This past weekend I was singing at charity events in Nagoya and Osaka for HOPE Japan, an NGO that builds wells in Cambodia, Somalia and various other spots around the world. They do good work providing clean water for people who need it, so that’s one reason to go over and check out their Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/hopewaterjp).

Another reason is to hear Mr. Billy Blanks of Billy’s Bootcamp fame talk about his views on charity. Billy showed up and auctioned off a private workout that fetched a winning bid of 200,000 yen at the Osaka event. Then he announced his engagement to his Japanese fiancée and spoke of his plans to build a life in Japan.

So there you are, just in case you were lying awake at nights, wondering where Billy is now. Now go dust off that Bootcamp DVD and give it another try – beach days are not so far away.

I don’t think Billy is a big user of MySpace and he hasn’t made any entries on his blog but go to his page and see who his friends are.

Tim

Read the full story at Findlaw.com

Tim

January 27, 2009

I finished my morning exercise about an hour ago and I wanted to make a post for myself as a reminder of how good I feel after I exercise. I did 55 minutes of the Billy Blanks’ Total Body Fat Blaster and I loved it!

I’ve had these DVDs for years and have honestly not picked them up in such a long time. My favorite form of exercise is cardio kickboxing classes, I feel like I get a really hard workout and I’m less likely to get bored.

I also like Billy’s positive messages that really stick with me throughout the day. At the end he says “repeat with me. I am where I am today because my mind brought me here. I will be where I am tomorrow because my mind brought me there.” or something like that.

Post exercise note to self: I didn’t over think the process of exercise this morning. I got in the shower, put on my exercise clothes, sneakers and moved the coffee table out of the way. This workout is really challenging even without the resistance bands so I was sweating within the first five minutes. I felt really tired and sluggish for the first 15 minutes, but kept going. At the 30 minute mark, I felt tired, but it was getting easier. Billy’s encouraging words really helped me to stick with it and keep going. At the 40 minute mark I was starting to look forward to the end. At the 50 minute mark the cool-down began and I felt energetic and happy. It felt really nice to me that I worked out for 55 minutes and stuck with it. It was also nice to get it out of the way so even if I don’t do anything else today exercise-wise I know I did 55 minutes this morning.

I also feel like I could go to the gym later if I wanted to or do wii fit, because this morning exercise has put me in workout mode where it doesn’t feel like a burden to go to the gym or do more.

I’ve been making a real effort to eat more protein. Yesterday, was mostly veggie burgers (11-15 grams each) and this morning I had an egg sandwich with veggie cheese. I’m going to write a post soon about vegan cheese because I surprisingly love it.

7.24.2008
Billy Blanks: Tae Bo: Amped Fat Burn Accelerator

My first Tae Bo experience was in high school. My dreamy boyfriend’s mom let me “borrow” her freshly ordered-from-TV advanced Tae Bo VHS tape. I’m sure by lending it to me she expected to get it back, but I just checked and it’s still in my basement. Ahem, 12 years later. Whoops. Forgive me, Mrs. Davis?

Remembering that stellar workout, I recently rekindled my relationship with Billy. After those 12 long years I have to report that BILLY LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME. It’s amazing. His hair is the same, his clothes are the same, and the set design and music are still the same. In fact, his workout posse pretty much looks the same, too, minus a couple of fitness-model blondes who have been traded out for normal-looking brunettes.

The DVD name is quite the mouthful and punctuation tutorial on colons, Billy Blanks: Tae Bo: Amped Fat Burn Accelerator. I guess when you have a fitness empire with loads of DVDs in your name, you have to get creative with the titles. The DVD is about 50 minutes long and features mostly cardio moves with a few strength moves such as squats and tricep kickbacks using the “amplifier.” The amplifier is basically a glorified stick that extends. Unfortunately, the addition of this stick, or schtick if you will, is the only “new” addition to Billy’s moves.

Despite being a spiced-up repeat of the punch-and-kick combos from my stolen 1998 tape, the DVD is a good workout, and it got me and Billy sweating. (Boy, does Mr. Blanks sweat.) However, there’s a lot of counting to eight followed by, “Now everybody jam!” or “Get amped!” When Billy says that, everybody speeds up their moves to a psycho speed that makes it impossible to have correct form. Back in the day he called this “double time,” but I think he’s taken the speed to quadruple heights. And one of the girls is constantly screaming at Billy “yes, sir!” which is just weird. I’m for enthusiasm and all, but girlfriend is a bit too intense for me.

BB is good about giving alignment cues and showing how to makes the moves easier, which is awesome, but toward the end he falters a bit and seems confused. Maybe Billy does age…

FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★
Music: ★★
Fun Factor: ★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★
Overall: ★★★

Fit Bottom Line: Tae Bo and Billy’s look haven’t changed over the years, so don’t expect new moves. However, it’s still one amped up sweat fest. —Jenn