Svelte, Sexy, Strong

I know as an RNL reader you’re busy and I’m guessing not the type to get stuck in a boring workout rut. If you’re looking for something quick, fun and convenient, I may have just the solution you need.

I recently bought and tried Kristin McGee’s Strong, Sexy, Svelte, Sweat. I will break it down section by section. (I will preface my review with a reminder that I have taught group fitness for over a decade and am AFAA certified.)

Strong:

This is a 25 minute yoga workout with weights to tone it up and tone you will. This section includes weighted yoga burpees, which honestly made me feel like I was going out pass out the first time i did them. It gave me a great total body workout, I worked up a good sweat and was wore out at the end of just 25 minutes. Kristin brings variety and some really hard (and fun) new moves to the table with this section. This is a great go to quick workout if you’re in a hurry. It also makes a well rounded workout if you add cardio!! This section gets an A!

Sexy:

This is Kristin’s 25 minute Pilates workout. I think it’s a great abs workout and it hits the problem areas around the thighs as well. I usually add 30-45 minutes of solid cardio and use this to add a bit of toning on an off day fromm weights. I would caution that if you’re a Pilates buff, this may not quite do it for you. It’s also great in a quick pinch or could be added to most workouts if you were really trying to zero in on some killer abs. I think this would be a perfect DVD if you’ve never done Pilates, but wanted to try it before attending live classes. This section gets a sold B+

Svelte:

This is Kristin’s 25 minute yoga workout and sadly the weakest component of the series, in my opinion. I will say I love yoga and fall into an intermediate/advanced category, so I tried to be very impartial, but maybe that swayed my opinion?? I feel she moves too fast to be completely safe and some of the benefit is lost through her speediness. Typically, I would say this series could be great for beginners, but with her speed, injury is my concern. I think if you’ve done some yoga and have good awareness of safety in your workouts, you will be just fine. All in all I give this section about a C.

Bonus sweat:

This is a 5 minute cardio section that you can do in your living room. It will help you work up a light sweat but I would caution you to wear shoes. The impact was a bit much for me without shoes. Brutal honesty….It is a bit cheesy, but will get the job done if you have an extra 5 minutes. You could probably burn the same calories taking the stairs, parking a bit further than normal, and/or grabbing a co-worker and walking around the block at lunch. Again I’d say a C and probably would’ve been best left out of the series.

Overall, I think this DVD is well worth the price! I got mine here.  Kristin is a very pleasant and knowledgeable instructor. The DVD is easy to use anywhere, no equipment is needed and it’ll help keep you in shape, especially if you’re really busy or travel often. It won’t replace your gym but will be a nice change from time to time!!

Melissa Schollaert is a Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor and founder of Real Nutritious Living. Helping others achieve their health goals to attain their healthiest, happiest life is her greatest ambition.