Have you seen this video? We first saw it on television – I think it might have been 60 Minutes or another ‘news’ type program. Usually this kind of stuff (poverty porn, sad-faced dogs, kids with flies on their faces) makes me turn the channel, but this time, Hub and I watched until the end.

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The man’s name is Arthur Boorman and he is a real person, not a body-beautiful fitness model or rich person with a chef and all-day trainer. His courage and transformation were amazing. We both wept.

I didn’t think much of it until November, when I started searching for something Hub and I could do to get fitter, without having to join a class or embarrass ourselves in public. I watched the Boorman video again and noticed that the video was posted by someone called Diamond Dallas Page, who also happened to have a program called DDP Yoga.
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I checked it out online and found the DVD packs, but of course they were priced in US dollars, which meant a 40% premium when you factor in the exchange rate and credit card charges. DDPYoga has a Facebook page – lo and beyond, there is a Canadian supplier in B.C. Of course I ordered the starter pack, figuring they’d make a good stocking-stuffer.

Thanks to Canada Post’s ‘service’ they didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. But they did come before New Year’s. I watched a few of the DVDs and was impressed with Diamond Dallas Page. He’s a former pro wrestler who adapted traditional yoga to heal himself, after he was almost crippled by ring injuries. He added dynamic resistance and muscle-engagement with stretching, then jazzed up the moves with new names.

Of course there is a nutritional component – he’s big on eating clean and avoiding processed foods. The ‘diet plan’ is sensible and not onerous – the focus is on modifying it to suit your lifestyle. Because no one’s going to tell me I can’t have popcorn or the occasional glass of wine. I know moderation is key and I don’t want some skinny young thing nagging me about it or talking down to me.

Page explains his philosophy – It Ain’t Your Mama’s Yoga – here.

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Dallas is over 50 and he looks it. He has a grating wrestler’s voice but I like him. He gets out of breath and sweats. The critical thing is that he is completely believable as an instructor. The poses are detailed clearly and the tone is encouraging. You have to wear a heart monitor so you can judge how hard you’re working. He tells you about modifications and always has someone in his videos who demonstrates. He uses real people, some of whom have lost 100s of pounds.

I converted the DVDs to MP4 movies so we could play them on our iPads. Hub and I have been doing them every day for a week. My heart rate is naturally low, so I don’t break a sweat like he does, and I know I’m going to have to work harder. It’s shocking, but already I can feel a difference. My flexibility isn’t what it used to be, but I have something to strive for – getting rid of the yoga blocks.

DDP doesn’t believe in beating yourself up by frequent weigh-ins, which suits me just fine. I actually look forward to getting up, throwing on my exercise gear and knocking off a workout before breakfast. As Dallas says – ‘Bang’.