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Fitness

Fitness Feature: Jessica Smith

June 5, 2014

Every couple of months I cruise Amazon looking for some new workout dvds. Well, I had the good fortune to stumble across some workouts by Jessica Smith. I have three of her workout dvds in my collection now, Cardio Abs, 10 Pounds Down Better Body Blast, and 10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp and I must say these are great workouts. While I love them all, Cardio Abs is my absolute favorite. It’s split into three separate workouts (cardio abs, total body abs transformer, and concentrated abs), and each one is about 26 minutes in length. It also includes a bonus 4-minute tabata workout.

10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp includes five 10-minute routines including: Fat Fighting Skills & Drills focusing on interval cardio training, Ultimate Upper Body Training with weights, Ultimate Lower Body Training, Ultimate Total Body Training, and Six Pack Ab Attack. I do all five to get a full workout and since it’s broken into five segments it makes the overall workout feel shorter.

Finally, there is 10 Pounds Down Better Body Blast. This workout is broken into three 20-minute segments that target arms, legs, and, abs. What I really like about this one is that she’ll often start off with a base move and then progressively make the move more challenging before you cycle back through it.

What makes her so awesome:

  1. Her workouts are actually enjoyable. I remember when I first did Cardio Abs and I was smiling during it. I loved it. My heart was racing, I was sweating, and the moves were tough but it was fun. I felt like I got a solid workout in but I wasn’t cursing the gods as I went through it.

  2. The moves are fresh. I’ve been working out for a while so I’ve seen all kinds of exercises and there were lots of new moves throughout these dvds which I really appreciated. Also, she keeps it as simple as possible. In the quest to be new and innovative, lots of instructors come up with these crazy, convoluted moves that are just really awkward. None of that here.

  3. Her personality is a winner. Nothing can ruin a potentially great workout for me faster than an instructor who is either barking orders at you like she has something to prove or instructors who are so perky with their permanent plastered smiles as they’re going through really challenging exercises. She’s very motivating and upbeat but not in an annoying or aggressive way.

  4. She also has a Youtube channel with tons of free workouts that run the gamut from cardio to barre to kickboxing to resistance training. You really can’t beat that. Check it out here.

Have you done any of her workouts before? If so tell me what you think!
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Fitness

High Impact vs. Low Impact Workouts

October 14, 2013

Insanity Core Fusion Barre Basics for BeginnersYoga Workouts

I’m a graduate of the Insanity program. I committed myself to the program for 60 days – no skipping days – and completed it this past May. I had wanted to try the program for a while but didn’t want to shell out the money for it. I couldn’t bring myself to pay $120 for workout DVDs. I finally took the plunge this year after working out consistently for months with only minimal progress seen. I told myself that if it didn’t work, I’d send it back. Well, it worked.

I finally started seeing greater muscle definition in my arms and legs. I was thrilled! After I completed the program, I continued doing Insanity for a few more months just cycling back through the month 2 workouts. At some point in August, though, I felt like my body needed a break. Insanity is a great program, but it’s also very high impact. High impact workouts can place a considerable amount of stress on your joints and ligaments – the tissue that connects your bones.

I knew that I still wanted intense and challenging workouts, just ones that were not as stressful for my joints. In my search for high intensity, low impact workouts, I came across the Exhale Core Fusion workout series. The workouts include a mix of strength training, toning, yoga, and cardio. I purchased the Core Fusion 30-day sculpt program and the Core Fusion Barre Basics for Beginners. I’ve been using them both for a couple of months at this point and I LOVE them. They are serious total body workouts targeting your core, arms, and legs. I especially love them for my legs since they are my body part that’s most resistant to change. The best part is knowing that I don’t have to sacrifice intensity for workouts that are kinder on my joints. I still love a good high-impact workout though, so for me the key will be balance.

Takeaway message: It is possible to get an amazing workout that is both intense and joint-friendly. If you’re looking for low impact, high intensity workouts to try think swimming, yoga, weight training, or cycling. Remember that intensity refers to the level of difficulty of an exercise and the power required to do it, while impact refers to the pressure that is placed on your joints and ligaments.

What workouts are you currently doing that you love? I’m always looking for ways to switch up my exercise regimen, so tell me in the comments!

References:
Medline Plus, “Tendons vs. Ligaments”
Mayo Clinic, “Exercise Intensity – Why it matters, how it’s measured?”

 

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