The Workout That Gives You Flat Abs After Forty

But the instructors also throw in things like a set of push ups, tricep dips and planks. No rest for the weary in this class! What amazes me is that I’ve had more than a dozen teachers and each one of them puts you through this ringer of a workout with a smile on his or her face- even while telling you that “you should feel nauseous right now.” (They give new meaning to the expression “killing you with kindness.”)
 
My 30 days of consistency went well. After two weeks, there was still flab hanging over my waistband but not as much. My thighs felt the tiniest bit slimmer -nothing anyone else would notice but enough to keep me motivated. Not only was my body toning up, but I felt calmer after each class and it wasn’t just because the torture was over.  I realized that because the class is so intense I simply can't think about anything else. After all, how can I worry about my kids or work when I have to pull in my abs, tuck my pelvis, bend my right leg, straighten my left, point my toe, take the tension out of my shoulders and relax my face- all in one move! 
 
After three weeks, I was addicted to the feeling of challenging my body almost daily. I planned my weekly workouts on Sunday (you can sign up online) and shifted my schedule around just to fit it in. (I knew I was obsessed when I started to dread vacation because I’d have to miss a week of classes. Luckily, Physique 57 just came out with three workout DVDs -$24 at www.physique57.com- so I can bring the workout with me.) But this healthy obsession has reaped results. Four weeks –and about 26 classes later- my triceps have returned for the first time in months, my abs are trim and my butt is perking up. Even those creaky knees I mentioned feel better. I don’t look or feel a day over 39 and it’s been worth every nauseating, muscle-burning, sweaty second.