FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Move it at Home: Yoga to the Rescue

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:30:00 -0700

I love exercise DVDs from Acacia, and I recently checked out a new one called Yoga to the Rescue with Desiree Rumbaugh. This is a gentle yoga practice, specifically designed for people with injuries or physical ailments, hence the rescuing.

If you ever have pain in your neck, back, shoulder, knees, or wrists, this DVD will show you simple yoga techniques to work with those areas to find relief. I'm not saying that medical treatment isn't necessary, but often giving the painful area the attention it needs, will help in the healing process.

Desiree shows you exercises to stretch and strengthen your neck if you have pain from daily activities such as driving and staring at a computer. She'll also teach you shoulder stretches to promote healing in shoulder injuries like rotator cuff tears, relieve tightness from stress, and shift imbalances due to overuse of your dominant hand. Since lower back pain is so common, she also focuses on yoga poses to strengthen your abdominals and stretch the muscles by the spine that tend to become super tight.

This DVD is all about teaching you techniques to alleviate pain - not to cause it. All the poses focus on bringing attention and healing energy to your neck, shoulders, back, wrists, hips, and knees.

Desiree's energy is bright and enthusiastic. She teaches all the poses with calmness and awareness of your total body. I definitely recommend this DVD for beginners or those with common aches and pains. Buy it through Acacia for $14.99.

Move It at Home: the Bollywood Dance Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:45:00 -0700

I love Bollywood music and I love dancing so I was super excited to try the Bollywood Dance Workout that I found on the Acacia website. I have to say it was pretty fun and it got me moving, though the program and instruction are fairly loose. There's not a lot of explanation of the movements or the routine. Unencumbered by details of the dance, you start moving and you stay moving. The entire DVD builds up to a free form dance jam at the end of the 50ish minute workout. You learned the moves now you get to put them to practice.

The Bollywood Dance Workout is playful and it is fun, exactly what a dance workout should be. Since you are dancing in the privacy of your own living room there is no one to mock you if you look silly, except maybe your cat or dog.

The workout is more in the high impact aerobic vein than anything I have done recently and if you have knee issues this might not be for you. There is a lot of deep knee bending and squats in the dance portion. The DVD does include a nice warm-up and a yoga inspired cool down, though.

This DVD definitely inspired me to dance and I want to see if I can find some classes on Indian Dance in my area, or maybe even a Bollywood style exercise class. If you are looking to get more world dance moves into your boogie vocabulary, you should check this DVD out.

Buy it from Acacia for $14.99. Try it before you buy and put it on your Netflix queue.

Acacia: Supports the Happy Healthy You

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:15:00 -0800

While searching for fitness DVDs online, I found Acacia - it's a wonderful source for beautiful and natural products that relax and rejuvenate.

They have distinctive creations for the body, spirit, and home - for inspiration, well-being, and for a more healthy and balanced life.

You can find unique clothing, footwear, beauty supplies, jewelry, and books. But really - they have an exceptional DVD collection that's pretty reasonably priced.

I found some great videos on Pilates, Yoga, Dance, and Prenatal fitness. Each video is around $20, which seems fairly reasonable, considering I usually see them for a lot more.

Fit's Tips: Want to give the gift of health and wellness? You can buy Acacia gift certificates online, so your friend can choose from a whole array of spiritual items that support a healthy and peaceful lifestyle. This might even make great Valentine's Day gift for your loved ones.