Friday, October 28, 2005

Party People Throw Your Hands in Da Air!

Dang! Now that was a party! We just wrapped up filming on 4 new titles for all the Turbo Party People and let me tell you... we had a flippin' riot! As usual, no need to hold "Hollywood" type auditions for these workouts... I just asked a few of the folks who do TJ with me every week, put the music on and start the party. It's real..with the craziness, free style and fun loving sweat drippin, hip pumpin', club thumpin', fist pounding energy that had even the camera crew off their feet and doing the workout when they were supposed to be filming (really!).

Here's Mindy and the newly blonde Holly (who changes hair color more often than most of us change the sheets!)


4 new titles...

1. Totally Tubular Turbo - Sculpting with weights and Tubing (resistence bands)
Approximately 30 min.


2. Kick, Punch and Jam - Pure Cardio plus Capoeira. This workout is very intense, but a bit less dancy (well except that yours truly can't help to shake a little here and there!). This one is a butt kicker, but the approximately 50 plus minutes really do fly by. In fact one of the cast members asked me when we finished "Wasn't that supposed to be at least 50 minutes", I said, "It was!". She replied, "Dang. That flew by!"
Approx. 53 min.

3. Fat Blaster - an interval workout combining 2 minutes of aerobic work followed by 2 mintues of a Turbo Drill...repeated for 30 minutes. Eat your Wheaties before you try this one. You'll want to use this workout any time you want to be certain to drop some serious calories and drop 'em fast!
Approx. 30 min.

Here's three of the Turbo Girls from the Fat Blaster (Jenelle - my little sister, Leili - My adopted sister, and Mindy - My favorite Southern Bell

4. Cardio Party 3 - Total party! Jenelle, Mindy, Anna-Rita, Holly, Vicki, there all back (and yes Chicken George was invited to the party, but needed a bit more notice with his *cough* *cough* CEO responsibilities and all). None the less, we did him proud and had everyone give us a taste of their own personal style! You'll love this worktout. It's about as close to a live class as you can find. We had a huge cast and the energy was so high that even after they yelled "CUT", we were still kicking, puncinging and jammin'!
Approx. 52 min.

Here's the crew pretending that we are not exhausted for a quick photo between workouts... the second picture (with my sister collapsed on the floor might be a bit more accurate!) Oh and Mom...don't worry... I'm wearing "spankies" under my skirt. Think of it as a kilt.



Post work out!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

WORKOUT LENGTH and PRESENTER CAMP


Well I've been absent from my blog and the boards for about a week, so there’s plenty to catch up on!

Presenter Training Camp:
Last week my team (Holly and the crew) at Powder Blue Productions and I hosted nearly 30 of the top instructors from around the country for a 4 day intensive presenter camp to train them how to certify instructors to teach Turbo or PiYo. They were an amazing group, with one thing in common… a passion for sharing fitness with others. It was an amazing, fun, exhausting, educational and humbling experience to be with so many talented and passionate fitness friends.

The photo is from our reception, held at the Powder Blue Production offices. You’ll see Mindy and Holly if you look close.

Back to Video Production:

Since their departure I’ve been working around the clock to create and test new workouts for you. We will be filming 4 MORE workouts in less than a week. I can finally put the rumors to rest...these workouts will in fact include two LONG videos (between 50 and 60 minutes) and two shorter videos (approximately 30 minutes).

I'm planning an additional 4 videos the first week of December as well. Those videos will include 2 long and 2 shorter titles.

All week I've been reading people's e-mails and pleas about the length of the new videos. Everyone hopes to have new videos that are "just the right length" to fit in with their lifestyle. I can completely relate. My Mom read some of the posts and tried to pull “an insiders job” by calling me to inform me that she and the ladies on her street would like more 20 and 30 minute cardio workouts and added, “and don’t forget…*I* gave birth to you!”. My up the street neighbor flagged me down on my way to drop the kids off at school to inform me of the results of her informal polling survey, that “longer workouts” are what people want. I love it! Truth of the matter is, people want and need both!

Luckily for us, Beachbody is the kind of company that really listens to it's family of customers and are allowing me to do multiple workouts in both lengths! Wahooo! Not only that, but we are really going to "create a house party" and use more people, “real” people in the videos. I think it's so cool to be able to relate to someone in the workout.

These new workouts will feature some of your favorite faces and some new ones too! You’ll see people who have just started doing Turbo and those who have been doing it for years. And la la la ladies….just wait until you meet “Uncle Rico”. Wahooo… Uncle Rico!!!!!!

So my Mom and her posse’ will definitely get their quick-fix workouts and my up the street neighbor will get the long workouts she lobbied for. I plan on making these workouts until I’m 6 feet under, so there’s plenty of time to give you all kinds of variety and push the intensity and challenge as your level of fitness and skill level increases.

More later..

XOXOX

Chalene

Friday, October 07, 2005


Here they are OC Style! That's a WRAP!

More cast photos. Don't zoom in too close, you'll see all the streaks from my self-tanner. Hmmm....looks like Mathew and Danielle (in the back) may have been drinking between workouts??? How cute is Erica in that hat??

This is our crazy, fun, director extroidinare...Andrea! She used to be a producer on the Life Styles of the Rich and Famous. She's also worked with the best... including Billy Blanks, Kathy Smith, Richard Simmons...to name a few! Wow!

Going for it in the Finale! Check out Toni to my left. See those abs??? She has had seven children and this was her fist video experience! I love having those abs in class. It motivates me to eat clean!

That's real sweat!

Don't be so serious ladies! Smile!

Party people from Live and legit...taking a little dance break

Setting up the room.

The crew setting up lighting and cameras in the actual group exercise room where I teach TJ 5 days a week

What lovelies! You'll recognize these fun ladies when you recieve Cardio Party Remix and Booty Sculpt Live and Legit. Danielle, the tall one in the middle, is 6 foot 2 and one my best friends. Standing a full foot taller than me, we make quite the couple!

Stacey aka KElSMA from the message boards. This is our post workout photo to show ya'll how sweaty and messy it gets! What a beautiful smile she has! A big smile motivates me when I'm teaching!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

We are live and legit!



Today I got to spend some time with the funnest, nicest people you'd ever want to exercise with. We spent just about an hour today going over the live workout we will film tomorrow. The cast of this one is so special.... they are my actual students. I wanted you to get a sense of what a live class looks and feels like. So, I invited just a about 10 or so peeps from my class to join me for a workout a couple of workouts. I picked just some of the people who when they're in class I'm happy because they're energy is so positive and so fun. If you loved Chicken George in the CP1 and 20 Minute Turbo... you'll love this workout. It's legit... we are going to film it straight through... no breaks for hair and make-up and to towel off. Now you will know the "not so cute" truth about this workout. I call it the "nasty" factor. The nastier you look (and smell) after this workout.. the better!

Get ready for a mascara running, hair dripping, sweat flying, hips pumpin', "real deal" workout! Wahhoooooooo!

We'll be filming Booty Sculpt and Cardio Party Remix - LIVE... tomorrow. I better get some ZZZZZZZ's!

Love ya... mean it!

Dj Cj

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Whew! I found you!


Hey guys!

Thanks for stopping by my BlOG! I wrote this piece this week and thought I would share. I hope it makes us all realize the value of being who we are.

Get really good at being you…


The truth of the matter is, most people aren’t going to think you’re “the bomb”. At best, most people will find you likeable, tolerable, nice, efficient, a good worker, a decent person, helpful neighbor or maybe a friendly acquaintance. Yet when it comes to choosing their all time favorite, it’s probably not you. It ain’t me either! Don’t take it too hard. In fact, we should be contented. Think about it. We only have enough time in our day, week, month, year, life to devote meaningful time to a small group of amazingly important people. Too many people live their life desperately controlled by their need to have not just approval, but the adoration of everyone they meet. Some are certain others will reject them if they are “just” who they are. I suppose we’re all guilty of meeting someone so remarkable that we find ourselves in some small way longing to be more like them.

When we held auditions for the cast of Turbo Jam™ I asked people whom I know and adore to audition for the director. I invited people who I would want to spend time with. I think 40 auditioned. There was room for 8. It was difficult to help those I know so well, understand it was “nothing personal: if they were not selected. I assured friends that we may have needed a certain look, a white 40ish female, a muscular black male, tall, but not too tall, a red- head with pierced ears or a petite green-haired alien with high kicks. It wasn’t personal and there was nothing for them to do differently. Yet, I found even the most self-assured of my fitness friends questioning their physique, their experience, the outfit they wore, their hairstyle or energy level that day. Quite simply, they weren’t what she (the director) was looking for and there was nothing anyone could have done differently to be selected.

The point is most of the people who cross our paths in life have their own agendas. They are looking for someone other than us. For them, we are too short or too tall, too quiet or too loud. We are too young or too old, the wrong sex, or wrong body type. They are looking for someone easier to dominate or more intense. They aren’t looking for us. The solution:

Get very good at being exactly who you are.

This principal applies personally and professionally. 8 years ago, when people started hearing about my Turbo program, I got a lot of unsolicited advice. Most told me I needed to be more drill like, more like Billy Blanks if my classes were going to have mass appeal. I tried for a while, but that didn’t fit me. I like to groove. I can’t help but dance when I hear a great song, and I knew there were others who felt the same. I watched a hundred fitness videos trying to figure out what traits I could pick up on. I didn’t much look like any of the tall, lean, graceful beauties I had come to know in fitness videos. I’m short, stubby and a bit of a spaz. Each time I heard a critque of my programs or my style I jerked to attention and wondered what I could do to change so that I could appeal to that “one” person. I started to drive myself crazy. Somewhere in those early years I came to terms with the notion that I was not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay!

Have you ever got a haircut, or picked out a new outfit or just gone out of your way to do something nice and received dozens of compliments? You can tell when compliments are genuine and it feels good. It feels great. Yet the one person who says even remotely negative can haunt you for days. Have you ever felt insecure because people gravitate toward your friend and not you or self-doubt because you were overlooked for a promotion or a second date? So what! Two things you need to remember 1) that person has their own bizarre agenda and 2) you can’t be everyone’s cup of tea!


t's a valuable lesson to teach our children. Too often we try to shield them from the realities of life rather than teach them how to handle with confidence anything that comes their way. They might not get invited to every party, picked first by the team captain, or be liked by every girl in their class. Pretending that these things don't or won't happen only sets them up to feel "devastated" and take it personal when it does.

You don’t even want to be everyone’s cup of tea! Believe it or not, I know people who don’t like Oprah (shocking, I know, and trust me, I’m reconsidering my relationship with these people). Think about it though, if everyone was looking for you, you wouldn’t have enough time to devote to the people important in your life. If it were possible to please everyone, there would be only one type of workout. There would be no Pepsi, only Coke. Once I figured this out, I was totally cool with people deciding my workout wasn’t their cup of tea. What a relief! But the same principals apply on an interpersonal level as well. So how do we contend with these momentary or sometimes lengthy bouts of doubt? Simple. Be you.

You need to know who you are not, to know who you are. Be you times two! Don’t doubt yourself, or hold back. Those who operate in fear of people rejecting them are tolerable, nice, average, boring, nondescript but not memorable. I’d rather have a legion of critiques if it meant I could connect with a modest group of people would find in me or Turbo Jam “exactly” what they were looking for. Hooray! We found each other! Think of your all time favorite people; those who really leave their mark on you. Picture the quilt of characters that forms in your mind, each person wildly different than the next, but each uniquely engaging. As amusing as you find them, you’ve probably introduced them to others who are not sure what you see. Don’t change to be more like anyone other than you, just get better at recognizing the best parts of you.

Boldly be you, the real you, even at the risk that many may not care for “your type”. Be the person you are when you’re around the people who find YOU amusing. Those who are looking for exactly what you have need to be able to recognize you when they find you.