YOU be the Judge

Sometimes I find myself lying awake in the wee hours of the morning watching the most random stuff on television…as in infomercials. I realize they make all this exercise equipment look so enticing…to the point where we think “this is our beach body savior.” So what do we do? We call the 1-800 numbers because we only have about 15 minutes to purchase before the price skyrockets (go figure). I have people come up to me all the time asking “what do you think about this or that…” In my opinion, nothing worth having is going to come easy, so I’m a fan of good fashioned hard work. So…with all of this being said I put on my little thinking cap and tried to figure out how I can 1. Help people with these questions and 2. Save them a truck load of money at the same time. That’s when my little light bulb clicked on! So my plan is to give you my review and opinion of some of these “as seen on TV” or “Get a beach body in two days” items. My first victim: Shaun T’s Hip Hop Abs.



Now I love me some workout videos that I can do on a “lazy” day and if it involves dancing…I’m pretty much SOLD! I’ve been doing Hip Hop Abs for about 2 years now and overall I will say that it is a good investment. But, since I’m not being paid by Shaun T to market this product, I must give you MY pros and cons.

•Pros:
o Short: 20 minute exercise. This gives you something to do on those days when you just can’t make yourself go to the gym, but you NEED some type of exercise.
o Variety: There are several different DVD’s that you can purchase for all of your fitness needs. My personal favorite is the Hips, Buns and Thighs
o FUN: this lets you dance while exercising at the same time. The DVD's even have a section that will teach you a whole hip hop dance!
o Colorful: As a female I like things that are aesthetically pleasing and Hip Hop Abs is full of color, from the music to the color of the room, right down to the clothes the people have on.
•Cons:
o Short: despite what the advertisements say, you CAN NOT (solely) do these videos everyday and achieve maximum results.
o Price: If you buy all of the DVDs at once it can be kind of pricey (around 60 bucks)
o If you do not like to dance then this is not something you will like.

So, as you can see, in my opinion, hip hop abs is a pretty good investment…if you want a quick workout. Check out more about Hip Hop Abs at

http://www.extremebodyworkout.com/hiphopabs-products/hiphopabs.php

Enjoy and YOUR opinions are welcome!

We Fall Down…But We Get Up

IWhewww! It’s been months since I’ve been on here! But…I’m back now!!

In life we all have times where we fall off, backslide, plateau…or whatever you choose to call it. But, once we realize we have reached the point where there is no progress we begin to reevaluate…figure out where we went wrong and how we can change it for the better. Sometimes its as easy as picking back up where we started and following through with our initial plan, while sometimes its as hard as starting a new plan from scratch. Well, healthy living is a perfect example of how “We Fall Down,” but often times getting back up can be the tricky part. Just ask me…I’m an example.

Believe it or not, there are times when I fall off of my routine, and when I do…trust me… I STRUGGLE to get back on track. Just recently, my work schedule changed, increasing my lunch from 30 mins to an hour and I come in at 8 instead of 7. Adjusting to this new schedule has been a struggle…and it has been down hill since I started! With my hour lunch, I have eaten out probably EVERYDAY since this started, while before I was cooking and bringing my lunch. I have also recently started waking up at 5am going to the gym to workout. Well…this is also a struggle; I have only mastered a whopping 3 times per week…max! It has only been by the Grace of God that I haven’t gained one pound on this TERRIBLE routine that has no structure. This week I had to take a step back and reevaluate. My question to myself has been “How can I help people lead healthier lives if I’m not practicing what I preach?” Hmmm…..so now is my time to get back UP! I shall finish this bag of Doritos and glass of sweet tea that I’m snacking on now, eat a nice Mother’s Day Dinner and pick back up on Monday, May 10, 2010 at 5:00am!

I say all of this to say. YES, we all have shortcomings, we all have times when we JUST DON’T WANT TO EXERCISE, or when we would rather have a greasy burger than a salad. But, the beauty of it is…you can ALWAYS get back on track. All it takes is a little hard work and determination. I always stress to people healthy living is a state of mind and unless your mind is made up to make that change…you will not be successful. So, if you happen to fall short, backslide or hit a plateau…DON’T get discouraged, dust yourself off and get back up, renew your commitment and get back on the healthy path!

As the song says... “We fall down, but we get up” it’s never too late to get back up and start anew!