Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout DVD is everything you might expect from Bethenny Frankel. On the odd chance you don’t know who I’m taking about, Bethenny starred in the Bravo reality TV show, The Real Housewives of New York City for three seasons. She left to star in her own reality show Bethenny Getting Married? which morphed into Bethenny Ever After. Not a reality TV fan? Don’t malign Bethenny as being famous for the sake of being famous. Read on …
Bethenny is a best-selling author. Her most recent book, A Place of Yes spent several weeks on the NY Times Bestseller List. She came in second place on Skating with the Stars and, in my opinion, singlehandedly saved that show from being the most boring several hours in the history of television. She already has a best-selling exercise DVD and recently introduced a shape wear line called Skinnygirl Smoothers ‘n’ Shapers which debuted this past weekend on QVC and – do I have to tell you? – pretty much sold out in no time. I know I’m forgetting something. Oh yeah. Minor thing. She turned the liquor industry on its ear with her creation of Skinnygirl Margaritas, followed by Skinnygirl Sangria, and then turned every other Real Housewife on her ear when she sold the company for beaucoup bucks. (Speculation for just how much Bethenny sold Skinnygirl runs rampant, yet Bethenny, who remains involved in the company, isn’t talking.) People either love her or hate her. (The lovers make up the vast majority.) She is quick-witted, witty, wry, real (and not in the way Bravo uses the word), relatable, unselfconscious, incredibly brave and can be so funny, I laugh out loud while watching her. Bethenny is everything reality stars hope to be. She is a natural in front of the camera, has a brilliant sense of humor that is mostly self-deprecating, she’s gorgeous and, while she can cut you with her words, she only resorts to that when attacked. (Or so it seems from past RHONY episodes.) I get her – and I want to have lunch with her.
The first time I saw Bethenny Frankel was on Martha Stewart’s The Apprentice back in 2005. She made an impression then because she was fun to watch – again, she has that intelligent thing going for her and a whole lot of personality. I can’t remember the name of the winner or even if it was a man or woman, but I remember Bethenny. My daughter, Emily Riess, is a huge fan of the RHONY franchise and an even bigger fan of Bethenny’s. It was she who introduced me to the show that I reluctantly watched with her one snowy weekend when Bravo aired it in a RHONY marathon. After two episodes, I was hooked. (So now you know my guilty pleasure.)
But wait. This is supposed to be a review of Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout. I was excited to receive a review copy of Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout, as you might imagine from my glowing introduction. I don’t do yoga. Well, I do a very little bit of yoga and only very rarely when I feel guilty that I don’t do yoga and think that I should be doing it regularly. My daughter, Emily, on the other hand, has been doing it for several years. We viewed the DVD together and then took out our yoga mats and proceeded to follow along.
Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout features NYC yoga instructor Mike McArdle who, alongside Bethenny, puts you through a series of movements and poses that range from I-can-do-that to no-freaking-way-I-can-do-that-yet. And the “yet” is perhaps the most important word in that sentence. The DVD is inspiring – in a calm, yoga way – and, if Bethenny’s level of fitness, as evidenced by her incredibly fit body, is any indication of the benefits of yoga, you’ll want to stick with it until you reach a similar level or get fitter by trying. The video is intimate. You feel as if you’ve been invited to join a private lesson. Bethenny’s dog, Cookie, makes several cameo appearances and seems unfazed and disinterested in it all. She’s as comfortable in front of the cameras as her owner. In the introduction, Bethenny explains that she likes the fact that Mike’s classes are always different. It certainly seems as if she is doing these sessions for the first time as opposed to them being strictly rehearsed and choreographed. Mike explains the moves as he and Bethenny do them – and she, as might be expected, does her own thing on occasion, offering personal tips and quips and injecting her personality into the mix.
The video is divided into three exercise sessions – two 15 minute sessions and one 20 minute one – and includes a bonus 12 minute stretching segment. “Life gets hectic – some days I have 30 minutes to work out, other days I have 45, and sometimes I only have 15,” says Bethenny. “That’s why I designed the Skinnygirl Workout with three quick yoga segments that tone the entire body.” (There’s also a booklet that includes recipes from Bethenny’s bestselling book, The Skinnygirl Dish.)
Ok, DVD spinning, my daughter and I hit the mats. With a decided preference for the weight stack and a pair of dumbbells, I find some of the moves challenging. I am able to keep up, for the most part, but don’t get discouraged when I can’t. Bethenny’s constant words of encouragement and advice to keep practicing (and breathing) assuage my guilt and make me want to try the DVD again. My daughter keeps up admirably but finds some of the moves challenging. We both agree that the poses and stretches feel good. I don’t execute very many of the moves with grace or the facility of my daughter, but it is fun. The DVD is a keeper and it won’t sit on my shelf unused. I’ve tried other yoga DVDs but quickly became frustrated which was always followed by an overriding sense of guilt. I hate to fail at anything but when the moves are difficult and unfamiliar and the instructor doesn’t allow for the fact that I’m a yoga virgin, I become frustrated. There are none of those feelings with this DVD. Bethenny, as I said, absolves you of guilt and is full of encouragement. There are times when some of the moves challenge her and she opts for another way to do them. Forgive me for not knowing the names or more technical aspects of the practice of yoga. Which brings me to my favorite quote from the DVD. While executing a more challenging move, Bethenny says, “ If you can’t do this the first time, don’t worry about it. You’ll get it. It’s a practice.” Exactly.
Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout, which is being released by Acacia, will be available on September 12th exclusively at Target and Target.com for $16.99.
Check out Sundara Jewelry – beautiful designs inspired by yoga …
