I must say, when I started in on the low carb thing, I was happy with the results. Being the control freak that I am, I knew it was time to start toning as well. I have a few vices that really aren't healthy. First of all, I'm a workaholic - I love love love to work. Secondly, I'm a smoker (yes, I know, I'm bad), third, I'm a carb addict. My one good vice is that I'm quite enjoying working out. With me being overweight, I find it a bit hmm....embarassing to go to the gym. I feel like people are looking at me, wondering what I'm doing in the gym when really, 99% of it is all in my head. What am I doing there? I'm trying to fix the obvious problem! Well, self-conciousness is something that you have to work on from the inside. What I did was go and purchase a Total Gym. Its very low priced compared to some of the other home gyms out there. I think I paid 250 for it. Anyway, this has become my latest addiction. I work out on it for about 45 minutes to an hour a day and it feels like 15 minutes. I've actually had to stop myself because I know that working out too long can really have a bad effect on you. At my personal point, 45 minutes is really more than what is recommended for what I'm doing. I'm in the privacy of my own home, it doesn't take up much room, I can blare whatever music I want or watch whatever I want on TV at the time and I don't have to worry about time it takes to get back and forth from the gym. Not to mention, it certainly takes away my urge to smoke and eat for that matter. I typically work out right before I plan to eat dinner - my lunch carries me through the workout and by the time I'm done, my body needs to eat. The exercises are well defined in the book and video you get with the machine and they're not difficult at all! There's several settings from very easy to very difficult that you can set it on and it all uses your own weight resistance. I saw the total gym on an infomercial and I was kindof intrigued and then I saw one in a sporting goods store. I had to have it and now I'll never give it up. I'm honestly anxious to get home and start working out. Its a wonderful motivational tool - especially if I'm tired. I start working out and get so much energy, its great - so I don't recommend working out withing 3 hours of going to sleep - you won't sleep!
Anyway, that's what I use. And it works. It only took a couple weeks before I could feel and see the difference in my body. I know the muscle is in there, I just have to find it