Erika - cause you asked about exercise routine and everyone -
In general my philosophy on food and on exercise - is simple. Can I keep this up every single day for the rest of my life? Can you Lisa? And sometimes the answer "ummm - uh ah". And then I will eat more on purpose. Really - consciously on purpose. And exercise less on purpose. I did this at the beginning of this last BL and I'm glad I did. I was too tight fisted. But as I've said I mainly focus on exercise. With food I eat everything and just try to eat consciously.
I have a theory that the body will really react to changes if one is strict. So if I can't do it in ten years from now - not doing it to lose weight now. And that's why it has taken me years to get it off. And that's fine. I want to enjoy life more than anything else - and that includes more than weight loss.
So yapping over.
Exercise
First, I'm lucky. I like it. Actually love it at times. Ie. I don't get Oprah.
Second, it is critical to my mental health. So vanity is there. For sure. But I'd rather not be locked up.

So mental health wins.
I'm so not cut or anything. My legs don't look like Erika's - lovely Erika. And I don't like running - I get this weird lower leg pain. I get it with downhill skiing as well. I think it's a crappy vein circulation thing. Genetics. Long boring story.
I do six day schedules and two days off after six. Sometimes I love the days off. Sometimes I want to keep going. But I force myself to do the days off. I fully believe in allowing the rest. And I find two days is perfect after six days on. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that first day back when you feel so strong and rested.
These are the things I rotate - mostly intensive stuff - I love that -
1) My own interval training upstairs ( I'm lucky I have a gym in my condo).
*45 minutes to an hour
*five minute warm up
*short stretch
*3 minute fast aerobic interval on some kind of machine
*two weight exercises rotated
*3 minutes fast aerobic interval - see below
*two weight exercises rotated
Over and over....
I try to choose full body on each weight choice (sort of like Jillian's weight moves) Ie. 1) squats with arm press /2) lunges with a tricep.
And over and over until 45 minutes to an hour. Aerobic three minutes I really switch up -
Includes -
*doing the TM sideways like defensive slides in bball.
*kick boxing (looking like a lunatic around everyone in the gym and not giving a sh!t)
*punching with knee ups
*TM walking at 4.5 - looking like a lunatic again because barely staying on.
I do not run, which would be easier than fast walking

in some ways, because I'm vain and my skin can't take it. I used to jump rope and one day caught my skin going up and down and all around in a mirror. And that was that. And let vanity overtake what jump rope was doing for my body. I have really thin skin.
2) Turbo Jam
3) Amped Series - Billy Blanks Taebo
4) Jillian's 30 day shred
5) Pilates machine
6) Straight cardio on some kind of machine
7) Classical Stretch - this bizarre stretching, pilates, ballet type workout.
I never do two very intense workouts in a row. If I do a short intense DVD I'll do a long. slower cardio the next. If I do a long intense interval workout I'll do a slower, longer cardio the next or some kind of gentle workout which pisses me off but I think it's important not to overload the body. Some weeks I'll do six short intense - like Jillian's all in a row. And if I think the week is hard emotionally or with special yummy days I will do six long workouts. Really mix it up.
So that's that. And it's worked. I"m very lucky to have upstairs here. Sometimes I don't want to be around people so I have lots in my condo as well.
Lisa