FRIDAY! May weekends to me are the best because they have the promise of the warm weather and summer that is coming soon!

These summer weekends have always been my favorite because they used to signal end of school year and more time I could spend with Danny. We had a long distance relationship for years (from summer 2004 to May 2008) and the summer would be when I would travel more and go down to Philadelphia or the Jersey shore and hang out with him since I could take long weekends. Now looking back I’m not sure how we did it. It certainly was the opposite of easy, but it was worth it. It was perfect that we got engaged on Memorial Day and married Labor Day the following year because those were always special weekends for us.

Well, now that my fitness post has been sabotaged by my sappy pregnancy hormones…I’ll move on. I’m just excited to head down to the beach tomorrow…

Tuesday night I went to the Bob Harper Skinny Rules book launch. Now, usually going into the city at 5 o’clock isn’t my most favorite thing to do. However, I’m trying to take advantage of fun events because I know in 6 months I’ll be home for a couple of weeks/months before I really am feeling adventurous again. (Side note: I know life isn’t going to stop when baby arrives, but it’ll be safe to say I’ll be enjoying some home time.) With that and the fact I love Bob Harper, I decided to go to the event.

We got to chat with Bob for a couple of minutes and he shared that he loves healthy living bloggers. He was also pretty excited by some of the major weight loss stories in the group. For a ridiculously complete recap check out Meredith’s post. She did the event justice! When we left we got a nice bag with a signed Skinny Rules book inside, Bob’s Total Body Transformation DVD, a candle, some bath salts and a hat. Obviously I’m super excited to read the book, but I was also psyched to try out the DVD. I have many of Bob’s DVDs and I love them all, so I was sure I’d love this one too.

The DVD boats that it will give you a “threshold-shattering workout that annihilates fat and replaces it with lean, solid, power-packed muscle.” It is supposed to be a intense conditioning, high level training DVD that incorporates internals, pylometrics, strenth and endurance. It also has 2 workouts on it, 1 being 60 minutes and the 2nd being 10 minutes for a short on time workout.

Thoughts:

I did the 60 minute workout and was fully prepared to modify whatever I needed to for my pregnant self. I actually really loved this DVD (no surprise). I used between 3 and 8 pound weights, rested when I needed to and modified moves accordingly (think push up on knees, side plank with knee down, etc).  It IS an intense workout that doesn’t stop the entire time. Bob takes you through intense high interval moves like squat jumps, jump lunges, sprinting in place and more. But he also alternates those moves with weight bearing exercises that will keep your heart rate up, but not bumping out of your chest! (note: I did not let my heart bump out of my chest!)

There are not many modifications in the DVD because it’s supposed to be intense. Bob does tell you if the weight gets very heavy to put it down or choose a lighter weight and he does, in fact, give lighter weights to 2 of the fitness models in the DVD. I think most people can figure out how to modify if needed, like I did (i.e. just do regular lunges, not jump lunges)  but if you are a true beginner, I would start with a different DVD. My one CON in the video is I felt like when the people in the video got tired, their form really suffered. I would have rather seen them do push-ups on their knees then see poor form. Maybe that’s just me though?

It’s no secret I LOVE at home DVDs. They give you an awesome workout option when you can’t get to the gym. I can see myself using this many times in the future….like maybe even today.

So what do I have for you? Well, since Danny came to the event with me, we just happened to get 2 DVD’s! (and 2 books, but I gave that to my mom…sorry! )

Bob Harper Total Body Transformation DVD giveaway!

How to enter:

Mandatory: Leave a comment saying what your current favorite workout DVD or workout is.

Extra Entries: (You MUST leave seperate entry for each for it to count!)

• Tweet about the giveaway with a link to this post! LEAVE a seperate comment saying you did!
• Pin this giveaway. LEAVE a seperate comment saying you did!

I’ll pick the winner via random number generator next Friday, May 25th.

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday!

Finally I can see the sun after a week of yuck! I secretly didn’t mind the rain because lots of rain = me not wanting to run outside and since I’m taking a break from running..that’s a good thing.

I was going to post the chicken tortilla soup I made earlier in the week, but then the sun came out…and who wants to read about soup when it’s sunny and warm? So that recipe will have to wait for another rainy day.

This morning I did a Body Rock workout. I combined 2 and let out some of the one legged exercises because I didn’t want to put a lot of stress on my knee/leg. I did the hot attack workout (leaving out the last set) and hot body workout. Both of them took me about 30 minutes to do together because I’m slow. I also had to modify and use my knees for some because it’s HARD.

Then I did about 15 minutes of light weights using this Tracy Anderson workout and 3 pound weights. I don’t agree with her ridiculously low calorie diet plans, but she does have some good exercises/routines, so why not use them?

I felt a little bored, so I wanted to switch it up for my workout. I am not really doing intense jumping workouts, so I really had to look through Body rock to find one that would work!

What’s on your Friday workout agenda?

The Brooklyn Half is this weekend and I dropped out because of my runner’s knee. I know it’s for the best because I’m taking good care of myself, but it’s still frustrating/annoying. I know I’ll be back to running soon, so I have to stay positive! Luckily there are still other workouts I can do without worrying about hurting myself more!

Have a wonderful day!

Something to check out: Have you thought about using organic beauty ingredients? Honestly, I don’t but this made me think about investing in some!

Happy Friday! I’m on vacation for 9 days! I’m so psyched! Okay, enough with the exclamation marks, I know.

I wanted to wait until I got off work to post because I had more time. Posting in the morning is NOT relaxing for me, usually because I’m doing 50 other things. Putting away clothes, drinking coffee, attempting to blow dry my hair and then deciding against it….and sometimes making my bed. (Don’t tell my mom..she already thinks I’m a bad house-wife…and that Danny is perfect.)

Now that I am relaxed, I want to share with you my top 5 at home workout DVDs. It’s no secret that I love working out at home. I probably could forgo my $75.00 NYSC membership, but I really like spinning (even though I have done it since pre-surgery) and I like having access to a treadmill too. It’s a hefty price to pay for 2 times a week, but I gotta do what I gotta do. I have a large collection of workout dvds, but I narrowed it down to my top 5.

These workout dvds are my absolute favorite. They are my go-to’s in the morning (or afternoon). I have reviewed them more extensivly, so click the link to read more about each one.

1. Bob Harper’s Pure Burn Super Strength DVD - I would go so far to say this is the hardest strength training dvd out there. At the very least it’s the hardest I’ve ever done. It’s 66 minutes of heart pumping non-stop work. This is not for beginners, but there is a 20 minute beginner version on the dvd. I do this once a week usually.

2. Core Fusion Bootcamp - This is 55 minutes, broken up into different 10 minute segments. I also LOVE this. I love how it uses lighter weights, but still is an awesome workout. It also burns!

3. Jillian Michaels Boost Your Metabolism - This is a 50 minute cardio dvd. You don’t need any equipment besides your body, which is why I love this. It’s a great workout that uses jump training and kickboxing among other exercises. It’s perfect for any level.

4. Core Fusion Lean and Toned – This is a lot like a regular 50 minute core fusion class. It uses light weights to work your whole body . It is also split up into different 10 minute segments. I love the leg work on this dvd.

5. Piloxing – This is a mix of boxing and pilates. I love that I can wear 1 pound gloves and make this a cardio workout with some strength training mixed in.

I love being able work out in my living room. It makes my life easier and makes me more likely to get in a workout when I don’t have to leave the house. Amazon.com is probably the cheapest place to get any of these dvds. If you have any questions about them, leave a comment or email me!

I always say that this blog would be nothing without all of you, so I need your help.  Help me out by nominating my blog as your favorite blog for the Women’s Health BLOGS WE LOVE round up!

They’re looking for the best fitness, health, weight loss, and lifestyle blogs, I’d love to be included! This would mean SO much to me. So if you could take 1 minute out of your busy life and nominate me I’d be SO grateful!

Click here for the link! Thank you!

What’s your favorite workout dvd? I’m always looking for new ones to try out.

Does every weekend fly by or what? Yesterday I baked, make lunch and looked at some houses with Danny, my sister and cousin…but more on that another day….

Lunch over a bed of romaine

Apple Pie Mini Loaves & Muffin Tops

Raw Chocolate Energy Balls

Saturday we relaxed all day, basically going from bed to the couch to watch the TODAY show. We were going to go to a hot yoga class, but I’m still not really up to it and was pretty lazy (as far as leaving the house goes), so we did a 90 minute Dave Farmar podcast. I did some extra modifications and used my version of a yoga block (a really huge cookbook) to help me out. There’s nothing better than doing a good workout in the comfort of your living room…at least that’s how I feel.

Over the past few weeks, during my recovery I’ve tried out piloxing, different yoga podcasts, some Exercise TV segments and Core Fusion dvds. I fell in LOVE with the Core Fusion bootcamp DVD after doing it once. So far I’ve done it twice and I plan to do it again this week.

The Core Fusion Bootcamp DVD is broken up into 5 ten minute segments with 2 bonus segments, that have more thigh/ab work, stretching and a meditation.  It is a little over 50 minutes and you get your heart rate up, while toning your body. Fred and Elizabeth take turns taking your through the moves, based on the segments. I love how little equipment you need to do this DVD, which is just a playground ball, light weights and a mat.

The 5 sections are:

Cardio Flex: warm up, lunges, stretching, side bends and more.

Cardio Sun Salutations: Sun salutations and chair pose, half way through you pick up a weight

Jump Backs part 1: Burpees with a ball, plank and pushups with the ball, chair pose, tricep work, repeats

Jump Backs part 2: repeats burpees, chair pose variations, wide legged squats, repeats

Abdominal Curl with Weights: Roll ups, C curve variations

Bonus Stretch with ball: back stretches, child’s pose, windshield wiper stretch, shivasana

Bonus Thigh Core with Ball: Standing exercises, ab work on floor

I didn’t list every exercise, but just a few to give you an idea. I loved the play all option, so I went all the way through the dvd at once, but you can pick and choose the order or which ones you want to do if you don’t have time. I do wish the two bonus sections were switched though so I could end with shivasana, but it’s easily switchable through the dvd, just not as smooth. I did some variations because I don’t have a playground ball, so I used a weighted ball or light weights when I couldn’t use the ten pound ball.

Here is a video to give you an idea of the dvd, it’s of the cardio flex section:

This definitely is not a beginner’s workout, but if you wanted to do it as a beginner I would suggest watching it the whole way through so you get familiar with the moves. Elizabeth and Fred make it very easy and break everything down, but having background knowledge of the moves makes it much easier!

If you are looking for a new workout and love Core Fusion, try this out! I can’t wait to try the other dvd in full and even get to another Core Fusion class in the city!

Have a wonderful Monday!