OK so February was a very crazy month for me in terms of diet and fitness. I spent three weeks sick from infection from a spider bite I had gotten. I was even admitted into the hospital for four days. I did not get a lot of workouts in and I found that eating often made me sick so I didn’t. But through adversity I didn’t gain any weight or fat which I am so thankful for. I’m back into the home gym and found that I have not lost any strength whatsoever so I am back on my grind.
I am now ready to give you my February 2010 favorites!!!
My Favorite February 2010 Links!
I found the information located within these links interesting…
February was circuit workout month for me, but I didn’t get many workouts in. I did, however, get attached to Susan Dozois’, “Your Body Breakthru The Ultimate Workout with Michelle Dozois” which is no cake walk circuit. I like the fun factor of this circuit and constant moving. I found that everything included in the workout is effective. For this workout you need a pair of hand weights and high step.
I also did a little Yoga for the first time starting out with the “10 Minute Solution 5 Day Get Fit Power Yoga” workout with Amy Bento which was cool. I liked it so it prompted me to look for a more advanced Yoga workout. I searched and watched a lot of Yoga workouts and found one of Kimberly Fowler’s (purchased this last month). I’m totally in love with this Yoga workout. Since then, I’ve gotten serious about Yoga and have incorporated it into my fitness program on Sundays. I went out and got more Yoga DVDs by Gaiam, a cool designed, extra thick Yoga mat, a pair of Yoga gloves and socks by Gaiam. I already have a pair of Yoga blocks so I’m all set now.
More about my Yoga gloves and socks. Well, I really like them because they have grips on them so no sliding for me when I’m doing Yoga. Some will say this is cheating, but since I’m a newbie to Yoga these supplements will do me no harm. As I get better and better I will eventually remove my gloves and socks!
Here are pics of my new Yoga mat, gloves and socks!
Extra Thick Leopard Print Yoga Mat $12.99 @ TJ Maxx
Gaiam Yoga socks and gloves $9.99 each @ Target
My Favorite Book(s) for February 2009
I only have one for the month of February and it is my Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises. I bought this book from Costco for $11.99 which is a good price considering it would be $16.99 + tax + shipping from Amazon.com.
Every strength training exercise, its variations, rotations for each muscle group and pre-made workouts can be found in this colorful and pictureful big book. I love it! If I don’t want to follow a workout video I can just bang out any strength workout I want from the book.
My Favorite Foods for February 2010!
I’ve really been loving squash. I’ve taken a liking to acorn squash and butternut squash. This was my first time cooking and eating squash. I have been missing out on this great vegetable all this time and didn’t know it. I will be incorporating squash into my diet every so often because it tastes good to me and it’s healthy. Thank you Clean Eating magazine!
New Purchases Made in February 2010!
Here is a list of my new workout DVDs:
1. Ilaria’s Powerstrike 5 which I haven’t tried yet.
2. Ilaria’s Abs & Pushups which I love and love. It’s a great supplement to any workout. I’ve been doing the 20 minute workout after every workout every other day.
3. Tonique Mat Workout which I haven’t done yet, but I heard it was very very good.
4. Tonique 2 which I haven’t done yet, but also heard this workout is very good as well.
5. 10 Minute Solution Carb Burner instructed by Susan Dozois which I did a long time ago after renting from Netflix. I like the workout so much I had to own it. I own many 10 Minute Solution workouts and I love them all…very effective and fun 50 minutes of workout each time.
And I bought the Gaiam Yoga socks and gloves as stated above. I bought Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises as well.
Last, but not least…I bought a Stretch Barre from Costco.com. Here are some pictures of the barre and Hubby putting it together. I don’t have any workouts for it yet, but I’ve been doing lots of pullups and stretching on it.
I really like my barre a lot! I can’t see myself trying to carry it anywhere because it’s too heavy and it seems like a hassle to take it a part and move it…it doesn’t seem too portable to me, but that’s OK because I don’t need to ever move it. The barre is sturdy and can hold my weight. I am able to do pullups on it and I lean on it when I stretch. I think this barre will do well once I get my Cardio Barre DVDs in. I really love it and I really love the price too. It cost me $129.99 + tax, free shipping through UPS. The package got to me four days after I ordered it.
So, that’s it for Januray 2010!!! See ya’ll with another FAVORITES next month!!!
I recognize this kettlebell anywhere. Jillian was selling this kettlebell on either on QVC or HSN channel (I cannot remember which) not to long ago for a nice chunk of change. I didn’t bite because I’d like to own a set of kettlebells ranging from 1-10lbs, I don’t like all in ones really AND Jillian doesn’t have a full fledge kettlebell workout out on the market yet so that’s why.
The point of this post is that I want to see more from Jillian regarding kettlebells because I know she will come up with something tough. How about The 30 Day Kettlebell workout? I’d be happy with a an official 30 Day Series from her any day.
Here is a taste of what ExerciseTV posted on Youtbue today and I want more!!!
And a little taste of some Jillian Yoga. FYI, here new Yoga workout comes out next week!!!
Please RETWEET if you see this!!!! One of my ailments is High Blood Pressure via heredity so the American Heart Association is near and dear to my heart. Check out these resources and help in the fight to improve heart health. Go red!!! Thank you!
Oh my! Check out the article HERE that I got from MSNBC.com. Sh!t happens I guess. And in this country, suing is the way to go! Speaking out against the product and creating a movement against all makers of weight loss magic products would hold more water with me, but whatever. Jillian’s supplements, fat burners, appetite suppressors or whatever they are called has certainly, from what I’ve been reading all over the web, stirred up quite a bit of controversy.
People ask me what I think about Jillian Michaels’ fat burners and supplements all the time. And my honest answer is that I didn’t do any research on said products because I am not interested at all and I stick with Jillian’s original advice that there is no magic pill when it comes to weight loss and re-creating your body for the better.
I know from experience that with a good diet, consistent physical activity and discipline you can change your body. Is she putting out these products because she believes in them or is she out just to make more money?? Maybe, but I am not concerned at all with the details regarding this. I will continue to buy her workouts because they are killer, fun to do and most of all, with hard work, they work! She is one who motivated me to get my a$$ up off the couch back in October 2008 when I had never ever exercised prior so she has my utmost respect and just because she put out some iffy products (do your research before you consume or purchase anything people) will not change that.
So, I’m wishing my trainer (yes I consider her one of my personal trainers still) the best and I hope she will get through this and continue to put out great workouts because that’s what she’s good at. It’s all I want! And Jillian thank you for the 30 Day Shred - pure love forever!
No matter what you should be tracking what you eat and the activity you perform some where to hold yourself accountable and to ensure your reach your weight loss, body definition and fitness goals. I just happen to do better with paper and my 3 ring binder. And yes, I’m trying to work online but I just can’t keep up with it. It’s just easier for me to write my notes down on paper as I go. I am still using the log I found over at the SB Diet Message Boards almost 83 weeks ago.
I have been tracking what I eat, my physical activity and how much I weigh everyday for almost 83 weeks. When you keep track of what you did in the past it helps to build a foundation for a successful future.
Let’s say you messed up and ate donuts and sugar loaded cups of coffee for breakfast for 5 days and you mysteriously gained 5lbs at your next weigh in. You can go back into your records to find the culprit. I found out early on that I have to be concious about my daily fruit serving intake because if I have too many I will gain weight and that’s just one issue I found.
When you skip four days of exercise and you start feeling thick in the waist…you can look back into your records and find out why. History can shape your future by not allowing yourself to make the same mistakes over and over again. Charting your progress ensures you will lose weight, lose fat, become fit, get toned, build muscle, etc. It is key guys! All successful people who maintain their success all chart, track and keep notes…and if they don’t they aren’t telling you the truth. Tracking also increases the motivation to succeed.
To prove to you guys that I track everything I do when it comes to my nutrition and fitness…you know what?… better to show you than to tell you. Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words.
I had gotten a few questions from people asking about the quality of the Yoga mat and equipment that comes with the 10 Minute Solution kits so I decided to give my opinion on each of the items that came with the DVDs and post some pics of them. I should have done this before.
The Yoga mat that comes with the 10 Minute Solution Yoga Workout is a standard one and it sticks. You can clean it with a wet cloth and soap and it will be OK. I just use this mat with this particular workout. I have three other mats I use for different things as well so the wear and tear on this mat will be minimal. I think everyone who is into floor work exercises should have at least three to four mats varying in width and quality. For some kinds of exercises you will need a thick mat and for others a thin. It all depends.
Excuse the picture quality, but I used my Iphone to take these pics really quick…
The hand weights that come with the 10 Minute Solution Kickbox kit are good ones. They are the color gray and are covered by a grippable, light sand papery finish. They are your standard handweights, but are designed in a unique way. Each weight weighs 3lbs.
The hand weights that come with the 10 Minute Solutions Pilates kit are also good one and are longer than your standard 2lb pair of weights. They are covered in a clothy material with a little cushion on the inside. They also feature straps so if you don’t want to grip the weights you don’t have to because the straps will keep the weights in your hands. I really like these.
The resistances bands that came with the 10 Minute Solution Tone Trouble Zones kit is also your standard, medium strength resistance bands and I don’t use these bands because I work better with a heavy or a extra heavy one, but if I should ever need a medium for any workout I’d use these. You get a blue and a purple one. The purple one comes in the packaged in the DVD case itself.
March 8, 2010 
Posted in Books, DVDs & Equip, Favorites, Foods 
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