surgery, which my physician deemed inevitable.

The only equipment I felt I needed was an exercise bar that I installed in the top of a doorframe for stretching and warm-ups. Some of the movements required props such as chairs, or counter tops. In the Callanetics New York City studio, Callan had mirrors and workout bars installed all around.

In the beginning, I rested between quite a few of the reps, especially the ones for the stomach. This was the only way I was able to make the suggested count at that time. Some exercises required 75, others 100. Yet, included in the little instruction blurbs, was advice like "stop when you feel you must."

With a holistic objective, the Callanetics program debunked the myth of "no pain no gain" for a number of reasons. 1.) The overall program design aims for strength without bulk 2.) Psychologically, when pain is associated with exercise, the unconscious resists the would-be next session. Although some of the regimen can be tough, I never got sore muscles. Yet I still reaped great results.

Once I mastered the one-hour program, I moved on to the fifteen-minute maintenance program. This made it extremely easy to keep up the routine because I interspersed it with other activities and tasks throughout the day. One of her titles is "You're Never Too Old to Have a Fabulous Figure." Another chapter presented an open-minded perception toward different body types as opposed to some rigid and unrealistic standard of beauty. With so many variations provided in this exercise regimen, it eliminated almost any excuse for not doing them!

Learn more about this author, Carol G.
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