Shape Up in 2012! Kristin McGee 4 DVD Review and Giveaway - Yoga and Pilates ($60 value)

One of my New Year's resolutions is to find an exercise program I can stick with in Winter. Luckily, I met Kristin McGee online, where she is @thebendigirl on Twitter, and she was kind enough to send me four of her outstanding dvds to check out. I've been doing yoga for years and more recently got into Pilates, so these are perfect to warm up the New England chill and get me moving!

Since she sent me the dvds, I've been working out with them and it's not hard at all to stick with the routines since I enjoy them. I do feel more limber and especially feel stronger in my core. They give me a great workout and I love Kristin's friendly and encouraging manner.

Kristin has been a Yoga and Pilates instructor since 1996, and has provided special Yoga classes for athletes who participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah.  Kristin also choreographed and starred in MTV's first Yoga video as well as MTV's Power Yoga and MTV's Pilates videos. Her warm and fresh approach has made her a favorite for celebrity clients and she has been featured as a fitness expert on the CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, NBC's Today Show, CNN Headline News and Fox News. She is currently a Contributing Editor for Health Magazine and also Fila's Yoga Ambassador.

So, let's get to the DVD's. First of all is BENDIGIRL YOGA. Kristin developed this method to help everyone feel stronger and more alive and it's based on the belief that exercise can be fun and enjoyable when integrated into our lives.

 From the website: Bendigirl is a unique fusion approach to exercise, as well as a philosophy that embraces change, growth and positivity. Using several methods including yoga, pilates, and strength training, it offers greater benefits and a more efficient workout. It also acknowledges that your needs are different depending on your fitness level, phase in life, or even the day.

The Bendigirl Yoga dvd is yoga for kids done by kids with Kristin and is great if you want to get your children involved. It's also a workout that anyone can do. Boys, girls, adults...

Frome the website: Bendigirl Yoga is designed not only to get girls in shape, but also to build their confidence and create positive habits that will last a lifetime. With a modern, pop soundtrack featuring all original music, Bendigirl Yoga brings energy and fun to an exercise form that kids (and their mothers) might otherwise consider too boring to take up. McGee's ability to instruct without condescending helps make this a workout that young women can embrace as their own. 

My take: This is a fun and not too difficult yoga dvd that is very upbeat. It has routines that are easy to learn and there are fun partner poses. Get your kids involved or do it yourself!

The second dvd is POWER YOGA. This is more advanced and for those who perhaps already have been practicing yoga and want to take it to another level. I feel Kristin gives you an accessible workout that will strengthen and challenge you while uniting mind, breath and body. This one will hopefully help me get in bikini shape by next season ;). Kristin's flexibility, positivity and uplifiting encouragement is inspiring. The dvd has a really nice floor routine as well.




Next up is one of my favorites - YOGATONE presented by Kristin McGee and FILA. I find the direction, photography, and production values somewhat more interesting in this one and really like the background music by Tom Rossi. Kristin uses 5 lb weights in this workout, but what you decide to use is really up to you and the level you are at. The combination of yoga postures and strength training seems to work really well for me. It keeps me intrigued: calming my mind, working my core, challenging my balance, providing cardio and helping my body to become stronger and leaner. Yoga classes wouldn't work out for me right now and I love that I can do these at home and even increase the challenge over time.


And, my favorite of all is WEIGHT LOSS PILATES. I think it's because Pilates is my latest passion. It's funny how so many of the Pilates moves seem completely natural to me and some I've even done before I ever knew they were Pilates exercises.

I love this video for the great routines which provide amazing core work, cardio and strengthening. I'm not doing it for the weight loss, but if that is a side benefit, that's fine too! Kristin has some wonderful warm-ups and cool-downs as well to ease you in and out of the workouts. There are exercises you can do on the go and I often find myself doing some of them when waiting for something to cook on the stove, or waiting in line at the grocery store. I can feel my abs and my core getting stronger and it feels really good. Also, as a bonus with this DVD, you will get a booklet from Cooking Light with tips and recipes for a healthy lifestyle. 

So, my New Year is off to a great start because when I work out and do exercise I enjoy,  I find I feel much better in mind, body and spirit. As I do the Pilates, Yoga and tone, somehow it's easier to rebound from life's little curve balls and stay flexible. And Kristin is the epitome of flexible. I'm so glad to have met her.

Kristin is also very generous and has offered a reader of Strange Daze Indeed the same set of videos I received. You will get a set of 4 dvds:

1) Bendigirl Yoga
2) Power Yoga
3) Yoga Tone and
4) Weight Loss Pilates

so that you also can stay fit no matter what the season! The videos are also all available at Kristin's online shop and at Amazon.com.

Just use the friendly Rafflecopter to enter.


Some helpful links to connect with Kristin:

Her website
Her blog
Kristin's Facebook
Kristin's Twitter



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent product to review from the sponsor but all opinions herein are my own.