Happy New Year - Workouts for Your Resolution

Happy 2012 to everyone!  I am back from a fantastic 2 week getaway road trip to see family and spend time with my husband.  It is so refreshing to get away and see some new scenery.

Now that I am back at home I see the familiar January scene of neighbors walking in newly purchased athletic apparel and sale signs up at the local gym.  It is the time of year when many people resolve to lose weight, but few follow through for the entire year.

I am a fan of working out at the gym, but on a chilly day like today sometimes it is nice to stay inside and pop in a workout video.  I collect videos so I have choices when I am ready for a workout.  I usually search for them on Amazon because they have better prices then local chain stores.  Since I usually focus on cardio workouts at the gym, I like to do yoga in the quiet of my home.

For yoga I really enjoy Rodney Yee as an instructor.  I use several of his videos that you can find in the shop, and here are a few good ones to start out with.

Yoga for Beginners is a good video to start with if you have never done yoga before.  It teaches you basic poses and the lingo to give you a good base of knowledge for following yoga videos.  I think it is important to do a workout video that is within your range of movement so you can get the most out of the poses.

Another good workout for the beginner is Energy Balance Yoga.  It has five short segments that you can do in sequence or throughout the day.  It is a progression from relaxation to energy and back to relaxation.  It is the video that got me to love yoga as well as the first one I practiced.  I enjoy doing one sequence at random throughout the day when I am feeling stressed out to help regain focus.

For a more challenging workout try Yoga Burn.  This video is based on slow movements repeated several times for a flowing workout.  What I like best about this video is the minimal instruction.  It is easy to follow, and allows you to get into a relaxing zone to optimize the poses.  I did a mini review of this video on the blog that you can check out here.

If you are in the mood for a faster paced workout the Crunch Super Slim Down is a video that I really enjoy.  It is a yoga and pilates blend that you can do via the video or on streaming Netflix if you are a member.  The workout runs 35 minutes so it is quick and easy to fit into your day.  I did a review on the blog, but in a nutshell I love the energy I get from this workout.  Sometimes I feel so good upon completion that I like to do it over again!

Comments are open -- what are your fitness resolutions for 2012 and how will you achieve them?

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