JB Bern's Cardio Karate Review: Extreme Cardio Intervals with Gay Gasper

Today's Review: Cardio Karate Extreme Cardio Intervals 
Gay Gasper, 2011 **** (4 of 5 stars)

Gay leads this 57 min cardio workout in a martial arts studio with 3 b/g exercisers. You will only need your UR for this workout. The exercises are split into 6 pods (groups) of exercises which you learn and repeat and then are strung together at the end for a full cardio karate workout. Nice Asian-esque music. 

After an 8 min warmup, exercises include: palm strikes, kick combos, hammer strikes, X blocks, cardio lunge & sweeping blocks, elbow strike combos, plank jacks, lunge to horse stance w/ punches & blocks, lunge- throw down, roll back (burpee-esque), side lunge w/ blocks and finishes with 18 min of core & cooldown. The core work includes:  body toss in a V sit, sit up w/a kick, pushup -side plank, & side plank leg raise. 

I rate this an intermediate workout but you can easily modify up or down to suit your needs. I added weighted gloves & some more hops & got a good workout. I like Gay a lot more in this one than in her URX dvds- she does a great job in this one. The combos are shorter in this one than Amy's but the choreo is a tiny bit trickier IMO. Some of the exercises are slow & controlled (karate) and some are more intense (cardio) so there is a variety of intensity levels. There is a countdown bar that has occasional tips & reminders along side it. Love the functional work and felt my core working throughout. I received this dvd to review.

For More Information:

Visit the Cardio Karate Website

View the Cardio Karate clips on YouTube

Like Cardio Karate on Facebook

Vacation Pics:Our next port was Ensenada Mexico! We had all day there so we booked the longest excursion we did the blowhole + winery tour. The Blowhole (La Bufadoria) was super cool! There are only 3 in the world, 1 in Sydney - I wonder why I didnt go there when I was in Australia? Anyhoo. We saw that did some shopping there, had some authentic Mexican tacos and margaritas. Then went to a winery, sampled & bought some yummy wine and headed back to town.We thought we were going to hang out in Ensenada longer but it wasnt very exciting so we ended up hanging out on the ship-which was fine cuz theres tons to do on the ship. Heres some pics of Ensenada:

Us & the Pacific Ocean. Were from WA & I lived in Japan so I always like seeing the Pacific again!

Pacific Ocean

La Bufadoria

Hand blown glass set I bought in Ensenada

Today's Tip: Water Weight

Water can alter your weight by 10 pounds or more. Think you just lost a few pounds from that spin class? Don't get too excited—it's just water loss due to sweat. And the amount of water in your system has a heavy influence on the number on the scale. "Water makes up 65-90 percent of a person's weight, and variation in water content of the human body can move the scale by 10 pounds or more from day to day," says  Dolgan. This is one of the main reasons diuretics are so popular—they flush the water out of your system, resulting in only a short term weight "loss"—but they don't help to change your body composition in any way.  Read more on Shape.

Today's LOL: (sorry Im about the most impatient person in the world)

Tracie Long Fitness: reBoot: Volume 1 Real Evolution Review

Today's Review: reBoot: Volume 1 Real Evolution
Tracie Long, 2011 ***** (5 of 5 stars)

Tracie leads this 48 minute chaptered workout. Tracie works out alone on a podium in a nice brick gym. You will need dumbbells for this workout. The w/o format is 75 seconds of cardio or strength work, followed by 45 seconds of active recovery.

Exercises include: step & jump, mambo sache, triple step, dead lifts, rows, double side step w/ a  floor touch, lunge adding a diagonal overhead press, long jump, shuffle knew ups, plyo squats & lunges, kicks, jacks, side toe taps adding power, pushup & renegade row, French pres, side lunges, bridge & knee pulls, side plank, chest press reaches and concludes with a stretch.

I rate this a solid intermediate w/o that is pretty easy to modify to fit your needs. This is absolutely my favorite "new" Tracie Long workout- its a great format with tons of great combo moves, lots of variety, functional, and as always Tracies form & cuing are impeccable. This workout really accomplishes a lot in less than 50 minutes. Cant wait for more from the reBoot series!!!! I received this dvd to review.

For More Information:

Visit the  Tracie Long Fitness website

Follow Tracie Long on Twitter 

Like Tracie Long on Facebook

Subscribe to the Tracie Long YouTube Channel

Vacation Pics: Catalina pics today. This was our first port of call. We did a glass bottom boat which was ok, then we went kayaking which was awesome! We came right up on dolphins, porpoises, and sea lions- it was really amazing! The guide took pics & our email addys so hopefully he will send those over, but here are our other Catalina pics:

Thats our ship in the background

Proof we kayaked :)

Under the palms

Today's Tip: Try New Recipes

Who said healthy eating has to be boring or bland? Lisa Hubbard, star of the “Element: Total Body Pilates with Mini Ball” kit, recommends firing up your creative juices in the kitchen by investing in a new cookbook and trying new healthy recipes! "Pick-up a new cookbook and experiment," Hubbard recommends. "Gear towards weight-loss types of recipes."Read more on Shape

Today's LOL: 

Andromeda Trumbull's NEW Burn at the Barre Review

Today's Review: Burn at the Barre
Andromeda Trumball, 2011

Andromeda & Helena rotate instructing sections of this fully chaptered 63 minute workout. You will need a barre or chair, a pilates or weighted ball, and light hand weights for this workout. Their are three exercisers each performing a different intensity- offering beginner, intermediate, and advanced options.

The chapters are broken down into basically: warmup, standing barre, dancy standing barre, upper body, core work, lower body floor work, and cooldown, stretch. They do a fantastic job of using the ball to add variety & challenge to the Lower body work: lots of pliets, standing leg sweeps, hip shifts, pretzel, calf raises, portabra, hip beats, & bridge. Upper body: with the use of light weights, wiper pushes adding hip shifts, rear fly, alternating military presses, lateral pushes, tricep series, & a plank series. Core work includes great use of the ball for reverse crunches, long lever oblique crunches, and swimming & superman lower back work.

I rate this workout beginner to advanced depending on which modifier you follow- love that they include something for everyone & I love the addition of the ball-makes the core work tough. Great standing pilates fused w/ ballet & barre. Tough floor lower body & core work. Nice little mix and the instructors are obviously very knowledgeable about pilates & instruction. I received this dvd to review.

For more information & to find out about all their awesome workouts:

Visit the Pilates Sports Center website

Check out the Pilates Sports Center blog

Like Pilates Sports Center on Facebook

Random Update: I have posted about my neck & knee pain before so I thought I would share my good news. Long story short: Tore the ligaments in my knee about 15 years ago, they healed wrong, I walk wrong on that foot, so I its screwed up the alignment in my back & the pain is constant in my neck & usually shooting pain in my head because of it. I have to sleep flat on my back, which causes low back pain, can only wear certain shoes, cant sleep in crappy hotel beds for very long so vacation is always fun, etc.....SO A few weeks before our trip, it got really bad- really really bad. Couldnt exercise, could hardly move and I was fed up- Ive been dealing w/ basically constant pain for years and I just couldnt take it anymore SO I called the AZ Pain Centers and went ahead and went in. I had my 3rd appt today and I feel better than I have in YEARS. Its basically a series of injections in your problem areas. I would highly recommend them (or something similar) in your area if you are living in pain. I can actually turn my neck LOL! I dont know how I would have made it through vacation beds last week if I hadnt gone in before we left. I am very thankful!!!

Cruise Pics: So after our days in CA & Knotts Berry Farm we boarded our cruise ship (it was our first of hopefully many cruises). We had a fantastic time! We ported from Long Beach, stopped in Catalina Island, and Ensenada Mexico, and had a day at sea as well. It was a 4 day cruise (Mon evening - Fri morning). Next time we will probably try to go longer because we had such a great time this go-round! Heres my first round of pics (more to come!): on-board pics: 

Carnival Inspiration in Long Beach

In our cabin, we had teeny tiny view windows

I saw this coconut monkey head on the web before we left & knew I must have one :) 

Formal Night!

Oh yes I did order 2 lobsters on lobster night!

DH as we were leaving Long Beach

Today's Tip: DITCH SUGARY DRINKS AND SODAS
Fred DeVito, co-creator of the "Exhale: Core Fusion" DVD series recommends ditching sugary drinks of all kinds—including regularsodas, diet sodas, and high-calorie coffee drinks. "Eliminate sugary drinks and diet soda, which can trigger your craving for sweets," he says. "These beverages are loaded with unwanted calories. Read more on Shape.

Today's LOL:

NEW From Gaiam: Rodney Yee's AM & PM Yoga For Beginners

Today's Review: Gaiam's AM & PM Yoga For Beginners
Rodney Yee & Colleen Saidman Yee, 2012

This dvd contains two 30 minute yoga workouts, one to be performed in the morning and one before bed. Both are filmed in beautiful outdoor settings and you won't need any equipment for these routines. There is a music on or off option.

AM Yoga is 28 minutes and is set on a gorgeous sandy beach with large rocks. You can see and hear the ocean in the distance. Rodney performs this routine alone and the workout is voice over. The routine is designed to gradually bring you from sleep to awake and is to specifically designed to to do upon awakening.

PM Yoga is 27 minutes and is set in a beautiful grassy prairie with mountains in the background. Colleen performs this routine alone and the workout is voice over. The routine is designed to ease you from wake to sleep, release tension, and relax. The routine is specifically designed to do before going to sleep.

The outdoor settings in these workouts are absolutely gorgeous! I love outdoor settings to begin with and these are some of the nicest Ive seen in a long time. I really like the concept of these workouts to gradually ease you into sleep or wake. Both instructors are obviously very knowledgeable about yoga. I received this dvd to review.

For More Information:

Visit the Gaiam website

Like Gaiam on Facebook

Follow Gaiam  on Twitter

Subscribe to the Gaiam YouTube channel

Bargains: We have a hot Lucy Activewear giveaway going on on Win, Lose, or Blog right now- head on over to enter to win! And dont forget about our Two Belles giveaways! Enter to win CLICK Espresso Protein Powder and enter to win Tracie Long Fitness dvd, and we have an awesome Snorg Tees giveaway!


Vacation Pics: Before our cruise we stayed in CA for a few nights. We figured since we were driving there anyways we may as well take advantage of the weekend prior to the cruise so we stayed at the Knotts Berry Farm Resort Hotel 2 nights and went to Knotts one day. So I'll start w/ my Knotts pics and add cruise pics later.

Today's Tip: Easy Diet Swap

Swapping mustard for mayo is a no-brainer. But using spicy mustard is even better, says Dr. Lynn Anderson. This is because hot spicymustard  amps up the metabolism by creating a heat effect in the body, she says. "To increase metabolism and curb appetite, drink a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of hot spicy mustard just before dinner. Not only will you increase your metabolism, but mustard seeds are a good source of antioxidants and omega-3s! Read more on Shape. 

Today's LOL: (as not to overload the post w/ pics, just one today)

Billy Blanks PT 24/7 Review: Cardio Burn (& MORE Vegas pics!!)

Today's Review: Billy Blanks PT 24/7: Cardio Burn
Billy Blanks, 2011 **** (4 of 5 stars)

Billy leads this 33 minute cardio + lower body workout with 7 backgrounders in a nice gym set. You will need your PT bands & gloves for this workout. Billy keeps this one moving & includes some nice lower body work to your cardio.

Exercises include: punch combos (he keeps your feet moving in these!), speed bag, elbow strike, side kicks, move up & back w/ kicks, jack & jab, jack & kick, lunges, jump rope, fast knee pulls, and he finishes with a nice donkey kick series, pushups, and some long leg crunches.

I would rate this a solid intermediate workout. Billy keeps this one moving along. Great cardio + lower body work workout. Billy's counting and cuing are good in this one and no real "down time" which I love. Great addition to the set. I received this dvd to review.

More Vegas Pics:

Hotel pool had an awesome waterfall

Went to "V" Variety show at Planet Hollywood

Homer on the strip!

Today's Tip: Make a little go a long way

If youre chocoholic who enjoys a decadent dessert, when you're confronted with one that looks too good to pass up, invoke the Three-Bite Rule. Allow yourself three bites, eating them as slowly as possible so you can savor each wonderful mouthful. Then pass your plate to a fellow diner. You'll soon see that enjoying just three bites of an indulgent dessert can be very pleasurable and that your sweet tooth is satisfied with just a small portion. Read more on Prevention.

Today's LOLz:

Kelly Coffey-Meyer Reviews: Circuit Burn & LIFT (& More Vacation Pics!)

Today's Reivew: 30 Minutes to Fitness Circuit Burn

Kelly Coffey-Meyer, 2010

30 Minutes to Fitness: Circuit Burn consists of two challenging thirty minute circuit workouts that torch calories, sculpt muscles and reshape the entire body. Each of the workouts is a combination of cardio, light weight sculpting, shadow boxing and lower body work. Kelly is joined in the workout by four background exercisers - one of which shows beginner modifications. For the workout you will need a light and heavy set of dumbbells.

30 Minutes to Fitness: Circuit Burn consists of quick back-to-back segments of cardio, sculpting, shadow boxing and heavy lower body strength training. Formatted in circuits, each individual segment lasts about a minute. Each of the circuits begins with a cardio component that consists of basic choreographed athletic moves. The second segment of each circuit is light weight sculpting moves that includes compound multi-joint exercises to target multiple muscle groups. Next up in the circuit is the boxing segment that is followed by the final segment, lower body, which uses heavy weights to target the legs, glutes and thighs. The circuits are repeated two times before moving on to the next set of exercises.

30 Minutes to Fitness: Circuit Burn is a fun yet challenging circuit workout that includes the two thirty minute workouts plus several premixes that range from thirty to sixty minutes. With so much variety, 30 Minutes to Fitness: Circuit Burn is incredibly versatile and includes something for everybody. The workout is also adaptable to all fitness levels by following the modifier for beginners or increasing the intensity or resistance for advanced exercisers. With so many workout options, 30 Minutes to Fitness: Circuit Burn is an excellent value for your exercise dollar. Received to review.

Today's Review: 30 Minutes to Fitness: LIFT

Kelly Coffey-Meyer, 2010

 consists of two unique and challenging thirty minute workouts. Workout One, Olympic Lifting, is an Olympic style lifting workout that uses explosive exercises to burn fat, boost metabolism in hit every muscle in the shortest amount of time. Workout 2, Powersculpting is a non-stop resistance circuit workout designed to torch calories, sculpt muscles and reshape the entire body. Equipment needed for the workouts includes light and heavy dumbbells and a weighted barbell.

30 Minutes to Fitness: LIFT, Olympic Lifting is a unique thirty-minute workout that features Olympic style lifting and may require a learning curve for those new to this style of lifting. Exercises in this workout include deadlifts, cleans, power cleans, front squats, push-press and split jerks. Sixty second rests are interspersed throughout the workout..

30 Minutes to Fitness: LIFT, Powersculpting is a thirty-three minute workout that consists of quick back-to-back strength training exercise. The workout is formatted in circuits of two to three exercises, with a transition move in between, each exercise is performed for about a minute. The circuits are repeated before moving on to the next set of exercises. Received dvd to review.

For more information visit Kelly Coffey-Meyer online or like Kelly Coffey Meyer on Facebook

More Vegas Pics: 

The slot was "Hot & Spicy" So were we ;)

Champagne brunch!

Woo won at the slots again!

Today's Tip: OYSTERS for Health

Oysters are an excellent low-calorie protein source. “They are also said to be one of the best food sources of zinc available,” says Randy Rabney, chef, board-certified health counselor and author of Delicious for Life. “I love the briny flavor that varies depending upon the type of oyster. I love fresh oysters alone, or for a real treat, they’re especially delicious as ‘Russian oysters,’ which have a small dollop of sour cream and caviar. Read more on Self. 

Today's LOLz:

Billy Blanks PT 24/7 Review: Body Blast (& Vacation Pics!)

Today's Review: Billy Blanks PT 24/7: Body Blast
Billy Blanks, 2011 **** (3.5 of 5 stars)

This is the bonus dvd that comes with the set. Billy works out with 7 b/'gers for this mostly cardio workout. The set is a nice open gym. You will only need your PT bands & gloves for this workout.

I would consider this a cardio workout with bands just upping the cardio effect. Exercises include: tri extension punches, elbow to knee pulls, torso twists, simple punch & kick combos, corkscrew punches, twisting hops, LOTS of push-ups, and a push-up hold. There is only a bit of "down-time" in this one- for the majority Billy moves right along to the next exercise and keeps everything moving.

I would rate this an intermediate cardio workout. It has some new & fun kickboxing type moves in it. Easy to follow along to but not boring. Billy repeats himself a lot in this and Shelly goes a bit overboard but overall I enjoyed this workout and the set. I received this dvd to review.

Vegas Pics:

LOL stripper 101 at the "Stripper Bar" in Planet Hollywood

the 4 us at the Flamingo

Woohoo DH won $92 on the penny slots!

Today's Tip: Healthy Figs
Figs are high in fiber and full of vitamins and minerals. They are sweet, juicy, and delicious alone or in a salad with arugula and cheese.” Read more on Self. 


Today's LOLz:

Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout Review

Today's Review: Bethenny's Skinnygirl Workout
Mike McArdle, 2011 ***** (4.5 of 5 stars)


Mike leads this workout, working out along side Bethenny in a lovely living room set. The workout is broken up into three segments/ workouts (15-20 minutes) and contains a 12 minute bonus stretch. You won't need any equipment for this workout. You can play all or select the w/o you want from the main menu.


 Exercises include: down dog variations including 3 legged dog & foot pedaling, 1/2 moon, neck stretch, hi & lo planks, lots of great balance work, warrior 2 & 3, triangle, chataranga, reverse warrior, pigeon, standing torso circles, awkward airplane, jump switches, plank side knee pulls, twisted chair, reverse bow, balance foot or knee hold, flying pigeon, and side stretch. Mike provides a great variety of standing & floor yoga exercises.Felt some nice stretching as well as some light lower body & core toning. Lots of unique exercises that I could feel working and done at a just-right pace. 

I rate this an intermediate yoga routine. Mike is an excellent instructor with fantastic form pointers and cuing. Bethenny I could have lived without. In fact, w/out her this would have been a 5 star w/o. Yoga is not my thing but I really really enjoyed the exercises & the fantastic instructor. Not the same old yoga routine AT ALL! They do a great job of providing tons of modification options. I received this dvd to review. 



More Vacation Pics: Got the family pics from my mom...we went to the water park one day. I was cold LOL, everyone else was fine. Im always cold & its much warmer here than it was there!!! (Upper left: me & sister in law. Lower left: sister, mom, me, sisters baby. Middle: niece & nephew. Right: sister in law, brother, and mom.)

Today's Tip: Kelp for Health
This creature from the sea is packed with iodine, which is important for proper growth and development. It also does wonders to your thyroid, immune function, and hormone regulation. “Kelp also contains lots of tummy-lovin fiber,” says Alyssa Phillips, a physician assistant with a degree in nutrition. Read more on Self.



Today's LOLz: