exercise dvd’s

Full and Fulfilled

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Is it over yet?

Thanksgivinghanukahchristmas…new years!

Three down and one to go.

Okay, I don’t need to get to Bah Humbug, it’s been a fun and full month week.

The last six days were spent in West Virginia full of family, sleeping in, and endless hours in the kitchen creating delicious meals and treats.

We kicked it off with our annual pirogi dinner at my momma’s.

The dough was flying!

Dozens of potato-filled dumplings were made (and devoured!).

The occasion totally called for some zebra print ‘stashes.

And many toasts.

Truly the best part was lots of good QT with my amazing, big, family, especially my three sisters and my brother.

Tate and I returned back home to Charlottesville last night to a 42* house.  Burrrrr.

It was dusk on Christmas eve, I’d started the day with a bloody mary and followed it with some egg nog and a two hour car ride, not exactly a recipe for exercise motivation in my book but I pulled on my sports bra anyway and got moving.

Tate actually joined in for his first ever exercise dvd experience!  By the time the warm up was finished we’d shed a layer of clothing and the house was up to at least 45*.  We completed a 35 minute tabata dvd and both felt great afterward.  Another win for workout dvd’s getting me up and moving!

I hope each of you had a sweet holiday and I wish you an amazing last week of 2013!

p.s. for the full holiday photo album “like” Gracefulfitness on Facebook!

To: You From: Me

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I didn’t set foot outside the house yesterday.

Wait, that’s not exactly true.

I took about 10 steps out the backdoor to take the trash out.

It was just what a December Sunday of “Rain/Freezing Rain” and a tiny hangover called for.

I changed out of my pj’s twice.  First to host a birthday brunch for my dearest Natasha and second to work out.  (the pj’s most definitely went back on between the two)

A big part of my fully-grown personhood (see Am I Grown Up Yet?) was spent as a gym rat but when I moved to Peru in 2009 I broke the habit and now prefer to get my workout anywhere but the gym (unless it’s for a class).  There are a few days a year though when I am really glad that I work at a gorgeous gym half a mile from my house and thus have a membership.  Yesterday was totally one of those days.  And they closed at 2pm because of the ice storm.

While I was looking forward to the motivational energy of the gym, the reason to leave the house, and most definitely the sauna, I was not deterred from getting moving.  My living room is well-equipped for this scenario; I have a few sets of hand weights, therabands, plenty yoga mats, a foam roller, and lots of exercise dvd’s.

I’ve written before about my fondness for exercise dvd’s, they can be such an awesome motivational tool as well as educational (learning new exercises) and time savers (no commute!).

After my living room workout yesterday, which consisted of some Tabata training, mat Pilates, and stretching, I got to thinking that in the holiday gifting spirit I want to give away a few of my exercise dvd’s to someone who could use the extra help getting moving on these dark winter days.

I’ve been adding to my collection for over a dozen years so I culled the shelves and picked out a few great ones to pass on.  I put together two “packages” to gift. 

Package One

Package Two

(somehow I ended up with two of these)

Here’s the deal, if want to get in the running leave a comment saying why you would like to receive one of these two packages and which one you’d prefer.  If you are chosen you have to promise to pass on any dvd’s that you don’t care for or just don’t end up using (you can donate them to your local library or give them to a friend or family member or stranger!).

I will pick two recipients and send out your workouts on December 21st, so you have until then to comment.

Happy Monday!

(Only open to U.S. residents because I’m scared of international shipping costs)