The FIRM Body Sculpting System 2--Maximum Cardio Burn

As I have said before the Body Sculpting System 2 from the FIRM is my favorite series so far. Today I plan to review the Maximum Cardio Burn Video from that series. This video is 50 minutes of fun! Allie DelRio is your guide and I really enjoy working out with her. I love all of the routines and she really gets your heart rate moving. I am sweating by the middle of this video and love Allie’s spirit. The full box climb and the standing leg routines are by far my favorite parts of the workout. My heart gets really pumping during Full Box Climb and the leg routine really burns :) The abs in this video are really good too (including some killer planks)

This video is an A in my book!

Tae Bo--Billy's Boot Camp Live

This weekend I was traveling and I was unable to take my Fanny Lifter and weights. I needed a good workout that I could do quickly and with limited equipment. I chose a TAEBO video called Billy's Boot Camp Live--Cardio Boot Camp. This video was a lot of fun. It is only 30 minutes and the perfect video to do if you are traveling or on the go. Billy does have these arm bands that he uses in the video but I packed my 2lb dumbbells and still got a great workout! It was fast paced and fun. I definitely was sweating and my arms are still feeling the burn. I think it is a great workout for those days when you need a quick session and a good pick me up ☺

Mom's Review of the FIRM Complete Aerobics and Weight Training

The Firm-Body Sculpting System 2-Complete Aerobics and Weight Training with Emily Welsh is one of my favorite FIRM workouts. I feel it is the perfect combination of strength training and cardio. The Sculpting System 2 is my favorite series of the FIRM workouts. They do require that you have the FIRM's Fanny Lifter and their Sculpting Stick but it is worth it for the workouts you get.

I always feel so much stronger after doing this particular video. I think it is the perfect balance of cardio and sculpting. Emily does some segments with both upper and lower body that have me really winded ☺ She really works the inner thighs (a problem spot for me), does 3 sets of back exercises and really works it out on the Fanny Lifter. I also love that she goes back and forth between strength training and aerobics....I have a short attention span and this is perfect for me. It makes the hour go by so much faster.

Emily is very easy to follow and her routines are very simple. She is very friendly and really talks you through each exercise. The ab section is short but good too. This video is an hour long but it is well worth your time.

It is an A in my book!

The FIRM Workouts

I am a FIRM junkie. I have tried many programs but this is the one I enjoy the most and I know from experience that it works. I used it the year before my wedding to get ready for my dress and I am using it again to get that last bit of the baby weight off. I have already lost 8 lbs in the last 5 weeks and I only have 7 more to go :) Unfortunately it is the most stubborn 7 lbs I have ever encountered!!!!

I am currently working out 6 days a week and usually do the FIRM 4-5 of those days. I do Power 90 on the weekends with my husband, which I also like (will share more info on that in a future blog). I feel the FIRM workouts give you the most bang for your buck :) They incorporate both sculpting and aerobics to create an all over body workout. They are the best use of my limited time.

I have decided that over the next month, I will share with you my own personal views on the different FIRM workouts. Remember, it is my opinion but I will try to be as specific and honest as I can be. I do love the program but there are definite workouts that I do not enjoy. So join me....and those of you not interested in the FIRM....I will be writing about other things too during this month, so don't fret :)

Finding Time To Workout

Being a SAHM is by far the best job I have ever had. I definitely want to tear my hair out some days but overall it is great! That being said, I often struggle with doing all that I want to do in a day. There is of course raising my son (playing with him, singing, dancing, art projects, playdates, classes, bathtime, mealtime etc.) all of the housework, the bills to pay, the meals to prepare, a husband to spend time with and if there is any time left...maybe a shower? So when I made the decision six weeks ago to put ME first for one hour a day and devote my son's naptime to working out....I had to make some other sacrifices.

So I sacrificed the house work.....yes I admit it.....the house isn't as clean as it could/should be! I am sorry, I don't know what else I could have given up...maybe blogging ;) We keep a neat downstairs (because you never know who is going to pop in) but the upstairs and laundry is out of control! I definitely need to work on this and get it under control soon. My poor husband is suffering the most (nothing clean to wear some days). That being said, I feel wonderful :) I am starting to get more toned up, have more energy, feel stronger and so healthy. So I have to say that I am very sorry that the laundry is a little piled up but I think I am worth it :)

Top Ten Super Foods

My mother in-law recently shared an article that she read on MSN about the "10 Best Foods You Should Be Eating". My husband and I decided to take on the challenge of eating all of the foods (listed below) this week to see if they would make us feel any better. We started off our week with pumpkin seeds in our salad and a cabbage side dish. My body does not really enjoy cabbage all that much and I have been paying the price for that Super Food all week ;)

We next made a gogi/pomegranate/guava punch. This was delicious ;) We could not find gogi berries or guava and so we settled for the 100% juice version. We mixed the punch with some seltzer water to lower the calories and I have to say it is delicious.

It was next onto the prunes which I mixed with some other dried fruits. This was a wonderful snack for the week. Cinnamon and swiss chard came together in one dish and although I overcooked it a bit (got distracted by a game of basketball with my son) it did taste good. Beets were served plain with last nights dinner (I enjoy munching on them) and tonight we plan to substitute broccoli rabe for the difficult to find purslane. We have searched high and low for purslane and have heard rumors that it is mixed in with the pre-washed herb salads that you can buy in the produce section. I will look during our next trip but overall we did well with the list.

Now onto the question...do we feel any better or different? I am not sure if it is the food or all of the exercising I have been doing (probably a combination) but I do feel more energetic. I played "dance party" last night with my son and I outlasted him! My husband says that these foods have really helped him become more regular (if you know what I mean :). Well who knows? We have enjoyed this challenge and plan to incorporate many of these foods into our regular diet....just not the cabbage for me! We now challenge you :)

The 10 Best Foods You Should Be Eating!!!

1. Pumpkin seeds
2. Beets
3. Cabbage
4. Guava
5. Swiss Chard
6. Cinnamon
7. Purslane
8. Pomegranate
9. Goji Berries
10. Dried Plums

Check out this website for more info!

Working Out With Kids--Elmocize

As a SAHM money is tight. One of the places I look for DVDs to workout to is at the library. Our library does not have a large selection of workout videos for adults but they do have some for kids. My son is in love with Elmo and so we recently tried out Elmocize. The video is very cute. It has fun songs and of course Elmo. The whole premise is that Elmo is trying to convince a reporter that exercising is easy, fun and good for you. There are numerous segments that show different types of exercises that you can do. They dance, do the bunny hop and even do segment about working out in a chair for disabled people.

It is a very cute video but my son could care less about it. When we watch the video I was trying to follow the exercises that they were doing which was hard to do at times. There is a lot of downtime and my son just sat and watched me. We did not find the video very engaging for him at all. We might try it again when he is a little older but I am still in pursuit of the perfect workout video to do with my toddler!

Working Out Together

Well for the past two Sundays, my husband and I have worked out together. We are currently participating in a Family Biggest Loser Competition and so we are working hard to lose weight and get in shape. My husband prefers running over all other forms of exercise but with our cold days and high snowbanks...running outside has been difficult. He does get out about once a week but the rest of his workouts have been 2 old Power 90 videos that we have.

Last Sunday I joined him as Tony Horton worked us hard in his sweat workout. This Sunday I had my husband try The Firm :) I picked the video with the least amount of aerobics (he calls it dancing). I picked the old Body Sculpt VHS with Jennifer Carman. He used the original Fanny Lifter (although he would kill me if he knew I was telling people this) and I used the Transfirmer. It was a laugh watching him do the very feminine stretches and the few short aerobics segments. He could not keep up.

When we were through he told me that it was too girly for his liking and that he would stick with Tony Horton and his much more straightforward and "manly" routines. He did however admit that he got a good workout from it and at times found it challenging (especially when you increase your weights). So I guess next week we will head back to Power 90 or maybe break out a little Tae Bo with Billy Blanks :)

Welcome to My Blog

Before I had my son, I was an avid runner. I loved to run and when I found out I was pregnant, I was in the process of training for a 1/2 marathon. Needless to say I had to stop my training for the 1/2 marathon and focus on my pregnancy. I tried to continue running while pregnant but after month 2 I was so sick and this made it impossible to continue.

My son was born in the fall and so by the time I had the green light to go ahead and run, the winter was upon us. I did go out and run a few times but I was not able to take the baby so finding time was difficult. It was at this time that I found the Turbo Jam Workout system. I really enjoyed this system and it was enough to get a few more baby pounds off that winter.

I was so excited when spring came around and my son was old enough for the BOB Iron Man Jogging stroller that I had been given. We went out for our first run and he really liked being in the stroller. However, I was so tired from not sleeping that running soon became the last thing I wanted to do!

After a long summer of not sleeping and only running every once and a while...I started to really get down on myself. I ran in a race or two but my speed had slowed down considerably and as the fall approached the weather was becoming too cold to run with the baby. I needed to find something for me to do in the cold fall and winter to get in shape and lose the rest of the baby weight. My son was finally sleeping through the night (after a long year of not doing so) and I was finally starting to feel human again!!!

Once my son switched to one nap a day, I had this new 2 hour break in the middle of the day. I decided it was now or never to get off the couch and lose the last 15 pounds of baby (and now holiday) weight! So I dusted off my 20+ Firm Workout DVDs, dumbbells and fanny lifters. I had used these to get in shape for my wedding and felt that they were the answer to the last of my baby weight.

So here I am, a month into my new routine and down 8 lbs!!!! I am starting to tone up, my clothes are starting to feel baggy and I have more energy to play with my son! I feel better than I have in a long time. Yes the laundry is piling up and the house is not as neat as it use to be but I am looking better and better everyday :)

So I have decided to keep this blog as a journal of my battle back to my pre-baby weight. I hope to inspire other SAHM's (and working moms) that we can find time for ourselves in our busy days. I continue to struggle with getting it all done but I know that getting in shape will help me to be a better wife and mother. I hope that I can figure out a way to raise my son, keep the house clean, cook, stay on our budget and still find time to work out. So please join me in figuring out which workout DVDs and exercise routines are the most effective for moms on the go :)