Dancinerate Fitness DVD Review

Dancinerate Fitness DVD

What Is It
Dancinerate is a fitness DVD instructed by Ilyse Baker. Ilyse is known for her in-person dancing fitness classes over in California, so for those of us who can’t quite move states to attend a fitness class, we now have the Dancinerate dance fitness DVD!

The DVD includes two separate workouts. The first workout is the “Sexy Broadway Jazz” which fuses ballet, modern dance, and jazz to work on your upper body and core. The second workout, “Hip Hop Funk” focuses on the legs, lower body, and core through a hip hop routine. Both of those routines are 22 minutes each. Plus, if you want a bit of extra bit of firming and toning, there’s a 5-minute section called “Dancers Abs and Bootylicious Buns”. So if you want to do the full DVD, you’re looking at a 54 minute workout – which is actually pretty standard and definitely achieveable for a lot of different people despite busy schedules.

Dancinerate Fitness DVD

My Opinion
I love exercise classes, but there’s always the issue that they are at specific times and at specific places. When you live in the rural Midwest like I do, that also means that all the unique and amazing fitness classes are nowhere near where I live. That’s why I love it when instructors, like Ilyse Baker, come up with at-home DVD versions of their in-class workouts. This way, I can do things on my own time, in my own home, and I can still get the feeling of working with the instructor like I would in a live class.

The workouts on the Dancinerate DVD are definitely enjoyable! I like both the hip hop and the jazz versions, and I can feel my abs (and how hard they’ve worked!) on the days after when I do the Bonus Ab workout that’s included. The Ab workout is definitely challenging, so if you haven’t been working on your abs, I’d say that it’s definitely possible to get annoyed or not be able to do the workout. However, you can modify the movements based upon your own judgement to make it work best for you.

Dancinerate Fitness DVD

My biggest complaint is that the workout doesn’t have too much cueing and you really don’t “learn” the routine. Instead, Illyse Baker jumps right into the routines without taking time to really “slowly” introduce you to the moves. This means that you should definitely expect to do this DVD at least 2 to 3 times before you really know what you’re doing. Don’t get frustrated in the beginning when it’s slightly confusing. Instead, understand that this will make it easier to do in the future because there won’t be any slow and frustrating “teaching” segments, and instead, you’ll go straight into the full portion of the workout itself. However, it would have been nice if the “Dancinerate” workout DVD had included a small, separate section that slowed down the routines and really helped to teach you the moves. In it’s defense, though, the Hip-Hop Funk one seems ot have a lot more explanation of moves than the Sexy Broadway Jazz segment does.

As a note, though, much like Zumba and other dance classes, once you learn the routines, they are relatively repetitive, so it’s not like it’s a “music video” type of dance. It’s long strings of similar movements that repeat in a fun and easy-to-do way that will get your heartrate raised without being too frustrating.

Dancinerate Fitness DVD

I also found myself wishing that Ilyse Baker had chosen to provide a “lower intensity” version of the moves as well. For some people, a lot of the jumping and hopping is going to be pretty hard on the joints and the heart. I’d have loved to have seen one of the three instructors provide a lower-intensity workout that would have been suitable for those who were pretty out of shape.

As for how well it works, Dancinerate DEFINITELY raised my heartrate! I was sweating by the time I was done with the DVD – every single time I did it. When I really wanted a higher impact workout, I went with the Sexy Broadway Jazz since there’s a lot more hops and larger movements, but I felt more “cool” (though I’m sure I didn’t look that way) doing the Hip Hop Funk workout. On the days where I had a ton of time, I would do the entire DVD. No matter what I chose to do, I was definately ready for a shower by the time I was done.

Dancinerate Fitness DVD

Pros
The Dancinerate workout DVD does exactly what it promises – it raises my heartrate and provides a good cardio workout while still being realy fun and enjoyable! Plus, I can choose two different workouts depending on the day and how I feel.

Cons
Dancinerate definitely has a learning curve. Expect to need to do the DVD a couple times before you’re going to be able to really keep up with the moves.

Recommended
If you tend to get frustrated easily, you’ll definitely want to understand in advance that Dancinerate will require a bit of a learning curve. However, once you learn how to do it, the DVD is fun and enjoyable, and it really provides a good workout!

Buy It
The Dancinerate DVD is available directly from the Ilyse Baker website as well as available for purchase anywhere where workout DVDs are sold.

Giveaway: Air Walker Bounce Castle Giveaway!

Air Walker Bounce Castle Giveaway
Hosted By: So Sew Mama
Sponsored by: Blast Zone

There are certain toys and outdoor things that most children want to have. For me, it was totally a Bounce Castle! I always wanted one, so when the local carnival would be in town or when we’d go to any other amusement parks, I would beeline straight to the bounce house. NOW I’m co-hosting an opportunity for you to be able to WIN one of your own! Imagine that your children will be able to play in this safe, fun outdoor house anytime they want!

This is what So Sew Mama had to say:

  ”BLAST ZONE” are one of the best brands on the market. First off, they are American made. The second thing is, you need to decide is what features you want like Balls, slides, hoops or whatever features you think you want. We love that it is extremely vibrant and bright. You can tell by the look on my kids faces that they love it.

 

I would definitely recommend this castle to all families.

Buy It: Amazon for $199

Enter for your chance to win an Air Walker Bounce Castle!
Giveaway open to US residents 18+ only
All entries are optional but will increase your odds of winning.
May 20- June 14
There is a Mandatory email entry, all of the rest will increase your odds of winning.
Good Luck!

Giveaway: Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

What Is It
Plastic Place is a website that sells wholesale trash bags. They also sell paper products such as toilet tissue, facial tissues, foam cups, and paper towels. When you want to buy in bulk to help you save money on your household supplies, purchasing from Plastic Place will help you keep down your costs.

For review, Plastic Place sent me some of their HarmonyX Drawstring Bags. These drawstring bags come in standard household sizes such as 13 gallon bags, 33 gallon bags, and 39 gallon bags. These bags are 3-ply, and they are black on the outside and colored white on the inside. Along with that, the HarmonyX Drawstring Bags come in a self-dispensing tube that make it easier to access your garbage bags.

Plus, for people like myself who like to be concerned about the environment, the HarmonyX Drawstring Bags are made out of 50% recycled material. That’s definitely a nice way to not have to feel so bad about using garbage bags. Plus, for those who are worried about odors, HarmonyX trash bags also contain Microban which helps prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria.

Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

My Opinion
The HarmonyX Trash Bags have been fantastic for garbage. They fit the garbage really well into it, and when I pick it up, I’ve had no issues with the garbage bag tearing (which is something I’m always worried about). Along with that, I’ve had absolutely no issue with the drawstring straps tearing or falling off. They always have held strong and put the opening of the bag shut tight so I can easily take out the garbage. Plus, I love the fact that the inside of the trashbag is white. It’s a minor thing, but it really makes the garbage can look much more respectable and much less like “Oh. Here’s the garbage”. So I love that aspect too. Plus, the bag looks dark and black on the outside which gives it more of the appearance of the heavy-duty trash bags that I’m used to.

I like the packaging that the HarmonyX Trash Bags come in, too. The tube it comes in won’t stack too well in your cupboard, but instead, it has a unique self-dispensing aspect to it. Much like what I’d expect from a tissue box when I grab a tissue, the tube of garbage bags always makes it easy to grab a garbage bag, and it starts to pull the next bag free after I pull the one bag, so it’s usually very simple to get out a garbage bag. My only complaint about the packaging is that it’s hard to get open at first, and it’s hard to pull out the first bag. The perforated cardboard doesn’t give way nearly as easily as it should, and the first bag isn’t “primed” up to be easily pulled out. It does take some patience to get the first bag out of there.

I can’t say I noticed too much of a difference in the scent of my garbage. To be fair, though, I don’t really have anything that smells that bad in the first place, so garbage smells were never really a huge problem. So despite using these, I really can’t comment too much about whether they help inhibit odors.

Pros
The HarmonyX Garbage bags did a good job of holding my garbage. They look much nicer than my previous garbage bags, and the drawstring ends up holding the bag together really well. Plus, the container that dispenses them ends up dispensing them really nicely.

Cons
The containers can be very, very difficult to open and get the first bag out. Once you get that part done, though, the bags come out really smoothly.

Recommended
If you want strong, well-holding trash bags that also are two-tone in color to give your garbage can a more respectable appearance, the HarmonyX Drawstring trash bags are definitely ones that you can depend on.

Buy It
Plastic Place has a variety of trash bags and other plastics bags that you can use in your household. This includes Mattress Bags, Zip Bags, Medical Waste bags, and more, so if you need plastic items for your household, feel free to look them up to meet your needs.

WIN IT:

Plastic Place has generously offered to send a tube of HarmonyX Drawstring trash can bags to one lucky winner! To enter, simply complete the form below (one entry per person, per method). Info collected will only be used to verify the winning entry and contact the winner. This giveaway will close on June 5th at 11:59pm EST. The contest is open to readers in the US only.

One winner will be picked randomly through Rafflecopter and I will contact them via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with mailing address or another winner will be chosen.

Click on the “Read More” tag below to enter the giveaway if you are viewing from the home page.

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No-Shampoo Hair Update!

One Week of No Shampoo

So, I’m sure you guys are definitely curious how my “No Shampoo Journey” is going. I meant to update you guys around one week, but I’ve been busy with various posts and topics (such as Richard Mille RM011 Watches for Sale). It’s been about two weeks now , so I’ve definitely had some time to figure out how some of the changes are going to go. So, definitely some thoughts about this:

1) The “transition period” between shampoo and not using shampoo is not nearly as bad as most people make it sound. Yes, your hair is going to get greasy faster, but using your baking soda shampoo mixture will clean it up pretty well. Really, my hair looks just as great as it does with a shampoo as it does with a baking soda mixture. I really can’t even tell the difference, and I sometimes admire myself in the mirror because it’s just SO weird that I’m not using shampoo yet my hair still looks light and fluffy. It takes some time to learn how to get all of the baking soda into the right places and how to rinse it out well too, though, so expect a bit of a transition there too.

2) I’m still part-way in the transition period. You think about your hair getting more oil as you cut out shampoo, but I’m surprised to find that my face feels more oily as well. I’ve been taking care to spend extra time washing my face to avoid any intense break-outs, but my skin hasn’t felt this oily while using shampoo before. I think the “correction” my body is trying to do with the overproduction of oil on my scalp is also changing the production of oil on my face. That wouldn’t surprise me at all. I expect this to go away within a month or so.

3) I’m not sure if it’s because I’m still in “transition” or not, but using the Apple Cidar Vinegar conditioner actually makes my hair feel really oily and greasy, and I’m careful about only using a bit on the ends. I’ve just been avoiding using any conditioner on my hair thus far, and it feels a whole lot better than it was feeling. I actually had some friends touch my hair when it had the vinegar in it, and they said that it “looked clean, but felt really oily when they touched it”, so that was all I needed to discontinue using the Apple Cidar Vinegar for the moment.

4) My hair still isn’t 100% transitioned, but I do notice small improvements. Where I used to only be able to go about a day between washes (more like 18 hours), I now can go pretty well with about 36 hours before it starts to look more greasy. It’s not a huge improvement yet (though I suppose doubling my previous capability should probably be considered an improvement), but it’s definitely a lot better. I’ve read about people who can go about 4-5 days without their hair looking greasy, and I look forward to those days!

5) It’s WEIRD to wash your hair without the latering sudsy-ness of shampoo. That’s the weirdest part. It can feel a bit rough on your hands at the time, especially compared to lathering, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly. The lathering makes your hands glide over the strands of hair, but without the lather, you really get to “know” the natural texture of your hair while you’re applying the baking soda shampoo mixture. It’s pretty neat. For those wondering how to know when you’ve put on enough baking soda mixture on your hair, there’s a “noticable” change in how your hair feels. The hair starts to feel slightly more slick when you have enough baking soda applied. Once you get used to the lather-less washing and when you pay attention, it’s pretty easy to notice the change in sensation once it’s coated in baking soda.

6) My hair feels a lot thicker than it used to feel. It definitely feels thicker in a ponytail as well. This is odd considering that it used to feel thinner. But it feels especially thicker in the morning before I brush it out. If you’re someone that always wants more volume/body in your hair, this could be awesome. I really could “take it or leave it”, but I’m glad I can see some different changes in my hair.

7) My hair has more tangles straight out of the shower, BUT it dries a whole lot faster than it used to. The tangles are partially because I’m being a lot more conscious about scrubbing my scalp and getting the baking soda directly into the scalp skin. The tangles aren’t too hard to brush out though, and I’ve noticed that my hair feels much “lighter” too. It doesn’t feel like it’s heavy and weighing down with the water like it used to.

8) Dandruff. I was dealing with dandruff before I started the “nopoo” routine, and after about a week of the baking soda, I’m happy to report that it’s almost ALL gone. Before I’d use dandruff shampoo, but after a couple days of not using that, the dandruff would be right back. WIth the baking soda, it seems to be pretty much all gone. I still notice a couple specks once in awhile, but a scalp is a scalp, and it makes sense that I’d lose a bit of skin sometimes. (Or it’s baking soda I accidentally didn’t rinse off. That too)

One Week of No Shampoo

So, definitely making some progress! Just thought I’d keep you guys update on the progress with my “No Shampoo” transition. It’s taking time, but it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it’d be. In fact, the most annoying part, really, is having to mix the shampoo mixture ahead of time. Aside from that ( I need a larger baking soda bottle and a different delivery system, but I’m still working out the kinks), though, it’s really not nearly as much of a pain as I thought it’d be. I thought I’d be making a “sacrifice” to go natural, but honeslty, aside from a slight bit more time that it takes, I have absolutely no complaints.