So, I recorded one of the Bollywood dance workouts on Fit TV (also called “Shimmy”) and finally got up the nerve to try it. I forced my sister, who is actually a fitness enthusiast as well, but perhaps even more than me, to do it with me since she was visiting from California. I thought we could both feel completely clueless and uncoordinated together – what a fun sister bonding experience! And of course, uncoordinated we did feel when we did it.

The Bollywood belly dance style workout has three women in indian belly dance gear to follow. The music is filled with sitars and other ethnic sounds from the east, and the theme of the workout is to really let go, and shake things loose, but also to work up just a little bit of a sweat and help work out those tummy muscles. I thought this would be a very ab intensive workout (since the commercials for this workout say that it will give you envious abs), but it wasn’t really, I felt it more in my legs and my thighs, which I’m not complaining about since that’s where I happen to need most of my improvement.

The workout starts with a warmup that’s very unchallenging. You actually work on relaxing your jaw and your mouth as well. It was different, yes, but I just could tell that this workout wasn’t going to be challenging enough for me. The instructor has you going through a series of sensual, belly dancing types of moves, where you are shaking your butt and your legs a lot, and loosening up your neck muscles quite a bit as well, with head shakes that make you look like you are having a seizure – unless of course you are one of the undoubtedly professionally trained instructors, who happen to look elegant, and dare I say a bit sexy and wild when they do it.

My sister and I could not get through the first ten minutes of the workout without almost falling on the floor laughing at how ridiculous we looked, but we ended up getting through the half hour belly dancing bollywood workout, and I felt a little bit better when we were done, like my body was unwound. I’d compare it to the way my body feels after doing a fairly unchallenging yoga workout, relaxed, but not really “worked”, like I didn’t really burn many calories or seriously tone any muscles.

I’d say this workout is good to mix it up and throw in here and there, but to make it challenging enough as a routine part of your fitness regimen, you’d have to add more weight work and/or more aerobic activity to it.

It’s so funny sometimes how you hear about the latest fads, trends and fabulous finds in the world of fitness and self improvement. That’s kind of how I found out about the P90X workout program. I heard about it first on one Sunday when my husband was having his football buddies over, one of our friends said that he knew a couple of people who were doing this “P90X thing” and were getting totally shredded and ripped and lean by doing it.

Of course, my ears perked up, because who DOESN’T want to look that way, and I know that I can have some semblance of ambition when I really get going on a new program, especially if it gets results, even if it’s excruciatingly painful, which incidentally I’ve heard about the first few times doing this workout – but what isn’t painful that’s eventually worth it, I ask?

I’ve also seen numerous people doing the workout suddenly in the gym because there is a tv in the floor work room, so of course it’s piqued my curiosity even more. I know that it’s a multi part system that works specific muscle groups every time, and alternates a little bit of slightly aerobic activity with grueling muscle workouts that leave you feeling like a rubber band. Can’t wait to try it. I’ll let you guys know a full review and assessment once I’ve given it a shot. A few people that I work with are doing it and I’m going to jump in on some of the sessions.

It’s officially coming near the end of the first month of the new year (new decade, that is!), and I think that it’s time for us all to evaluate how we are coming thus far in our new year’s promises to ourselves when it comes to fitness. Even if you don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, per se, you still have in the back of your head where you want to head in various areas of your life for the new year, and you wonder what the new year will bring for your personally, professionally and opportunity wise.

For me, I can tell you that my new year has started off right when it comes to working out. I promised myself that I would get the weight off that I put on over the holidays, indulging in the most delicious foods several days a week, that I normally only allow myself every once in a blue moon when I’m being my normal self and disciplining my eating habits. The good thing about doing this and only having the “bad” foods that taste oh so good only every once in a while as a treat is that you REALLY appreciate it all that much more when you actually indulge in that deli steak sandwich and french fries, ice cream, or big slice of pizza. You dig?

Anyways, I knew that the new year would be much more easy for me to work out regularly because one variable, the fact that the gym at work was closed for renovations for over a month, reopened at the beginning of January, allowing for me to get my much needed workouts in during the day instead of having to wait until I got home at 6:30 in the evening when it was dark outside, and the last thing I wanted to do was jump into a workout DVD, but the first thing I wanted to do was get dinner on.

Also, I think that as I have aged (I’m now 35 years old), and as my body has changed noticeably, I realize how important it is to keep up the working out and the eating right, because I realize that your body can change for the worse so much more easily with age. You have decreased secretion of the youth hormone which gives you more lean muscle mass and less body fat, and you have a variety of other factors and degeneration of healthy cells working against you, so it’s all that much more important to get your exercise in regularly.

So far, so good for me this year as far as my fitness level and goals go. How about you!?

I have suffered from the bronchial restricting disease called asthma for years now. I am 35 years old, and I had had the disorder for about 27 years now. It started when I was about eight years old. I remember my first asthma attack very clearly actually. I was at the outdoor YMCA, which was a great family retreat by where I grew up. It was on acres of wooded land, and it had a variety of amenities, including tennis courts, trailing, bike trails, and even a great little event cabin where you could come in, drink some hot cocoa and thaw out after doing some cross country skiing.

Oh, and the best part of course since my little sister and I were waterbugs, was the awesome outdoor pool and lounge area. Man, we used to go there all the time and just swim for hours and come home with golden brown skin. It was great. Then, when I was about eight, my mom, dad, sister and I were taking a walk there, and I was coming up a hill. I remember there was a lot of Queen Anne’s Lace growing at the time, and who knows, that may have even been what set off my attack.

I remember becoming extremely out of breath, and wheezing for the first time from the exertion of physical activity. It was actually quite distressing. I think that my mom thought I might have been faking it a bit, she said I was always a bit of a “Camille” when I was sick when I was younger, but I really was distressed and having a hard time breathing. I was taken to the doctors office and diagnosed promptly with asthma.

I was given a prescription inhaler, and at the time, I was also given some sort of oral medication, which I cannot remember the name of. I was told to stay away from certain triggers, but I was also told to keep on exercising, which I am grateful for. In fact, even today as an adult, I notice that my asthma only gets aggravated most during periods of sendentary lifestyle changes for me.

When I’m exercising and healthy, that’s when my asthma is kept at bay. So, it may seem like a bit of a dichotomy, but exercising can actually set off an asthma attack, but if you never exercise, this is even more likely to happen. In short, exercising is GOOD for asthma in the long term, and you will find you are actually more resistant to asthma when you are active.

My husband and I overkill on things sometimes, especially when it has to do with television and movies, which we both love to watch, but we’re picky about as well. We’re not the types to watch any old reality show that comes on just for the sake of zoning out, but we are always on the lookout for new movies and television ideas that will allow us to escape, but that will provide meaningful entertainment that is well acted and well thought out.

Hence, we BOTH have memberships to Netflix, and we both actually get the three a month deal too. Why? Well, because our tastes differ somewhat, and rather than haggle over what we’re going to rent for the weekend, I’ll rent the ones I want to see, and he’ll rent the ones he wants to see. So, if he has any weird stuff like old Batman tv shows or something that I’m really not into, or if I have a token chick flick that I know I’ll like but he’ll hate, then we rent them and we’re not put out that we didnt’ get what we wanted to watch for our prized weekends away from work.

One of the the things I’ve really enjoyed doing with Netflix is trying out new workout DVD’s before I buy them. For instance, that is how I learned that I loved the Jillian Michaels Biggest Loser DVD’s, so I went out and bought it after trying it out on Netflix. Also, Netflix has a lot of their workout DVD’s on demand, so you can watch them and try them out right at your computer without putting out the extra money to buy something that might just collect dust if you hate it.

I’ve wasted plenty of money of exercise DVD’s that were a total bust and that I hated and would rather run on a treadmill for an hour than do, so I can definitely appreciate the fact that their service allows me to shake it up and try new stuff all the time, at no extra cost other than the cost of the initial membership fees of course. It’s kind of like having your cake and eating it too – only it’s taking inches off your thighs – not putting them on

It seems like you could endlessly debate who in Hollywood has the “best” body. After all, it seems like everywhere you turn there is a bronzed, muscled, well toned babe or dude around every corner. Let’s face it, Hollywood types get paid to look great, and they don’t take that responsibility lightly in most cases. When they do, they also make headlines, but not the welcome kind.

Think of stars like poor Jennifer Love Hewitt, who really got chewed out just for looking normal in a bathing suit, or Jessica Simpson, who still looked smashing, but maybe put on a measly five pounds in an outfit on stage. These caused a virtual uproar because these poor girls weren’t ninety pounds soaking wet, talk about ridiculous! But there are some Hollywood stars that look great, no matter when they are photographed, and they are pretty consistently on top of their fitness.

Take for example, one of the most oft-cited toned Hollywood bods – Jennifer Aniston. She’s not too buff, but she’s always toned just right, and she’s thin, but she always looks really, really healthy, almost to a point of ridiculous, so she’s not setting a bad example by being anorexic looking. Then there is Jessica Alba, who has obviously been genetically blessed with long legs and torso, but also who is photographed frequently coming from the gym, and who toned up fabulously after having her first child. Bodies like that are enough to make you swear off chocolate forever.

Wait, no, I lied, I’d never swear off chocolate. But you get the drift, there are some people who just “get” fitness. They don’t seem to go too overboard with the weight thing, and yet they always look toned and fit, and thin of course, but never sickly or unhealthy. In the wake of the death of the beautiful Brittany Murphy, I think you’re going to see more focus on weight and weight issues in Hollywood.

I love that more realistic and healthy body types are being represented, and that actresses are getting great work that possess these types of bodies. It seems like they know the perfect balance between obsessing over one’s body and laying off of themselves and enjoying a slice of cake here and there. After all, how miserable do you think women like Victoria Beckham are, always counting calories and having to fit in a size zero? I don’t think that’s any way to live, I like food too much.

So, I was surfing through Netflix the other day, trying to find titles to add to my instant cue for workouts that I could just pop on my computer and do at my whim when my butt was feeling jiggly or I just felt like I really needed to get moving while I was sitting long hours at my computer. So, I happened upon one of those 10 Minute Solutions series DVD’s that I added and tried out last Sunday while I was having one of my episodes where I just felt I need a break from working and wanted to get my blood pumping and my muscles sculpted.

The 10 Minute Solution Rapid Results Pilates DVD is one that has five optional segments of intense pilates that are pretty rushed along so that you get maximum impact for minimum time suckage. Yes, I just said suckage – so what! Anyways, this is what I love. I love workout DVDs that really stick it to me, but that are shorter in duration. I’m the type of gal who will work my butt off and feel like I’m going to pass out for a half hour, rather than do a half butt workout that takes over an hour, if you know what I mean.

I for one feel that time is almost more precious than money except in a few rare cases, so anything that can give me similar results without taking up so much of my time, count me in. I’m sold. That’s exactly what the 10 Minute Solution pilates DVD promises, and it does deliver. I tried a few of the segments, and they really did make me feel like I got a superior elongating muscle workout that would make me more long and lithe in just a short period of time, plus you can pick whatever your target problem areas are each time you work out with this system, which I really like.

It’s got one segment for your arms and shoulder, which will leave your arms on fire but is great for toning and sculpting and elongating the muscle, one for your butt and thighs, which I love because it makes me feel like I actually got the right target spots for once, one for the belly and love handles, one for the overall body toning, and one that is designed to really stretch the body out. They are all great, and if you want a super workout for a half hour or under, I highly recommend it.

I didn’t really have any fitness related gear on my Christmas wish list, namely because the things that I want still, like a heavy bag that you can only hang from the ceiling and a medicine ball, were just things that I knew I was going to buy on my own when I had the spare cash or time to go looking and bargain shopping for them.

Also, that’s honestly just the kind of thing that I’m totally picky about, and I want to make sure I read reviews and do all the other anal things I like to do for research before I purchase items like that, so I’d much rather pick it out myself than potentially hurt someone’s feelings by asking for the return slip, or having to bother with the return in the first place, which I absolutely hate doing to be totally blunt.

Boy, do I sound like a royal scrooge, but I know what I like, and that’s that dammit! At any rate, if you had any fitness stuff on your list that you didn’t get, make sure you shop online for it, as there are already huge reductions on everything from treadmills and ellipticals to yoga mats, DVD’s for exercising, and other fitness accessories.

I was just at TJ Maxx, the retail store, that day after Christmas, and even they had a huge table of fitness sutff, weights, DVD’s, various neat accessories to help your work out better and more, on clearance, so I’m sure that online there are still bargains to be had since they are counting on people with New Year’s resolutions to still be out in force shopping for things that they need to make their new year a little more svelte and sexy.

I think that I’m going to look for deals on medicine balls out at the stores soon, because I thought about it, and due to their weight, I’d probably get a really good deal on the medicine ball itself online, but then I’d have to pay a fortune in shipping because it weighs a lot for a smaller item. So, for something like that it might not be worth it unless they paid for the shipping.

Oh, I also found a really cheap “The Firm” workout DVD at TJ Maxx. It’s a cardio burn one that uses a step to work out, so we’ll see how it works out for me, I’m not to keen on stepping workouts because they really blow me away energy wise, but this one shouldn’t be too bad because it’s only 35 minutes long and it only cost me three bucks, so easy come easy go if it doesn’t work out.

I’m so thankful that I have a gym to work out at where I work. I’ve grown accustomed to it and have gotten spoiled. And I really got out of the habit of having to work out when I got home from work because I would usually try to get a workout in at work. It was perfect. I would work out on my lunch hour (and fifteen minutes to be exact), and then I wouldn’t even have to worry about venturing downstairs in to our little mini gym we have down there, or doing DVD’s, although I would occasionally throw one in and do a half hour if I didn’t work out at my job.

However, what’s really thrown me off (and about five thousand other gym members) is that they closed it down starting in November. I guess they figured the holidays would be a perfect time to do it since everyone slack off working out around the holidays, but it’s been rough not being able to work out in the facility because I’ve kind of let my five to four day a week workout routine slip and now am only working out 2-3 days during the week as opposed to those 2-3 more I was getting when the gym was open.

However, the gym is going to open back up in January, so I’m sure that everyone will be crowding in there, especially considering that they are going to have to contend with the New Years resolution people who crowd the gym in addition to the ones that were already going there and had to take a break forcibly because the gym closed.

It closed for renovations to the bathrooms and the locker rooms and showers, so hopefully it will look pretty nice and we’ll have nice new accommodations, but mostly I’m just excited to be able to work out again during my work day and blow off steam. It’s much needed now too, we are so busy at work because of increased work loads, and everyone is stressed out, so I’m sure the gym will be overcrowded for a while, but I don’t even care, I just want to get back in the swing!

I’m really glad that I’m addicted to working out, otherwise I wonder how active I’d be.

Ok, so I saw this commercial for a new set of weights that targets women who hate their arms – like me. I have to admit, after laughing my you know what off after seeing the sexually suggestive commercial which appears to be women pleasuring a man (trust me, it looks ridiculous, if you see it and don’t get that connotation, well then you might have the purest and most innocent mind ever!), I was intrigued by what this shake weight might be able to help me with when it came to one of my biggest problems on my body – my arms.

More specifically, my upper arms. They have always been, along with my thighs, one of the areas that my body first deposits extra fat, and my upper arms have always been larger and less toned than I want them to be. It has made me self conscious to wear sleeveless shirts in the summer, and also has been a source of embarrassment when my arms come out looking huge in pictures. It’s one of the reasons I don’t even like to be photographed in short sleeves!

This Shake Weight is priced at about twenty bucks, and it’s a single weight. I did see it in a CVS drugstore, so it’s not only available online. You’d also save yourself shipping and handling charges if you bought it at a store, just an idea. It’s a weight that uses a sort of vibration where when you pick it up, it’s using dual inertia to make all of your muscles in your arms and your chest work simultaneously.

It supposedly gives you pretty much a full upper body workout in about six minutes, which would be awesome, considering I work my arms out longer than this and don’t get the results I want sometimes. However, be warned that you do have to also watch your diet to get those toned arms you admire on movie stars. You can’t just work your arms out and expect them to look sleek and ripped, as a lowfat diet will help eliminate the fat that covers the muscle as well, so it’s a two pronged approach if you want sleek, ripped arms.

If I don’t get the Shake Weight for Christmas from my husband (he knows I’m interested in it), then I’m going to break down and go buy one myself at CVS and I’ll have a full review for you on the Shake Weight in January sometime. Let’s hope it works – it’s certainly not a bad price to pay for toned arms!