Product Review: Fitness Blender

I may have been a little MIA on the blog these last few weeks, but I haven't been slacking off! I have gotten a bunch of new workout DVDs (and websites) and have been trying them out. I am so excited to review this one because it has quickly become my favorite source for a good workout!

It's called Fitness Blender and you can find them at fitnessblender.com. Fitness Blender is made up of a married couple, Kelli and Daniel, who create workouts that you do in your own home with little to no equipment. They don't have a fancy studio or a production team or anything, but their videos are very professionally put together in their home studio (garage). Typically, Kelli does the workout and Daniel narrates, but I've seen some videos with Daniel being the model too. I thought I would prefer Kelli describing the workout as she does it (similar to Lisa Marie in BodyRock), but it's much more organized and thorough with Daniel doing it behind the scenes. He's supportive and encourages you to give your all, but doesn't make you feel rushed. He also offers tips on proper form as you go along.

Daniel and Kelli

I like the format more than even some of the BeachBody or Jillian Michaels workouts because it shows a preview of each move that is coming up, so you have time to prepare and can jump right in when the timer starts instead of trying to catch up as you learn the move. It also has a scale on the side of the screen that tracks an average calories burned, for those of you who don't have a heart rate monitor. (I have found that my calories burned rides on the lower end of the scale each time, but I also take more breaks than they do!). On the other side of the screen is an indicator scale from 1 to 5 where they rate the difficulty of the full workout. So that's a good tool to utilize if you're trying to decide which workout you want that day.

Another great aspect of this website is that it has a search tool. So you can refine your search based on exercise type (functional, strength, toning, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular, plyometric, isometric) or by muscle group (you name it, they got it). You also have the ability to type in a keyword to search for something in particular, like their famous "Epic 1,000 calorie burn workout at home".

Did I say 1,000 calorie burn workout? Yes, I believe I did. They have two of these actually. Both are about 85 minutes long and include warm up, cardio/HIIT, strength training, stretch, abs, and cool down. I have to say that my curiosity won out over intimidation and I gave this workout a try and LOVED it! It is challenging, for sure, but I was able to keep up or modify so I still got in a great burn. You can modify to make most moves easier or harder, depending on your fitness level. And at the end, if you followed along, I can guarantee that you will feel completely drained but also amazing at the same time!

Not all of the workouts are over an hour though; some of the videos are even just ten minutes long, like some of the ab videos. It depends on what you are looking for. I really feel like they have taken a creative approach to the workouts too, as they don't incorporate just the same old boring moves that you see in many of the workout DVDs nowadays. Many, if not most, of the moves that they have in their workouts are ones that I've never seen before. They're variations of the old stand-by's, sure, but the little variations make them fun.

Each workout also comes with a description of what equipment you'll need and which exercises will be performed and you can even print this out to take with you or to use another time to record reps or weight or whatever you like. 

In addition to the full workouts, the website also includes videos on how to perform individual exercises properly. Again, it has the search tool so you can find whichever exercise you want easily. Then there are tabs for different articles on exercise, nutrition, health, weight loss, and even recipes. If you're looking to buy equipment, the website has a store tab. You can also learn more about the Fitness Blender duo and support them by making a donation. They even say that they are willing to create custom workouts for donations of certain denominations.

To sum up:

Pros - 

• You choose how long your workout is
• Tons of workouts to choose from
• Search tool to find the workout you want
• Organized and professionally made videos
• Calorie burn bar
• Degree of difficulty scale for choosing workouts
• FREE
• Printable worksheets
• Chart to show what equipment is needed
• Tips on proper form and encouragement throughout videos

Cons - 

• I wish they had a timer to show how much time is left in the total workout 
• Have to play the video on a computer or device with Internet access

It's easy to see why I love Fitness Blender. Since I do all my workouts at home anyway, having to do them on my computer is not a problem for me. It actually might even be easier because of how we have our living room arranged currently.

So those are my thoughts. I highly recommend you go out and try them. I am sure you will find at least one or two workouts that you just can't help but love! And if you like them and want to share the love, go ahead and donate or spread the word about the site so they can keep giving us these awesome workouts! 

Find Fitness Blender:

      Facebook

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 Website

     YouTube

Motivation

Body Rock/Daily HIIT Review

This review is not for a specific workout, but a specific workout group called Body Rock. I discovered this website some time last year and it's a great resource. It's also a FREE resource. The website is full of videos, and instructional videos, as well as nutritional information. The thing that is probably one of my favorite aspects of this website is that the videos are all under 20 minutes long, usually just 12 minutes. As short as they are, they pack a serious punch! You start out at high intensity and don't stop until you're done. These workouts are not for beginners, although they do show you different modifications if your fitness level is not quite as high yet. It's also great because there are always new videos so you aren't doing the same thing all the time and you won't easily get bored.

The workouts are high intensity intervals. They are typically made up 50 seconds work and 10 seconds rest alternating until the workout is finished. Some of the routines require equipment such as: free weights, equalizer, stability ball, and quite frequently a sandbag. They do offer modifications for many of these if you don't have the equipment though. And they even include a Yoga workout occasionally for those looking to build flexibility.

The program also has grown to a new website, called the Daily HIIT. I haven't followed this website as much, but it seems to be a bit more organized and has been divided into different categories including:

** HIIT Core          ** HIIT Reps
** HIIT Light          ** HIIT Prep
** HIIT Body         ** HIIT Bonus
** HIIT Max          ** HIIT Wkend
** HIIT Lean

On the flip side, the workouts can be a bit hard to navigate. They don't come with a set schedule of which workouts to do and when to do them. So if you're someone who likes specific structure, this may be a bit difficult for you. Also, and this is just a personal opinion, but I feel like the host, although very chipper and motivating, is a bit full of herself and as much as the program promotes being beautiful no matter who you are or what you look like, she has changed just about everything she can using plastic surgery in the last year: boobs, nose, and at some point lips. So it's hard for me to see her as a good role model for loving our bodies when she alters hers so much. The behind the scenes stuff can also seem a bit immature at times.

Pros:

• It's FREE
• The workouts are short and easily fit into your day
• The workouts are intense and guaranteed to bring results
• The hosts are high energy and motivational
• The program offers a wide variety of workout styles

Cons:

• The hosts can be a bit full of themselves
• The workouts don't follow a particular schedule
• A lot of the workouts require equipment
• Does not include warm up/cool down

Overall though, I give this one a thumbs up! What you put into a workout is what you get out of it and you have to put a lot into these workouts, which means you also get a lot out of them. If you can get aside the occasional drama on the web page, then it's a great program! 

How Much Should I Exercise?

One of the main questions that people ask when considering fitness is how often should they work out. That answer varies greatly depending on not only who you ask, but also your fitness level and what you're hoping to achieve. Ask Men's website states that you should strive to make working out of your routine 6 days each week. They say to aim high, because if "life happens", you're still likely to get in at least 3 - 4 days each week.

They also claim that working out 6 days a week makes it habit, which makes it a part of who you are and becomes as ordinary as brushing your teeth or showering every day. You eat and sleep each day, and feel better when you do so appropriately, so it makes sense that you feel more energized and healthier when you also workout regularly. In fact, most people notice other areas in their life improving as well, like positive attitude and healthier skin, when they exercise consistently. They say that people that don't workout consistently are less likely to see progress and then are less likely to stick to working out at all.

Of course, you need to take into consideration your fitness level when determining how often to exercise each week and also what you'd like to achieve. If you are a beginner, most experts recommend 20 minutes three times a week, which can be broken up into ten minute sessions throughout the day or all at once. And of course, any exercise is better than no exercise.

Beginners are likely to need more recovery time than seasoned athletes too. Answer Fitness says:

"As a general rule of thumb, a good training frequency for someone who is new to the gym, or returning after a lengthy break, is three resistance workouts a week lasting between 45 and 60 minutes. This will allow you to work each major muscle group with at least one exercise and give yourself 48 hours for recovery between workouts."

As for the US government, when asked the question, they released a report called Dietary Guidelines for Americans which said:

"To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements."

We Be Fit's website goes on to explain that you should consider cardio workouts four to six times a week between 20 and 60 minutes each session for optimum fat loss. Exceeding an hour of this can be harmful to your body though, as it begins to eat muscle that is used to fuel your body. To maintain muscle mass, they recommend resistance/strength training three days a week for about 30 - 60 minutes.

Those recommendations are similar for people of ages up to even 70 and 80 years old.

The recommendations for how often to exercise each week may vary, but what all the websites have in common is that you should start out slowly, so as not to injure yourself, pace yourself, start with lighter weights, shorter sessions, and gradually work your way up. They all also recommend on day of rest minimum each week. You will burn yourself out if you never give your body a chance to rest, especially when engaging in vigorous workouts. I think my personal rule of thumb is always to listen to your body. Each body is different and you know when you are pushing too hard or when you aren't pushing enough. So listen to your body, lace up your shoes, and get sweaty!!

Sources:
answerfitness.com
webefit.com
askmen.com