It seems that more and more women are taking to the pole these days. No, I’m not talking about that women who lost their day jobs and resorted to stripping at night to make (probably much better) money in the mean time. I’m talking about the growing fitness craze that involves donning those high spiked heels (or none at all sometimes), and dancing on the pole. It’s the exotic dance workout, and you may have seen some of these hot DVD’s online or in stores.

Carmen Electra sort of started the craze with her Fit to Strip line of DVD workouts, which I’ve actually tried and like fine, but it just wasn’t for me. I felt like a total cheeseball, and just not convincingly sexy enough because I was trying too hard or something .I guess you gotta be a full on sex pot who lives and breathes this stuff to actually not look like a stiff robot trying to look sexy, but it just wasn’t for me.

I personally think you have to have a bit more of a theatrical personality to do it and do it well. It’s great exercise though – have you seen what some of the girls can do on those poles? They can put themselves in an inverted position, and slide down them, that’s pretty talented!

What these types of exotic dance workouts tend to emphasize is growing more confident in yourself while also working your core, your butt and your thighs and stretching the muscles simultaneously as well. It’s similar to other more erotic sorts of workouts like the salsa or shimmy dance workouts, or the latin mamba types of dance workouts that really emphasize sexuality and having fun a lot more than actually targeting specific areas.

I think you can tell that my opinion of these types of workouts is that they are fun, and they are usually a fad. But do they actually provide meaningful workouts? I do believe so, however, I think you should just sprinkle them in with your other workouts that actually give you a full body workout or target specific areas for muscle definition, since these types of exotic dancing ones usually are just a bunch of un=targeted cardio types of moves.

This P90X workout series really blew in like a blustery sandstorm, didn’t it? One minute I had never even heard of the workout DVD series, the next, everyone I knew was talking about it. I guess that’s how these mini exercise phenomenon occur though, right? This one is a series of DVD’s that are designed to really rip and tear your muscles and build them to new levels. Also, the trainer who has designed the DVD’s put together a special nutrition plan that some people follow as well, which is supposed to really make you more cut and reduce even more body fat.

As if the ripping exercises he puts you through aren’t enough! I know a few people who have done this program, and let me tell you, if they have been doing it for a few weeks, and consistently, then there are significant improvements in their physique that are amazing to watch occur.

People literally peel off the fat and add solid, lean muscle mass. If you are a woman who doesn’t want to get too ripped, you may actually want to scale it back a bit because some of the pics of women who are on the program are almost too ripped looking, but that’s just my own personal taste. I saw an infomercial on for these DVD’s again the other day when my sister was in town from California.

My sister happens to be quite a fitness buff herself, and she seemed interested in them too. The commercial slashed the price down to something like $140 I want to say, which is cheaper than the original P90X price of about $200 if I remember correctly. From what I’ve seen it’s well worth it. I believe the workouts are a little over an hour.

You do them almost every day, except you do take one day off, probably just to give your body a little R&R before you start tearing your muscle tissue and building it up again. There is even a lot of yoga and stretching. The guy who does the videos is older, and he still looks like he’s in his twenties, if that’s any testament to what these exercises might be able to do for you.

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.

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

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.

So, I haven’t actually tried the Biggest Loser DVD “Power Sculpt” yet, but I bought it for a friend for Christmas and thought I’d share with you what the description of this DVD is and how it looks to me, gathering that information just from the packaging. By the way, I can personally attest that the Biggest Loser DVD’s, at least all the ones I’ve tried thus far, pretty much will kick your butt, even if they’re not all that long. Mostly this is because they concentrate on whipping your body into shape through short bursts of what seems like incredibly hard cardio and muscle workouts.

You literally do feel like you’re going to die, as hostess Jillian Michaels says on my favorite one, 30 Day Shred in the second, and I think the hardest, circuit. But let me tell you, for those short bursts, you will see your body shape up quickly and very effectively. They really do work. And the Weightloss Yoga one with Bob the trainer is phenomenal as well, allowing you to choose difficulty levels and how many mini workouts you want to do in one sitting, er, or shall I say standing?

Anyways, Power Sculpt is advertised as a 6 week program for maximum weight loss. I have no doubt that it really does what it says, especially if you are eating the way you are supposed to be in conjunction with working out with these plans.

This one includes levels 1,2 and 3, which of course is awesome because you can customize it according to your fitness level, and gradually work your way up into becoming a badass like some of the muscled men and women you see in these types of DVD’s.

According to the program, you are supposed to start with level one, and then as you progress add on level 2 and 3. That probably means the level one alone is pretty hard, based on my experiences with the other Biggest Loser DVD’s. There is a 5 minute warmup, then Sculpt level 1 is twenty minutes long, sculpt level 2 is ten minutes long, and sculpt level 3 is ten minutes long.

Once you get used to these three, you should be able to do them all together, in other words, or mix and match as you have time to do them, which is what I love about the way these DVD’s are set up. They’re very realistic for those of us who don’t have an hour to kill every time we work out, and yet we want that great, kick butt workout for results every time. I am going to try this and report the results back to you once I have. Until then, hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season!

I’m a huge fan of the Jillian Michaels Biggest Loser workout DVD’s, so I figured that I might also like the Weight Loss yoga DVD that features her Biggest Loser counterpart trainer, Bob Harper, who on the show as I understand it, tends to be a little bit easier on his clients. I’ve only watched that show one time actually, so I couldn’t really tell what the personalities were, but I can tell you I enjoyed it, so I do understand why it’s such an immensely popular series.

I’ve had the Weight Loss yoga DVD at my house for a few months now. Actually, I bought it almost when it first came out, so it’s been quite a while. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. I tend to procrastinate trying new workouts sometimes, especially when I settle into a routine of doing all of my other ones all the time. Today though, I forced myself outside the proverbial box, and made myself try it out. I liked it. Let me tell you about some of the features of this DVD, and also tell you about the difficulty levels and how that is structured.

The host is Bob, from the Biggest Loser show. He has a very nice, encouraging tone and seems to be a really easygoing dude. I liked him, so it made the workout easier than when I get those ones where I can’t stand the instructor. It really does make a difference, at least for me.

A feature about this DVD that I love is that you can customize your workout. You can make it 55 minutes long and do the whole thing, or you can pick pieces/parts of the DVD and customize your own workout, depending on your fitness level and on the amount of time you happen to have to kill on your routine that particular day. This is great for those of us who may not have a lot of time in our day to work out, and it’s also excellent for those of us who have very little skills or experience when it comes to yoga.

Heck, it’s good for those of us who have a lot of experience in yoga too, since you can make it as hard as you want. I wasn’t a huge fan of the music they chose for this DVD, but I overlooked it because I felt like I was getting a genuine workout that was challenging. The moves, while they may look easy, were very challenging, and I found that I was shaking quite a bit, and I’m a person who is used to doing yoga, although I’ll admit lately I’ve been slacking off the practice.

Overall, I really enjoyed this workout. I combined four of the five workouts, and felt pretty wiped in the end between the first segment and the pilates/yoga abs portion, which worked the hell out of my abs. Felt great though. Just be careful to protect your back and neck as you will be contorting into quite a few precarious positions for these two sensitive parts of your body.

I was in a used record shop the other day, and decided to purchase this hybrid yoga and pilates toning DVD. I had high hopes for it, but I should have known by the low price of $2 and someone else unloaded this awful excuse for a “workout” just so that they didn’t feel totally screwed by paying full price for it, and then probably using it one time, as I did. I won’t say what the name of it was, but it was lead by a woman who’s name I had never heard of and I believe she was Australian.

The series was supposed to help you drop weight and sizes within 28 days, the only problem was, I barely broke a sweat during the exercises, and they barely challenged me. You’d think that even for someone who was used to doing yoga and pilates that something that said it was going to help you torch calories and fat in a month, would be at least a little more physically challenging than you sitting there waiting to feel like you’re somewhat pressed to do the right moves. At no point did I feel challenged, and that disappointed me, since I expected to.

Well, I finally did it. We finally (my boyfriend and I both) made it to level 3 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred workout DVD, and man it was pretty rough. I’ll share some of the nuances of the experience with you and let you know what the aftermath was, as there is always aftermath after each level of Jillian’s workouts, and so I’ve heard on her other workouts as well (this lady knows what she’s doing, trust me).

Okay, so level 3 starts off easy enough, with the same warmups that we did for level 2 pretty much except with a little more intensity added to the warm up. Overall, nothing too bad for the first minute. Let me tell you right off the bat that level 3 is not heavy on the cardio, but rather it requires a lot of physical endurance and strength, so she really tests the boundaries of your physical strength and stamina.

You will do a lot of plank type positions and plyometric types of exercises, which are things like squats going into a jump and high impact types of exercises. For example, you do a squat going into a jump straight up in the air, which takes a lot of physical strength and certainly burns the muscles out quickly. I think at the point of level three her goal is to more so condition the muscles and help your body to burn fat and calories by making it exceed what it thinks it can do at one given time.

The next couple of days later, at the gym, I was thrilled to find out that I could actually do ten pushups – real, guy style pushups, without doing them with my knees down. I can honestly say that is the first time in my life that I feel like I actually have some upper body strength and don’t feel like I’m going to collapse after doing a few real pushups. Your upper abs will be really sore the next day after level three, there is some very intense, burning moves done that affect this area.

I feel so much stronger, like I could really kick ass, and it’s all due to a lot of these twenty five minute workouts and my combination of workout DVD’s that works for me. Love it!