mc yoga

ok, i admit that i'm not the healthiest eater. short on cash and short on time, i drove through my neighborhood mcdonald's last week and had an instant craving for the advertised deal of the day: a double cheeseburger for $1. part of me told me that i had better sense than to eat something that contained 460 calories, 210 from fat, 80mg of cholesterol, and 1140mg of sodium (according to the mc donald's nutritional chart). the other part told me that after the day i'd had, i deserved to eat whatever i felt like eating.

so went ahead and bought the double cheese (hold the onions), some fries, and a diet coke.

while munching on the fries on my way out the driveway, i noticed a sign posted on the store window. something about fitness DVDs with the purchase of an adult happy meal. then my eye caught the word "yoga". since it was too late to return my junk food feast at that point, i kept driving and made a note to drop by again later in the week.

and that "later in the week" was today.

here's the mcdonald's ad for this latest promotion.

and here's the press release:

Portland firm adds fitness DVDs to McDonald's healthy meals

The Portland Business Journal - April 18, 2006

McDonald's Happy Meal for Adults will include fitness DVDs, from April 25 to May 22.
Yourself Fitness, a video game focused on health and fitness, is published by Portland-based ResponDesign.
Four exclusive Yourself Fitness DVDs will be available nationwide at McDonald's with the introduction of the new Go Active Happy Meal for Adults. The DVDs will allow users to customize their workouts by selecting difficulty levels and incorporating exercise equipment. The DVDs will be offered in both English and Spanish.
The DVDs will feature Maya, the Yourself Fitness virtual personal trainer, and offer 15-minute workouts. Each will focus on a specific program: yoga, for relaxation and rejuvenation; cardio, for burning calories and boosting metabolism; core, for strengthening the abs and spine; and strength, for toning and tightening.
A different Yourself Fitness workout DVD will be featured each week.
The new Happy Meal for Adults will pair any premium salad, Dasani water, or medium or larger drink with one of the workout DVDs.


luckily for me, they were still handing out the yoga DVD, the first workout in the series.

so while i sat in my living room and ate my "healthy" caesar salad with grilled chicken and newman's own low-fat balsamic vinaigrette, i watched the DVD to see what the 15-minute workouts were like.

first of all, the teacher is a "virtual personal trainer". in other words, you're supposed to follow along with a stoic computer-generated female, maya, whose lips don't quite match what she's supposedly saying (probably because she can speak either english or spanish) and whose movements are stiff and sometimes jerky (and honestly, she doesn't have the best yoga form) . not only that, but sometimes she isn't even doing what she's telling you to do. as for atmosphere, they've placed her in a meditation garden on a grassy hill overlooking a tranquil pond. the whole look is very CG and artificial, but it's the thought that counts, i suppose.

i have to admit that it's all a bit klugey, but if it gets a couch potato off the couch and into a downward dog, the DVD has served its purpose, to some extent.

as you follow through the movements, you'll find the name of the pose displayed at the bottom of the screen, as well as the workout difficulty (ranging from 1 through 5).

and if you have any questions and/or comments, you can visit the yourself!fitness website at www.forum.yourselffitness.com.


SPOILER ALERT! -- if you don't want to know what's in the DVD until you buy your own adult meal, stop here; i'm about to give you all the sequences for all the workouts:

* note: maya's "monkey" is what most teachers would refer to as a "flat back", "crocodile" is the familiar "chatturanga", and "half knot" is sometimes called "thread the needle"

workout #1 - "ease me into it" + "i want to be more flexible"
- mountain
- sun salutation ii: sweep arms up, forward fold, down dog, child, plank, crocodile*, up dog, down dog, step forward, forward fold, sweep arms up, back to mountain
- repeat sun salutation ii two more times
- forward fold
- monkey*
- down dog
- cat cow
- rest (sit upright with knees bent)
- reclining pigeon, left leg
- reclining pigeon, right leg
- seated forward bend
- seated straddle
- bridge
- lying spinal twist, left knee to right side, right knee to left side
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- shivasana

workout #2 - "ease me into it" + "i must find stress relief"
- mountain
- sun salutation ii (see workout #1 for sequence) twice
- cat cow
- rest
- butterfly
- seated straddle
- rest
- child
- half knot*
- rest
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- reclining pigeon, left leg
- reclining pigeon, right leg
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- lying spinal twist, left knee to right side, right knee to left side
- long shivasana

workout #3 - "i'm up for a challenge" + "i must find stress relief" (this is exactly like workout #2)
- mountain
- sun salutation ii twice
- cat cow
- rest
- butterfly
- seated straddle
- rest
- child
- half knot*
- rest
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- reclining pigeon, left leg
- reclining pigeon, right leg
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- lying spinal twist, left knee to right side, right knee to left side
- long shivasana

workout #4 - "i'm up for a challenge" + "i want to work on my balance"
- mountain
- sun salutation i: sweep arms up, forward fold, monkey*, forward fold, down dog, plank, crocodile*, cobra, plank, down dog, plank, crocodile*, cobra, plank, down dog, step forward, forward fold, monkey*, forward fold, sweep arms up, back to mountain
- repeat sun salutation i
- chair
- crescent lunge right
- crescent lunge left
- warrior 1 right
- warrior 1 left
- warrior 2 right
- warrior 2 left
- extended angle left
- extended angle right
- warrior 3 right
- warrior 3 left
- dancer right
- dancer left
- tree right
- tree left
- mountain (NO shivasana!)

workout #5 - "i'm up for a challenge" + "please give me strength"
- mountain
- sun salutation ii three times
- sun salutation i
- warrior 3, both hands on floor, half moon left, both hands on floor, warrior 3
- warrior 3, both hands on floor, half moon right, both hands on floor, warrior 3
- rest
- plank on forearms
- side plank right
- side plank left
- plank
- rest
- knees to chest, both knees to right side, both knees to left side
- shivasana

that's it. end of DVD.

now i have to get back to my salad with 220 calories, 60 from fat, 75mg of cholesterol, and 890mg of sodium. plus an additional 40 calories, 25 from fat, 0mg cholesterol, and 730mg of sodium from the low-fat dressing! and i'm supposed to believe that this is healthier than that double cheeseburger???