Well, today’s morning post certainly made for some interesting discussion. Thank you for sharing all your thoughts in a quality manner. Overall, I view the healthy living blog community as such a positive environment that can help many. It is part of why I continue to involve myself in this little blogosphere. In the end, we each must do what works for us and remember that blogs do not show everything. Keep things realistic to be the best you possible. Find inspiration from others and keep it real in the process. Onto lighter things…

Sometimes technology can give me such a headache. I admit that I could not live without it. Heck, it serves as a great source of creativity (and adult interaction) for me every day. Today, made me want to toss my little netbook across the room. Do you know how hard it is to rotate a video image from your digital camera? It’s not only hard, it’s downright evil. Which is why the video below is in fact still sideways.

Getting my fitness on rocks my world. Plain and simple. Without some sort of activity almost daily in my life, I feel at a loss. I love movement. I love improving my strength and cardio abilities. I love feeling strong and seeing changes in my body. My workout time also stands in as my “me” time. I can get in the zone and really delve down deep into my thoughts. Exercise is fun, challenging, exciting, invigorating, reflective, and downright fabulous. It makes me giddy like a school girl when her crush asks her to the homecoming dance.

I wanted to share the above super low quality clip of me doing exactly what I love. Well, one of the many things I love. Because TurboJamming, spinning, weight lifting, ellipticaling, plyo jumping, running…I love it all. Upon seeing that video clip, I could think about how I can’t do the intensity I love or dwell on the fact my body is a lot softer and my butt a lot bigger. I don’t though. I choose to sit in awe that my body can still move that way at over 6 months pregnant. I choose to look at how happy I am…because I know I’m smiling on the inside. I choose to remember that I do these things to honor my body. I choose confidence.

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• Do you love working out? What is your favorite form of exercise?
• What does exercise do for you?

Atlanta Blogger Meet-Up!!! I’m helping organize a blogger meet up in the Atlanta area. If you are interested in more details and haven’t received any already please email me at [email protected]!

So, did you see? If you missed it for some reason – we’re having a BOY!!! So excited to know that its little Braedon Hunter growing and moving around in there. :)Thanks for the comments and excitement everyone. Your love and support always warm my heart

After the appointment today, I craved movement. You could say I had energy to burn. I broke into my workout DVD case. Check out the monstrosity of it.

That would be an old-school CD case filled with likely at least 60-70 workout DVDs. My love of fitness began in the living room of my parents’ old house the summer after my sophomore year of college with workout DVDs. I relied on them and didn’t join a gym until my senior year of college. Even though I love they gym, I still continuously compile at home DVDs to have some extra variety and an option for when the gym can’t happen. Overall, workout DVDs have many pros…but they also have cons.

Pros

• Good option when no gym available or can’t make it
• More flexibility with scheduling – work out when YOU want to
• Less overall time needed without driving to/from gym
• New ways to challenge yourself – do moves you wouldn’t do on your own or at a gym
• Good starting point for beginners – guided workout and not as scary as a gym

Cons

• Less variety unless you have a larger collection
• Hard to get motivated for a workout with your couch, roommate, dishes to do right there
• Can add up cost-wise to buy DVDs and related equipment if needed
• Need extra space in your home
• Noise or distraction from others

Since I also have access to a gym and acquired most of my workout paraphernalia over a few years, the pros outweigh the cons for me. My personal library includes an extensive selection. Let’s take a look shall we?

Slim in 6 – Beachbody

My first workout DVD set and what started it all. These videos fit a beginner perfectly. They are very basic and I don’t use them in my regular scheduling anymore. They do come in handy after birth though. I used them beginning a few weeks after M and plan to do so again after this baby.

Turbo Jam – Beachbody (and Turbo Kick borrowed from a friend instructor)

For fun I tried out Turbo Jam and ended up falling in love. These don’t provide the most intense of workouts but they are fun and get the heart rate up. I turn to them often because of the fun factor. Plus, at 45 minutes, they are the perfect length for quick but effective training.

Cathe Friedrich

She blows my mind. Every time. I don’t believe you can find a more top notch instructor in the fitness DVD world. She cues perfectly, knows just how to motivate, and works you HARD. I don’t end a single workout of hers without feeling spent. Everything she makes is fantastic. From weight workouts to circuit workouts to HIIT workouts to kickboxing. She does it all and well too. Can you tell she is my favorite? 😉

Those are the options I currently own. I do want to add Turbo Fire and Insanity to that mix though. I’ve also heard wonderful things about Jillian’s workouts and things like Core Fusion. And I will let you in on two that I HATE. Anything Tony Horton (including P90X) and anything Billy Blanks (TaeBo). It’s not the workouts I can’t stand…it is solely the style of the instructors. I can’t help it. I hate them. You can throw rocks at me now.

• Do you use workout DVDs? If so, why do you like them? If not, why not and what do you prefer?
• What are your favorites? Or what would you be interested in trying?
• Giveaway coming tomorrow on the blog!!! 😀