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DVD Review: Valerie Bertinelli - Losing It and Keeping Fit

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:47:59 -0700

Valerie Bertinelli dramatically transformed her body over the last couple of years, and to help others find success, she made a new fitness video, Valerie Bertinelli - Losing It and Keeping Fit ($15). It's led by her personal trainer Christopher Ross Lane, who has also trained Jillian Michaels.

This video includes two workouts: 20-minute Body Basics and 40-minute Keeping Fit. The first video, aimed at beginners, reviews basic strength-training moves as well as proper form. It's also a good workout if you're short on time, and let me tell you, the word "basic" doesn't mean easy. These challenging moves effectively target your glutes, quads, hamstrings, abs, upper back, and arms. You feel like you're joining Valerie in a private session with her trainer. The workout includes a lot of mat work like push-ups, Superman lifts, and reverse crunches, along with familiar moves like squats and lunges.

To hear about what I didn't like, read more.

The 40-minute routine contains both cardio and sculpting moves with and without dumbbells. Valerie puts in her two cents throughout the video, making comments like, "Oh I knew you were going to make this more challenging," and "Do we have to do the other side?" or "I'm going faster so I can get it over with," which I found this a little annoying. It gives the impression that she's lazy - not exactly a great way to motivate DVD watchers to work out. I do love Christopher's down-to-earth attitude though, and the way he gently pushes you to keep going, saying it feels good and will only make you stronger. Cranking up your own workout playlist would drown out Valerie's complaints, remedying the situation since the moves are easy to follow. I definitely felt worked from head to toe, a major plus, and I know Valerie was just trying to be funny, but I'd rather not hear her sarcastic remarks as I lunge, squat, and sweat.

Work Out: One-on-One Training With Jackie

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:30:35 -0800

I definitely was a fan of Jackie Warner's Bravo show, Work Out. And though I didn't always agree with the drama in her personal life, Warner's workout ethic is inspiring. I was recently given a copy of the fitness DVD, Workout: One-on-One Training With Jackie ($10) and the picture of Warner on the cover was enough to make me drop and give her 20. It's obvious that Warner works hard for her body, and that's enough for me to buy what she's selling.

Warner has designed an intense workout that focuses on upper body, lower body, and core. You can combine the three sections together for a grueling one-hour workout, or just focus on one area for about 20 minutes. Warner is great at talking you through the moves, and there are also modifications for beginners and the more advanced.

To hear more of my thoughts on Workout, read more.

I like my workouts to feel intense but to also fly by, and Warner provides that to a tee. Her workout offers a wide variety of moves with a lot of twists on the classics, and she offers little rest between them. Don't be fooled by how quickly time moves though, this is definitely an intense cross training workout - it combines alternating strength (you'll need hand weights) and cardio exercises. After doing this workout my abs were definitely sore the next day.

I think fans of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred will really appreciate Workout. They both move at the same pace and each trainer has a similar no-nonsense, but encouraging approach. Beginners might benefit from Warner's DVD a bit more though because unlike Michaels, she does a much better job at instructing. This was especially helpful during the exercises where weights are used.

My only beef with the DVD is that there were some segments in which all of her trainers did not participate. Instead of going off camera they sat in the background, which might be a little distracting or uninspiring for viewers. Despite that criticism I definitely recommend this DVD and can attest that my abs were still sore two days later!

DVD Review: Skinny B*tch Fitness - Boot Camp

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0800

First came the book, Skinny B*itch - a saucy self-help book to help ladies change their relationship with food and take control of their lives. Then coauthors and BFFs Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin wrote a cookbook, Skinny B*itch in the Kitch. Now these ladies want to get you moving, so they created some fitness DVDs. The other night I tried their Boot Camp ($10) workout.

After defending the name and the graphics of the DVD to my husband, I worked it in my living room with Rory and Kim. The 45-minute basic workout alternates between dumbbell strength training segments and light to medium cardio. The workout is fun, and Rory and Kim chat, complain, and encourage you throughout the DVD, all the while offering variations for less fit and less flexible folks. These ladies are entertaining and I giggled through bicep curls and squat thrusts. I appreciated their humor and camaraderie, even if it made me roll my eyes occasionally. Eye rolling surely burns extra calories, right? The workout ends with ab work, including crunches and planks. The gals have also dreamed up five five-minute workouts for the severely time-crunched fitness enthusiast.

I enjoyed this boot camp workout. I love mixing strength training into my cardio. This workout will not get your heart pounding hard for long periods of time, but my heart rate stayed solidly in my fat burning zone for most of the workout with occasional upward spikes during squat thrusts.

This is a great DVD to work out with on a rainy day. It gets you moving and makes you smile. You can buy it directly from Warner Brothers.

Do you have any questions you are dying to ask these skinny b*itches? I am going to interview Rory and Kim soon, and if there is something you are dying to know about their advice, books, or DVDs, leave your question in the comments section below and I will try to work it into the conversation.

DVD Review: Dance and Be Fit - Latin Groove

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

I won't lie; I like a dance workout. After watching the fiery Latin numbers on So You Think You Can Dance, I was ready to rumba. Unfortunately, Dance and Be Fit - Latin Groove ($15) did not satisfy my dance craving.

Like many workout DVDs produced by Acacia, the instructor's voice is dubbed over the music. Without the spoken instructions coming directly from the person leading the workout, I found the moves hard to follow. The three dancing bodies on my TV screen seemed oddly separate from my workout as I attempted to merengue in my living room. This DVD is shot on location, under a palapa roof gazebo. The image was a bit dark, which made the workout a little hard to follow visually as well.

The DVD is billed as a "fat-burning" workout, and this is because it is a really light workout. My heart rate crept slowly into a zone 60 percent of max. Aside from the emphasis on the hips, the dance moves felt much like any other low impact dance workout, and frankly I was a little bored. The DVD is comprised of a nine-minute warmup, and two 20-minute dance workouts followed by a seven-minute cool-down. If you need to move around and get your blood flowing without bothering your downstairs neighbors with your stomping, this DVD could work for you. I ended my workout with some strength training, and that's when I began to sweat.

You can buy this DVD directly from Acacia.

DVD Review: Dance and Be Fit - Lower Body Burn

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0700

When you just can't seem to dig up the motivation to get moving, the one thing that might give you a push is the possibility of having fun. Kimberly Miguel Mullen is all about putting joy into a workout with her Dance and Be Fit - Lower Body Burn DVD ($15), which consists of a five-minute warmup, two 20-minute sequences, and a five-minute cooldown.

It always throws me off when you're guided by a voice-over and not a speaking person, but once I got past that, I was able to enjoy this fun dance program. You can choose to do the two 20-minute sequences separately if you're pressed for time, but I did them together and felt a small glaze of sweat emerge at the video's halfway point.

The first sequence, Heavenly Hips, is easier than the second one, Lovely Legs, but they are both easy to follow. You're given basic steps and the choreography is layered on, and Kimberly goes through each dance set many times so you have plenty of opportunities to get the hang of it. While some other dance DVDs are confusing and leave a first-timer watching instead of doing, a novice would fall into step with this video.

With traditional dance basics like passe, attitude, plie, and gran plie, you're introduced to some of the fundamentals that create those gorgeous dancer legs. This is a pretty beginner workout and I wouldn't rely on it for toning my bottom half, but I'll keep it in my arsenal for those days when I want to increase my heart rate with a fun workout.

DVD Review: Dance and Be Fit - Abs Burn

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:41 -0700

The last DVD of the Dance and Be Fit video series, Abs Burn ($15), targets your middle without a single crunch in the entire 50-minute running time of the video.

The five-minute warm-up is followed by two 20-minute core-sculpting workouts. The first focuses on floor and standing exercises that strengthen and tone your abs and back muscles. Some exercises are pretty basic, like elbow plank, but the instructor builds up to some very unique fluid dance moves like hip pops and turns to add a little variety. All the moves isolate the core muscles, but you also end up working your shoulders, legs, and booty. The moves are a little repetitive, so I found myself looking at the clock, wondering when we'd get to the second section - not a good sign.

The second 20-minute workout begins with some more floor exercises that were very Pilates-like, but there weren't enough repetitions, so I found myself straying from the video and doing my own thing - another bad sign. Overall, I felt like other ab videos I've done have been more effective, such as Body Target - Abs and Shiva Rea - Creative Core Abs.

Feel free to make your own decision though. To see a video clip of this DVD, just read more.

DVD Review: Dance and Be Fit - Brazilian Body

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:30:00 -0700

I wasn't a huge fan of Dance and Be Fit - Latin Groove. It just didn't satisfy my need for authentic merengue or samba whatsoever, but since I'm open-minded and love to dance, I thought I'd give Dance and Be Fit - Brazilian Body a try. The back of the DVD explains the workout like this: "By using elements of Brazil's heart-pounding, steamy dances such as maculelê, samba reggae, and capoeira, this workout targets all your trouble spots while burning fat and calories." After the six-minute warm-up, there are three different 12-minute workouts of each style of dance.

This DVD was basically a low-impact dance workout that incorporates some common Brazilian dance moves. The three dancers switch up their moves rather quickly and alternate between high-intensity moves and low-intensity moves, so it's better than sitting on the couch, but not even close to the feeling you'd get from a run. Honestly, I felt like the warm-up wasn't long enough, and since the moves changed so quickly, I was worried I might tear a muscle or twist an ankle.

Like I said, doing this DVD is better than nothing, so if you like to dance for your exercise, you can order this video from Acacia. But if you're really interested in learning maculelê, samba reggae, and capoeira, I'd sign up for some live classes at a studio.

DVD Review: Fit and Healthy Prenatal Workouts With Gabrielle Reece

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

On the next stop in my Fit Momma series, I took on Fit and Healthy Prenatal Workouts With Gabrielle Reece. Let me start by saying I am a huge Gabby Reece fan. She's very inspiring so I was thrilled when she put out this video with trainer Mike Monroe.

All the exercises have been approved by a leading OB-GYN, so you know that you're not putting yourself (or your baby) in an unsafe situation. The DVD itself is broken down into the first and second trimester with workouts for each month of pregnancy up to the sixth month. That being said, if you're already in your second or third trimester, the workout is not going to be as appealing to you since you're already past half of the DVD.

Another point that is not made clear on the cover is the need for a lot of equipment to do the workout. You'll need: an exercise ball, a resistance band, a light set of dumbbells, a medium set of dumbbells, a towel, a mat, a chair, and a partner (if possible). I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about DVDs is that I can do them at home with minimal equipment; this is not the case here.

But what did my pregnant pal and I think of the workout? To find out, just read more.

The workouts were definitely challenging. Since my friend was too pregnant to do any of the first trimester exercises safely, I did them alone and they were pretty similar to regular exercises I do now, except there is a lot of focus on breathing. The second trimester exercises were still hard but definitely more modified for pregnancy. It was interesting to have ab work in the mix since most pregnancy workouts ditch the crunches. We were both sweating in the end, and we both felt like we got in a good workout. My pal had to stop every now and again to catch her breath but that's OK. You should never push yourself during exercise while expecting - always listen to your body. Drink plenty of water and take rests when needed.

Overall I was not blown away by the DVD. I don't like that it would have been hard to do the exercises without a partner and all the extra equipment. Plus, some of the resistance band moves are quite complicated and required us to pause the TV to figure out what to do. This is definitely not a beginner DVD so if you were a couch potato before getting pregnant, you'll want to start with something less advanced. Pregnancy is not the time to try any tests of endurance or strength.

DVD Review: Erin O'Brien's Prenatal Fitness Fix

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:30:00 -0700

It feels like baby fever over here on the Sugar Network. Many of our favorite celebrities along with our very own BabySugar are expecting so I've decided to dive into the world of keeping healthy while pregnant in my Fit Momma series.

Having already experienced the joys of pregnancy myself, it's been a few years, so I recruited a pregnant pal to try Prenatal Fitness Fix with Erin O'Brien. My friend was a frequent gym goer, but recently she can't stomach the smell of my gym - if you're pregnant, you understand - so she happily joined me. We were both thinking it was going to be a walk in the park since it was after all, a prenatal fitness DVD. To find out if we were right, just read more.

The instructor, Erin O'Brien, is calm, cool, and collected. She's motivating, but not too peppy and it was the mix of both that kept us going through the entire 40 minutes. (Side note: Did you know she is James Denton's wife?) The music was a little slower than I normally workout to, but it was not unpleasant.

Much to our surprise, it's actually pretty strenuous. There is no heavy cardio or weights, but there is a lot of body weight resistance work that left my quads pretty darn sore. I love that Erin takes pauses for water and potty breaks - essentials for any pregnant woman. She also uses household items (couches, coffee tables, chairs) for the exercises, so there's no extra equipment needed. Overall I would highly recommend this DVD for anyone who's expecting and had a pretty good level of fitness before her pregnancy. If you haven't exercised in years, then you may want to consider something a little more beginner at first.

Fit's Tip: Pregnancy does amazing (and crazy) things to your body, and keeping it healthy is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby. DVDs are a great option to keep moving at home, but you should check with your OB/GYN before starting any exercise program while pregnant.

DVD Review: Piloxing by Viveca Jensen

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0700

I've been venturing out of my exercise comfort zone for 2009, and the Piloxing DVD ($20) fit right into my goal to trying new things. The blend of Pilates and boxing was developed by Viveca Jensen, whose goal is to instill a "sleek, sexy, and powerful" self-image. Her LA studio offers women-only Piloxing classes, where actresses Hilary Duff and Alexis Bledel go to stay in shape.

The classes use one-pound weighted gloves, but you can do the DVD with or without the gloves (available to purchase for $26). The video offers three things that make for a worthwhile exercise DVD: it's easy to follow, fun, and gave me a good workout. One hour of Piloxing flew by as Viveca guided me through various punching moves like jabs, hooks, and uppercuts; an arms section that involved arm circles and more punching; leg and balance exercises with elements of ballet; and floor work that focused on booty moves and Pilates ab exercises. For the details, read more.

Each variation starts slowly so you can get the hang of the moves before Viveca speeds things up to make them more challenging. You're often moving your arms and legs at the same time, whether it's doing simultaneous squats and punches or twisting and jabbing for more targeted oblique work. She reminds you to use the power from your core while punching, which was helpful because I tended to instinctively pull the power from my arms.

Viveca doesn't take herself too seriously and encourages you to have fun throughout the video, which I certainly did. I'll definitely pop this DVD in again whenever I feel like getting a fun, effective workout at home. Interested? Pick up a copy here.