Coming Soon: ChaLEAN Extreme Workout Review

So Santa didn't bring me the ChaLEAN Extreme Workout I hoped for (even though I had it on my Amazon Wish List) so I hopped on Ebay and voila -- in 3-5 days I'll have the DVD set. The main reason I really want to try them (vs. just using the P90X set that I already have) is because each DVD is less than 45 minutes long. I'm struggling to find the 60+ minutes to complete each P90X video.

Here's the lowdown on the ChaLEAN Extreme Workout:

Burn Basics (22 minutes)
Burn Circuit 1 (36 minutes)
Burn Circuit 2 (38 minutes)
Burn Circuit 3 (32 minutes)

Push Circuit 1 (33 minutes)
Push Circuit 2 (35 minutes)
Push Circuit 3 (35 minutes)

Lean Circuit 1 (45 minutes)
Lean Circuit 2 (39 minutes)
Lean Circuit 3 (38 minutes)

Burn It Off (27 minutes)
Recharge (21 minutes)
Burn Intervals (46 minutes)

Ab Burner (10 minutes)
Extreme Abs (16 minutes)

Now these times are much more doable. Stay tuned for a review. I can't wait to try them out!! Let me know if you've tried them and what you think.

My Favorite Quick Workout -- 25s

As the holidays quickly approach and the days get darker and colder, my motivation for working out is dwindling. It happens every year around this time -- the battle to keep the holiday weight gain at bay. More and more cookies, sweets and other calorie-laden items magically appear at work. Everyone is in the giving spirit, which includes fattening foods!

Normally I spend the early morning hours fitting in a quick workout. That quick workout seems to get shorter and shorter, between trying to wrap gifts, get holiday cards addressed and mailed, plus all of the normal chores (dishes, laundry, etc.)

What's a Fit Mom to do? Personally, I like to do something I call "25s." It's short, simple and gets the job done. Here's how it goes:

Do 25 reps of the following exercises:

• Squats
• Dips
• Bicycle (essentially an elbow to knee cross crunch)
• Lunges
• Push-ups
• Crunches
• Shoulder push-ups (position yourself so the push-up is working your shoulders vs. your chest)

Workouts:
How To Do A Shoulder Push-Up To Strengthen Your Upper Body

If you're feeling inspired, you can go through this set of exercises again for another 25 reps. Trust me, you'll feel it the next day.

Have any quick, effective workouts that you swear by? I'd love to hear all about it.

Product Review: The Bar Method DVDs

As you may remember, a few weeks ago I ordered two DVDs for The Bar Method -- Accelerated Workout and Change Your Body. I tried them out over the past week and they're pretty good.

Essentially, the workouts are a combination of yoga, pilates and ballet. There are lots of small movements using your own body weight, as well as isometrics. Some exercises also use free weights.

Here's a quick pro and con list:

Pro
- Felt like a good workout, some parts were quite challenging and I even broke a sweat (sometimes hard to come by with DVDs)

- Good instructions and ways to modify certain exercises

Con
- Both DVDs are nearly a full hour (54 and 56 minutes), which I didn't realize (was hoping for 40-45 minutes)

- Could get boring if you use the DVDs every day (but I think that could happen with any exercise video)

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. I plan on including them in my exercise rotation. Although I have been slacking lately. With the holidays approaching, I find that my morning exercise routine has been replaced with wrapping and organizing gifts.

During Black Friday I picked up another workout DVD (I think it's an illness - LOL!) It's a 10-Minute Solutions DVD with a variety of cardio workouts. Stay tuned for a review once I've gotten through it.

Have any of your own workout DVD recommendations? I'm always looking for new ones to add to my collection.

Note: Visit www.barmethod.com to purchase both DVDs for $30.