Hip Hop Abs: A Fun and Satisfying Workout

After giving three births within four years, my body was not in the best physical shape it used to be, and rightly so. My abdomen had become looser, and excess skin was bulging out. At the time, I had membership to a fitness club, but with my kids it was always hard to make out time to hit the gym. I had no body to watch them when my husband and I wanted to go, and I didn’t always feel energized to go to the gym either.

Then one day, I heard about Yoga Booty Ballet from Beach Body. I heard of it in an infomercial on how the dance series, particularly the Hip Hop Abs installment, could help you “be strong, be centered, and be beautiful.” I though why don’t I try that. Before then I had never purchased any exercise video because I was very skeptical about its success or it just never appealed to me enough for me to want to purchase.

I am glad I purchased the Yoga Booty Ballet series. For about forty bucks, I got several DVDs along with a Goddess Guide to the series. It is well worth my money and my time. You pay more than that in maybe a month of gym membership. I could work out many times using the dance videos, and if I choose I never have to visit a gym again.

I must say that I have not been disappointed in the Yoga Booty Ballet’s Hip Hop Abs, along with the Cardio Cabaret and other training sessions. I have not used all the different videos, but I have been satisfied with the Hip Hop Abs.Occasionally, I go to the gym with my husband, but for the most part I find myself wanting to workout in the comfort of my own home.

Interestingly, my kids get into it too. When I put the video on in our living room, they all run to me to exercise with me. The live drumming and the motivational nature of the sessions are among the things that make this program great for me. I love the way Gillian Marloth and Teigh McDonough, the fitness experts, encourage you to do your best. The pace is great; you are not rushed to every step of the session. As I work out, I never feel that I’m just watching a video. Rather I feel as though I am in there in the workout studio with them.

The title Hip Hop Abs I feel is a bit of misnomer, because this particular session does not just work your abs. As a classroom teacher, there are days when I come home feeling really beat up because I had been standing up all day. My back would ache and my spine would feel sore. But as soon as I pop in my Hip Hop Abs video and work out, I feel completely renewed. The session combines jazz, hip hop dances, and yoga in the routine to work on the entire body. The Cardio and the floor part when we use the squishy ball and mat really help me strengthen my back and relieve the aches and pains. It combines Yoga with dances to sculptor your entire body.

At the end of the 36 minutes workout, a mantra is silently said to complete the workout. I love that. They encourage you to love yourself, trust yourself, and respect your unique self. It might sound a little cheesy, but I find that very encouraging and a reminder that we each need to nourish our inner spirit by also keeping our body well. I definitely would recommend Hip Hop Abs to anyone who wants to have fun building his or her body physically and spiritually.