Total Gym XLS: Week 20 Recap

Total Gym in The Sunshine

We received a complimentary Total Gym XLS for the purposes of this series; this post also contains affiliate links. This article is an account of our personal experience only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any medical condition. Always consult with physician before embarking on any fitness program.

It’s our 20th week using the Total Gym XLS:

Measurements - Week 20

Last week, I was following the 6-8 Minute Workout DVD. I was impressed by what a challenging workout I was getting in such a short amount of time – Jai tried Day 1 of the men’s program on this DVD, which was similar to Day 1 of the women’s program, and we both were commenting on how our abs were so sore in the following days! For anybody crunched on time, this DVD is an awesome companion to the Total Gym because you don’t feel like you’ve skimped on your workout when you finish, even though it’s brief. The main challenge to using this DVD is the fact that my Total Gym and TV are in different rooms, so I either have to pause the DVD and run back and forth between rooms, which really interrupts the flow and efficiency of the workout, or I have to move the XLS into the living room so I can watch the DVD as I follow along. It’s not really practical for us to move the Total Gym permanently into the living room, but I’ll figure something out. (A portable DVD player would be one solution!)

I never got the chance to finish Days 4 & 5 of the DVD last week, and you want to know why? Guess what – I’m sick again. Yes, I just barely got over the lengthy holiday cold, and now I have a new one. I’m so sick of being sick! This is a full-on cold with blocked ears/runny nose/sore throat/chills/sweats/nausea/vomiting, so once again, I’ve been trying to take it easy. Fortunately, this one seems to be developing and clearing faster than the last one so hopefully there will only be a day or two more of the worst of it. It’s especially frustrating getting sick again so quickly when I’ve really been trying hard this month to get better rest, reduce stress, exercise, be mindful of eating my fruits and veggies, etc. But this has been a gnarly cold and flu season – our area news has been talking a lot about hospitalizations for the flu – so what can you do? I’ll be glad when flu season is over! BLECH!!





Got any tips for keeping up your energy while recovering from a nasty cold?

9 thoughts on “Total Gym XLS: Week 20 Recap

  1. Ugh I have no tips – when I get sick it ruins my workouts for days afterwards. However…have you ever looked into increasing your iron (not a dr. so don’t quote me) but when I have no energy I usually take iron for a few days and that seems to help. 🙂

  2. Man I feel so bad that you are sick again. That is such a bummer. I’m trying to set a time for thirty minutes at least three times a week to get comfortable in a routine of working out and then step it up from there. I saw someone buying a Total Gym at Costco yesterday and I was so jealous!

  3. I think your post is pretty good, progress seems good too. I am famous for not sticking with any workout routine. I will stick with something, get down to 180lbs then oops I fall off that bandwagon and now look at the scale at 221 🙁

  4. I have no suggestions for working out when sick. If I get sick – that just ruins my wanting to work out – and then i have such a hard time getting back on track. I have always wondered how well the total gym actually worked.

  5. I will be happy when the flu season is over. I was sick for 2 weeks along with my kids. That went away and now my son has caught something else that will spread to the others I am sure.

    You need to take a break though when you are sick. Getting rest is said to be the best medicine.

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