EmpowerMoms

New Year, New You! Bundle for only $35.00
Save 50% ON OUR BIGGEST POST HOLIDAY SALE EVER!

Sale begins January 1st – January 7th!

You can buy it here:
http://store.walkathome.com/product/new-year-new-you-bundle?product_id=WA233

BIG Miles Inside or Outdoors!

A $70 Value for only $35! That’s 50% OFF!

Walk at Home is proud to announce the New Year, New You bundle. Kick your motivation into high gear this new year and walk your way to a new you!

1: Walk to the Beat MP4 Player

Take our pre-loaded MP4 player outside and walk to the beat of 21 songs (7 miles total) that you know and love! These songs are engineered at the perfect pace for fitness walking. Mix and match your favorite songs to jumpstart your motivation. This MP4 player also come preloaded with three 5 Minute Mini Walks that play right on the screen!

2: 3 Mile Walk and Firm DVD

The 3 Mile Walk and Firm program combines walking with strength training to help tone your muscles and increase the calories you burn.
Full 3 mile session is approx. 48 min

As an added bonus: Three 5-minute mini walks! Perfect to give yourself a short metabolism boost.

3: Fitness Gloves

Enjoy a more comfortable workout! These Walk at Home fitness gloves can be used to protect your hands while using bands, tubes and all resistance type fitness accessories. With these gloves, your fingernails won’t press into your hands and resistance bands won’t press into your skin.

You can buy it here:
http://store.walkathome.com/product/new-year-new-you-bundle?product_id=WA233

I’ve read a couple other books by this author which I loved so I guess I had high expectations for this story as well. I felt it was slow at parts and somewhat hard to follow because it went back and forth between modern day characters and characters from the late 1940s. The story line and characters all tied together in the end but it was still hard to follow alot of the time.

There were alot of misunderstandings, jealousy, and bad family dynamics with all the characters young and old. It ended on a happy note but overall I felt like the story was depressing and not very positive. I had a hard time finishing it, but I did for this review.

I loved the description of the wedding chapel and what it represented though.

This is considered a christian fiction, but there is mention of “lovemaking” between married and unmarried characters through out this book so it wouldn’t be suitable for young adult readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
For sixty years, a wedding chapel sat silent, waiting for love. But times have changed and the hour has come when it just might be too late.

Retired hall-of-fame football coach Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook never imagined anything would come of his labor of love—the wedding chapel he built for Collette Greer, the woman he fell for back in ’49. But now an offer has come to turn the chapel into what it was meant to be—a place for love—and Jimmy sees no reason to hang onto his dream any longer.

Photographer Taylor Branson is trying to make a life for herself in New York. Leaving her hometown of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, she put a lot of things behind her, including her family’s abysmal marriage rate. But love surprises her when she falls head-over-heels for Jack Forester, a top ad man. Their whirlwind romance results in an elopement, and a mountain of doubt. Jack, while genuine in his love for Taylor, can never seem to overcome his own demons to find the words of his heart.

When Taylor takes an assignment in Heart’s Bend, the job does more than send her back to her hometown, but into a world of family secrets buried beneath the sands of time.

When Taylor’s journey intersects with Coach’s, they rediscover the heartbeat of their dreams and that the love they long to hold is right in front of them. And worth every waiting moment.

About the author:
Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets.

You can purchase a copy here:

Is sixty years too long to wait for love? Two stories of romance, one in 1949 and one in the modern day, meet in Rachel Hauck’s The Wedding Chapel. When Taylor Branson takes an assignment in Heart’s Bend, the job does more than send her back to her hometown, but into a world of family secrets buried beneath the sands of time. When Taylor’s journey intersects with Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook’s, they rediscover the heartbeat of their dreams and that the love they long to hold is right in front of them. And worth every waiting moment.

Join Rachel in celebrating the release of The Wedding Chapel by entering to win a copy and a $100 cash card—perfect for finishing up your Christmas gift shopping!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of The Wedding Chapel
• A $100 cash card

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on December 31st. The winner will be announced January 4th on Rachel’s blog.

This is my review of the brand new Jessica Smith Walk Strong (4) dvd set that was released on Amazon this month.

She will be starting a free challenge this coming Monday January 4th using this exact set and her 6 week calendar. More info on her challenge can be found here: http://walkonwalkstrong.com/

This is what the calendar looks like. I like getting calendars because it helps me stay on track with my workouts and I especially like that the calendar tells you what disc the workout can be found on! For example, day 1 is Cardio Party which is on D1 (disc 1) and day 2 is Total Body Training which is on D3 (disc 3).

This is disc 1 Menu.
Jessica Smith’s welcome message is 7:43 mins and explains that her program is meant to be a lifestyle transformation, not a diet or quick fix program.

She states that this DVD set is for all levels and shows low impact and modifications, and is a mix of workout styles. All the workouts are 30 mins each and all are used during the 6 week calendar rotation.

Jessica then goes through each workout in this set showing mini clips and talking about each one.

EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED FOR THESE WORKOUTS:

*Lighter set of dumbbells for the shoulders, arms, and upper back area.

*Heavy set of dumbbells for the legs, chest and back area.

*If you don’t have any weights you can use (2) 16oz water bottles which equal 1 pound each.

*Mat or Towel to work out on.

*Sturdy high back chair with no arms.

*Hand Towel.

The cast is the same in this dvd set. Beth shows more advanced exercises and Debbie shows modifications and easier exercises. Jessica alternates between the two but mostly does intermediate movements.

All the workouts begin with a motivational quote picked by Jessica; followed by the list of equipment needed for that specific workout.

All the workouts have a 30 minute timer that is displayed on the bottom right during the entire workout.

All the workouts have a couple minute warm up and couple minute cool down and stretch.

In all my reviews I like to mention the full workout time, and whether the movements are standing or on the floor for those that have issues with doing floor exercises or who have issues getting up and down.

Workout 1/Disc 1
“Cardio Party”
30:50
Equipment: NONE

This is the only workout that has more than 3 cast members. You do movements like hamstring curls, side to side v steps, skaters and speed bag arms. I wish the music was louder in this one-I felt like I could barely hear it. But it was a fun, group workout!

Workout 2/Disc 1
“Interval Mix”
31:05
Equipment: Sturdy Chair

There are 4 round of intervals. There is a little bell that sounds so you know when to do a faster cardio pace and then you have 30 seconds of a movement using the chair, like mountain climbers. Beth does not use the chair-she uses the floor which makes it harder.

I definitely felt some tension in my shoulders after this workout because of using the chair for intervals; but after some stretching and water, they felt fine.

Disc 2 Menu


Workout 3/Disc 2
360 Abs
31:15
Equipment: (1) single light dumbbell (no more than 5 lbs) I personally used 3 lbs. during this workout.

For the first several minutes of this workout, Jessica did boxing type movements like jab/cross/knee, which I really enjoyed!

From 23:35-29:24 you are on the floor for some exercises.

Workout 4/Disc 2
Brain Fitness Fun
31:10
Equipment: NONE

The beginning part of this workout reminds me of her other workout called “Brain Booster” from her 5 fat burning miles dvd. The whole workout is not a repeat, but I did recognize some of the exercises. You will definitely have to think and concentrate during this workout, so I would suggest doing it when its quiet with no kids around. I felt like some of the exercises were a little complicated with doing both leg and arm movements, so sometimes I did just the leg movements.

I liked that all through out this workout, there were brain booster tips and quotes by Dr. Pasinski on the bottom of the screen that you could read while exercising.

Not one of my favorite workouts because I had to concentrate so much on it, but still good!

Workout 5/Disc 2
Barefoot Fusion Sculpt
31:20
Equipment: 1 set of light dumbbells and bare feet.

You begin by using the dumbbells after the warm up at 6:30 and continue using them non stop through 26:55. Most of the movements are flowing, ballet type inspired.

I would guess that Jessica and cast are using 1-3 pound dumbbells during this workout. At the end she does some Tai Cheng style movements.

Disc 3 Menu

This is an example of one of the quotes shown before a workout. I love that she added these!

Workout 6/Disc 3
Total Body Training
31:15
Equipment: 1 set of light dumbbells and 1 set of heavy dumbbells

You begin by using the dumbbells at 3:55 and stop using them at 24:50. You alternate between light and heavy weights through out this workout depending on what exercises she is doing. Debbie just uses 1 set of light weights the entire time. I am guessing that Jessica uses 5 or 8 pounds for her heavy weight but I’m not sure.

You will be working out on the floor, on your knees and back, starting at 20:10 through the end of the workout.

Workout 7/Disc 3
Upper Body Strength
30:45
Equipment: 1 set of light dumbbells and 1 set of heavy dumbbells

You begin by using the dumbbells at 3:30 and stop using them at 20:20. You alternate between light and heavy weights through out this workout depending on what exercises she is doing. Debbie just uses 1 set of light weights the entire time. I am guessing that Jessica uses 5 or 8 pounds for her heavy weight but I’m not sure.

You will be working out on the floor, on your knees and back, starting at 17:55 through 29:05.

Workout 8/Disc 3
Lower Body Sculpt
31:30
Equipment: 1 set of light dumbbells, 1 set of heavy dumbbells and chair

You begin by using the dumbbells at 4:36 and stop using them at 20:15. You alternate between light and heavy weights through out this workout depending on what exercises she is doing. Debbie just uses 1 set of light weights the entire time. I am guessing that Jessica uses 5 or 8 pounds for her heavy weight but I’m not sure. You also will use the chair though out this workout as well.

You will be working out on the floor, on your knees and back AND using the chair, starting at 20:15 through 27:50.

Disc 4 Menu

Workout 9/Disc 4
Dynamic Stretch
31:10
Equipment: Hand Towel or Yoga strap and Bare feet

This is a great stretch using the hand towel though out this entire workout. You will be getting on the floor at 15:10 and remaining there until the end of the workout.

Workout 10/Disc 4
Prehab Routine
34:50
Equipment: Chair, Hand Towel and Bare feet

You use the hand towel and chair though out this entire workout. You will be getting on the floor at 17:12 though 28:10. This workout is completely different from the Dynamic stretch but both would be great to use during active recovery days.

I like that they show body facts on the screen off and on during this workout.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed this set! My favorite workouts were the 360 Abs, Total Body Training, Upper Body Strength, and Lower Body Sculpt.

Out of the 10 workouts: 2 workouts are stretching, 5 workouts use dumbbells, and 3 workouts are cardio with no weights.

Because this set uses cardio during all 8 workouts, the dumbbells used would never be more than 5 or 8 pounds otherwise you could injure yourself with the faster pace of the workouts.

I would consider this set a good mixture of cardio and strength training, but if you are looking for a strength training workout to increase your weights and lift heavy-this workout would not be for you.

I am looking forward to starting this 6 week challenge with Jessica Smith and a couple of my friends next week.

According to the 6 week calendar, you exercise 6 days a week with 1 rest day being on Sunday.
1 day a week would be a stretching workout.
On week 1 there are 2 cardio days and 3 strength training days.
On week 2 there is 1 cardio day and 4 strength training days.
On week 3 there are 2 cardio days and 3 strength training days.
On week 4 there is 1 cardio day and 4 strength training days.
On week 5 there are 2 cardio days and 3 strength training days.
On week 6 there are 3 cardio days and 2 strength training days.

I was given a complimentary copy of this DVD set in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

You can purchase a copy from Amazon here:

To read more about this program, you can read my blog post here:
http://empowermoms.net/2015/12/walk-strong-6-week-total-transformation-system-by-jessica-smith-new-order-now.html:

You can purchase a copy of the dvd here:

More info about the Walk Strong program is here:
http://walkonwalkstrong.com/

Tired of the Christmas shopping, the baking and sugar overload, the Christmas festivities that keep you away from your family during the season? Take time special time to spend with your loved ones and invest in your community—with Focus on the Family’s help!

You can download a fun gift to give to your friends, family, and community! Each Christmas stocking stuffer card directs you to a special place to hear an Adventures in Odyssey Christmas episode. Plus, you’ll be able to read a special excerpt from Imagination Station #12, “Danger on a Silent Night.” Sign up here to download the free cards.

Plus stop by this page for a slew of crafts, recipes, and stories to share with your family during this special time of year!

 

If you’re still looking for one last gift to give your kids this year, give the gift of the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family, including an Advent calendar, a broadcast download with tips to create a memorable Christmas, AIO cutouts, and Christmas stocking stuffer cards. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:

• Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
• On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
• 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
• A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
• A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.

To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.