It's time for another fitness video review!

Skinny Bitch Boot Camp

Pardon my french!  I did this video over a month ago, so I'm having trouble remembering everything, but the quick of it I think I can remember.

Okay, so the warm-up.  It does look at all the major muscle groups which is nice.  But I really wanted them to shut up.  They are not boring, but not really interesting enough to make me want to work out.

As for the rest of the video...

Because their claim to fame is a healthy diet, they talk about food CONSTANTLY during the video.  So it makes me think about food. They say everything half-heartedly like they don't mean it.  Even they seem bored.  Well, one seems bored.  The other is just strange.  I swear, and I'm not even kiddin, I think I heard her whisper "I'll cut you" at one point during the video.  And if you watch the video, even if you don't hear her say it, I don't think you'll be suprised, cause she's just strange.  At one point she kinda screams, shakes her head and fists and says "I'm not doing it!"  so the bored girl has to encourage her (half-heartedly) to continue.  What?  Ya, weird.

I'm not a fan at all of exercise videos with a lot of hoppy steps.  I'd rather get my cardio on the treadmill or just doing jumping jacks or jump rope.  But I know, that's my own preference, so I won't dock the video on that.   

I found myself doing my own thing quite alot, like weights or jumping jacks when they were doing other stuff.  But as for the abs work out, I really did like that.  I wrote it down so I could do that independently, cause there ain't no way I'm buying that video!  haha.

The stretches for the cool down were blah, but they usually are.

They have a 5x5 program on the video where they do one body part or cardio for 5 minutes.  That was nothing special.  Not bad, not great.

So all in all, I wouldn't recommend the video.  Unless you want to netflix it just to see the crazy lady :)

(I'm currently in the middle of a good workout video though!  It's truly kicking my butt, so stay tuned!)

Today I am beginning my journey to join the club of Shredheads.  I'll let you know how it went in a month (or more, you know me, I am not all that punctual with keeping you guys updated)

Fitness Review x 3

So it's no secret that I like this team called the Dallas Cowboys.  Right?  So when I heard their cheerleaders had 3 workout videos, that was something I had to look into.  Were they going to be an embarrassment to the team?  Were they going to make me look like a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader?  Haha.  Check out my reviews below!

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - Calorie Blasting Dance

 

You won't need anything except a little time.
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This workout DVD will succeed every time in making you lose some brain cells. The cheerleaders all talk through the whole thing which is a little distracting at first, but then you learn to just ignore everything they say. This is because they say words such as "major" "ya'll" "sassy" "catwalk" and their favorite BY FAR is..."Sexy Walk!" Oh my goodness. The sexy walk. At first I didn't think they were serious, but yes, in fact they are.

Each cheerleader has a dance move to teach you, and I think it lost all credibility (if it had any to begin with) when it got to "Kandi's Bump and Pop!".

I'm not kidding.

Also, they do some really bad movements for your neck as well. So if you ever do this video, please don't hurt your neck!

Verdict?  I would not recommend this DVD.

*****

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - Hard Body Boot Camp

You will need dumbells.  They use two 5# mostly, but you would benefit from a few lighter ones as well.

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I'm not sure if Jay Johnson was drunk when he filmed this? He give stupid facts and doesn't seem to know what's going on some of the time. But if you can get past that...

I've done the High Impact Workout twice and both times I was so sore afterwards, everyone within a mile of me was well aware. But I love that! And what I love even better, is that both times that I've done the video, I didn't have a problem getting through it. It has a really good warm-up. And it's not boring at all, and just as soon as I think, "I can't do one more squat, I might sit out the next one." He switches it up with something that makes me think, "Well, I can handle THIS! I won't sit one out afterall!"

Speaking of squats, holy squat-lover. I don't think I've ever done so many squats. But again, somehow he tricks you into doing them and you don't realize you do so many! It's sneaky. Which is my kind of workout video!

The Low Impact Workout focuses more on your arms. And there is an arm bonus workout in the bonus features. My arms have never been my strong point, so that workout was rough.

Verdict?  I would definitely recommend this DVD.  I actually even bought it myself after I tried it out.

*****

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders  - Body Slimming Yoga

You will need a yoga mat, or not.  Really, it's up to you. :)

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There is a 45 minute and a 25 minute workout.  At first I thought he didn't explain things well, but then I realized there was a "position breakdown" feature. I didn't check that out though. I did like how he gave options for progressions. Several I had never heard before, so that was nice.

I'm not a big fan of Tai Chi (until I'm 80 and have balance issues), but there is a 5 minute Tai Chi intro on the video.

The Martial Arts intro was kinda fun. They focused alot on abs strengthening through kicks. I'd never done anything like it before.

Verdict?  Would not recommend.  You don't really feel like you worked out afterwards.  Though it kinda peeked my interest in martial arts a little.  So maybe I will look into reviewing a martial arts workout video.

I don't know how true this is...

(the following is all from an e-mail my mom sent me)

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...
God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.


Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries



Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Pump, Pump the Jam. Pump it Up

GAIAM Cardio Pilates

(DVD)

You will need 45 minutes and you may want a yoga mat and some tennis shoes.

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This video allows you to get to the workout fairly directly. Most workout videos seem to go through several previews, advertisements and a long narrative at least. This one has a short GAIAM ad and a fairly quick narrative, which is really nice.

I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. It didnt seem to bother me, but just shocked me a little, but there is no warm-up. You jump right in to the hundred. And if you have ever done Pilates, you know that the hundred is where you hold a crunch position with shoulders up AND both legs up and you oscillate your arms 100 times up and down. Then the video takes you through about 30 more minutes of ab work. I was definitely sore the next day!

If you remember my last review, I went on and on about hamstring stretches. This video also has you curl forward at your back for the stretch. But I will say, this instructor really emphasizes internal stabilization (pulling your belly button in and up). And so as long as you don't currently have a 'bad back', it seems okay to do it. Just remember remember to pull that belly button in. And she does a good job at reminding you.

And here I am being a poser again.

Anyways, I would recommend this video. It's definitely challenging (there was one exercise that I just had to skip a few reps because my body wouldnt let me go on), and not at all boring. However, it will drive you insane how much the instructor says "tiny waist". It' one of her ways to tell you to stabilize, but it drove me crazy.

Do I recommend? Yes.

Fitness Review...the beginning ;)

So, I'm gonna start reviewing exercise videos and certain exercise moves that I try out, and who knows I might even venture into exercise equipment or clothing or activities in the future. But lets start with this...

GAIAM Balance Ball Beginner Workout

(DVD)

You will need a Balance Ball and 40 minutes.

Well, beginner is right. This video will give you a couple of take home ideas for exercises to do on your own with your ball. But as for getting a good workout from just following the video through, don't count on it. There were 2 or 3 exercises that I thought would give me a good workout, but she only makes you do exercises 5 to 10 times and for only one repetition, so I'm pretty sure I won't be feeling the burn.
Some of the exercises seem a little cumbersome to do with the ball. I tried to follow the video completely, but I thought the ball was just in the way some of the time. But I understand, I got the video to use my ball, so it's nice that they find so many ways to incorporate it.
Like I said, there were some pretty good exercises that I will store in the back of my head for future use. However, I did not like the hamstring stretches she goes through. In my opinion, they are bad for your back. You should not bend forward with your back to stretch your hamstrings.

Example of the wrong way shown here:

Instead you should keep your chest up and bend forward at your hips, as shown here:

She might say to do that, I can't remember, but I find it really hard to get a good (and proper) hamstrings stretch on the floor, which is where she was having me do it. I would suggest sitting on the ball with one leg outstretched and, keeping your chest up, lean forward at your hips to get the stretch, like so:

There is also a Daily Stretch feature. It's 15 minutes of stretching. It starts out a little rough. And by that I mean you are sitting in a chair next to the ball, feeling a bit geriatric. You know, like those early morning tv shows of working out while sitting?

But that doesnt last very long, thankfully. This section acutally does a proper hamstring stretch, so that made me happy. It finishes with some bouncing on the ball. It had some of that in the main workout as well. Personally, I dont like it at all. It hurts my neck. (now I SOUND geriatric!) But really besides those 2 things, the daily stretch feature was pretty good. It's very yoga like.

Overall, I wouldnt suggest the video. You wont get a workout with it unless you really work at it (as in pausing every exercise to do 20 more) or unless you are REALLY out of shape!
I hope you enjoyed my little fitness review (and don't mock my self-modeled examples too much)! More to come in the (near) future!