AIM TRUE YOGA: Calorie Burning, Flexibility & Toning

Kathryn Budig is a great yoga instructor! I love this DVD because she moves through progressions that help you and your body perform more advanced poses. She is very cheerful, and encourages a smile during the routines. Her imagery and analogies are unique, and the workout leaves you feeling motivated and satisfied. Because she includes the more complicated poses in her workout, it takes more energy but it is so worth it! She gives you something to work towards. 

The DVD comes with two different workouts plus a killer downloadable workout for your core!


Here are the different routines included on the DVD:

• Beginner’s Practice (Mid Beginning/Intermediate) 25 min.  
•  Kathryn takes you through plank, down-dog, Introduces you to cobra and up-dog and uses a series of warrior poses as well. She takes you through some great preparations for poses that are in Authentic Flow and prepares you to do jumps in and out of plank.
• Authentic Flow (intermediate/advanced) 45 min.  
• You should probably have some basic Yoga experience in order to complete this section. It is more difficult and some of the twisting warrior poses get a little confusing. Dancers, you would LOVE this! Backbends, handstand/headstand prep, standing split, etc.  

• Power Up Your Core 6 min. 
• This is the downloadable workout for your core that comes with the DVD! Awesome to quickly blast your core anytime! 
• Yoga Poses Demystified
• This section of the DVD is a great resource for yogi's of all experience! Kathryn goes through basic poses and movements and demonstrates while explaining the alignment and feelings needed for each one. You can just watch or do it with her and feel what she is explaining.

If you are more interested in Kathryn Budig then you could check out her website:

kathrynbudig.com

*Just be cautious when it comes to her "Press" section because of some of the advertisements she has been in, and her lack of clothes in them. I personally avoid that section.

Since Amazon.com is an awesome place for DVDs I've included the link below:

Amazon.com

Happy Training! à bientôt!

*second image pulled from her website, and is not a pose included on this DVD.

TAI CHI: For Beginners with Chris Pei

If you've ever wanted to learn one of the martial arts from The Last Airbender, then this is a great place to start! This is an awesome instructional DVD for Tai Chi. I really like the way that it is set up, because each exercise can be selected separately from the others. This way if I just want to complete the warm-up and practice two other exercises, then I can do that without the hassle finding the right spot in a long workout. 

Tai Chi is something that is difficult to put onto a DVD and learn, simply because there is so much going on that it would be hard to see from one angle. I think that the cinematography is supurb, as it allowed me to see different views of the movement so that I could implement anything that I had missed before.

Here is the list of exercises that you will learn from this DVD:

• Opening, Parting the Wild Horse's Mane, White Crane Separates it's Wings
• Brush and Push, Hands Strums the Lute, Closing
• Opening, Repulse Monkey Steps Back
• Ward Off, Squeeze, Grasping Bird's Tail
• Single Whip, Press and Lift
• Kicks, Box Upon His Ears
• Squats, Snake Creeps Down, Golden Rooster
• Fair Lady Works the Shuttle, Picking Up the Needle, Fan Through the Back, Turn Chop with Fists, Parry Block and Punch
• All Movements

The warm-up is simple, but surprisingly really good. My joints really did get warm and I was prepared for the first exercise that I tried.

Each exercise is broken down so that you can learn the basic movements, repeat them and before you know it you are doing everything smoothly. Tai Chi definitely will take practice to be able to remember the movements on my own, so this is a DVD for practice and repeated use. Chris Pei is a master teacher, and I look forward to the next time that I use this DVD to practice my Tai Chi. :)

 

I found this DVD on Amazon.com:

Tai Chi: for beginners with Chris Pei

Happy Training! à bientôt!

BALLET 101 & 201 DVDs: For True Beginners

For Tammy. :)

Classical Ballet is an art that takes patience and passion. It  shapes the body, and changes the way that you move. Ballet is personally my favorite dance style, and my emphasis in the BFA I'm currently working on. Ballet is typically done with an instructor in order to protect the student from injury. There are so many details to pay attention to that are best done with supervision and manual correction. This is why you can't find very many good instructional ballet DVDs out there. I haven't been able to get my hands on these DVDs as of yet, however, all of the reviews that I have read give me a good idea of what they might be like. They are a little dated in appearance and were originally released on VHS, but it sounds like they are real gems.

From what I can tell these DVDs break down the basics of ballet for a true beginner--meaning someone that has never taken ballet before, and would be friendly to ages as young as 6 and even adults. At the end of the first two DVDs in the series a short dance is taught that uses the steps that you have learned.

For safe practice in the home please remember the following:

• Parents supervise children's alignment (back, pelvis, knees, feet) 
• A longer more detailed explanation, you can practice with him Click Here (be aware that he has amazing turnout and everyone is different.)
• For another shorter demonstration Click Here (she doesn't address directly the rotation from the hip but that is what she is getting at by lining up the knees and toes).
• To protect the lower back-gently tuck the tailbone by engaging the rotators just under your butt
• Lift the abdominals-this is different than just flexing, think of your belly-button being pulled into your spine and hopping on an elevator.
• Rotate from the hips!-don't push your natural turnout, rotating from the hips is very important to protect your knees and your ankles. Your knees do have varying ranges of flexibility but that doesn't mean you should put your weight on your leg when using that flexibility. 
• Most of all if you are feeling any pain then go easier on yourself. 

I still personally believe that ballet is best in the studio or with an instructor but gentle and safe practice at home shouldn't be discouraged either. I will probably eventually come up with some videos for ballet exercises or combinations, but these DVDs seem to be a good place to start.

Check out the links below to view where I found the DVDs in this series:

Ballet 101, A Beginner's Class

Ballet 201, Beyond the Basics

Ballet 101 & 201, Combinations 1

Ballet 101 & 201, Combinations 2

If you have already had some basic training, don't fret, I have a few other Ballet DVDs that I'll be blogging about in the future for those with differing experience levels.

Happy Training! à bientôt!

ALL OVER BODY BOOST

This is a basic outline of the workout that my sister does before bed. She took her favorite exercises and put them together into a routine to receive an all over body boost. The amount of reps for each section change each day according to how she feels or what her goal is for that day. I inserted links to youtube videos demonstrating what her names for the exercises mean, as what we call  the exercises may be different than what others call them.

My sister talked me through what she does and even doing a small amount of reps I was "glistening" by the halfway point.

The workout is split up into segments based on the target area:

ARMS

• Backwards Push-ups (Go to just after 2 min on the link)
• Side Plank Right/Left
• Girly Push-ups

LEGS

• Side Leg Lifts Right/Left
• Inner-thigh Leg Lift Right/Left
• Singular Leg Lifts Right/Left

BUTT

• Donkey Kick Right/Left
• Like a Dog Right/Left
• Prone Leg Lifts Right/Left

ABS

• Crunches (regular)
• Bicycle Crunches
• Oblique Crunches (Method 1, Method 2, Method 3)
• Long-Arm Crunches
• Forearm Plank 

You're done!!!  Remember, you can adjust it to whatever level you want. If you want more of a challenge, do more reps. My sister does 10-30 of each exercise.

Happy Training! à bientôt!

TARA STILES: Weight Loss and Balance

I've already written a post on another one of Tara's DVDs. This one is one of my favorites to do in the mornings; especially if I miss my morning run. This DVD is great for yoga beginners/intermediate, and is easier than her other one (click here to view her other DVD). For those that are more advanced you can always change up the sequence with advanced variations, and there is also an option to have the instruction muted with just the music playing. The cinematography is beautiful, and the music is relaxing!

Even though there are similar transitions and poses used in both DVDs I feel completely different at the end of this than I do the other. There is a lot less down-dog split in this DVD than in the other. The most common pattern that she uses in this class is Down-dog to Plank to Up-Dog and back to Down-dog. My arms definitely feel the burn!

I love this DVD workout because I feel cheerful and relaxed afterwards! This is why I prefer to do this routine in the morning since I am motivated by the time I've finished, or at night I'll do the easier variations and be ready for bed. Tara starts pretty slow making sure that you have warmed up before she picks up the pace. There are some awesome "yoga pretzel" moments, but nothing that should intimidate anyone away from using this DVD!

Tara does talk fast, but she does well to explain what is happening. I personally don't mind her instruction or talking during most of the workout, but I can understand that may not be the case for everyone.

Here is a link to the Tara Stiles website, more specifically her videos page (which is much better than my yoga playlist link I posted in an earlier Tara Stiles post):

<http://tarastiles.com/videos/>

Happy Training! à bientôt!

YOGALOSOPHY: Yoga Meets Toning to Sculpt Sleek Muscles

This morning my sisters and I did this yoga workout. Mandy Ingber's Yogalosophy combines yoga poses with other toning exercises to create a great toning and strengthening workout! Also, some of you may know Mandy as the Jennifer Aniston's yoga instructor; no wonder Jennifer is so gorgeous!

This workout includes:

• Chair Pose/Squats
• Crescent Pose/Lunges
• Temple Pose/Second Position Plie
• Boat Pose/V-ups
• Bridge Pose and many others...

The general pattern of the workout is that she will introduce a pose, hold it, then add the exercise (i.e. squats), and then pulse.

The entire workout is 35 minutes. I haven't tried the "Fully Loaded Challenge" yet, but even the 35 minutes, to me, is worth the purchase.

Mandy does talk a lot through the workout, but there is also an option to do the workout without the instruction if that bothers you. I think she is hilarious and actually enjoy listening to her talk me through the exercises. There are a couple times that she uses the phrase "I have a great a**!" simply because that is her mantra, and if that bothers you, you can always select the option without the verbal instruction.

I felt the burn mostly in my legs. Mandy has gorgeous legs, and having an instructor that looks the part is always a motivating factor for me. Some of you who are a bit more sensitive to clothing modesty may notice that her shorts are just short enough that sometimes the camera view can be a little awkward. However, if you are working out you won't be focusing on that anyway.

I purchased mine from Amazon.com for less than $10:

<http://www.amazon.com/>

For anyone interested further in Mandy Ingber's Yogalosophy can check out her website:

<http://mandyingber.com/>

Anyone interested in her Youtube channel where she posts some short routines check out this link:

<http://www.youtube.com/user/MandyIngber?feature=watch>

Happy Training!  à bientôt!

SLIM DOWN IN A SPLASH: Pool Workout

Summer is coming to an end, but we are also approaching the warmest month! So why not "Slim Down" in the pool while you are having fun? My sister sent me another routine that she used during her first and second trimesters. I have also tried some of the exercises and am game for anything that will burn, tone and strengthen! The following is her detailed review on the workout since she is more familiar than I am.

• K-Tread is much more difficult to do than you would think - it really works out your arms and abs. I had to use water-weights under my arms to support myself or I couldn't keep my legs straight without sinking, but my sister was able to do it solo. 

• Otter Roll is fun, though I altered it slightly to keep my head out of the water - it can make you dizzy if you aren't careful. We only did this one occasionally.
• Ball Lever is another very difficult one because it requires you to use core muscles to keep your body straight while countering a lot of resistance from the water. I didn't do this one as often as my sister.
• Pike Scull (we just called it "V" for the shape) was one of our favorites and we would have races down the length of the pool to see who could move the fastest while maintaining the v-shape with their abs. I had to use floatation under my arms on this one too.
• Wave Maker is great if you don't mind attracting attention from the splashing. I was a little self-conscious and kept my waves below the water and didn't do it as often, opting instead to just flutter kick.

So we would do a random assortment of these exercises (always "K" and "V") plus "bicycle"ing our legs with some water-weight curling to work our arms and a lunging and stretching cool-down in the shallows at the end. Flutter kicks or Frog/scissor kicks were the "filler" exercise, just doing laps for however long we wanted to after the more rigorous stuff. Our workout always lasted for about 45min-1hour. If I felt any straining or pain I immediately backed off and did something gentle instead. I've found that many workouts can be adapted for prenatal use by just paying attention to how your body is feeling and using common sense.

This is the pool workout that can work for anyone:
<http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/total-body/pool-workout/?page=1K-tread>

Thank you Krysta for the awesome review on the Slim Down in a Splash Pool Workout!

Happy Training! à bientôt!

*Image from Fitnessmagazine.com picturing K-Tread from this workout.