How to Get in Shape for the Holidays

Yes, folks, 'tis the season once again. The season for pigging out, that is. In order to combat any possible negative side effects of holiday gluttony this year, I've started doing these awesome (and tough!) yoga and Pilates DVDs. I will discuss them below.
Yoga:
Progressive Power Yoga with Mark Blanchard: Foundation-- According to the cover, this 85-min. workout can burn up to 700 calories. It consists of real power yoga moves, like strenuous upward-/downward-facing dog vinyasas (flowing series of poses) and extreme balance poses. Surprisingly, you will feel calm, centered, and relaxed afterward.
Progressive Power Yoga with Mark Blanchard: Culmination-- Believe it or not, this approx. 95-min. DVD is even tougher than "Foundation." But, if you stick with it, it can be done. Like its predecessor in the Progressive Power Yoga series, "Culmination" is filmed outdoors at the base of a "vortex of energy" at Red Rocks in uber-spiritual Sedona, Arizona. Speaking of spirituality, Mark is a tad more heavy-handed with it in this workout and at times borders on being a bit, well, weird. As for the routine itself, it'll test you and tap into parts of yourself that you never knew existed. For example, in one section, you'll attempt to stand upside down, sans props (i.e. walls, chairs, straps, etc.). (I have yet to master this section.) Overall, Progressive Power Yoga has provided me with my first "real" yogic experience.
Pilates:
Rael Pilates: System 17-- Led by world-renowned instructor Rael Isacowitz, this routine consists of 17 intermediate-level Pilates exercises. (Pilates was invented by German WWI nurse and fitness enthusiast Joseph Pilates, who invented a series of rehabilitation exercises for wounded soldiers that could be done lying in a hospital bed. Indeed, many of the machines found in Pilates studios today, like the "Universal Reformer" and the "Cadillac," resemble a WWI hospital bed. LOL!) On this disc, you'll use a mat and your own body resistance to reform and sculpt your physique. I've done Winsor Pilates for several years and was expecting more of the same when I purchased Rael's system. Boy, was I in for a surprise! Rael's routines are much slower and more cerebral than Mari Winsor's. You'll also do more reps of each exercise than with other Pilates routines. Consider this the "thinking woman's Pilates DVD."
Rael Pilates: System 27-- This advanced-level routine consists of 27 unique exercises, many of which have an almost yogic bent. For instance, "System 27" includes a stretchy lunge series and a lot of moves that require tons of balance, concentration, and core stability. (Folks, your abs will be a-burnin' after this workout!) I highly recommend Rael's DVDs to those who've tried and mastered Winsor Pilates and want to take their practice to the next level.