Food, Exercise and Politics

This week I made a few discoveries and re-discoveries - Greek yogurt, public radio podcasts, pilates video podcasts and home exercise videos by Crunch. 

Greek Yogurt

Mmm... I tried this yogurt by Fage USA on a whim. Jen mentioned this once. This morning after my 6 a.m. walk at the high school, I went to Kroger to get food for breakfast and lunch. I saw the yogurt 

and thought I'd tried it out. 

I bought the honey and yogurt package because I'm a sucker for anything sweet and I wasn't sure how I would like the yogurt. I figured at the very least I could cover the taste with honey. 

When I opened the package, I was a bit hesitant. It smelled similar to cream cheese and it was very thick. Brave as I am, I forged ahead and tried it. It is really tasty stuff! It's thick, creamy, sweet and good for you. This is definitely going to become a staple in my food choices.

Pilates on Fifth, Pilates Digest and YOGAmazing

If you have iTunes you have to check out the podcasts and video podcasts available. Those things are a goldmine for free information. Of course, finding a reputable podcast is important. You don't want to listen to or watch a show with a host who doesn't know what they're talking about.

That said, I've found that Pilates on Fifth, Pilates Digest and especially YOGAmazing are helpful. 

Pilates on Fifth and Pilates Digest give you snippet videos of individual moves you can do. If you download these, you should already have an understanding of pilates. It's a really nice way to learn some moves, write them down and then put them all together. What I really like about podcasts on iTunes is that you can easily download the older episodes. You might want to do that with the Pilates podcasts because they are such short segments - about 2 minutes long.

YOGAmazing is a program shown on the Lifestyle Channel. You can get the free podcast videos on iTunes or you can get them at the Web site. What I like about this one is that it's about 25 minutes and it's an entire routine that the host, Chaz, does with you. He explains what the moves are, why they are important and alternatives to them if you are not there yet or if they are painful for your body.

Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and Cardio Dance Blast

I love the Crunch brand. If Crunch had a studio in Michigan, I would be a member. Or at least tour. I'm sure it'd be hella expensive. 

My favorite work out by Crunch is Fat Burning Pilates. The tape provided my first experience with pilates, which I am a huge fan of. Unfortunately, I only have Fat Burning Pilates on VHS and I am without a VCR. Instead of buying a new DVD, I've been content with other work out videos I have. I've re-discovered two - Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and Cardio Dance Blast.

The videos don't teach you how to truly dance. It's not as if I'm expecting to pull off a complicated dance routine because I have these videos. They're just fun and similar to step aerobics, only not as boring and without the platforms. It's like DDR that way - a series of steps taken in a rythmic pattern to a nice beat. 

Although they don't teach you any new moves, the videos are fun and a good work out. The instructors are all smiles and overly enthusiastic, but they are so in a fun way. The instructors explain the steps to the dances several times and slowly. Both videos are about 45 minutes long and a good work out when you can't make it to the gym.

Left, Right & Center

I'd forgotten how much I love podcasts. When podcasts were the new hip thing, I immediately went online to learn more about them and downloaded a ton. A couple of years later, I had forgotten about them. 

I'm not sure what prompted me to browse the podcasts on iTunes this weekend, but I'm glad I did.

I've discovered that I have a real love for Left, Right & Center, a talk radio show on KCRW. The show is all about politics - from the left, right and center points of view. I really like that about the show. The show doesn't lean one way or the other, instead the personalities on the show are obvious about which way they lean and then they debate in a civil, but interesting and often humorous way.

The show doesn't have much to do with my blog theme of embracing change, but I couldn't ignore the little voice in my head begging me to share this with someone.

So there you are. My recommendations - food, exercise and politics.