You know the drill. You should exercise regularly for the health of your body and mind. You know all the excuses, too. It’s too cold, too wet, too dark. You’re too busy, too tired, too out of shape.
Fortunately, the fitness industry is providing plenty of new ways for you to work out in your warm, dry, well-lighted home and exercise at your leisure. And if you thought that working out at home meant enduring the same old boring video day after day, think again.
Here, from easiest to hardest, are four new tapes that are worth a look.
“Leslie Sansone: Walk Away the Pounds Express–Brisk Walk, 2 Miles”
When it’s too cold or snowy to walk outside, Sansone can be the difference between getting some exercise and vegetating on the couch.
Her popular series of walk-at-home videos provides an easy way to get some cardiovascular exercise and a little bit of toning, and her newest offering is no exception.
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Like Sansone’s other tapes, this one uses four basic steps to simulate a multi-mile walk: walking in place, side-to-side steps, gentle kicks and knee lifts. Sansone assembles them in endless combinations, gradually increasing the tempo, to provide the equivalent of a 2-mile walk.
Available at www.amazon.com.
“15-Minute Workouts for Dummies”
The hottest trend in fitness videos isn’t yoga or Pilates or even circuit training. Instead, it’s the segmented workout: a series of short, focused programs that can be done individually or strung together for a longer, more strenuous session. This 60-minute tape offers four toning sessions that target the thighs, arms, buns and abs.
As with all of the “… for Dummies” programs, this one includes the familiar pop-up icons that offer tips on form, explain jargon and give modifications to make the exercises harder or easier.
Available at www.collagevideo.com.
“Baron Baptiste: Power Yoga, Level 1”
Baron Baptiste’s “Power Yoga, Level 1” is a 45-minute program offered in three segments that can be done individually or together: “Energizing” focuses on the classic series of moves called sun salutations; “Toning” concentrates on lower-body strength; and “Stabilizing” works the abs and back.
Baptiste is an encouraging, no-frills leader, but his singsong voice can be irritating. Even worse, he commits the unforgivable sin of giving the instructions as if home exercisers were standing behind him instead of facing him.
Available at www.amazon.com.
“Tony Little’s Body Express: Total Body Weight Loss”
Tony Little has to be one of the more entertaining fitness gurus to commit a routine to tape and DVD. He’s impressively qualified, a former bodybuilding champion who still has imposing muscles. His new video provides a well-designed, 30-minute routine that works the large muscles of the upper and lower body.
But what is more likely to keep you coming back to this tape on a regular basis is Little’s engaging style.
Little’s program is simple and effective. It begins with an active warm-up and then it’s on to the routine’s seven exercises–two each for the lower body, upper body and abs, and one for the back.
The most innovative aspect of the program is that Little specifies how long to perform each exercise rather than how many repetitions to do.
Available at www.amazon.com.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])