Walk Strong: 6 Week Total Transformation System

Walk Strong is a fitness program by Jessica Smith. It has been on my wish list since I discovered her via her YouTube workouts. I had planned to get it with any Amazon gift cards I got for Christmas and my birthday (since I always get them) but then Groupon offered it for half the price so I bought it. (Groupon is no longer offering it, so here is the Amazon link.) Jessica now has 3 Walk Strong programs. This is the first one, then she put out several individual DVDs that carry the Walk Strong title and those are Walk Strong 2. They do not bear the number 2; they just say Walk Strong, but since they came out after this program and she just came out with another program titled Walk Strong 3–they must be Walk Strong 2. So there are a lot of Walk Strong workouts out there! They will all eventually be reviewed here. I have already reviewed one workout from the Walk Strong 2 collection: Boost Metabolism + Muscle, and I have purchased the other two. I have also purchased Walk Strong 3 which I will be doing as soon as I finish all of the workouts in this program.

Walk Strong 1 contains 10 thirty minute workouts on 4 disks, a rotation calendar and welcome guide with tips. The Groupon version did not have the rotation calendar but it has everything else. On the first disk there is a 7:30 minute long “Welcome to the program” video. In this video Jessica summarizes the program, why she created it and the equipment needed. She also introduces the two exercisers who are with her in all of the workouts: Beth who does the more advanced versions of the exercises and Jessica’s mother Debbie who does the easiest versions of the exercises. Finally, she directs you to her website JessicaSmithTV.com which has tons of info, links to Jessica’s free YouTube workouts and community members you can connect with.

Normally I would not purchase workouts with “Walk” in the title. I have nothing against them. I was in a terrible accident that nearly crippled me in 2009 and Leslie Sansone’s walking workouts were a major part of my rehabilitation, so I have a lot of respect for walking workouts. But at this point in my life, I need a lot more than that. (As an aside, I still own all of my Leslie Sansone workouts and I will never part with them because you never know what life holds–I never expected a drunk driver to drive the wrong way down a one way street and hit my car head on.) But after doing Jessica’s awesome YouTube workouts, I started looking at her DVD workouts. The reviews of this program repeatedly stated these were not walking workouts. After purchasing and loving Boost Metabolism + Muscle, (which contains zero “walking”) I decided I need to give this a try. However, after previewing them, I could see they were not the level or intensity that I am accustomed to and do regularly. But they did look like solid workouts that I still might want to use–either for recovery, doubles or perhaps they would surprise me and be more challenging than I expected. So I scheduled them as a recovery week after doing two weeks of Fit Body by Julia, which are very advanced and challenging workouts. This ended up being a smart move. I did not find any of these workouts advanced, even when following Beth who did the more advanced modifications. This is a great program for beginners and some of the workouts are also great for intermediate exercisers if you follow the more advanced options and use heavy enough weights. In fact, two of the strength workouts (Total Body and Upper Body) are excellent for any fitness level–beginner through high intermediate/low advanced. Simply increase your weights to increase the level.

In the breakdowns below, I will mostly be listing/describing the exercises done by Jessica and/or Beth since that is who I followed. However there is always a beginner modification done by Debbie. In addition, any cardio in this workout can be done low impact. Jessica remains low impact for most of it but even when she kicks it up a notch, her mother Debbie is always doing a low impact version. Beth does the high impact/more advanced versions of exercises which is what I followed.

What workouts will I return to? All of the strength workouts are excellent (everything on disk 3–upper, lower and total body), I really enjoyed Interval Mix, 360 Abs, and Barefoot Fusion Sculpt. Dynamic Stretch was a nice flexibility routine. So 7 out of 10 workouts are winners for me. Not bad at all! I am pleased with my purchase.

Cardio Party is 31 minutes; no warm up and 4:30 minute cool down/stretch. For this workout, Jessica has not only Beth and her mother but also several other woman who are community members on her website JessicaSmithTV.com. This was a pretty easy and low intensity cardio workout. Sometimes it did have me in my cardio zone (according to my FitBit), other times just the fat burning zone (which is pretty low intensity) and I did break a light sweat. It is low impact and really what I would expect from a “walking” DVD workout. It is a pretty basic cardio workout–nothing intense, so I am not going to do a break down. The moves are pretty basic so I will just list the types of moves you will see in this workout. Variations of the following basic moves: marching, side steps, side taps, hamstring curls, side lunge tap, step out and in, heel digs, speed bag punches, cha-cha step, shuffle step w/ tap back, knee raises, V-step, grapevine. There are more, too, but as I said, everything was pretty basic.  Every time Jessica directs you to just march in place she says “walk strong,” and since marching in place is the base move between just about every other cardio move, she says it a lot in this workout. Since this is the title of the fitness program it didn’t seem natural. I did not do the workouts in this program in order so I had already noticed her saying this a lot in another one of her workouts I’d already done (Brain Fitness Fun). Jessica never irritates me in a workout–I always enjoy her presence but the constant repetition of “walk strong” was starting to grate.

Interval Mix is 31 minutes; warm up is 5 minutes and 5 minute cool down/stretch. Equipment: chair if you are doing the easier versions of the intervals (plank based moves). I loved this workout! Not the most challenging workout I have ever done but I own plenty of intense advanced HIIT workouts that leave me panting. This is a fun workout. As in all of the workouts there are 3 levels shown. I followed Beth for the most intense versions and I got a great cardio workout. If you follow Jessica or her mother the entire workout will be low impact (Beth’s version is not low impact). There are 4 cycles. In each cycle the intensity builds until you get to the peak move–a  30 second interval which is always a plank based cardio move. My workout this morning was Lower Body Sculpt (below) followed by this. Again, neither are the most intense workouts I have ever done but they both did the job. I got a solid lower body workout followed by some great cardio. A winner!

1. Step side to side; add hamstring curls
2. Jog while pressing arms overhead; changes to jumps
3. Squat hops while chopping arms side to side; add alternating knee lifts w/ hop
4. Interval: Mountain climbers
5. Side steps w/ overhead side punch; step changes to shuffle; shuffle hop while punching faster overhead
6. Diagonal forward steps w/ knee pulls, alternate sides
7. Alternating tap backs w/ big arm circles; side to side lunges while punching down
8. Interval: in plank, hop feet side to side
9. Side to side steps; grapevines
10. Alternating toe taps side to side; alternating toe taps in front of you (or scissor runs)
11. Step side to side w/ swimmer arms
12. Interval: mountain climbers w/ knees angled toward opposite elbow
13. Alternating heel digs; alternating knee raise; skaters; 2 knee pulls to each side
14. Stationary skater (with legs wide and knees bent, shuffle in place side to side w/ running arms); full skaters
15. Interval: plank tuck jumps (jump feet in and out while remaining in plank)

360 Abs is 31 minutes Equipment: a mat and a light dumbbell (I used an 8# dumbbell). The first 1:30 minute is marching in place while Jessica talks and 2 minute stretch. I loved this workout! It was a fun and effective cardio core workout. The next time I do it I will wear my 2 pound weighted gloves. That will increase the intensity. The equipment screen that pops up at the beginning of the workout states that your dumbbell should not be any heavier than 5 pounds but if you are an intermediate or more advanced exerciser you will need something heavier–and weighted gloves. Another winner!

1. Knee lifts w/ arms crossing in front of you (genie arms) and twist elbows to opposite knee
2. Step side to side while reaching one arm overhead and to the side
3. Step tap while punching up and to the side; changes to cross punch
4. Side steps w/ torso twists; change to arm chops
5. Hamstring curls w/ straight arm chops to opposite side
6. Repeat #3 and 5
7. Jab cross to side; add knee lift
8. 4 upper cuts while traveling forward and 4 knee pulls while traveling back
9. Repeat #7 to other side
10. Repeat #8
11. Torso twists w/ arms bent in front of you; add knee lifts
12. Side steps w/ chops across to opposite side
13. Repeat #5 and #12
14. Step squat side to side and do a woodchop w/ each squat w/ DB
15. Repeat #12 w/ DB
16. Repeat #14 and #15
17. Skaters while raising and lowering DB along one side/leg
18. Alternating knee raises while holding DB in front of you and turning DB toward knee
19. Repeat #17 w/ DB on other side of body
20. Repeat #18
21.  Side steps w/ making a figure 8 w/ DB
22. Raise both arms overhead, raise knee to side while bringing elbow down to meet it (working arm is holding DB), when you reach arms overhead pass DB to other hand and raise other knee to side
23. Repeat #21 and 22
24. Fast chopping squat to hip (stay on same side)
25. Halo DB around head
26. Repeat #24 on other side
27. Repeat #25
28. Knee raise to side, arm holding DB reaches overhead and pulls down, tapping elbow to knee
29. Alternating front steps (or lunges) w/ side chops
30. Full wood chop (DB starts at one shoulder and chops down to opposite hip)
31. Repeat #29
32. Repeat #30 on other side of body
33. Alternating lifting legs out to side while holding DB at one shoulder
34. Get on hands and knees and do a bird dog, bringing elbow and knee together under body (hold DB in working arm)
35. Dead bug (lay on back, legs raised, knees bent and arms raised overhead, extend opposite arm and leg and return to start–keep alternating while passing DB from hand to hand)
36. Lean on elbows, knees bent and feet raised off floor, raise and lower legs tapping heels to floor (DB held between knees)
37. In elbow plank tap knees to floor
38. Repeat #34 on other side of body
39. Repeat #35
40. Repeat #36 and 37

Brain Fitness Fun is 31 minutes; 5:30 warm up and 4 stretch. No equipment needed. This workout was designed in concert with a neurologist. Throughout the workout neurology factoids pop up along the bottom of the screen. Though interesting, the pop ups were actually pretty distracting since I wanted to read them all (and some of these factoids were longer than you would expect for a pop up). Another thing that stood out was that when Jessica directs you to just march in place she says “walk strong”–every time. Since this is the title of the fitness program it didn’t seem natural. This was an interesting workout. I didn’t even break a sweat when doing it so it didn’t feel like much of a workout but according to my Fitbit, I was in my cardio zone during the majority of it. Physically, it was definitely very easy. Mentally, it did require some brain power. I did catch on to every move, but some of them required thought and focus. These were moves that required coordination between arm and foot work. No complex choreography so I was able to follow everything, but some of it took some focus to get right. And one of them (flamenco arms–#12 below) was downright frustrating. I kept messing that one up. Not sure if I will ever return to this workout. Definitely not any time soon. Like some of the workouts in this program this might be something I return to at a time when I cannot workout at the same level I am capable of now. I do see value in it, especially for someone at a beginner fitness level.

1. Skaters w/ criss-cross arms
2.  2 side steps w/ elbow to knee cross crunch
3. Alternate tapping toes out to side while pressing arms out to side
4. Repeat 1-3
5. Single, single, double hamstring curls while pressing arms overhead
6. Box step (stepping in a box pattern)
7. Step 3 steps back and 3 steps forward, arms are held out straight to side making small circles
8. Repeat 5 & 6
9. Skip forward and back while clapping
10. W/ hands on same side shoulders do alternating low side kicks (kicking across other leg) while reaching one hand toward foot that is kicking
11. Repeat 9 & 10
12. While marching in place Jessica has you do an arm movement that requires coordination (she calls it flamenco arms)
13. Side step, cross back step and knee lift while circling arms overhead
14. Repeat 12
15. Side steps while raising one arm to side like doing a jack
16. Tap back while punching same side arm overhead
17. Repeat 15 & 16
18. While standing on one leg, small circles of the other leg in front of you while circling same side arm in front of you
19. Memory series (I’m not going to break this down; Jessica puts together a bunch of mini combos and the point is being able to remember/follow)
20. Repeat 1-3 again
21. Squats while holding earlobes
22. 2 minute stretch
23. Circle arms at elbow while doing calf raises; changes raising toes while reversing the direction of the arms
24. Another minute of stretching

Barefoot Fusion Sculpt is 31:30 minutes; 6 minute warm up and 1 minute stretch. Equipment: light dumbbells (I started with 6 pound dumbbells then dropped to 5 pound dumbbells and was still working hard!). This is a deceptive workout. When I previewed it, it didn’t look like it would be hard even though I could tell I wouldn’t be able to use heavy dumbbells but once I started, I found my 6 pounders were too heavy–I was struggling! After #5 below, I swapped out to 5 pound dumbbells and was still working hard! Excellent workout. I did not do this workout alone. I did Total Body Training (below) which is also excellent and challenging then finished with this. So perhaps the fact I had already fatigued my muscles before even starting this workout had something to with how this one felt. If I had done it as a stand alone, it may have been easier. I don’t know. I don’t know that I will ever do this alone (but I might–who knows?) because it worked really well in combination with Total Body Training for an hour long total body metabolic strength workout.

1. Step side to side w/ overhead press; step changes to wide plie squat
2. Alternating knee raise w/ chest scoop
3. Stand on one leg and pulse arms up at the top of scoop
4. Alternating knee raise while pressing straight arms behind you
5. Stand on one leg while pulsing straight arms behind you
6. Repeat 1-5
7. Step forward in back in a diagonal (step right then left) w/ tricep kickbacks
8. Rear flys while alternating tapping legs behind you; changes to leg raise behind you
9. Hold both DBs together in both hands and step side to side, circling DBs overhead
10. Repeat 7-9
11. Tap toes forward and back w/ back row; add raising back leg
12. Cross over toe tap while doing wide bicep curls
13. Repeat 11 & 12
14. Alternating front lunge w/ alternating front raise (pouring motion when doing front raise)
15. Alternating fencer lunge on a diagonal w/ straight arm press backs
16. Alternating curtsy lunge w/ upper back row
17. Repeat 14-16
18. Stand w/ legs/heels together and open and turn toes out and in (keeping heels together), elbows are kept against side while you rotate DBs out to sides then back to front of body
19. Quick passe w/ legs w/ pulsing wide curls
20. Overhead tricep extensions w/ narrow plie squats; raise onto toes while continuing to squat
21. Repeat 18-20
22. Do a sort of crescent knee bringing leg from back to front w/ a ball change step–4 steps forward and 4 steps back this way
23. Oblique passe crunch: alternating overhead presses w/ palms facing each other while raising one knee and tapping one elbow to knee then tapping that foot behind you
24. Repeat 22 & 23
25. Rub palms together briskly while doing shallow squats
26. Push pull lunge (shallow lunge while doing push-pull flow w/ arms)
27. Repeat 25 & 26
28. Raise one knee and balance on the other leg while raising arm overhead; changes to stepping side to side and balancing for 2 seconds w/ each step
29. Reach bent arms overhead pressing back of hands together then lower hands under chin while rounding back (backs of hands are always pressing together)
30. Repeat 28 & 29

Total Body Training is 31:30 minutes; 3 minute warm up and 1 minute stretch. Equipment: mat, light dumbbells and heavy dumbbells. This was a surprisingly intense workout! These things should not surprise me. I have done so many of Jessica’s YouTube metabolic strength workouts that are very intense but this program has been hit or miss with intensity. Today I did this workout and followed it immediately with Barefoot Fusion Sculpt (above) and I got an excellent total body metabolic strength workout. Just like the Upper and Lower body strength workouts (below) the key is using heavy enough weights. The weights listed below are what I used and I was working very hard throughout this workout. Another winner!

1. Reverse lunge w/ one arm overhead press (raising DB as you lower into lunge) (one 15# DB)
2. Hinge forward and pulse lunge, w/ alternating rows (only one arm is holding a DB but both are rowing) (one 20# DB)
3. Repeat 1 & 2 on other side of body
4. Wide plie squats while doing standing chest press (lowering DBs to side then raising in front like hugging a beach ball) (6# DBs)
5. Rear delt fly + straight arm tricep raise behind you (6# DBs)
6. Wide plie squats while scooping DBs in front of you (6# DBs)
7. Repeat #5
8. Squat/deadlift into cobra (squat bringing DBs down in front of legs and when you stand, bring DBs behind you palms facing forward, opening chest) (20# DBs)
9. Side lunge w/ alternating bicep curl (15# DBs)
10. Repeat #8
11. Repeat #9 on other side of body
12. Alternating side toe taps while raising one arm straight in front in front of you and one arm straight to side, alternate sides (6# DBs)
13. Bent over tricep kickback pulses (6# DBs)
14. Repeat #12 & 13
15. Curtsy lunge w/ DB scoop to side (one 12# DB)
16. Overhead tricep extension w/ knee lift (one 20# DB)
17. Repeat #15 & 16 on other leg
18. Get on all 4s, one leg extended straight behind you and holding DB on opposite arm–do one arm row while raising straight leg (one 15# DB)
19. Criss-cross chest press (lay on back and do chest press, crossing arms over chest) (15# DBs)
20. Repeat #18 on other side of body
21. Repeat #19
22. Lay on back w/ arms crossed over chest and hands on shoulders, knees bent and feet on floor–raise one knee and crunch while bringing opposite elbow to knee
23. Come into bridge pose w/ hands clasped under body, extend one leg and tap heel on floor, alternate legs
24. Diamond crunch (full crunch w/ feet together and knees open so legs are in diamond shape–bring elbows to knees)
25. Repeat #23 & 24
26. Lay on stomach, raise chest and legs and do swimmers
27. Side to side hip drops in elbow plank

Upper Body Strength is 31 minutes; 3 minute warm up and 1:30 minute stretch. Equipment: a mat, a set of light dumbbells and a set of heavy dumbbells. At the time I did this workout, I had done more than half of the workouts in this program and I can see that the strength workouts are the real gold in this fitness program. Like Lower Body Sculpt (which I did yesterday–so I did not do these workouts in the order they appear), this can be a solid workout with heavy enough weights. In fact, for a strength workout, this one is even better than the Lower Body Sculpt workout. This burned my arm muscles out several times. With nearly every exercise I was nearing muscle failure by the final rep. This is all due to weight choice. Jessica and crew’s dumbbells did not look very heavy to me (they looked like 10 and 5 pound dumbbells for Jessica and even lighter for Beth and Debbie). Had I been using such light dumbbells this would have been a very different workout for me. But since I lifted as heavy as I could, I was very challenged and found this an excellent upper body workout and only 31 minutes! I was working hard! One of the reasons this was such an effective strength workout was Jessica’s use of tempos. She frequently started each exercise at a slow tempo then sped it up to really finish burning out the muscle group. All of the weights listed below are what I used. Jessica, Beth and Debbie were all using much lighter dumbbells.

1. Hold arms at side w/ elbows bent and DBs in front of you, keeping elbows bent, push DBs up to forehead/top of head level then bring DBs back to waist level (scoops) (12# DBs)
2. Narrow bent over back rows (20# DBs)
3. Hold bent arms in goal post and bring DBs/elbows together in front of body then back out to goal post (12# DBs)
4. Repeat #2; changes to alternating rows
5. Side step while pushing one arm out in front of you and one overhead, alternate sides as you step side to side (8# DBs)
6. Bent over, bent arm rear fly (8# DBs)
7. Repeat #5 & 6
8. Alternating knee lift w/ hammer curl; changes to standing on one leg while doing a hammer pulse (12# DBs)
9. Tricep kickbacks; ends w/ straight arm tricep pulses (10# DBs)
10. Alternating knee lift w/ wide bicep curls; changes to standing on one leg while doing a wide bicep curl pulse (12# DBs)
11. Repeat #9
12. Raise straight arms in a V to chest level then bring arms/DBs together in front of body (7# DBs)
13. Straight arm bent over rear fly w/ palms facing forward (5# DBs)
14. Wide overhead press and when you pull down raise up onto heels; changes to alternating presses (12# DBs)
15. Repeat #12, 13 & 14
16. Narrow chest press (20# DBs)
17. Wide chest press (25# DBs)
18. Lay on stomach w/ arms at sides of body and straight legs raised off floor, raise and lower chest and legs, reaching arms back
19. Side elbow plank pulses
20. Lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, do crunches, sliding hands up legs to knees; changes to pulses at top of move; pulse to side of one knee
21. Still on back w/ knees bent, raise feet off floor and do reverse crunches
22. Repeat #20 & 21
23. Repeat #18

Lower Body Sculpt is 31:30 minutes; 4:30 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: a mat, a chair and dumbbells. With the right dumbbells I got a surprisingly good workout. I am always surprised when Jessica’s short workouts are so comprehensive–and I shouldn’t be! I have experienced it over and over. She creates excellent circuit workouts and this is another great one. As a note, if I had been using lighter dumbbells I would not have found this nearly as effective. The weight of your dumbbells makes a big difference. I didn’t have any muscle burnout and I don’t expect any DOMS but I still found to be solid and enjoyable. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Deadlifts (30# DBs)
2. Squats (20# DBs)
3. Single leg deadlift (20# DBs)
4. Single leg squats (20# DBs)
5. Place one light DB behind knee and bend leg to hold DB in place, face back of chair, holding onto chair for balance–push heel toward ceiling and bring back level w/ supporting knee; pulse heel toward ceiling (one #6 DB)
6. Raise and lower straight leg out to side while holding DB against outside of thigh; pulse leg out to side (one 10# DB)
7. Wide plie squats w/ DBs on thighs; raise heels while continuing to squat (20# DBs)
8. Repeat 5 & 6 on other leg
9. Repeat 7
10. Get into stationary lunge and hold DB on top of front thigh and do slow pulses; changes to smaller, faster pulses (one 10# DB)
11. Standing hydrants holding DB to outside of working knee; pulse at top of hydrant (one 10# DB)
12. Repeat 10 & 11 on other leg
13. Lay on back and place heels on seat of chair, raise and lower hips; lift one leg toward ceiling while continuing to raise and lower hips; pulse at top of raise
14. Raise straight legs to ceiling and criss-cross legs; bring heels together and turn toes out and bring heels down toward bottom then press to ceiling
15. Lay on stomach, open knees and bent them, so bottom of feet face ceiling and bring heels together–raise and lower thighs while keeping heels pressed together; straighten legs while keeping them raised off floor and click heels together
16. Repeat 13, 14 & 15

Dynamic Stretch is 31 minutes. Equipment: a mat and a hand towel or yoga strap (I used a yoga strap). This was a gentle but deep stretching routine. The morning I did this I did PiYo Drench first, which is a very intense strength-yoga routine, so it was very nice to finish it off with this workout. It cooled me down and stretched me out deeply. Dynamic Stretch starts with deep breaths. Shoulder circles. Neck stretches. Shift side to side w/ figure 8 arms. Wide leg forward fold; spine twist in forward fold, reaching opposite hand to ceiling. Triangle pose. Clasp hands behind you and raised them to stretch shoulders/chest. Hold towel w/ one end in each hand and reach it overhead and do dynamic side stretches; circle side, front and back. Hold towel behind back–holding one end in one hand overhead and the other hand holding towel at low back level (like a tricep stretch)–do a cross crunch in this position. Shoulder stretch. Hold towel behind back again, but this time both arms are near low back, and raise arms, stretching chest and shoulder then round forward. Forward fold w/ arms/towel still behind back and lifted. More shoulder stretches (deeper this time). Pigeon pose (several versions are shown). Butterfly stretch. Side lying quad stretch. Lay on back and wrap towel around bottom of foot and pull and release, stretching hamstring; still holding towel, open leg out to side stretching inner thigh; bring leg over to other side of body stretching outer thigh. Set towel aside but leg is still raised to ceiling–point toe w/ leg straight then flex foot and bend knee; ankle circles. Happy baby pose. Hurdler stretch (one leg extended straight, the other bent w/ sole of foot against inside of other thigh); add a side stretch; bring bent knee into chest and do a spinal twist. Corpse pose.

Prehab Routine is 35 minutes. Equipment: mat, high back chair and a hand towel. You need bare feet for this routine–primarily for the last few foot exercises. I’m not sure what to think of this workout. It is not intense at all but it wasn’t meant to be. It is a recovery level workout that does work your joints and I suppose it is effective. I just cannot see myself returning to this workout–at least not at this juncture of my life. Maybe when I am older and have taken my workouts down several notches. Today I did it after doing a very intense Yvette Bachman workout and this cooled me down nicely. But even used that way, I feel like my time would have been better spent with a long stretching or yoga routine. This isn’t a bad workout, but definitely beginner level. Throughout the workout, you get pop ups giving you little factoids about health, fitness and joint health.

The routine starts with a sort of neck exercise Jessica calls the chicken neck (pulling head back so you have a double chin). Various neck stretches. Raise and lower arms holding one end of towel in each hand. Bring towel behind you, still holding an end in each hand, and raise and lower towel. Hold towel in front of you, palms facing ceiling and elbows close to sides–open and close arms (keeping elbows against sides) pulling on the towel. Ball towel and hold in one hand, extend that arm straight in front of you and do small arm circles; changes to pushing shoulder/towel forward and back (arm still extended straight in front of you). Tricep stretch holding towel (other arm holds towel at small of back and try to get hands as close together as possible). Another version of a tricep stretch but this time elbow bends so towel/hand is in front of face (still holding other end of towel in other end, bend and extending arm). Wrist rotations. Holding elbows against sides, open and close forearms; in same starting position, push arms out and in (as if serving something). More wrist work while holding balled up towel. Spine extensions (arching spine w/ hands on small of back). Lay on mat and do cobra stretch. Still on stomach, extended arms and legs and raise them off ground–raise one arm and opposite leg higher and keep alternating (a slow swim move). Raise onto hands and knees and do alternating bird dogs. Lay on back and place rolled up towel between knees and hold bridge pose. Lay on side w/ top leg bent and foot on floor in front of bottom thigh–raise and lower bottom leg w/ foot flexed. Lay on back, towel between knees, feet raised off floor and knees bent–circle hips/legs. Lay on stomach w/ chest raised and hands on ground, alternate raising straight legs. Stand up and sit down w/out using hands. Stand beside chair holding on to back of chair for balance and raise and lower straight leg; keep leg raised and extended and bend knee; turn toe in toward body w/ foot flexed and raised and lower leg out to side of body. Roll up towel and stand on place back foot on towel w/ heel on floor, stretching calf. Raising one leg slightly (holding chair for balance), flex and point foot; foot circles. Using toes, pick up towel off floor (Jessica’s mom was having a hard time with this one!). Spread toes and release. Lift and release big toe. Ends with deep breaths.