Thursday, March 12, 2009
Fitness DVD Review
I'm constantly asked about what at home DVDs I would recommend for exercising. My answer is simple, if you enjoy it, then do it! Thats key to sticking with something. I do like having some DVDs at home, because they are always there and they can be an easy way to fit exercise in when you don't have transportation, a gym membership or if you have kids. I will say though, that getting yourself out of the house has many advantages and many people have really expensive fitness equipment that never gets used because they need the accountability of someone else or the fact that they are paying for a membership somewhere. However, there are some really good DVDs out there. So here goes what I've tried. Changing your workouts frequently is necessary for consistent results though, I have found!
TurboJam: www.turbojam.com : This is the at-home version of Turbo-Kick which is the class I teach. Its fun! A mixture of kickboxing and dance, the music is good and Charlene is great. Think Tae-Bo minus that funny clothes and dorky music. Its a great workout. Not as tough as Turbokick, but it gets the job done. My favorites are Cardio Party 3, Cardio Party Remix and Punch Kick Jam. I did this workout throughout my entire pregnancy.
Cathe: www.cathe.com; she does a lot of step and strength but this gal is tough! Thanks to my friend Tina, I discovered Cathe and I think she is one of the toughest collection of at-home workouts out there. Definitely check it out if this is your thing!
TaeBo: Billy Blanks... I have a soft spot in my heart for Taebo since I was one who became part of the craze back in the 90s. It helped me shed some weight and have fun working out for the first time. I don't find the workouts hard enough for me anymore and the music is dorky but I have heard wonderful things of his Amp workouts!
10 minute solutions: This collection is a great addition. Quick workouts for abs etc; Not enough by itself, but a good addition.
Do you have another DVD you'd like me to review for you? Send me a comment and I'll see what I can do!
The Grocery Game
Those of you who haven't heard about the Grocery Game, should! Check out www.thegrocerygame.com to ready all about it. I've become obsessed with saving money and getting good deals and this system totally works! Did you know that if you go to get something on sale, and they are all out, you can ask the store for a raincheck.. .then go back when the shelves are stocked and get it all?? Seriously, it rocks!!! I have to thank my friend Amy Abell for introducing the program to me. It takes about 12 weeks to start seeing the savings and we are in week 9, and finally starting to see the results! I have more meat, veggies, and cheese in my freezer than I have ever had before (and paper products too!) and its so nice! I will start posting my spending and savings on here to share with all of you. We already went to Kroger this week. At Kroger we spent $39.38 and we saved $48.70!!!!! Today is my Mejier day and I will also stop by CVS and Walgreens if needed. I'll keep you posted. My goal is to keep our weekly grocery bill under $100. :)
Raising a healthy Family
When Bella was born almost 6 months ago, suddenly Jerry and I's life was no longer all about the two of us anymore. Its all about her. Our top priority is making sure that she is healthy, loved and taken care of. The minute I found out I was pregnant I promised myself that I would raise a healthy child... that I would not pressure her to fit into a "standard" of thinness and that I would teach her to love and respect herself. I also promised myself that I would serve her healthy meals and introduce her to an active lifestyle early on. Not for "looks" but to be healthy.
I know she is only 6 months old, and we have a long road ahead of us, but I was just thinking about this this morning. For those of you who don't know, I am making my own baby food for Bella. And as I was steaming peas this morning and baking a sweet potato in the oven, I was just thinking that I sure hope she still enjoys eating these vegetables when she's 5. I don't know who I'm kidding... haha!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Foods that are not used enough!
Mandy's Top 10 list of foods people forget about...
2. Canned Pumpkin... if you don't have any in your pantry right now, go get some. So versitile for desserts, breakfast and dinners.
3. Apples.... probably one of the easiest and downright necessary snacks to have in the house!
4. Oatmeal... Plain ol' Quaker Oats. Not the instant. Not the sugar-filled packets. One of the slowest digesting carbs out there, oatmeal is SO good for you. I spice mine up with some Splenda and frozen berries every morning. Think outside the cereal box! I'm also able to use these same oats to make Bella some!
5. Frozen Chicken Breasts... Um hello! Think Staple!! This puppies are cheap if bought on sale, and you won't have to worry about them going bad any time soon. You can throw them in a crockpot easily and they are done by dinnertime!
6. Cottage Cheese... the low fat kind. And again, think outside the box. Cottage cheese is low fat, low carb and tasty. You don't have to eat it plain. Its got so many choices!! You can use it in pasta dishes. You can eat it by itself. Mix in fruit. Mix in tomatoes. Or my favorite weird concoction... blend with natty pb and some sweetner for a "pudding" that is healthy!
7. Egg Whites... by the box.... these things are super duper easy and pasturized. Saves you time from seperating eggs. Nothing is wrong with a whole egg but if you are watching your cholesterol and short on time, the egg whites in liquid form are a must-have. Hardly a day goes by that I don't utilize these.
8. Frozen Veggies... Many people tell me they don't buy vegetables because they go bad quickly. This is true. I buy lots of frozen veggies to help this. Broccoil, peas, lima beans, asparagus, diced green peppers, onions. You name it, I've got it. We now have vegetable for every lunch and dinner in our house. And I can often find them at Kroger or Meijer in the 10 for $10 deals!!
9. Milk. What they say is true. Nonfat milk does a body good. Don't forget about it!
10. Beans. These things are good for you. Yes, you can overeat beans, but a serving or two a day are good fibrous carbs that are filling and full of nutrients. My favorites include kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans (chick peas!). Eat them on salads, in wraps, in chili or roasted by themselves! Yum!
Bella the scooter...
Bella has now discovered she can scoot backwards. And quickly. This morning I put her down in the middle of the living room and by the time I turned back around, she was in between the loveseat and the chair... hahaha!
I guess this is a sign for things to come ;)
Fitting Fitness in your busy life...
I often get asked how to find time to fit exercise into your life. Not everyone works at a gym, not everyone enjoys exercising for that matter... and not everyone makes it a priority. Thats okay. I am fully aware that not everyone shares the same passion for fitness and health that I have. But the one thing I like to emphasize for everyone I talk to about this is that you can make time for YOU. And you should. Being active is going to give you more confidence, which in turn is going to make you WANT to be more active which boosts your immune system and helps you lead a healthier, longer life.
The new guidelines for exercise have increased. Minimum recommendations for health is 60 minutes most days of the week. This number is daunting, but remember this does not mean that you need to walk on the treadmill for an hour everyday! This is total activity. So here are the things that can be added into your 60 minutes/day:
-parking further away from the door in a parking lot That walking COUNTS!
-housework
-playing with your kids and/or animals
-grocery shopping
-walking the dog
-taking the stairs instead of the elevator
ALL of these things count into that. So I bet most of you, unless you are sitting at your computer all day long are getting more activity than you realize. And if you have a desk job-- take a break in between calls or clients and walk around the building. C'mon skip the elevator! Research shows that people who do these small things actually have better overall fitness levels and weight management than those that try to just get it in at the gym. While the gym most definitely counts in these numbers, its not everything. And this is important to remember.
So get moving everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
