New Shiva Rea Creative Core + Lower Body DVD Review

I just got my hands on the brand new Shiva Rea Creative Core DVD. I was pleased with the video length. At just 24 minutes I will have no problem adding this to my busy schedule. I really seem to struggle with videos that last over an hour and are not broken into segments that allow me to choose which chapter I want to view. This Core workout is perfect for my short attention span. And better still, it’s broken up into 3 separate parts so that also makes the time feel shorter.

This was my first experience with a Shiva Rea routine. At first I struggled with her style, but it didn’t take me long to realize that this is exactly what I need. Let me explain . . . I have been doing yoga for approximately 7 years and with every single routine I am hell bent on getting my pose ‘just right.’ I spent more time twisting my neck to look at either the instructor or the TV and worrying about if I’m doing it exactly right than I do enjoying the sensation of the pose. I am used to slow, methodical, and precise. Well, Shiva style is very flowing and free. This was a big shock to me and at first I was lost and frustrated. However, it was also the first time that I just let go, let loose, and didn’t worry so much that I was doing exactly what she was doing. In fact, she encourages you to do your own thing. Wow, what a concept.

Each segment was short yet powerful. They engaged both the lower body (thighs) and the core. Actually your arms get a bit of a work-out too. Every motion flows right into the other and my favorite was the rocking bridge. This concept of quick motion in yoga is really new to me and quite frankly, fun! Shiva gives beginners alternates for some of the moves that are more challenging. There is one balancing move that I couldn’t do, but now I have a goal. I have many yoga DVDs that I dread having to do (the P90X yoga tops that list), but this one will always be a pleasure.

Are My Limbs Too Long For Yoga?

During my yoga routine this morning I couldn't help but wonder if my limbs are simply too long to achieve some proper poses. For instance, I can not sit in staff pose without having bent elbows or raised shoulders. It just doesn't work. When I force my shoulders down and my elbows straight I end up with my butt in the air! If my arms are longer than my torso I just don't see how this pose can work properly for me.

Now you would think those long arms would help when I have to grab my big toe and stretch my leg. The longer the arms the easier the stretch, right? Well, that would work if my legs weren't even longer. So if the leg is freakishly long compared to the arm where does that leave you, besides with a bent knee. Sigh. I have come to the conclusion that some body types are perfectly proportioned for yoga while others are not. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm perfectly proportioned to do. Yoga and buying clothing are certainly not it.

10 Minute Trainer Abs

Am I the only P90X grad that hates the 10 Minute Trainer Abs video? I would take Ab Ripper X over this thing any day. Why am I finding it so dreadful? What is wrong with me? Please tell me I'm not alone here. I am a huge fan of all the other videos, but this one will take some time to grow on me. In fact, I'm not quite sure I'll continue it. I may just slip Ab Ripper X in its spot. After all, Ab Ripper is only 5 minutes longer, but yet it strangely feels shorter. Go figure.

Real World P90X

This morning I did my 10-Minute Trainer. Not sure why . . . I was just about to head outside to help my husband gather and stack our firewood. Boy was I thinking about Tony all morning. I kept reflecting back to the P90X Cardio video where you pretend you are picking something up in your garage and putting it on the shelf. Do you see that stack of wood above? Every two of those pieces of wood represent one squat. Squat down to pick them up and throw them into the trailer. Then bring the trailer to the shed, reach over, grab two pieces, pick them up and twist to hand them to my huband who stacked them, for hours. Each piece of wood averaged between 5 - 10 pounds (some more). Now THAT beats the pants off of any P90X session I ever did. But let me tell you how happy I am that my legs and back have been conditioned by P90X. Otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to move right now – forget about getting out of bed tomorrow.

More 10 Minute Trainer Reviews

I'm in love! Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer videos are brilliant. So far I've done 4 of them and loved every one. As you may have already read, the Cardio one was incredible and left me sore for at least 3 days. I'm still in shock over that.

Since then I've tried the Total Body, Abs and Yoga. I'm not a big fan of the rubber bands, but if you have a good set of dumbells the Total Body is superb. I used by 10 and 15 pounders and got my heart pumping. My husband used his 20 lb weights and he also thought it was excellent. It definitely helps if you are familiar with some of Tony's moves, but if not you catch on very quickly after watching the video only once.

After conquering Ab Ribber X I thought the 10 Minute Abs workout was going to be child's play. I was wrong! I was actually hoping for the same moves, but they were completely different and tough. Part of my problem was the fact that I was barefoot and kept slipping. I would definitely recommend wearing sneakers for this work-out.

This morning was Yoga and there's no doubt this was a million times easier than the P90X version, but still a great addition to the total routine. Yoga is ESSENTIAL to any well rounded workout. I was happy that given the fact that I've been slacking with my yoga I still managed to stay somewhat flexible. Now that I've joined the "40 Club" I can't slack with the flexibility workouts.

All the videos waste no time and jump immediately from one move to the next. If you have to stop and watch the first couple of moves, you've missed half the workout, but don't despair. . . it only takes one viewing to be ready for some serious action the second time around. Part of our biggest complaint with P90X was the amount of wasted time as Tony explained things or we waited for the duration of any given exercise when we were ready to move on to the next. Well, that problem is completely solved here. It's very fast moving and before you know it, you're done. LOVE THESE THINGS!!!!

10 Minute Trainer Revew 1

I can't believe that I'm about to share this information . . . I'm embarrassed to say that as a P90X grad the Cardio 10 Minute Trainer kicked my butt. How sad is that? Either I am pathetic or that video was awesome.

Here's the deal, I woke up on my 40th birthday and decided to give a video a try. I was still in my pj's and since it was my first viewing I didn't even give it my all. I was more curious to check out the video than to really work out. I did all the exercises with no bands and they really got my heart pumping! It was great. The 10 minutes flew by and when I went to walk downstairs after the mini workout I could feel the pump in my legs - as if I just biked. How could this be? Is there really a switch that gets flipped the minute you turn 40 that makes you feel old? I was disgusted with myself.

And to make matters even worse, when I got up the next morning I could not believe how sore my butt was! I know exactly what moves got me too. It was those skaters. i did them nice and deep and let me just tell you - they work! I've been sore for 3 days . . . from a 10 minute workout, in my jammies.

I am thrilled with the Cardio video and can't wait to try the rest. I hope the workouts are really great and it's not just me being old! Stay tuned for more.

A P90X Dream Come True

So I've been planning to try to maintain my new found P90X-induced strength and endurance. I had all kinds of good intentions of continuing to do at least one video per week, or at the very least Ab Ripper during one of my lunch breaks. Sadly, I've done nothing in the past month even remotely P90X related.

But recently I talked to my friends over at Ultimate Fitness Gear. They informed me about a brand new Tony Horton video series called "10 Minute Trainer." This sounds WAY too good to be true. I was enticed and ordered up not only the 10 Minute workouts, but also the P90X Plus videos. A girl can dream, right? I'm not quite as excited to give those a try, but I'm filing them away for some indoor winter torture.

I am, however, planning to test drive these new 10 minute work-outs starting next week. Granted, I'm not a good test case for losing weight. All I'm interested in doing is maintaining my strength and cardio without the huge time commitment that P90X involved. So stay tuned to see how it goes.

New YogaDudes Tank Tops on Sale

The sale on YogaDudes tank tops will be extended into July. Beat the summer heat with one of these adorable and comfortable ribbed tanks. Regularly priced at $15.99, theses tanks are currently on sale for $11.99. Visit the YogaDudes shop to place your order.

One Month After Completing P90X

I can’t believe how quickly an entire month passed by. I’ve been incredibly busy with work and home projects and I guess you can say that I’ve been slacking with the working out. I had some feeble intentions of popping a P90X video in once a week – just to keep myself in check. But sadly, it hasn’t happened even once in a month. Sigh.

However, with that said, the few times that I did do some form of physical activity I was quite pleased. We have taken a couple good kayak rides. Normally the first few of the season are particularly hard on my shoulders. I usually have to take paddling breaks every 10 minutes. But not this season. I paddled hard and strong for the entire ride. I felt like I could paddle all day (into the wind). My arms and shoulders were strong and I could feel my abs engaging (remember that word?) the entire time.

The best success story is my first ride on my ‘real’ road bike. Since the day I bought it, I’ve never been comfortable on it. Every ride results in a sore neck and back. Not this time . . . I planned a short 20 mile ride for our first trip. Unfortunately we got completely lost and the ride turned out to be about 35 miles. I felt great on the ride. My legs were strong. My lungs were pumping effortlessly. Despite feeling good on the bike, I was sure I would pay for it the next day. The next day came and nothing. No sign whatsoever that I rode at all. Now THAT was amazing.

Last week I decided that I better start lifting again. After all, my upcoming 40th birthday was part of my motivation for starting all this nonsense. So here I am a month out and I intend to pose for some pictures on my birthday. Time to hit the gym! I lifted 3 times this week and now I remember what it’s like to be sore. I have to say, I was sore for the first 2 days of P90X and never again. But lifting with my husband KILLS me. Now looking back it all, P90X didn’t seem that bad after all. The time commitment was by far the hardest part.

It’s been a long time since we lifted regularly, but I’m still stronger now than I was before P90X. I’ve increased my weights in just about all my exercises. I’m just thrilled that the guys in the gym shake their heads in disbelief when they watch me lift. I am definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothes. I may still look a little scrawny, but I got some muscles under those clothes.

Post P90X Report

It’s been almost a week since completing the P90X routine. I’m having a ball filling up that extra hour + per day and, so far, I haven’t missed it at all. This past weekend I was very busy with landscaping projects. It was hours of digging holes, ripping up sod, racking heavy dirt, planting shrubs, moving and assembling rocks, pushing wheel barrels, a thousand squats up and down . . . . The whole while I was thinking, “P90X is nothing! Landscaping is the REAL workout.” At many times I was thankful for all those core exercises of “pick something up and put it on the shelf.” Tony even said, “This is real world” and he was right. It paid off. If I had a quarter for every time I squatted down to pick up a clump of sod . . . I was exhausted by the end of the weekend, but the great news is that I wasn’t the slightest bit sore on Monday. I was expecting to be too sore to get out of bed. I’m very pleased.

And today was the first time we went kayaking in over a year. I remember the beginning of kayaking season in the past. My shoulders would ache and I simply could not row the entire lake. Luckily for me, my husband and I ride a tandem so I could just stop and rest any time I want. But not today. Our first day out and I was as strong as can be. We ventured out to a new lake, bigger than the one we are used to, and the whole way back was bucking stiff winds. I loved every minute of it. I could feel my entire core engaging (remember that word? Tip of the day . . . engage). From my abs to my shoulders to all the muscles in my arms, I felt incredibly strong.

P90X really works!

Hopefully my next test will be a bike ride. Can’t wait to see if my legs are as strong as my arms and abs.

I Survived P90X

I did it! It's over! And I feel great. Not many things on Earth can feel better than completing your last P90X workout. Tonight is Friday and this is a typical rest day. I won't get the full effect of being DONE until I wake up tomorrow morning and just lay there in bed and wonder what I'll do when I get up. It will be the first weekend in 3 months that I don't have to get up to an hour-long workout. What will I do tomorrow morning? Or every day after work for that matter. I wonder if I'll feel as though something is missing from my life. I might have to take up a new hobby to fill all that extra time. Wait a minute . . . I have some dusty bikes hanging in the garage that I hope will fill that time.

Overall it was a great experience. I have a nice sense of accomplishment and I'm proud of how strong I am. I didn't gain or lose a single pound, but I do look better, firmer, leaner, and more defined. I get a lot of questions like, "Now what are you going to do? Will you continue the P90X work-outs?" In the short-term, I do not plan to continue with the videos. But perhaps at the end of the summer I will do a couple videos per week. Perhaps even the new P90X Plus videos (gulp). I will however get back to the gym regularly for my 15 minute weight lifting blasts. Hopefully those will help maintain my new found muscles and strength. For sure I will continue with regular pull-ups and push-ups. My new goal is to be able to do as many push-ups (in one set) as my age. So far I'm good. I can bust out 39 men's push-ups with no problem. With any luck I can keep this up for the next ten years.

I welcome any fellow P90X survivors to post my little "survivor" badge on their own blogs. BUT you have to have successfully completed the entire thing - scout's honor.

My Last Core Routine

Yesterday was my last P90X Core routine. I swear I used to like that video. It’s been 4 weeks since I last saw it and I was actually looking forward to revisiting it. Here I was, thinking that I’m 4 weeks further along and therefore much stronger than the last time I tackled Core. Well, I was wrong. It wasn’t any easier at all. Maybe I’m getting a little too over confident. Sigh.

Or maybe I’m just not as good at doing Cardio routines first thing in the morning with no food in me. This morning was my last Kenpo X and I always liked Kenpo. But yet I still dragged through, unenthusiastically . . . watching the clock, dreaming about a bowl of cereal. Today was highly unusual. I never attempted weekday morning workouts and doing them at 6 AM just stinks. But I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Three more little days and I am done. Yiiippeeee!

Reflections After 12 Weeks of P90X

Today was the first day of my last Recovery Week, and I gotta say, it feels GREAT! Last week I couldn’t help but to keep saying, “This is our last Plyo. This is our last Legs & Back” and so on. And now I’m saying, “This is the last weekend we have to get up and do P90X.” I’m not even sure the reality of it all has really set in.

This morning was Yoga X and this was my best yoga to date. Maybe I’m just on a high that I only have ONE MORE TO GO. Or maybe this was the first time I did yoga after a rest day. What a difference only one little day off makes. It really re-energizes me. My legs felt strong. My arms felt strong. I achieved great chatterungas throughout the entire session. OK, no push-ups in between plank and down dog, but come on, I’m not crazy! The best part was reverse warrior . . . when I dropped my arm down my back leg I noticed how incredibly tight my thigh felt. This pleased me greatly.

I definitely feel as though I’m in the best shape of my life, which is amazing seeing as my big 4-0 is soon approaching. For sure I am stronger than I’ve ever been. I have yet to get on the scale since I started P90X, but then again, I rarely weigh myself. The numbers on the scale are never really my concern. The only thing that matters to me is how I feel. I doubt if my weight has changed at all. If anything, it may have gone up since I converted some fat to muscle.

I have noticed some subtle changes in my body. For instance several of my jeans that were once my “tight jeans” have gotten baggier. I think some of my weight has redistributed. I also think my arms are bigger and more defined (especially the day after Back & Biceps). But all in all, with clothes on, you would never notice a difference in my before and after pictures. And speaking of those, I never really took ‘before’ pictures, but do plan on snapping a couple pics next week, when I’m completely done.

Week 12 Completed

What a wonderful feeling to be done with the last real week of P90X. And it couldn’t have come soon enough. This afternoon, out of nowhere, my seasonal allergies hit me over the head like a ton of bricks. Almost instantly, I went from feeling perfectly fine to feeling like I was going to pass out. The sinus pressure in my head was causing my entire face to hurt, my teeth and jaw to ache, and gave me an all-over nauseous feeling. Yucko

Coming home and changing into my workout attire was the last thing I wanted to do. The couch was looking so very alluring. But it was my LAST day of week 12 and to date, I haven’t missed one single day. There was no way I was wimping out. So I fired up that Kenpo X video and off I went. I got through it better than I imagined I would. The worst, or funniest, part was during cool down. I stood with my legs far apart, reached my arms up high and proceeded to completely lose my balance, in one of the more ungraceful episodes of my life, and nearly ended up on my behind (with an embarrassing little yelp to boot). Thank God it’s over

I will reflect more on the ending of Phase 3 later. Right now I can’t resist that couch any longer.

What Day Is It?

I realized something today? For the past couple of months my husband and I haven't referred to days by their proper names. I know that when Karlo asks me, "What day is it?" he's not asking if it's Monday or Tuesday. What he really wants to know is "Which workout are we doing today?" So when he asks me, "What day is it today?" My answer is always, "Today is Plyo" or "Today is Kenpo."

Well today was the best Tuesday ever because when Karlo questioned, "What day is it today?" my answer was, "Today is our LAST Plyo." Let me write that one more time . . . "Today is our LAST Plyo." I'm still taking that all in. I can say goodbye to Plyometrics until next year. Will I miss it? Not for a long time. But there may be a day somewhere in the future that I do. In the meantime, I am more than happy to file that DVD away in a safe place.

P90X Week 12

We are getting down to the wire now and I couldn't be happier. This is the final week of the real work-outs and next week is our final recover week. I'm counting down the days. Last week was a good strong week and I wanted this week to be just as strong. It started off great with Legs & Back and a good strong Yoga session. Today, however, was tough. Both my husband and I managed to completely skip lunch and not eat all day. By the time we got home, we were both starving, but did our Chest, Shoulders & Tris workout anyway. I was dead after the first set of slow push-ups. My word those are hard - and I love push-ups!

We pushed on and made it through the hour, but it wasn't easy. I got three quarters of the way through "two speed twitch push-ups" and collapsed onto the floor. I said, "I feel like a mashed potato" and Karlo said, "Please don't mention potatos, I'm starving." That was good for a nice laugh and it energized me to get up off the floor and finish the workout.

The Perfect P90X Schedule

I just completed my second week of my own custom Phase 3 P90X schedule. The first week didn’t go very well as I didn’t take the muscle groups into consideration before rearranging the days. But last week went much better. I managed to do yoga on the weekend AND have Friday off as the rest day. I must have gotten the order right this time because I felt good and strong each day. I’m hoping this week will be just as successful.

Here are my custom weeks for Phase 3. I would highly recommend them if you’re interested in yoga on the weekend and Fridays off.

Weeks 9 & 11

• Saturday – Legs & Back, Ab Ripper
• Sunday – Yoga
• Monday – Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
• Tuesday – Plyometrics
• Wednesday – Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
• Thursday – Kenpo

Weeks 10 & 12

• Saturday – Legs & Back, Ab Ripper
• Sunday – Yoga
• Monday – Chest, Shoulders & Tris, Ab Ripper
• Tuesday – Plyometrics
• Wednesday – Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper
• Thursday – Kenpo

Push-up Machine

Last night was P90X Chest & Back and that marks my second time with this video. I liked it as much this second time as I did the first. I am strong with push-ups and find it fun. By the end of the video I did 225 push-ups (with my knees never touching the ground) and 80 (assisted) pull-ups. I rest my foot on the 'cheater bar' for most (but not all) of the pull-ups. The 50 minutes seem to fly by with this video and my brain receptors don't get nearly as excited when they see the 'cool down' words on the screen. Every day I'm feeling more and more excited to be getting closer and closer to the end of the 90 day commitment.

Brain Receptors

Despite my week going very well, last night was a particularly rough night. Tuesdays are always hard P90X days because they are the one day of the week that we have to stay late at work. Getting home an hour and a half later than normal just throws off my entire night. You see . . . I need to get everything done before America Idol!

So last night we rushed home and my husband announces that he’s going to skip our work-out, and in instead take the dogs for a hike. I was ticked. It was because of him that we were late and now he’s leaving me to do Plyometrics by myself while he has fun with our dogs? Sometimes life is so unfair! I was not a happy camper. I determined last week that having him around really helps me and having him out walking with the dogs just makes me mad, jealous and ruins my work-out. Plyo was not getting off to a good start.

But I was a trooper and got through the entire thing alone. It was at the end when I was reminded of a Dateline (or maybe it was a 60 Minutes) special about drug addicts and their brains' reaction when they were presented with images of drugs. The receptors in their brain went crazy just from looking at images of drug paraphernalia. That’s when it hit me that the brains of P90X athletes must experience the same reaction when they see those glorious words ‘COOL DOWN’ come up on their TV screen. God, I love those words. I think they are now my two favorite words in the English Language

Pinched Nerve

This evening was Shoulders & Arms and I was sailing through pretty well. Then, after my first set of Side, Tri, Rise, I went to lift myself up using my elbow when I suddenly felt the pain of 100 needles stabbing me square in the elbow. Oh . . . my . . . God did that hurt. I simply could not believe the pain. I could swear that I was just bitten by a poisonous snake and the venom was searing through my arm. Luckily, this happened to the arm that I just finished and I was able to do the next side with no trouble. But the pain was still there when it was time to do the second set of Side, Tri, Rises. Even with the pain, I did 20 on the painful side and 30 on the non-painful side. Since Tony said, "If anybody at home does 26, I'm comin' to your house" I just had to do it. We'll be expecting you Tony!!!

I have got to be cheating with these Side, Tri, Rises. I don't find them challenging at all. I feel like I can do them all day long. I must be using my obliques to pull me up. Is that possible? Can I cheat on these? I'm watching the folks on the video and we all know how strong they are. They look like they are working hard and I'm barely exerting myself. I MUST be cheating.

Fifteen minutes after the work-out was complete my elbow still hurt and my pinkie finger was completely numb. That was the strangest sensation. I don't want to experience that again anytime soon.