QT with BB

I had quite the festive weekend. There was playing. There was dancing. There was honest-to-god maypole-ing. And there was some impressively indulgent eating and drinking. We're talking gumbo, beer, grits casserole, jello shots, brownies, strawberry pie, apple pie, champagne, whiskey, biscuits and sausage gravy, and caprese salad and buttermilk fried chicken sandwiched between two waffles. Yes. Festival season in south Louisiana is beautiful, beautiful thing. 

At the end of such a weekend, when you have brownie-batter blood and the communication skills of an overtired four-year-old, you need a little QT with BB. "Tae Bo Cardio Circuit 2," available in full on YouTube (above), is a tidy 52 minutes with Billy Blanks, his puffy shorts, and his plainspoken can-do-it-ness. Let's prance a little to get started.

Tae Bo is always good for getting the ol' jalopy running. It's punches and jabs, roundhouse kicks and knee raises -- the usual. This particular video isn't too intense; he intros the moves slowly and for longer than in the advanced workouts. Still, it gets you going with lifted leg crunches like this. . .

. . . and makes you accidentally inhale sweat from laughing when Billy keeps shouting "ARMPIT!" to explain this move.

Yes, the incessant counting is ridiculous, but you learn to tune it out.

And even though Billy's wife gets WAY TOO EXCITED at the end of every exercise, the rest of the class has a nice, genuine enthusiasm and a welcome range of healthy body types.

Thank you, BB! Anytime I've had too much fun at the fair, I'll look to you and your magical red carpet to carry me to Monday.