4.30.10: Tomorrow's the Day!

Today's Workout:
-Firm Total Sculpt + Abs
*total w/o time 50 minutes + stretch

Today's Tip: Staying Fit while Travelling
A low-tech hotel room workout: Jennifer Galardi, a dance and fitness trainer for Exercise TV, believes you can get a good workout anywhere, even without a gym. She regularly stretches and lifts weight with furniture to fit exercise into her hectic travel schedule. Exercise TV content is available in 1.1 million rooms at hotels including DoubleTree, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Omni, and Radisson, but none of those chains have it in every single room. Ask before you book. Exercise TV also offers online workouts and has an iPhone application. Check out more great ideas here on AJC.com.


Today's Plug: Check out my sisters Etsy shop here. It has handmade headbands, baby coccoons, booties, patterns, baby teddy beannies, and other ADORABLE goods for great prices.

Today's Bargains:
-To get a bonus entry for Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body dvd check out her blog here, come back here and tell me something you learned.
-Enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Deisgns by Jessie on Women Who Do It All here.
-Enter to win a Bring It Up gift pack on Review Retreat here.

Today's Review: Firm Total Sculpt + Abs
Jennifer Carman, 2003 ***** (5 of 5 stars)

This is a 60 min mostly strength workout led by Jen Carman. There are 4 background exercisers with Suzan showing the beginner modifications. This is the BSS2 set-white with blue accents on the walls. You will need a variety of dumbbells, the Firm sculpting stick (optional), and a Fanny Lifter or other step for this w/o.

The warmup is kind of long but I actually really enjoyed it this AM. You use the sculpting stick to warm up your upper body and do squats and such to warmup the lower body. After the warmup Jen moves right into a heavy squat set, back work, pliets, and lat pull down with the stick-I just used dumbbells since the stick is only 8 #'s. She uses the stick in other areas of the workout too and again, I just use dumbbells because the stick is just too light to do anything with.

The majority of this workout is strength and includes moves such as: leg press (just use 2 dumbbells, not 1 and the stick), bicep curls, 4 limb work that is similar to her 4 limb section in Firm Super Cardio-(which I love), french press, pushups, tricep pushups, and more. She varies the tempo alot and uses a pretty slow tempo for a lot of it to really allow heavy poundage.

There are a few cardio segments-one on the floor and one on the step. She finishes with chest and ab work on the floor before the cooldown. The ab section uses teh 6# portion of the sculpting stick and I found it fun and effective. Not so boring & repetitive like the other ab sections in BSS2.

I would rate this an intermediate w/o done as is. If you skip the sculpting stick, use heavy dumbbells, use the 8" section of the FL, add a few more plyos (she does include some though!), and put a little pep in your step you can get a great sculpting workout with the usual Firm cardio benefit.

Today's Recipe: Protien Pumpkin Smoothie (this is for Sarah)
-1 scoop BSN Lean Dessert Fresh Cinnamon Roll
-2ish TBS pumpkin puree (canned)
-iced espresso or iced coffee
-ice cubes
-water (or non fat milk-but water is fine for me)
-2 packets Truvia or splenda
-cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice to taste

Put all ingredients in the magic bullet and blend-YUM! I think this recipe would still be good w/ vanilla protien powder if you don't have the BSN Cinnamon Roll...The cinnamon roll is also good in oatmeal.
 
I have also tried BSN Lean Dessert in chocolate fudge, chocolate coconut candy bar, vanilla, and banana cream- ALL are SO yummy! The nutritionals are great check them out here- you will be impressed.
 
Today's LOLz: Courtesy of PeopleofWalmart.com (and you ask why I dont shop at WalMart...)

 
 
Hookers love cupcakes. I have nothing else to add to that. Can’t argue with facts.
Texas

 
 
 
 
 

Hey! Hey! Hey man, hold up. There’s a f***in’ Jellyfish on your head! Stay still, I’ll pee on it.


Ohio

 
 
 
 
 

Unfortunately there isn’t a pool of water anywhere near here, so I’ll have to do something other than drown myself to escape this hell.



Texas
 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.29.10: Welcome to the Hello Kitty Gym

I got the nicest blog comment the other day about posting pics of my Hello Kitty gym. Hopefully in the next few weeks! When I lived in Japan I got a TON of hello kitty stuff as gifts (ok and I bought some myself LOL). Sanrio is a Japanese company, so Hello Kitty is very popular there. Here is one pic that shows the "workout Hello Kitty" I made at Build-a-Bear. Yes, I pushed small children out of the way to "build" her....j/k:

Today's Workout:
-Firm Cardio Sculpt Blaster
-Firm Maximum Cardio Burn + Abs (25 min)
*total w/o time 55 min + stretch

Today's Tip: Diet Soda (from Self Magazine)
A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity showed that artificial sweeteners, like those used in diet sodas, may interfere with the body's natural ability to track your calorie intake based on a food's sweetness. They seem to somehow trick your body into thinking that other sweets are calorie-free, too. The upshot is that your system doesn't always send a "stop, you've had enough" signal and you end up overindulging. Try to limit soda to no more than 20 ounces a day.

Today's Review: Firm- Maximum Cardio Burn + Abs
Allie Del Rio, 2003 **** (4 of 5 stars)

This is a 52 minute workout that uses the Fanny Lifter (FL) and Firm Sculpting Stick (SS), you wont need dumbbells for this workout, but you could use them instead of the stick IMO. The workout is mostly cardio but includes a standing leg tune and a long & quite tough ab workout at the end. This is from the 2nd Body Sculpting System released by the Firm (BSS2) and the set is white walls & floors w/ some colored glass in the background. There are 4 background exercisers with Suzanne showing the beginner modifications.

After a warmup and stretch you go into about 25ish minutes of moderate intenisty cardio. Allie does some tall box climbs using the SS for balance. To up the intenisty I use the SS for curls, overhead press, etc. She does some squats and pliets with the SS, you can sub plyos in for the squats to modify up. There are box aerobics, floor aerobics, a kickboxing-esque routine, and some four limb with the twigs (the ends of the stick come off and make 2 lb dumbbells)

After the cardio you do a "standing leg tune" that uses the stick. I usually add ankle weights to this section as the stick only weighs 8 lbs. Then there is some stretching before she moves into a tough ab series that includes lower ab, upper ab, obligue, and some plank work. This is followed by the final stretch

I enjoy this workout though it is definatley not all that challenging. Its good for a lower intenisty day or you can modify up (or down) pretty easily. I would rate this low intermediate as many of the cardio moves are pretty low intensity. Allie cues very well in this one and I like her as a lead.

Today's Bargains:
-To get a bonus entry for Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body dvd, answer this question: do you own any of Jen's dvds?
-Enter to win a flattering Hapari swimsuit at Review Retreat here.

Today's LOLz: the 1st one appears to be part of a Japanese lunch (made of rice balls!) How freakin cute! Yes Japan in general is really this cute :)

Add caption

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.28.10: Shout Out for Taylor's Nutrition!

Today's Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie (YUMMM)
-1 scoop chocolate peanut butter Syntha 6 protein powder
-1 tsp natural peanut butter
-1 cup skim milk
-1 banana
-ice cubes

*blend all ingredients in magic bullet and enjoy! I got my Syntha 6 from my FAVORITE nutrition store- Taylor's Nutrition. I love this place-great service, AWESOME prices, and its a true small business-the owner and TWO employees! Keep watching for a giveaway sponsored by Taylors Nutrition soon!!!! In the mean time check out their website and support a small business.

Today's Workout:
-Firm Cardio Sculpt
-10 Minute Solutions Ultimate Bootcamp (most of total body segment)
*total w/o time 60 min + stretch

Today's Tip: Cure Heartburn & Acid Reflux with ALMONDS!
I got this from Jessica Smith's Living Thin site: Did you know that you can cure heartburn with ALMONDS? Eating a handful of almonds can help relieve heartburn and acid reflux within about 15 minutes due to their natural oils. Source: First Magazine, May Issue. I will definately be trying this!




Today's Review:  Firm Cardio Sculpt
Allie Del Rio, 2002 (***** 5 of 5 stars)
This is a 60 minutes AWT (though mostly strength work) workout led by Allie with 4 background exercisers. Libby provides the beginner modifications. The set is the bright white BSS1 set with blue-ish accents in the background. You will need your Fanny Lifter or another step and a variety of dumbbells for this one.

First off I have to say-I DO NOT do this one enough! Though not as challenging as the Classic Firms-it is really reminiscent of them. It has a weighted step segment like Vol 4 & Vol 6 and ends with floor work-pec fly & leg lifts and donkey kicks. She also goes slow enough to allow for heavy dumbbells. I was pleasantly surprised!

After a warmup up Allie goes into a strength set starting with hover squats and lat row. You do some leg press and other dumbbell work and then she moves into a cardio segment. She alternates the strength segments with cardio, but the strength work also gets your heartrate up with dips, lunges, leg press, and squats. The cardio is straightforward and athletic without being boring or repetitive. The cardio includes floor, step, and 4 limb step work.

She thouroughly works all the muscles though I did find the shoulder work a bit lacking. After the lying floor work you do an ab sequence that is comprised of crunch & crunch variations and then move into the stretch.

I would rate this workout a solid or maybe even high (?) intermediate if you use heavy weights. You can also up the intensity- I really heavied up on #age, used the 8" portion of the FL and added some plyos and jumps to my workout and felt I got a great strength AND cardio workout today. I must use this one more often (I know I say that all the time).

Today's Bargains:
-Enter to win a vibrating alarm clock from Sonic Alert here at Review Retreat
-Because my inner thighs were sore yesterday from doing Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body: get a bonus entry to win it by commenting today that you "want to win" :)
-Enter to win a Go-Gurt party pack from Cute Pea here.
-FOR A LIMITED TIME! You can download Prevention "WorkOuts To Go" for just $1. Click here to get these easy-to-follow body-sculpting, fat-blasting routines!
-Enter to win a Snyders of Hanover chocolate pretzel pack from Freebis & Much More here.

Today's LOLz:

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.27.10: More Vegas Pics :)

Today's Bargains:
-Today ONLY: Free Custom 5x7 Photo Greeting Card from Kodak +($.99 shipping)
-Today's bonus entry for Jen Galardi's Ballet Body w/o: check out her store and post which other w/o of hers you want to try
-Enter to win a Misikko hair iron from Cute Peas here.
-Enter to win Simple Green Naturals cleaning products on A Giveaway Addicted Mommy here.
-Enter to win cute cookie cutters from Curious Chef on Review Retreat here.
-Enter to win a Pilsbury pizza party pack from The Busy Womens Guide to Surviving Motherhood here.
-Enter to win coconut oil from Tropical Traditions at Cute Peas here.
-Enter to win coconut hair treatment from Tropical Traditions at Review Retreat here.

Today's Workout:
-Firm Super Cardio Sculpt
-Firm Core Solutions (2 sections)
*total w/o time 60 min + stretch

you can check out my Core Solutions review here.

Today's Review: Firm Super Cardio Sculpt (**** 4 of 5 stars)

Nancy Tucker, 2002

This is a 40 min cardio workout led by Nancy with 4 background exercisers-Libby provides beginner modifications. The set is bright and white with blue accents in the background. You will need your Fanny Lifter or another step and a set of light dumbbells for this workout.

This is a moderately choreographed (but nothing dancy or hard to follow) cardio workout. Nancy keeps things moving right along and really keeps the heart rate up. She alternates floor aerobics, 4 limb floor aerobics, step aerobics, and tall bax climbs to keep things interesting and prevent boredom.

The routines are your typical Firm fare without being boring or repetitive. Some of the aerobics include: tri-star, straddle step, V step, side step, grapevine, knee ups on the floor and step, ham curls on the step, tall box climb with dumbbells, and the likes thereof.

Done as is I would rate this a lower intermediate workout because Nancy doesnt really bump up the intensity all that much. There is a lot of low impact and they only use the short section of the Fanny Lifter. I wore my weighted gloves, used the 8" section of the FL, and added in plyos and bigger arm movements and I got a GREAT sweaty cardio workout. I enjoyed this w/o and dont use it enough!

Vegas Pics: I cant stop posting them....1. High stakes Connect Four (bad pic but those are 100's theyre betting with....2. DH & I on the strip.....

3. The Flamingo has apparently shifted away from the Flamingo theme and moved to scantilly clad women dancing in boxes above the tables...4. The boys in the M&M store. Can you tell DH just loves these lame pics I make him take?

Today's LOLz:

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

DVD Giveaway: Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body!

This giveaway is now over. I will announce the winner shortly! Stay tuned for another great giveaway this week!

This weeks giveaway is courtesy of the adorably cute (and FIT) Jennifer Galardi. She was generous enough to donate her new Ballet Body workout! It is hugely popular on VF and I really enjoy Jennifers Exercise TV workouts so I knew it would be a good one for a giveaway.

Jennifer autographed the cover of the dvd (so you know I really wanted to keep this one LOL). DH said "you better get another one to give away and just keep this copy" but you know I couldnt do that! (I was tempted)..j/k-kindof...

I have posted this before, but I actually got to meet Jennifer at the Firm infomercial shoot a few years ago and she was BEYOND sweet-and did I mention cute and fit...Her emails were also super kind and generous and it was obvious that she believes in at-home-exercise! I love that! I once read a story about another dvd instructor that kind of "poo-poo'ed" at home exercise. That never quite made sense to me-why sell something you dont believe in? Jennifer obviously believes in her products and you can tell she enjoys what she does.

I am new to ballet workouts, so forgive my review for misnomers or spelling errors.

Review: Ballet Body, Jennifer Galardi, 2009

This dvd has 5 seperate segments that you can do individually or string together (play all). The total w/o time is just over 60 minutes including warmup and stretch. Jennifer works out in a nice open set w/ hardwood floors and pinkish windows in the background. There are 2 background exercisers-one shows beginner modifications. You will need one set of light/medium dumbbells for some of the sections. She recommends not wearing shoes-so I didnt! Love that. The music varies from upbeat classical to almost African sounding-it was all appropriate for each section and I really liked it.

Warmup: This is a very active, fluid warmup that gets the blood flowing nicely. It includes a solid pliet series and also works the arms because you are holding them out ballet style. You get some nice flowing stretching here as well. You could do this section on its own as a light w/o IMO.

Strength: You start with a close stance pliets, pliets variations & relevettes. Then she moves into some standing ab work that I really enjoyed-it was very different than what Im used to! Felt very effective! She does standing ab scoops, side bends, and portibra all with a ballet flair-very active and fluid. She moves into a tough curtsey dip with oblique squeeze sequence that I particularly enjoyed! Then she grabs her dumbbells for rotator cuffs work, V raises, bicep curl variations, and a behind the back tricep squeeze.

Balance: She starts the standing leg work with a mini rondejon with a glute sqeeze and moves into what, to me, felt like standing table work. From there you move into a plank-tri push-up-down dog series and finished with some tricep pushups that really fried my triceps. This section closes with some unique table work.

Floor Barre: You start with some lower body work done on the floor and move into a rollup (V sit) core exercise, leg raises, and rolling into a ball. My arms were also being worked in a lot of these moves (in this and other sections as well) because you are holding them out. You do some lying inner and outer thigh ballet type moves and finish with some killer standing leg lifts.

Stretch: The stretch was very nice and welcome! It was done lying and was definately dance inspired.

I would rate this an intermediate workout but I am no expert on ballet or barre. Collage rates it intermediate/ advanced. It was an awesome change of pace from my normal workouts and we all know variety is not only the spice of life-but our bodies NEED it to progress. I just adore Jen as a lead and I really enjoyed this workout. It didnt make me want to die but definately felt effective. This one is now on my wishlist!

To Enter this Giveaway: Post a SEPERATE comment for each entry

1. Check out Jennifers links above and tell me what they are


2. Follow my blog. Already a follower? Just leave a comment saying so


3. Leave me a comment on this post telling what you like about the workout


4. Facebook like Jennifers page


5. Re-blog about this giveaway and leave a link


6. Facebook this giveaway and a leave a link


7. Tweet about this giveaway and leave your twitter ID  

The contest will end Sunday 5/2 at midnight. And the winner will be announced Monday 5/3 morning-so CHECK BACK to see if you are the winner! And I might have some more bonus entries before the week is over :)

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.26.10: I'm Lindsey and I'm a DVD-aholic....

my w/o dvds  -the collection looked a lot larger when I was trying to fit it into a box (or 2....)

As you can see that first pile is as tall as the cat! And actually there was another stack that didnt make it in a pic. Oh not to mention, the CD cases I have filled....So many dvds, so little time...

AND I almost forgot-I won ANOTHER House Party LOL! This time hosted by Bic Soleil razors. How festive-razors for all!




Heres a few more Vegas pics: One of the cocktails parties we went to. Elvis & Marilyn entertained....

Today's Bargains:
-Free sample of LOW FAT Granola from Galaxy Granola here.
-Free 2 oz sample of Carress Body Wash here.
-Enter to win a Body Works fragrance sampler from Freebies & Much More here.
-Enter to win a $25 gift card for Designs By Jessi on Women Who Do It All here.
-Enter to win an Oreck Vaccumme from A Giveaway Addicted Mommy here.
-Enter to win a Betty Crocker prize pack from A Giveaway Addicted Mommy here.

Saturday's Workout:
-Firm Ultimate Fat Burning Workout
*total w/o time 40 min + stretch

Sunday's Workout:
-Firm Burn & Shape
*total w/o time 40 min + stretch

Today's Review: Firm Burn & Shape
 Emily Welsh, 2007**** (4 of 5 stars)

This dvd got pretty bad reviews but really its not that bad. The w/u and one section are a bit *odd* but overall its a pretty good AWT w/o.

This is a 40 minute cardio alternated with strength w/o led by Emily. There are 4 background exercisers, Alison shows the beginner modifications. The set is the wooden floor w/ white walls kind of generic look set. You will only need dumbbells.

After a longish warmup you do some stretching and move into a strength set. She alternates cardio segments with strength segments but the strength segments actually got my heart pumping too. There is a lot of heavy 4-limb work in this so I really think its a pretty effiecient workout. The moves are combined well so you can actually use appropriate poundage for all moves involved.

She doesnt move too quickly and I didnt feel rushed at all but there is also NO downtime in this one. I enjoyed this workout and felt my muscles were worked pretty darn well and was pretty sweaty by the end. As usual, I modified the cardio up but w/ that mod, I got a great w/o!

There were a few *odd* sections-the warmup-it was a bit long and she moved pretty quickly on the choreo. Then one of the cardio sections seemed a bit scattered but besides that-a great w/o! I would rate this a solid intermediate that is easy to modify up or down to suit your needs.

Today's Workout:
-Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body
*total w/o time 60 min + stretch

This will be this weeks giveaway!!!! I will post the "official" contest post soon but as a bonus for reading this far -post a comment on this post for a BONUS entry!!!! :)

Today's LOLs:

And the winner of Amy Bento's All Pump Xtreme is....JENN!

Congrats to Jenn, who said... "Thanks for the break down of this dvd. The more I read the more awesome it looks. I really hope I win. Also love your pics. I got married in Vegas five years ago. The place is awesome."

Please send me your mailing address to lindseylu8 (at) netzero (dot) net. And dont forget to leave a comment here so I know to check that email address! Im sure you will get a TON of use out of this dvd-I know I did! Its a good one! Please email me by Friday, April 30 to claim your prize.

Thank you Amy Bento for her GENEROUS donation in the name of health, fitness, and FUN! And thank you everyone who entered. I will be doing another awesome workout dvd giveaway this week so stay tuned AND remember Amy donated two other dvds for future giveaways :)

For more information or to buy this or other Amy workouts check out her website and store.
 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.23.10: I'm Guest Blogging! All Pump Xtreme Giveaway ends SUNDAY!

I'm guest blogging on Women Who Do It All, check it out! I wrote a craft tutorial for these cute & easy craft storage tins I made:

And for your viewing pleasure (or maybe its my posting pleasure...) some more Vegas pics:
We stayed with my dad at the Paris for the 1st two nights, then stayed one night at the Sahara and one night at the Luxor by ourselves. Heres pics of us on the roof of the Sahara parking garage:

Today's Workout:

-All Pump Xtreme (3 Day Split: Back, Biceps, Triceps)
-10 Minute Solutions Ultimate Bootcamp (cardio & ab sections)
*total w/o time 60 min

Thi is my last post this week but you can enter to win Amy Bento's All Pump Xtreme! To enter today, just leave a comment about today's review! And if you havent already, post a comment on each day's review to get additional entries! I will draw a winner Sunday at midnight so you have until then to enter! I will announce the winner Monday morning, April 26th, stay tuned!

I will definatley be getting myself a copy of this because I am LOVING the 3 day split premixes-I also think the timesaver premixes look great! I really like that I can do a 40ish minute strength w/o and still have time to add in some cardio to burn some extra calories.

Besides all the wonderful premixes- this dvd is chaptered SO well! There is also a section on the main menu "About NRG Mixes" that tells you exactly which exercises are in each premix-awesome! As with all of Amys dvds this really has a LOT to offer and can be used in SO many different ways. It is a serious strength training workout and today my ENTIRE body is sore (in a good way of course) from the past 3 days w/o's! Another great w/o from Amy Bento!!!!

Today's Review: All Pump Xtreme (3 Day Split: Back, Bi's & Tri's)

Amy Bento, 2007

This premix is 42 minutes led by Amy with 3 background exercisers-one shows modifications. Amy uses tubing, dumbbells, a barbell, a weighted bar, and a step. You can easily get away with using only step, dumbbells, and tubing IMO-but I enjoyed using the bar for one of the bicep moves. This workout thouroughly works the bi's, tri's, and back before the cooldown/ stretch.

After the warmup you move right into back work starting w/ modified pullups. Amy has a weighted bar lying across 2 sets of a lot of risers and 1 b/g exerciser uses 2 chairs. I only have the Firm Sculpting Stick and I didnt really trust my body weight with that stick so I did a different back move (Im drawing a blank on the name right now-something pinch-someone help me out?), [ETA: rhomboid pinch-knew it would come to me sooner or later] from there she moves into T bar rows w/ a barbell (I used dumbbells), then a lying rear delt fly on the incline bench.

Next is the bicep work-she starts with the band handles around the bar. You hold the bar and put 1 foot on the band and curl-I could REALLY feel this, so if you have a bar & a band I would recommend not subbing equipment here. Then you do bicep curls & forearm curls lying on the incline bench. You finish (frying) the bicep work with tubing curls.

The last section is tricep work and boy will my tri's feel this tomorrow! You do tricep pushups on the bench with a one armed tri hold-ouch, dumbbell kickbacks and a seated overhead tubing tricep extension. You move into your cooldown to finish the workout-there is no core work in this premix.

I would rate this premix & the dvd as a whole a high intermediate w/o. This is a great strength training dvd and would fit nicely in all dvd collections. It is tough but fun and also very efficient.

Today's Bargain:

-Your Shape Wii fitness game for only $19.99 at amazon.com here.

-Enter to win 15 eyeshadow samples from Mineral Basics on Review Retreat here.

-Enter to win a a cool cupcake stand from Wilton on Review Retreat here. I hope I win this one!

-Enter to win a $30 tupperware gift card from My Frugal Lifestyle here.

-Enter to win a Huephoria wine glass on Review Retreat here.

-Enter to win a Joey Jr Purse Organizer on Review Retreat here.

-Enter to win a Green Giant gift pack from A Giveaway Addicted Mommy here

-Enter to win a $40 giftcard for a Swiffer Sweeper from A Giveaway Addicted Mommy here.

 Today's LOLs:

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

4.22.10: Day Two To Enter To Win Amy's All Pump Xtreme

Ive been getting some great feedback and comments lately and want to say thank you to all my wonderful blog readers (not to mention all those that exercised for me while I was away!) Glad I can provide some fun & motivation :)

Vegas Pics: 1. DH & I at the Paris after a night out :), 2. my dad & me on the strip, 3. DH & I in front of the Mirage.

Today's Workout:
-All Pump Xtreme (3 Day Split: lower body)
-5 min walking (to fill my time slot)
*total w/o time 60 min + stretch

To Enter To Win (Again):
-leave a comment on today's post about what appeals to you in the review below.

Today's Review: All Pump Xtreme (3 Day Split: Lower Body)
Amy Bento, 2007

This premix is 61 minutes led by Amy with 3 background exercisers-one shows modifications. Amy uses tubing, dumbbells, a barbell, a weighted bar, step, and (briefly) a med ball. You can easily get away with using only step, dumbbells, and tubing IMO. This workout hits all the lower body muscles and has a nice core section before the cooldown/ stretch.

After a warmup & stretch you move right into a squat series: squats with the bar, 1 legged balancing squats (which also hits the core and works on balance), and hack squats where you elevate your heels on the step. Then you do a sit down on the step-stand up move with a barbell (or dumbbells), weighted curtsey lunge into a side lunge w/ a knee lift (again hitting the core & working balance). Then we move into deadlifts while standing on the box -my legs started shaking at this point. Then you put your tubing handle around your foot and do a kickback move with your leg-working your hamstring. We finish our LB work with a one legged bridge on the step.

Before the cooldown stretch you do the core workout using the gliding discs, a dumbbell and/or an optional med ball. The core work was fun and different from the usual ab work! There is a nice standing ab section: circling the dumbbell, a weighted sidebend, overhead reach, and a throw out/ chop with the med ball. She finishes with a unique floor section using the gliding discs for a roll out move (I used a stability ball instead and that worked perfectly!) and a crab pose-into a side plank-into a plank-and back move (tough!).

I would rate this portion a high intermediate strength workout. Like I said I didnt really heavy up (15# max) and I just know my LB will be feeling it tomorrow-I already can to some extent! The time went quickly and there is a lot of variety without being rushed. She gives just enough time to prepare and move into the next move without wasting time or having to push pause. Very efficient and fun! Great music, great lead.

Today's Tip: Natural Cleaning Products: (from Jessica Smiths Living In Thin site)
Lysol contains ethanol and ammonium – do you really want to spray that around the house? Try creating your own all-natural disinfectant spray instead by mixing 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with 1 tsp. of an anti-microbal essential oil of your choice (peppermint, lavender or sage are our favorites).

Today's Bargains:
-Enter to win a $100 gift cert to ATG stores on Review Retreat here.
Today's LOLs:

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