PiYo Initial Review~

Hello everyone!

A while back, I wrote about Chalene Johnson's newest program, PiYo 

Well, now I have the program myself! *Yay for early holiday gifts!*  I will be starting it tomorrow, for a change of pace. 

The set comes with three DVDs, each with a few workouts on it (which I will be outlining as I do them, starting with tomorrow's Align: The Fundamentals) and from what I see on the calendar, you start with disc one primarily, then progress to the ones on two, then three. 

I am going to take my measurements and weight to start the 8 week program with, and I will continue eating well too.   I am curious how a low impact workout can help me, since I am heavier and high impact can't possibly be good for my knees right now.

Have any of you done PiYo?  How is it going for you, what kind of results were you seeing?

Metamorphosis, Teen Meta... Now Men Meta?

Hello everyone!


Yet another potential new product coming from Tracy Anderson- We have Metamorphosis, Teen Meta, The Pregnancy Project, and now... Men Meta!

There is very little to no information about this yet (If you do find something on it, TELL ME! Thanks!), and it may be just a speculation that it will be a product at all.  However, Tracy was working out with a bunch of men from Details Magazine.

A link to a snippet of the workout (Cardio with bands- looks interesting!) can be found here:

Tracy works out with men from DETAILS magazine


My opinion: Honestly, I think if she made a program for men, that would be a great thing.  A man's body has different needs than ours, and not all men want to hit the gym to look like a Vin Diesel or Dwayne Johnson lookalike.   I think it would also send a positive message to younger men (teenagers, for example) that there's nothing wrong with taking up a dance/pilates based workout program no matter what gender you are. 

There are some male celebrities who do or have worked out with the Method: Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhall, and my favorite, Robert Downey, Jr. (He works out with his wife, Susan, who is a TAM devotee herself)


So, what do you think? Would you buy Men Meta for your male loved ones, or if you are a man yourself, would you try?  Comment below!

Workouts In a Small Space

Hello everyone!


As of now, the space that I do my workouts in is in the process of being rearranged.  Now I have far less space to do my workouts, if I lift my leg to the side like before, I'll kick over something for sure.

So, I began to do some research as to what can be done in a tiny space? What about people who live in studio apartments, dorms, and other situations where they simply don't have the space to work out indoors?


Carrie Rezabek of Pure Barre gave some tips to get a dancer's body even if you have a tiny space, or even an injury!

MOVE 1Wall Pushup

Stand facing a wall with your arms extended in front of you, shoulder-width apart, palms resting on the surface. Bring your legs together and rise up onto the balls of your feet (a). Bend your elbows until your chest nearly touches the wall (b). Push back to the starting position. Do this for 30 seconds. Then continue for another 30 seconds, this time using a smaller range of motion and a faster pace.

MOVE 2Standing Turnout

Place your hands on your support, feet in a narrow V. Extend your right leg behind you (point your toe to five o'clock), lifting your foot off the floor. Slowly lift your leg up and down by an inch for 30 seconds. Repeat, smaller and faster, for 30 seconds. Next, make small circles—as if your toe were tracing a quarter—for 30 seconds, then reverse the circles for 30 seconds. Repeat the entire sequence with your left leg (toe pointing to seven o'clock).

MOVE 3Scissor Curl

Lie on your back with shoulders and feet raised, right leg extended up, and hands behind knee. Slowly curl up and down by an inch for 30 seconds. Continue, smaller and faster, for 30 seconds. Next, bring your left arm up to your ear and curl for 30 seconds. Then reach your left arm toward your right ankle, curling for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat the sequence.

MOVE 4Parallel Extension

Stand next to your support, and extend your right leg in front of you, keeping your left knee slightly bent. Slowly lift and lower your raised leg by an inch for 30 seconds. Repeat, using a smaller, faster motion, for 30 seconds. Next, make small circles with your leg (as if your toe were tracing a quarter) for 30 seconds, then reverse the circles for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat the entire sequence.

MOVE 5Semi-Foldover

Place your forearms on your support and rest your head on your arms. Lift your right leg, foot flexed, and bring your heel toward your butt. Press your heel up and down by an inch for 30 seconds. Continue, only smaller and faster, for 30 seconds. Extend your leg and slowly lift up and down by an inch for 30 seconds. Continue, smaller and faster, for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat the entire sequence.

MOVE 6Curl

Sit with your knees bent, holding the backs of your thighs. Round your back and lower it toward the floor, contracting your core. Slowly curl down and up by an inch for 30 seconds. Then bring one arm up next to your ear and continue curling for 30 seconds. Switch arms and repeat. Finally, bring both arms to your ears and curl up and down for 30 seconds.

MOVE 7High V

Stand next to your support, feet in a narrow V. Rise onto the balls of your feet, keeping your heels glued together; bend your knees, bringing your butt down toward knee level. Slowly move down and up by an inch for 30 seconds. Repeat, smaller and faster, for another 30 seconds.

MOVE 8Wide Second

Stand next to the support, feet more than hip-width apart, toes turned out. Lower your body about six inches. Slowly move down and up by an inch for 30 seconds. Continue, smaller and faster, for 30 seconds. With knees bent, rise onto the balls of your feet, then lower your feet; continue for 30 seconds. Repeat, faster, for 30 seconds.

Moves are taken from this article: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/isometric-exercises

I may give these a try myself. Have a great day!

Mushrooms!

Hello everyone!



Being that I am still trying new veggies to eat, I decided to try something I have heard a lot about- Maitake mushrooms (or "Hen of the woods")

They look like this: 

Looks almost too pretty to eat, I think. 

Maitake are popular especially in Japan because they have strong anti-cancer properties, as well as being an immune system booster and also having anti-bacterial properties.

So, how do they taste?  


Pretty freakin good, the way I prepared it.  I cut the base/root area off, cleaned the mushroom and gently sauteed the petals in olive oil with a little sea salt and pepper. Delicious. The downside as with any  mushroom is they shrink when cooked. 

These mushrooms are a tiny bit pricey (one mushroom about the size of my fist cost me $2.49) but the health benefits and the taste are worth it. 


Do you have a mushroom recipe? Share it in the comments!