Dance Fitness by Jessica

I'm a Mom.  And as a Mom, I always have way too many things to do, than I have time to do them!  Fitness is a priority in my life and I am always looking for ways to squeeze in exercise.  One of my Mom groups on Facebook was discussing this very topic and several Moms recommended Dance Fitness by Jessica videos on Youtube.  I love dance and so I checked out the videos.  They are approximately 4-5 minutes each, just the length of one radio song, and there are several available.  They each have over one hundred thousand views!  Each routine is a combination of dance, zumba moves, and calisthetics like squats.  The first one I tried was to “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry.  In the Dark Horse routine you do deep squats, abdominal rolls, kicks, and more squats.  By three minutes in I could feel my heart pumping and my thighs were definitely feeling it.  Aside from “Dark Horse,” I also like “Fireball" by Pitbull and “Na Na” by Trey Songz.  I’m hooked!  Just 3 of Jessica’s videos give my legs a decent workout in approximately 15 minutes.  They are fun to do and I haven’t become bored of them.  I highly recommend trying them out.  You can view them on Jessica’s Youtube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/FitnesswithJessica.  You can follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Dancefitnesswithjessica and she has a workout DVD available on Amazon.com.


This post is not endorsed by Dance Fitness by Jessica or Jessica Bass in any way.  This is an independent review.


-Michelle

Buff Butter

Peanut butter is one of my loves!  

I eat a lot of it, and blame it on the fact that I do so because I lift weights haha!  High protein and high fat yields a bittersweet debate in my head, but I just can't help it.  Once the spoon hits the jar, there's no stopping me at 2 tablespoons!  To change up my intake, I ordered Buff Butter!  The variety pack arrived, I couldn't just open one, so that day, and every day following, my routine included taking out 4 teaspoons, and unscrewing all 4 lids of all 4 flavors.  I had to sample them all to decide which I liked best!  Chocolate chip was my favorite, then Cranberry Coconut, Cinnamon Raisin, and then Snickerdoodle.  Protein packed treats are always welcome in my cupboard! 

www.buffbake.com

-Erin

*All Buff Bake items mentioned above were personally purchased and not sponsored by the company.

First Julep Box Review

3/24 Julep Box Product Review

I ordered my first Julep box on Monday, March 17.  I normally wouldn’t order nail products but the first box was free with the option to cancel any time thereafter, so I figured why not?  I wanted to see what all the hype was about!  It arrived in less than a week and was wrapped extra adorably.  It was like getting a present in the mail for no occasion and what’s better than that?!

Supposedly there are $40.00 of products in every Julep box.  Each box after your first free one costs $20.00.  My box had 2 nail polishes, Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum, and two tiny square smoothing boards.  The polishes were a metallic silver called Stevie and a navy blue color called Michelle.  Both of the colors are nice looking and I liked them.  My first impression was that I was glad I had not spent $20 on it and it does not seem to be a $40.00 value.  However, I was open minded. 

The polishes went on smoothly and seem to be good quality.  I was happy with them.  Still not sure if the whole box was worth the price tag but it was fun to get a surprise.  The Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum are used twice a day for two weeks and then once a week for “maintenance” according to the box.  I will post an update of The Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum after using it for two weeks so be sure to check back! 

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Update! The Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum did work.  My nails were moisturized and my cuticles did look better.  To be honest I am not sure if it was from the Serum or if any moisturizer used regularly for two weeks would have done the same thing.  I will say that it is amazingly easy and fast to apply though.  I loved that it was instantly absorbed.   I won' t be purchasing Julep's Might Nail and Cuticle Serum again but I will enjoy the product until it runs out.

I purchased this beauty box for my own use.  This review is not endorsed by Julep or any other company.

-Michelle

Sieze The Day and Try Ballet

This morning I seized the day! Carpe diem!  I took an adult ballet class today!  I love all types of dance but ballet is probably my favorite.  Did you know that ballet is the foundation of all dance and furthermore, many athletes take ballet classes?  From an athletic standpoint, ballet helps with strength, flexibility, and body awareness.  Conversely, from a personal growth view, ballet also helps with poise, grace, and memory.  

I haven't taken a ballet class since I graduated high school *ahem* ten years ago (ok, really 14 but don't tell!) and I have always wanted to do back.  Today I did.  It was awesome!  Sure, I had fun and loved the dancing, but my hip flexors and thighs are still shaking from exertion over an hour later.  

If you have never taken a ballet class then you should know that they are all basically consist of the same things.  First, there is a warm up with exercises completed at the barre.  These exercises not only warm up your muscles but work your flexibility.  The barre work increases in difficulty as the class progresses and works your leg muscles to lengthen and stretch them. After the barre work there will be dance steps in the center of the room.  Turns and jumps are usually practiced next,  Finally there will be a combination of steps and jumps set to music.  The combination will be several stanzas long and challenges a dancers memory too.  

Even if you aren't graceful, or don't feel graceful, ballet is a good workout.  I recommend trying it if you never have.  Step out of your comfort zone!

-Michelle