Get your Shazzy on!

When I was at the Allume conference back in October, I had the privilege of meeting some of the great folks at Shazzy Fitness, a fun Christian hip-hop dance and fitness program.

I was so excited to bring home one of the workout dvds to do some fun and wholesome fitness with my kiddos!

We have the A Time to Dance video, and had a lot of fun trying to figure out the moves and dance together. With Christian hip hop music as the formation of the workout, I never had to worry that the lyrics were inappropriate for my children. There are two workouts included on the dvd, as well as a bonus workout, an intro from the trainers, and more explanation on some of the moves. We had a great time laughing and exercising together, for sure!

Aside from the Christian foundation and music, what I also appreciated about this program was the personal approach from the instructors.  When I met some of them at Allume, I was so impressed with how friendly they were, wanting to establish relationships with people instead of just push their products.  You will see this same kind of approach shown on the video, through their personal introductions and stories.  I am confident that if I contacted them with questions, I'd be sure to hear back with a personal reply, and I greatly appreciate that.

The only thing that I wish was different about these videos is the speed of the workouts.  If you are uncoordinated like me, or have small children following along, it would be nice to see the workouts done first at half the speed, then pick up the pace and be done at regular speed.  These move FAST!  But as long as you keep your body moving and putting in effort, you still will be sweating and burning calories in the end, even if you can't keep up with the moves as well as you wish you could.

So, go check out my new friends at Shazzy Fitness today, and pick up a copy of one of the workouts to have fun with in your own home.  The dvd I have, A Time to Dance, is for sale right now too for a limited time!  Don't miss out, and have fun gettin' your Shazzy on! :)

Book Review - The Financially Confident Woman

Whew. I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged! Obviously, the holidays are a busy time of the year, as well as a difficult time of the year for our family now. Plus, my kids have been off school and I haven't had much time to be on the computer with them in tow. So instead, I've had a lot of time to just let my thoughts and ideas whirl around. As a result, I've now got some great goals as 2015 begins, and some exciting things coming soon on this blog! Stay tuned for that...

In the meantime, I've got some review posts coming up to share with you. The first one is on a very informative book called The Financially Confident Woman, by Mary Hunt.

This book was originally published in 1996, but has been updated and recently republished.   Mary Hunt has a successful website and a daily newspaper column, and has included many of her tips for being a good financial steward in this informative and helpful book. Topics in this book include a practical plan for giving, saving, budgeting, and staying out of debt, as well as tips for spending wisely, planning for emergencies, and learning about how investments work. There are many practical tips for spending less and saving more, and there is a six week action plan included to take immediate steps in changing the reader's financial future when the book has been completed.

Hunt states, "This is not a book about how to get more money.  It's about how to become financially confident by learning how to manage what you already have."   Women, in particular, can sometimes leave the work of securing their financial future to their husbands, and it is important that women also know how to use finances wisely.  Hunt has seen the need for this and responded to it in a big way that I believe, offers a thorough answer to many modern women's questions.   This is a not a book about blending finances together in marriage and making that work, but about an overall financial awareness.

I know that I benefited from reading this book and learned more about the way I should steward the money God has given me.  I believe many women would be blessed by this book and I would encourage any women, but particularly singles, to read it.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book, The Financially Confident Woman, from Revell Publishing, in exchange for my honest views.