Let's Get Physical!

Pilates Bee Twist Review

KeriBeast — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:50:12 -0800

My little one and I were browsing the DVD section when she shoved a Pilates Bee Twist DVD. It's a workout DVD designed for girls aged 8-15.

The DVD includes a 5 minute Warm-Up, 15 minute Advanced Workout and a 30 minute Workout. It also includes Special Features on extremely mature topics such as obesity, diabetes, diets etc. Also there is a dictionary on all the poses featured in the video.

The girls who are demonstrating the poses don't look very happy to be doing this. They are very concentrated on their positions that it's almost as if there are not aware they are being filmed. The producers lightened it up with funny subtitles which is not seen often in exercise DVDs.

My little one (age five) loved it because she could workout with big sister and bounce around like a ball!

The workouts are extremely similar to Adult Pilates DVDs that I have tried. Extremely fun to do and not too difficult for kids. You get a nice little workout especially if your having a light/rest day in between your regular workouts.

I give it 5 stars. It does exactly what it sets out to do and its' a cute concept. The video was definitely tailored to its' audience.

I would have preferred the girls in the video to be a little more happy about doing good things for their body but you can't have it all and it was fun nonetheless.

Completely off topic:

I lost five pounds in 2 weeks doing nothing but cutting out junk out of my diet, drinking more water and doing these workout DVDs daily!

Behind the new "fit" shoes - Do they really work?

lucybird21 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:37:27 -0800

VIV gives the scoop on the newest shoes on the market, and whether their claims hold up to the reality.
Read the article now!

Anybody tried BreakPal.com?

scorpstar77 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:18:42 -0800

I read about this site in RealSimple magazine a few months ago, and I went to check it out yesterday. It's a site meant to help you be active throughout the day - it pops up on your computer every 30 minutes and leads you through a 3-minute workout. Apparently it's based on martial arts - one of the comments on the site said it was like Tai Chi on fast-forward, so there's no jumping or anything high-impact but it does get your heart rate up. Obviously, it's intended to play on the idea that exercise is cumulative. If you actually did the 3-minute workouts every 30 minutes for an entire workday, they claim it's equivalent to spending 45 minutes at the gym before or after work, and it gets you out of your chair during the day (which I *know* is good for you).

My problem is that there is no video demo, no free trial, nothing so you can actually see what the exercises look like. Which makes me quite skeptical, but on the other hand, a major magazine like RealSimple recommended it. It's $20 to get the low-price version, which has something like 5 exercises in it, and I think $50 or $60 to get the full verison with 27 exercises. So - has anybody taken the plunge and tried this? Is it worth it? Would you actually do it or are the exercises dumb?

Lifestyle vs. Diet

elle86 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:39:49 -0800

I keep seeing posts on this site about girls wanting to diet to lose significant amounts of weight... I think the mentality here has to change. Dieting implies temporary - which means temporary weight loss. Lifestyle means life long weight loss.

Two great books that I recommend for anyone wanting to lose weight:

YOU The Owner's Manual by Michael F. Rozien, M.D.
and
The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston, M.D. (Says diet, but by the end of the program it's a lifestyle change)

crunch time

elle86 — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:12:08 -0700

Trying to figure out new fitness goals.
It's a bit tough when I'm constantly traveling and have no job security since I graduated.

I want to get back into running... perhaps train for another half-marathon? But I want to try new things..

There are so many activities that sound fun... like finding a tennis partner and playing once a week, and taking some spinning classes... but without a set place to live, how can I do that?

What is everyone else thinking of doing this summer?

Measuring fitness level from BH&G

Cocoangel — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:20:01 -0700

Saw this really simple tests for getting a sense of how healthy & fit you feel. I haven't done them myself yet but what I'm planning to do is write down how I think I will do on each of these and then see how I actually do. There's only four tests so do them with me and post how fit you are!

Wall push-ups in 1 minute: Stand facing a wall, about an arms length away with your feet placed a little wider than your shoulder width. Bend your knees slightly and put your hands on the wall with your arms out straight. Make sure you don't arch your back and keep your body in a straight line as you do push-ups against the wall. Bend your elbows at no more than a 90 degree angle and push back out. That's your first push up. Get someone to time you and see how many you can do in 1 minute. Here's how you rate:
Didn't make it to a full minute - beginner
0-25 - Okay, but room to improve
26-50 - Right where you want to be
55+ - Power to spare

Chair squats in 1 minute: With a chair behind you, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend your knees as if you're going to sit but stop just before your butt makes contact with the chair. Return to standing position. Count how many you can do in one minute.
Didn't finish the whole minute - Need work
0-25 - not bad
26-50 - Sweet!
55+ - Top-notch athlete

1-mile walk/jog/run: Find a school track or level trail where a mile course is marked. Walk, jog or run the mile as quickly as you can safely do it. Rest if you need to but keep the stopwatch running. This test is a good indicator of overall cardiovascular fitness.
Didn't finish the one mile - Slow going
Did mile in 25 to 35 minutes - Fair to middling
Took 15 to 24 minutes - Where you want to be
12 minutes or less - You're fast!

Last one - Single-leg balance: With the floor clear & flat around you, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Lift one leg, with knee bent, in front of you for as long as you can, up to 3 minutes. Repeat with your other leg and record your times.
Couldn't hold up leg - wobbly
1 minute - Okay, but can be better
2 minutes - In the good zone
3+ minutes - You're floating now

Protein

Baby_Jatti — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:10:36 -0700

I'm a vegetarian and I am trying to increase my muscle mass. For that I need to increase my intake of protein. I already drink two scoops of protein shake everyday and I am doing the whole soya thing but still I can't seem to get the required amount of protein from my diet everyday. If anyone has any suggestions pleeeeease do let me know.

Awesomely Apple-y Facts!

elle86 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:35:03 -0700

An apple is 84% water.
________

On top of reducing the risk of cancer, the low sodium amounts in apples also help reduce high blood pressure and heart disease. They are cholesterol free. They are also rich in vitamin A, which helps strengthen vision along with bone and tooth development.
________

An apple is covered with a natural layer of wax. That’s what the peeling is. It protects the apple’s high water content, keeping the apple fresh and crisp.

Crash Dieting

elle86 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:33:52 -0700

I was looking at the latest blogs and read one where a girl wanted to crash diet to lose weight fast... I think most of us have been there, done that, and I can definitely say that crash dieting is incredibly, depressingly, counterproductive.

I really believe that if you eat 4-5 small meals a day, lots of fruits and veggies (which have high water content), drink mainly water and work out with 30 min. of cardio almost each day, and you could lose 2-4 pounds a week, safely.
And the weight won't come back like it would with a crash diet.

General comments:
--Read success stories online at Shape magazine (http://www.shape.com).
--Realize that Jessica Alba's body might be right for her frame, but your own body shape/general proportions don't have to be just like hers.
--Check out some of the fitness groups on Sugar to see what other people are up to/working toward. They are everyday people who are all struggling like you and me.
--There are online programs, like Diet Analysis, where you can plug in what you eat, the amount, and for a day - and then over a week/month - it will give you feedback on everything from how many nutrients you have too much or too little of, to what food groups you need more/less of, to what you need to do to help you attain a weight goal. I bought online access a long time ago, and it's pretty cheap considering the helpful feedback you get!

Anyway, crash dieting is so not the way to go... but I seriously understand the appeal, and have been there. But please, please try the healthy way for 6-8 weeks, and if you seriously don't see results I'll be surprised. If anything, you'll at least feel better!

Hope this post is somewhat relevant/helpful.

The 84 Movement....

the84movement — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:09:40 -0700

Yo, check out this site for youth against tobacco. We’re the 84% of Massachusetts teens who choose not to smoke. Hit it up and see all about our movement and enter the video contest to win amazing prizes! www.the84.org