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Barefoot Cardio Review

“Exercise can actually feel good”

I have loved Ellen Barrett ever since I picked up her Pick Your Spot Pilates VHS (yep, a tape) many years ago. I seek out her workouts on Amazon every now and then, and when I came across this one, I quickly threw it into my virtual shopping bag and checked out. How could I resist something called Barefoot Cardio?

Ellen Barrett is so easy to listen to. Her voice, her non-use of trite phrases, and her cheerful teaching style are all very refreshing. Doing a fresh workout barefoot makes it feel kinda like you’re playing rather than exercising. For me, this is a great DVD to do for lower intensity days when I want an effective workout without the risk of over-training.
Here’s the breakdown:
Minutes: 45 min
Heart Rate: for me, I averaged 106bpm with a high of 137bpm
Calories Burned: my personal calorie burn was 348
The moves: 
Barrett fuses aerobic moves with standing Pilates and barre-style moves that are completely reliant on body weight. Even the arm exercises don’t require weights, but your arms will still feel the burn. Be prepared to do a lot of moves in a wide squat (plie) position. In between circuits, you always return to the pony move where you do a side-to-side 1-2-3 move with your “elegant arms” straight out to the sides. 
Through the entire video, you will be upright, doing moves from a standing or hopping position. This may be really good for those who have contraindications to moves that are on the back or stomach.
From my own experience, I find that the moves are super effective at countering jobs and lifestyles that require you to sit all day. There is a strong focus on toning the posture, balance, squeezing the shoulder blades together and finding length in the body. In addition to experiencing that long, straight feeling, the video also focuses on the mind/body relationship. Barrett gives plenty of cues on paying attention to breath, shaking out tension, calming down, and  not wasting any energy on stress. I can definitely get behind that!
From Barrett’s own description on the video, she intentionally includes linear moves that balance the body from different angles. Runners and bikers often only move straight forward and in daily life we do a lot of front-based movements. So, in order to balance out the body, Barrett includes a lot of side-to-side movement.
Pros: 
  • No equipment necessary, not even shoes!
  • Being barefoot is not only fun, but it increases strength and allows for full expression in the feet and ankles. This would be a great way to ease a person into barefoot running by building up foot strength.
  • Helpful cues are given by Barrett at all times, so you know how to increase the effectiveness of the moves.
  • Barrett explains things in a way that’s easy to understand but yet explains them in a truly fresh way. For instance, instead of saying to tighten your muscles she says to squeeze your muscles against the bones.
  • Not only that, but she also has a wealth of pleasant mantras and affirmations to keep you going.
  • Such a playful, refreshing way to exercise.
  • One of the exercisers gives modifications to most of the moves, so even if the video is too tough you can tone it down.
Cons: 
  • Didn’t keep me in my target heart rate zone, but like I said, it’s a good workout for “active rest” days. The amount of calories burned was pretty darn good for a 45-minute low-impact workout. It would also be great for a beginning exercise because it really eases you in.
  • Not much ab-specific work, but I’m OK with that. Plus it’s called Barefoot Cardio, not Barefoot Strength Training. The focus is mostly on cardio.
Favorite quotes: 
“Pig out on air!”
“Exercise can actually feel good!”
If you’re a beginner, this video might be the perfect place to start since it’s a nice easement into exercise and requires no preparation or equipment. If you’re an experienced exerciser, the video would still make a great addition to your cross training days, active rest days, or days when you’re just not feeling it but still want to get a workout in. 
*I was not compensated in any way for this post. The opinions are all my own and based on my own experience with the workout.

Where it all started

Let me introduce you to the exercise video that made it all happen for me.

My Intro To Fitness, Esquire 30 Minute Workout

Now, my mom is a Richard Simmons fanatic, something that used to make me throw my head back and roll my eyes. However, he was on to something with making fitness fun with good music and positive motivation. It’s just that…Simmons just isn’t for me.

So, I went digging a little deeper in our VHS cabinet for a workout video circa 1980-something. See, my family was not fitness or nutrition-conscious at all. It’s amazing that we even owned a workout video, but that’s another story.

When I decided to begin my fitness journey, this was the only resource available to me, aside from some equally-old Jane Fonda workouts at the library. So, I did it as often as I could, and it provided a nice baseline endurance level for me to make the leap into running. There was a lot of running in place, aerobics and body-weight exercises in that video, like you might expect. I realize now that all I ever needed was a pair of running shoes, but it never occurred to me to run. I thought I hated running. I was still too close to those horrid memories of the ill-fated gym class mile.

I credit this video with getting me started in my fitness quest. I always felt so good after I worked up a sweat and felt that stretched-out feeling in my lungs. This is where the endorphin rush originated for me and got me hooked.

I wonder what the story is behind my mom buying this video in the first place….Ah, another story.

My husband and I recently weeded through our video collection and decided, reluctantly, to let go of our VHS movies (am I that old?). I just had to get one last picture of this hallmark fitness tool before I sent it to the thrift store. What a memory!

Skimp Your Way Thin

You hardly need to spend anything to get fit. If this is your excuse, you can’t use it anymore. Motivation is probably the biggest stumbling block of all. But money should not matter.

I am the queen of working out on a budget. I am also the type of person (Gemini?) who gets very bored very easily with workouts. I need something different all the time that doesn’t cost me anything. It sounds impossible to please me, but it is not. For eight solid years, I had and loyally used my gym membership, but due to recent money constraints and logistics, I had to quit. I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to work out at home, but it has actually worked out quite nicely and I have been able to maintain my faithful habit. The only hurdles I have at home are a 1-1/2-year-old who enjoys sitting on me during ALL floor exercises and a pup who sometimes compromises my form by getting underfoot. Oh, and the dishes and other distracting messes, but I’ve learned to hold off until after my workout.

Here is my list of budget-friendly workout helpers:

1. I have rummaged, thrifted and craigslist-ed my way to a stocked workout video collection. I don’t think I’ve paid more than $1.00 for a used workout video. You can never predict what you’re going to find, so you have to practice being open-minded when going the second-hand route.

2. I also got a sweet treadmill for just $100 at a rummage sale. We have gotten WAY more than our money’s worth.

3. A $2 thrift store stair stepper is great for step aerobics and also works as a makeshift weight bench for chest presses, leg lifts and all sorts of other exercises.

4. I have a $1 jump rope that gives one of the best workouts ever. I compiled a list of jumps to try on my sparkpeople blog.

5. I got some inexpensive weights at the store. A 5lb and 8lb set will do for a lot of women. I found my husband found some 15 pounders on craigslist for $15.

6. I have magazine subscriptions to Self and Shape Magazines, which cost something like $12 each for a full year. I have hundreds of workouts pulled from these magazines, and filed away by workout type, that I can always turn to. At best, you can log on to these or other health-related magazines’ websites to learn something or print workouts. Self has some really good workout videos you can follow along with as well. As a side note, Self Magazine was one of the first major health motivators for me way back in 2000. The upbeat, anyone-can-do-it attitude really got me revved to start a fitness program.

7. If you’ve heard it from me before, you’ll hear it from me again. Sparkpeople is one of the best free health sites I have ever come across. Here you can log workouts, log what you eat, and look up health articles on almost any topic. There are health calculators, health calendars, community forums and so many things I can’t even list.

8. Free workout videos in a variety of different practices and time limits are provided by exercise TV. Also Yoga Today provides a free hour-long Yoga workout every day and offers over 200 downloadable videos for cheap.

9. The library is a rich resource for workout videos, health books, healthy cookbooks and more for free. Or check out their CD selection for fresh workout music.

10. Check out your local video store as well. We have a local one where educational videos, which includes workout videos, are free to rent.

11. For parents, playgrounds offer a really nice workout opportunity that allows you to play like a kid again. Do a Google search for playground workouts to find something like this.

12. A good pair of running shoes provides plenty of workout hours, whether you prefer free local trails, the sidewalk, the treadmill, or the track.

13. For around $300 each, my husband and I each bought a kayak. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of these too. We barely have to plan when we want to go out for a row and we can drop them in the water almost anywhere that’s open to the public. For the cost and the experience in nature, it sure beats slaving away in the gym!

14. I also recommend a set of stretch tubing and a fitness ball. For around $10-$15 each, you get more workout options than you can imagine for your money. If you’re lucky like me, you might happen upon these at a rummage sale or inside a workout DVD itself for even less!

Home gym Complete!