Arriving on DVD this week from ACORN MEDIA is Shiva Rea Meditations, featuring over 100 minutes of medications to mix & match with Shiva Rea's Matrix. These practices are a great way to rejuvenate the mind and body.

Shiva Rea is considered "one of the world's greatest yoga masters" according to Vanity Fair. Her newest DVD release, Shiva Rea: Meditations, is a collection of meditations from several of her award-winning DVDs. From the Greek Island to the New Mexico's White Sands National Park, Shiva instructs you on how to have a calm oasis, where you can leave all the stress and worries in your life behind, so your body can restore itself.

The practices on the DVD can be viewed separately or you can select as many of the practices as you want, creating your own Matrix. You can also choose the pre-set practices.

The practices on this single disc are:

No, I didn't forget about my second installment of the RumbleRoller post/review. My time has been limited today, so I'm just now getting around to writing this. Hop on over here, to read yesterday's review.

RumbleRoller has some exciting new products from their Beastie Series. What is exactly is a Beastie? Well, the Beastie Series is an expansion of the RumbleRoller, but only more intense, versatile, portable and affordable.

The products sent to me for this review are the Beastie Original (clear) and X-Firm (green) massage balls plus bases, the Beastie Hook and the Beastie Bar + Stand!


Yes, there are other massage balls on the market, but they are either too big, too small, too hard, too soft, too absorbent, too shallow, too crowded or too sparse. The Beastie ball is meant to solve all those problems by providing the correct bump spacing and flexion. Plus, it won't absorb sweat and it won't ever change its shape. It is latex-free and phthalate-free. There are two sizes available - Original and X-Firm. The ball comes with a detachable base, which can be screwed on a wall or attached to the Beastie Wall System (No, I didn't get to review that item).

At first glance the Beastie Hook looks like a back scratchier, but it is much more than that, as it is meant to help you reach those hard to reach spots, like your back, shoulders and neck. All you have to do is snap in a Beastie Ball into the Beastie Hook's end loop. The multiple bumps on the Beastie can give you the perfect back massage.

It seems everyone is on the go these days with school, work and everyday things, including exercising, and the worst thing that can happen to you is some sort of injury. For instance, every time I get in a good workout routine, I either pull a muscle in my lower back, shoulder or knee, which it isn't a good thing.

Yes, I could go to a chiropractors, but they cost money and it's not guarantee that the injury will not reoccur in the near future. Luckily, there are products you can use at home to help with simple muscular pain.

Gold's Gym Foam Roller VS RumbleRoller

I reached out to the RumbleRoller company about reviewing their RumbleRoller foam roller. You might have heard of this foam roller before as it is used in Beachbody's P90X2 workout program. I recall seeing the foam roller in one of the P90X2 infomercials a few years ago and I went out and bought a cheap version at my local Walmart, which you can see by the comparison photo, the one I bought is a bit bulky and a little short. Yes, it did help my back, but it is awkward to use. Plus, it is easily damaged.

I was sent the Full-Size Original RumbleRoller (blue), which features firm (but flexible) bumps on the roller's surface. The roller is simple to use, as all you have to do is position your back, arms or legs over the roller and as you roller over it, the bumps knead your body and stretches the muscles. It is almost like having your own personal massage therapist, except you don't have to make an appointment.

There are many different exercises you can use with the RumbleRoller. There are a few free exercises at http://www.rumbleroller.com/foam-roller-exercises.html, or you can purchase Jeff Alexander's SMR Tips RumbleRoller & RR BeastieBlu-ray DVD, which I was sent a free copy with my RumbleRoller and Beastie products (look for my Beastie review tomorrow). Jeff Alexander gives ten to fifteen minute tips on ten different areas of the body, such as the quads, hamstrings and gluts.

Dance Fit Extreme
4 DVD Fat-Blasting Workout Collection
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Retail: $14.99
ASIN: B00E96AYUM
Running Time: 2hrs 1min
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Many people will want to work off those unwanted holiday pounds in January and there is no better time than now to get ready for it. Mill Creek Entertainment recently released 4 fast-blasting workouts titled Dance Fit Extreme featuring Fit Dance Jam, Hip-Hop Unleashed, Let's Salsa Dance Workout and Tease Workout.

I wouldn't ever consider Fit Dance Jam as actually dancing as for me it is more of a light Tae Bo workout. It's mostly a kickboxing workout with bad camera angles, running at 29 minutes. It’s not the best workout in the world, but I would recommend it for beginners.

Let's Salsa Dance Workout is a 38 minute of twisting your hips and abs and contains very little dancing. The dance instructor doesn't exactly instruct anything. You won't learn how to dance, but you can work up a sweat. Plus, your abs will be sore the next morning.

Hip-Hop Unleashed is a poor version Shawn T's Hip Hop Abs. The dance instructor tries her best, but the other participants don't know how to follow direction. It's the best workout, but it can be fun.

YOGA for Strength & Energy 
Studio: Acorn Media
Release Date: November 20, 2012
ASIN: B005GYXO76
Run Time: 57 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Memorial Day officially kicks off the start of summer (though the actual first day of summer is June 21). For those of us who still haven't worked off those unwanted winter pounds, this means we'll have to try to work off those extra pounds with gardening, mowing the yard, going on hikes, etc. Last year, I started a high intensity workout program, which resulted in some knee pains and a strained back. Therefore, I have been looking into workouts that will help me fix those troubled areas.

Recently, I had a chance to review the Yoga for Strength & Energy from Acorn Media, who sent me a free copy in exchange for my honest review. The yoga workout is instructed by a Canyon Ranch instructor consisting of two full workouts, a cool down, and a bonus stretch workout, which are intended to increase your strength; help you stretch, tone and sculpt your body, all while you burn calories and build muscles.

The workouts on this DVD are:

After having a few back strains from doing high intensity exercises, I started looking into alternative workouts, such as yoga. I've never been the biggest the fan of yoga, mostly because I'm inflexible, but I did a few downward dog routines and it helped my back.

For the past month, I have been trying out the new workout program called DDP Yoga, which I received free of charge in exchange for my honest thoughts. I received the workout kit fairly quickly by USPS, which contained four DVDs in two cardboard sleeves, a reference wall chart featuring all the basic moves, and a fitness guide book.

DDP Yoga was created by the former WCW and WWF wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, famous for his finishing Diamond Cutter move. He suffered from many wrestling injures, which would normally result in a wrestler retiring, but instead he tried doing yoga and got back into fighting shape. Now, he has created a 13-week program to help others get into shape.

The workouts included in this program are:

Exhale: Core Fusion Barre Basics for Beginners
Instructors: Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito
Studio: Acorn Media
ASIN: B00BEZECEA
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Run Time 70 minutes, plus turtorials
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

My New Year's Resolution is to have a new me by the end of the year, which involves exercising. I'm not the most flexible person thanks to my lower back and knee problems, which has led me to try out new workouts. Most recently I've been trying out the Exhale: Core Fusion Barre Basics for Beginners, which I received an advanced complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was already aware of other Barre workout programs that are targeted for ballets and dancers, which I'm neither as I'm unbalanced, but the "for beginners" in the workout title caught my attention and I thought I would give it a try.

Core Fusion was created by the husband and wife team of Fred DeVito and Elizabeth Halfpapp and they also own the Exhale mind body spas. Don't let the word Barre fool you as this DVD is aimed for anyone, even the non-athletics like me.

Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp
Studio: Acorn Media (Acacia)
Release Date: March 5, 2013
ASIN: B00BEZEFM4
Running Time: Approx. 90 min.
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

You may wonder why a man would be reviewing a workout intended for women. Well, I have lower-back problems, so I thought I would try out a workout that targets the gluteus maximus muscle. There aren't a whole lot of workout DVDs aimed for men, unless you count the high intensity ones, which aren't good for my back. Acacia nicely sent me a free copy of Kenya Moore" Booty Boot Camp in exchange for my honest review. Kenya Moore is a former Miss USA and is currently on the reality program The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which I have never watched before. Actually, I've never heard of Kenya before this workout DVD.

The workout DVD consist of a warm-up, a level 1 workout, a level 2 workout, a level 3 workout, a short cool-down, and a cool-down with additional ab-flattening workout. You don't have to play all the workouts straight through, as you can easily use the menu to pick out which ones you want to try out for the day. No weights are needed, but you do need to use a rug or yoga mat for the floor work.

Despite what the title suggests Kenya isn’t the instructor here, though she does take over for a few routines. The real instructor is Nikki Veal who teaches simple moves that are suppose to shrink your waist, define your abs and give you a butt lift.

Biggest Loser: Calorie Knockout
Extreme Cardio For Maximum Burn
Workout Instructors: Bob Harper, Anna Kournikova and Dolvett Quince
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: December 6, 2011
ASIN: B005N8KPD6
Run Time: Approx. 61 minutes

Review:

I have nearly an arsenal of Tae Bo workout DVDs, but I like to mix things up and try something different, leading me to buy the Biggest Loser: Calorie Knockout on eBay. I've seen the occasional episode of the series, but I have never tried any of the workout DVDs, until now. The workout instructors are Bob Harper, Anna Kournikova and Dolvett Quince. The warm-up and cool-down are both short at five minutes. Each circuit is about fifteen minutes.

Circuit #1 is instructed by Anna Kournikova as she slowly takes you through a cardio-sculpt style workout with a little bit of Tae Bo thrown in. You do need some light dumbbells for the exercises. This is more of a warm-up than the actual warm-up. I was never aware that Anna was ever on the Biggest Loser. She may be easy on the eyes, but she isn't the best instructor.

Being a night owl, I happened to catch the infomercial for the 90 days home workout called TapouT XT: Extreme Training. Since I have slowly gotten myself back into an exercise routine, I became interested in this cardio intense workout program.

TapouT XT was created by Mike Karpenko and uses MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) style workouts to help you lose weight and build muscle over the 90 days schedule. The workouts are not meant to teach you any actually fighting or self-defense moves as they are meant to help you tone up.

The basic kit arrived fairly quickly by UPS in a black box with the TapouT logo printed on the packaging tape. The kit consist of the Strike Training DVD; a cardboard slip case to store the workout DVD cases; the twelve workouts on twelve DVDS; the 90 days workout schedule; the 48 pages Food Plan & Nutritional Guide; the twelve page 10-Day Slim Down Guide; the extreme resistance band; the leg training band; a TapouT XT sticker; and a TapouT XT towel. There are two DVDs in each slim case, helping you to save space and they are also easy to travel with.

The workouts range from 40 to 53 minutes, except for Buns and Guns XT that is 31 minutes and Ultimate Abs XT at 15 minutes.

The workouts are:

Cross Core Combat - This is the first workout on the schedule and it is not an easy one. I was covered with sweat by the end of the workout.

If you are just like me, then you've probably made a few New Year's Resolutions. One of the most poplar resolution craze is fitness, due the fact that all the department stores have exercise equipment and accessories on sale, and let’s face it; you'll probably have some guilt over eating that extra piece of fudge at Christmas.

Instead of waiting until after New Year's Day to start a new exercise routine, I wanted to start a new workout program, so I wouldn't have to be feel any guilt about indulging in a few cups of egg nog. I'm a night owl, which means I have seen countless infomercials, where I happen to catch the George St-Pierre's RUSHFIT 8 week- workout program advertisement. Yes, I know that there are many fitness infomercials out there, but RUSHFIT caught my eye as it didn't require any other equipment other than dumbbells (2 lbs - 25lbs), which I already own.

I received the workout program by UPS within a week, packaged in a cardboard box with the RUSHFIT logo printed on it containing the five DVD workouts (Full Body Strength & Conditioning; Abdominal Strength & Core Conditioning; The Fight Conditioning Workout; Strength & Endurance Workout; and the Explosive Power Training), the bonus DVD workouts (Balance & Agility and Stretching For Flexibility), the cardboard box case, 3 workout programs (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced), the Nutrition Guide, and the Workout Guide.

I've enjoyed doing Tae Bo for about two years now and I was excited to buy the PT 24/7 from an eBay store seller last year, which I paid around $55 for it new. It came in a nice packaging box and in it was the two gloves, bands, velcro foot straps, a workout calendar, a diet guide book, and the 7 30 minute DVD workouts.

The workouts are:

Basics

Cardio

Combo Sculpt

Ripped Core

Unplanned, and at the last minute, I hopped over to my local Walmart. For some odd reason I glanced at the fitness section and there staring back at me was Billy Blanks. Not the real one. LOL. He was on the front cover of what I thought was the new DVD, which actually it was a cardboard box containing the new Taebo Power DVD and a pair of adjustable weighted gloves. I had to laugh and inspected the box as I had just ordered a pair of Everlast weighted gloves from an Ebay seller the night before. I glanced at the price and it was under $17 which wasn't bad considering that one exercise DVD cost at least $9, but this had the gloves. I was already aware that Tae Bo Power was being released, along with Cardio Explosion, on December 6. I'm not for sure if Walmart released this DVD early, or if the DVD/Glove set came out recently. It doesn't matter as I now have a new workout.