What Have I Been Up To? What Do I Have In Store?

I don’t have a review today. I just wanted to tell you what I have been up to and what I have in store in the months ahead.

First off, I joined a yoga studio in March.  I have been visiting on a regular basis.  The first class I attended was Stress Relief Yoga and it was magical.  I slept so well that night.  I try to go to this class every Sunday night to get ready for the week ahead.

I also have been going to Hot Vinyasa Flow classes regularly.  I went because I wanted the intense heat after the brutal winter we had.  I was chilled to the bone and was hoping this would help.  It sure has.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep attending this through the summer months or not but we’ll see.  The yoga studio has other classes planned that I might be interested in this summer and since I pay per class, I will need to be discriminating on what classes I choose.    The hot yoga classes are heated to 90 degrees.  In my opinion this is the perfect temperature.  A little lower than some of the other hot yoga classes.  90 degrees is just enough to be super heated, but not so intense that you feel smothered by the heat.

I joined this studio literally the weekend that it opened.  That way I didn’t feel uncomfortable going into the studio for the first time.  Everybody was a newbie even if they were already seasoned yogis.  I really like it there.

Here is a pic of me participating in the Stress Relief Yoga class during the meditation portion (I’m sort of in the middle to the right a little hidden from view:

COMING UP:

In May I am attending a Women in the Wilds outdoor event.  This is a day planned for women to do outdoor recreation activities such as kayaking, canoeing, hiking, archery, gun safety, yoga, and the like.  I signed up for yoga (surprise, surprise), kayaking and a woodburning craft.  I’m excited.  I love doing yoga in the outdoors.

In June, The yoga studio that I frequent is having a yoga marathon to celebrate the summer solstice.

This August I plan on attending the Finger Lakes Yoga Festival once again this year.

On a personal non-fitness level I am also going to see two legends in concert this summer.  First up is Ringo Starr – a/k/a Richard Starkey.  You may have heard of him before!

Second up I am going to see a childhood idol of mine the Queen of Rock n Roll herself:  Ms. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

I’m also attending the Finger Lakes Wine Festival in July for about the 9th year in a row.

I cannot wait to post about some of the above activities and hopefully I’ll have some new reviews for you soon.

Namaste!

 

 

 

Amy Dixon’s Breathless Body 3: HIIT It Big Workout DVD Review

I am finally moved and settled into my new apartment and what better workout DVD to review than one titled:  HIIT It Big! 

This is Amy’s third installment in her Breathless Body series.  I have reviewed the other two previously on my blog and I have enjoyed both of the others.  The first being my favorite.  This new installment DID NOT disappoint. 

No equipment needed for this workout. 

If you are looking for a mindless cardio workout where you don’t have to follow any routine or learn a lot of moves to complete the workout, then HIIT It Big is the workout DVD for you. 

This workout has 8 different circuits of moves.  Those moves are completed in sets of four using a 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest format.  After each circuit you get additional rest as Amy demonstrates what the new movement will be.  This workout has modifiers for both easier AND more challenging levels.  You can switch back and forth to suit your needs within each circuit.  I mostly stayed at the intermediate level but did go to advanced on a few and even had to drop back for the easier level.  The movements include plyometric (i.e., Scorpion jumps, chug jumps and squat pistol jumps) and bodyweight on the floor moves (i.e., tuck jump jacks and burpee mogels).  There is also a kickbox move circuit. 

After all eight circuits are complete, Amy then throws you for a loop and combines all of the movements completed at 30 seconds each with NO REST in between.  This is what Amy calls:  The Finisher.

BUT you aren’t finished.  Amy gives you 8 minutes of core:  4 challenging ab/core moves performed for a minute each. 

The cooldown/stretch is 3 minutes.  I really felt that this should have been a little longer.  At least 5 minutes.  I really felt that the warm up (4 minutes) and cooldown were both a little short on time. 

3 1/2 stars out of 5.  I liked this 3rd installment of Breathless Body better than Amy’s second offering but I still don’t think it lived up to the original.