You Asked... Rip 60 Program

     Recently on the Turbo Fit Facebook page I asked what you were most interested in hearing about right now. I've got 4 weeks until baby boy is born which means 4 weeks or less for me to get in all the posts you are really wanting to hear about now. One follower asked me what I knew about the Rip-60 program and I'm not gonna lie, I'd never heard of it before. That being said, I don't know any real people who have tried it so I don't know what the real world results of the actual program are, but I can give you my professional assessment of the program based on what they are claiming. I have a massive list of programs I want to do once this baby is born and I'm cleared for exercise (though I have to admit, it's SO hard to wait for that clearance!). I'm going to have to add Rip-60 to that list and then I can give you a different perspective on how the program works.

     The first thing I noticed as I got onto the website was the Jillian Michaels was on there. I have to tell you that at that point I was trying really hard not to have a negative opinion about the program haha. Perhaps I shouldn't mention this, but I'm not a fan of Jillian Michaels. I've read some of her books and I've watched her quite a bit on multiple fitness shows and I think she's pretty fake and that because something worked for her to get her out of her obese adolescence, it should work for everyone and that if you don't do it her way, you're wrong. Fortunately, she's not the creator of this program so the fact that she's on it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I have read some articles, however, stating that her kettlebell workouts do not use proper technique and that people have gotten hurt following her kettlebell workouts so I would strongly advise you to look up proper technique on the kettlebell exercises that she leads before fully participating in those exercises.

     Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest about Jillian, I need to address the claims that it's better than P90X and Insanity. Rip-60 claims that you lose more weight, build more endurance, and blah blah blah. I'm not gonna lie, whether these claims are true or not, it has nothing to do with the "betterness" (is that a word? it is now haha) of the program. It's different than P90X and Insanity so of course you're going to get different (not necessarily better) results. Each program focuses differently on those aspects and so results will be different (again, not necessarily better). No matter what program you peruse, time and effort are key parts that no program can force you to do at any level. It's going to be all about the time you put into it and the effort you put into it. Also, different programs are going to have different amounts of strength, endurance, and cardio training. If a program is weighted more towards cardio (programs like Insanity) then yes, you will lose more weight with that program. If it is more weighted towards strength training, then chances are you're going to lose less weight, and build more muscle. (Though to be fair, a small change with the numbers on the scale can be misleading - you're building muscle, so the fat loss that occurs isn't going to show up as dramatically on the scale because you are gaining more muscle mass.) They all increase strength, they all help you reduce body fat, and they all increase endurance, so really, you can't go wrong. My personal opinion is that all three of these programs are going to be great, you just have to figure out which one you will like the most and that you will stick with.

     Having not done the program myself or knowing anyone that has, from outside appearances this program seems great and you'll be happy with your results, though I have no real testimony from anyone to back this up. Again, if you're putting the effort in that you should, almost any program is going to be great. As long as the meal plans are balanced and realistic, those are great tools in the program to help you get the body you want. Be wary though of supplements and meal replacements. If you are eating a healthy, balanced diet, you do NOT need meal replacements OR supplements! Once you have the body you want, you need to find a way to maintain it. If you can't continue going on at the pace you were during the program, you need at least to keep it as part of your routine at whatever level you can and keep eating healthy. The reason people revert back to their old bodies is because they revert back to their old ways. Keep eating healthy, keep exercising, and your results will last. Have fun, enjoy, and if you have any experience with Rip-60 please share in a comment below!

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Super Fit Mama

     In my quest to stay in tip top shape while pregnant I did A LOT of searching for some good fitness books for pregnant women. I have to say, there's a lot of crazy stuff out there than is not helpful at all. I visited a few book stores and I was not able to find ANYTHING that I found helpful at all. I came home quite discouraged and hoped on Amazon praying that I'd be able to find something there and I did! I found this amazing book by Tracey Mallett with tons of great workouts for every trimester and even for that 6 week period after the baby to help tighten those abs back up.
     What I love about these workouts is that they are still challenging while keeping in mind your new pregnant body. I hated looking at books with these simple workouts that were not challenging and that made you feel like you were in a nursing home rather than trying to keep your awesome body in shape while creating another human being at the same time.
     Tracey talks about pelvic floor disorders and diastasis recti (the separation of the abs that can occur in some women during their pregnancy) and has notes throughout her workouts on modifications for women who have these issues so that they can continue to workout safely.
     Just to give you an idea of what's in store, she has a chapter on each trimester including workouts, a chapter for the first six weeks postpartum (during this time you should not be doing real exercise programs, however Tracey's little ab routine is perfectly safe for those postpartum weeks and will especially help moms with diastasis recti to heal during that time), the 7-19 week postpartum phase where you can finally begin a normal workout routine again, eating for two, and baby workouts on the go (which I'm very excited to try out!). She even has a chapter devoted to helping moms learn to eat for one again and she's got great recipes for healthy foods and snacks.
     I will definitely be using this book more to help me stay in shape and to help pull my abs back in after this cute little boy is born! I would suggest that you all take a look at this book and you can find it here at the Turbo Fit Store!

Turbo Jam

So I'd heard a lot about the Turbo Jam workout from BeachBody and I wanted to try it for myself. I love to kickbox and I knew that's mostly what it was but I was a little scared of the "dancy" part of it I'd heard about. I am no dancer by any means. I'm really glad I bought this program anyway, the dancing is no big deal and it is SO much fun! Chalene Johnson is so cute and so fun and she's really good at motivating you to keep it up.
The first workout on the DVD is the "Learn and Burn." Doing this workout first is so important because she describes and has you practice the moves she uses most. There are 11 moves she takes you through and then there is a 16 minute workout combining all of the things you learned. I love that there is a "Learn and Burn" segment on the DVD because it really makes for a near flawless transition into the workouts she has. A lot of programs never describe how to do the moves and it takes several times through the workout before you start to get the hang of things. I felt like I could do anything Chalene asked of me, when she asked me to do it. I didn't have to stop and watch a few times before attempting the move myself. I loved that! I could have a seamless workout with no pauses to learn the moves.
The 20-Minute Workout, Turbo Sculpt, Cardio Party, and Ab Jam are all a lot of fun and Chalene does a great job of helping you to hang in there and see the workout through. She's also scheduled in water breaks through the cardio workouts which is great. I always feel like I need some water to keep my throat from getting too dry when I breathe heavily after something like that.
You can buy this program directly from BeachBody complete with a workout schedule, meal plans, and a few other neat things or you can buy just the DVDs for less at the Turbo Fit Store. I have the workout plans I can post if any of you would like to buy the DVDs only.
Try this program out, it's tons of fun, guaranteed to make you sweat and shed the pounds!

Leslie Sansone's 5 Day Slim Down

I bought this DVD somewhat ashamed… I was a little worried my hubby would make fun of me for doing an old lady workout video (so far he has not said a thing) but I really needed more ways to stay in shape while being confined to the house. We recently moved to Henderson, NV and when it’s 110 degrees outside at 9 in the morning, you can’t really do much out there which took away all of my cardio options. I got sick of my Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD because it had a ton of lunges and that really bothered my knees and my lower back so I was finding more and more reasons not to do it anymore.

I trained for a ½ marathon with a really good friend of mine from January until May in Utah. As you know, Utah is cold and snowy in the winter so some days we weren’t able to actually go running because we were taking our babies with us in jogging strollers and we didn’t want to subject the babies to that. Instead, my friend bought one of Leslie Sansone’s DVDs and we would do 4 miles right there in her living room. This particular DVD had faster paced miles on it but the 5 Day Slim Down is what I have right now and I faithfully do this workout every day. Sometimes if I don’t wake up earlier enough to beat my little girl awake, I only do 1 mile but most days I do two or three in a row so I end up doing each mile several times per week. The first mile is what she calls a “Classic Mile.” It’s a lot like what her Walk Away the Pounds series is like. Day two is an arm sculpting mile, day three is legs, day four is abs (yes you can work your abs while walking) and day 5 is a faster mile.

There are a few places where Leslie doesn’t cue things right or she’s a little bit off and she has a habit of telling you “only __ more!” and going way past that but really, once you do the mile a few times you come to anticipate those places where she doesn’t cue great and it’s fine. Sometimes I don’t even have to listen to her anymore because I know exactly what’s coming and when based on the music that’s playing. Leslie is really fun and inspiring and she really motivates you to keep it up. Some videos (*ahem* Biggest Loser…) kind of yell at you to keep moving your fat butt and so on but she’s not like that at all. She’s very pleasant to listen to. I never thought I’d work up a sweat while doing a walking video but I do every time! I love the low impact nature of it because my knees and my back don’t do too well anymore with too much high impact and it’s a lot of fun to do! I love every video of hers I’ve tried so far so I’m sure you can’t go wrong with one of her workouts! Check them all out!

The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises

     I bought this book while student teaching at a high school hoping that it would give me some good ideas for my weight training classes as well as my toning and sculpting classes and I love it! The book is broken down into chapters based on muscle groups so it's easier to search for specific exercises. For example, if I want to work out my legs I head to the two chapters devoted to different parts of my legs. The different exercises have a basic move and then pictures and descriptions for variations to make moves easier, harder, or just a little different to work your muscle a little differently. I've even been able to make my own variations based on what they show me. All pictures are in full color with really easy to understand descriptions of how the exercise is done. Some exercises require equipment and some use body weight. Either way the exercises are amazing and I've even found ways to get around having some of the equipment. Each chapter has a ton of exercises so you never feel like there's only one way to work a muscle. With each different exercise and all its variations you'll never get bored!
     Also included in the book are ready-made workouts such as "The Bikini-Ready Workout" "The Skinny Jeans Workout" and "The Best Body-Weight Workouts." I've followed several of the workouts and have been very pleased with my results. I felt more tight after a few workouts, and more toned after a week or two. Besides workouts, there are some tips on nutrition, cardio workouts, and a chapter devoted to answering your weight lifting questions. I've thoroughly enjoyed having this book and I know my workouts have been a lot better planned out and balanced with the help of this amazing book!
     Check this book out at the Turbo Fit Store!