Q&A: Exercise and exercise DVDs
I noticed in a recent blog post that you mentioned exercising in the mornings... I was just wondering if you could recommend an aerobics video that is decent? I really enjoy exercising (and am trying my best to stay "in shape" during pregnancy) but haven't found a video that I was particularly comfortable with. Our two little girls love exercising along with me and I don't want them "seeing things," if you know what I mean. -KristyWhat a great question, Kristy!
Our bodies are the temples of the Lord and I believe that taking a small part of our day to keep our temples "fit" is glorifying to the Lord. Godliness is most important and that should be our chief aim, but Scripture does say that bodily exercise profiteth some (1 Timothy 4:8). Plus, the virtuous woman girded her loins with strength and strengthened her arms (Proverbs 31:17)! We want to have energy and vitality to be able to serve the Lord and our families for years to come (should the Lord allow us to live that long), so taking time to stay in shape and healthy is important. We want to be wise stewards of our health.
With this in mind, I've made it a personal goal this year to get into better shape and focus on regaining optimum health by exercising faithfully, getting more sleep, drinking more water, taking my SuperMom vitamins, and eating healthier. I'm using SparkPeople.com to track my eating, drinking, and exercising and have found it extremely helpful - moreso than even charts I've made out in the past. Best of all, I've lost 3 pounds since the beginning of the year by doing this! Only a couple more to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Woohoo! I'm trying to stay positive here and not think about the fact that it's been over six months since I gave birth. Or that last time around I had lost all of the weight by the fifth month. No, we won't talk about that! :)
I completely understand what you mean about finding an exercise DVD which is decent. I've tried a number of different exercise DVDs and programs over the years. My favorite DVD so far is Leslie Sansone's You Can Do! Pilates. Hers is definitely one of the better ones I've seen and one in which I don't feel uncomfortable with my girls exercising along with me. (Note: This is not a pregnancy workout DVD so it probably wouldn't work for you in your current situation. But it's worth checking into later!)DVDs are great, especially if you struggle with staying on track or motivation. I also sometimes just use ideas from exercise programs to create my own simple workout regimen. Right now, I'm doing a quick regimen of stair-stepping, sit-ups, jogging, and a few other calisthenics every morning. It's under 20 minutes from start to finish, but it gives me a full-body work-out. I'm doing this when Kathrynne is still in bed in the mornings, so Kaitlynn plays close by and I usually listen to a sermon or some type of teaching CD (I'm listening through the Entrepreneurial Boot Camp right now). This helps the time go by more quickly and also is food for my soul and mind!
Another great I try to do at least once or twice per week when the weather is warmer is to take both girls out in the wagon for a nice long walk. It's so invigorating for me and doubles up as fun and fresh air for the girls!
I recommend you check your library for workout/exercise DVDs and try something out for a few weeks before buying. That way, if you don't find that it is a good fit for you, you aren't out any money!
What do the rest of you do for exercise? Any decent workout/exercise videos you've found helpful?
Labels: Health and Nutrition
posted by Crystal Paine at 7:07 PM
29 Comments:
Crystal,
Stormie O'Martianne (sp?) made a series of exercise videos in the 80's that I used to use- modest attire, upbeat Christian music, etc. They were for aerobics, but really effective. Most of the Christian exercise videos available are decent.
I've discovered that I really need to get out in the fresh air, so I go on a brisk walk for an hour each morning- this is also a great prayer time. Then, I do a small set of isometrics each hour on the hour throughout the day. It's a fun oxygen break.
I love Leslie Sansone Pilates too!! I also love all of Leslie Sansone's walking videos...they go from 1 mile all the way to 5 miles. That's great that you are at pre-pregnancy weight after your second child! Although, if I could find a smiley with its tongue sticking out, I'd include it here!! :) Seriously, it sounds like your doing great!!
Leslie Sansone's Walk Kick!!
My current fave is also a Leslie Sansone video. It's the 5-mile walk. http://www.lesliesansone.com/store/product110.html
I got it at Sam's club for $8.88 with a resistance stretchie included.
I've decided to try to be more health-conscious this year too. My problem is that I don't want to go to the gym, but I hate exercise videos--doing the same thing every time drives me crazy.
I found a video game called Yourself!Fitness that is a great solution to this problem. It customizes the workout to your needs. It's really effective and has tasteful, very well-done graphics. I use my husband's Playstation, but it's also available for PC.
I actually wrote about it on my blog yesterday for WFMW, and there's a little video I found with a sample of what the game is like.
One of my readers found it on half.com for $18 shipped, and used ebates to get cash back; I figure that since you can use it indefinitely and it's constantly changing, it's a pretty good deal!
Thank you, Crystal, I really appreciate the input! I hadn't thought of checking the library... great idea! ~Kristy
Leslie Sansone's walk away the pounds videos are great with small children and babies. You can walk with the toddler in the arms or the baby and the children can follow along. She also has a kids walking program that my boys love. Denise Austin has a new family workout series more for older children but my 5-year-old likes it. You can also download videos inexpensively at exercisetv.com ( I'm not connected to them just thrilled to find out I could get workouts on my computer for $2.00)
I have used some of Leslie Sansone's, some are okay, some had more skin than I liked though. We really liked for Aerobics BJU's Fitness Forte! They were dressed modestly and was a great workout!
If you have Time Warner Cable and the OnDemand service that comes with it, they have a rotation of all different workout videos under health and fitness, I think. I love the variety without the $$$. If I buy a dvd, I feel like I have to do it for 6 months to get my money's worth. You might have to watch it first before kiddos just to make sure it is ok but it a great value for something that you already pay for!
I have been walking a couple of miles everyday and doing a strength training workout off of Spark.com(thanks for the link)3x a week. I have only done the work out a couple of weeks but I am already feeling much stronger and more energized. Having a varied routine makes it easier to keep up with (I do six different exercises in two sets).
I enjoy using Leisa Hart's prenatal and postnatal exercise DVDs. I am using the prenatal one right now and my daughter(2yo) does it along with me. The clothing is more modest than a lot of dvds I have seen, and she really focuses on strengthening your body to prepare for labor in the prenatal dvd.
I've used walking (at the track and out in the "wilderness" areas near here), the Lean Mommy book (by the creator of the Stroller Strides program), the Lose Your Mummy Tummy book (which even includes a small section on safety and recovery for C-section moms like myself) and the Parents videos available at Target, for working out with mom and baby - I enjoyed that so much that I plan to get the mom/toddler one as well. (And it's nice and clean and doable - my husband actually does the baby workout/massage section with our son before bed each night and I don't feel at all squirrelly about him or the kids watching it - different story about the bellydancing video I bought one time!)
Another simple routine I have devised for myself is to put my son in the high chair and do plies, squats and the like in front of him. It's a fun peekaboo game for him AND it gives me a little something to help stabilize me if I need it.
I'm pregnant right now and am using Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds". It's 3 workouts in a 2 DVD set ($20). The first DVD contains the one mile walks (20 minutes long), and the two mile walk (30 minutes). As I have entered my second trimester I find that the one mile walk is just enough for me to feel like I've worked out, but not such a high impact that I can't handle it. I did the two mile walk during my first trimester. The three mile is pretty high impact for a pregnant woman but it's great for getting back in shape after delivery. Hope this helps.
I've been wondering about modest exercise movies two. I have two little brothers who would want to do it along with me, and I've shied away from what I've seen. I've been working through Denise Austin's Jumpstart book, but even the pictures in there are such, that I've told my brothers to stay away from the book. (And the pictures on the front of her videos that I've looked at at the library are worse - nothing against Denise, I just want something that I feel fine if others see too.) Thanks so much for posting. I've been a receptionist (and I'm also taking college courses at home) for more than the past year, and really got out of shape. So now, I'm trying to get back into where going for a brisk walk doesn't leave me out of breath. Are there any books with different routines in them you recommend?
Thanks,
Priscilla
Hi Crystal! Thank you for sharing more with us about your exercise regimen. I have borrowed some exercise dvds from the library, but I have yet to find one I really like. Thank you for your recommendations; I will definitely look into them! I try to take brisk walks with my family, as a way to stay in shape. (weather permitting). Blessings!
I love Leslie's "Walk Away the Pounds" they are easy enough for a beginner or pregnant woman to do.
lela
Just had to say, I enjoyed the thought of listening to audio cd's while working out. I only have a select few (Buns of Steel) workouts and they get repetitive and boring. Sounds like a great way to jazz things up.
I just realized the other day while visiting my in-laws (we don't have a scale...) that I am now at the highest weight I have ever been at...the exact same weight I was 9 months PREGNANT with my son. Ouch. That hurt. REALLY BAD. Gotta get back on track. FAST.
I've been using a couple different DVD's by Laurette Willis called PraiseMoves. I have talked with her personally on the phone a couple times and she seems so nice. While these are not necessarily aerobics DVD's, they are stretching, stengthening, toning, balance, endurance type DVD's.
Her main DVD is called 20-Minute PraiseMoves. She has one with 6-10 minute sessions using weights. She also has another one for children and one with postures corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. She quotes Scripture throughout the sessions/sequences and is very modestly dressed. I would highly recommend them. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my overall fitness and "mental health" :) since starting these.
Last time I talked with her, I mentioned wanting a more aerobic DVD for adding variety to my routine. She said that she's working on it!! For right now, she has 10 minutes of warm-up aerobics to preceed the postures. There is a beginner and intermediate/advanced warm-up. I'm thinking that I may just do 10 minutes of the beginner one and then do 2-10 minute ones of the intermediate/advanced for the days I want more of an aerobic workout.
She also just came out with a new strengthening DVD too. I know this is long, but wanted to give a good picture of what she has available.
I would recommend "Maternal Fitness" by Julie Tupler as a good maternity fitness routine but it's a book, so you have to keep it handy until you learn it well enough to do without it. It's a more comprehensive workout than "Lose Your Mummy Tummy" which is the companion book for post-partum (although that one is also excellent).
The two maternity workout videos I use are old ones - I think the older videos are a little more modest. One is the Kathy Smith maternity workout and the other is the Buns of Steel maternity video from the 80s! I got the BOS one at Goodwill for 50 cents so I have no idea how old it really is, but the Kathy Smith one is still available. The KS one is really cheesy (there is a section where the pregnant girls where sunglasses and "rap" about pregnancy like rhyming "kegels" with "bagels" and I'm not making that up) but it's a good workout.
I think the Leslie Sansone Walk Away series would be great for pregnancy, and our library has those so maybe other libraries do as well.
Although I haven't done it much lately (gulp!), I like Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds, too!
I've been playing Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. It's not really dancing; it's more of stomping around and shaking your hands like an idiot. But it's fun, and I do work up a sweat on it. It has workout settings where you can set it for a specific length of time or for a target set of calories being worked off or some other stuff I can't remember. The music is all secular, though, if that's offensive to anyone.
If the weather is clear and not too windy, I walk to work, 1.5 miles exactly one-way. If there are left-overs in the fridge, I will walk home, too. Do that 3-4 times a week plus a little yoga and upper body strengthening and I'm set.
This encourages me to walk briskly so I won't be late into the office. ;)
~Anna
Veiled Glory
I like Debbie Seibers Slim in 6 and Slim Series.
I also wanted to mention to those who have Netflix that they have quite a few workout DVD's on their "watch now" list. So you can try some out at home before you buy.
These posts had great ideas, so I won't repeat any. :) For me, personally, I'm a gym person. I just am -- I need other people to work out with or all I can think about is how much my body aches! LOL But, for those that aren't gym people, I have a couple ideas beyond those that have been mentioned:
1)Here's a great website: http://www.collagevideo.com They have all kinds of videos and you can see a 60 second clip of each one. The Leslie Sansone ones are on there, too. I, personally, love the BOSU and treadmill-type workouts, because I enjoy doing those in the gym. So many have treadmills and get bored, so some of these workouts are great for new ideas to use that piece of equipment at home if you have it.
2)If someone is wanting or willing to spend a little money (in lieu of a gym membership), here's one of the best option for a low-cost piece of equipment for at home: www.fitnessanywhere.com It's the TRX suspension system that is taking the fitness industry 'by storm'. I have used this a few times and personally love it. It's VERY difficult, but can be adjusted to any level. It's a total body workout, with a lot of emphasis on the core. It does cost about $150, but in lieu of a gym membership, it might be worth it to some. It comes with a video, and there are others you can buy.
Just a few more ideas. :)
Debi
Ewokgirl, that is so funny- my brother-in-law gave us Dance Dance Revolution for Christmas a couple of years ago and I love the workout mode! A lot of the music is bleh but you can choose you own songs or pla with the sound off too; the moves are all represented onscreen anyway.
While pregnant I did a LOT of prenatal yoga (there are always videos at the library; classes were really nice but tended to be too new-agey for me) and have to credit that with really helping me to learn to breathe properly prior to our son's birth. Previously I've done a lot of martial arts & that's always been good exercise, plus it's something that I can do with our child(ren) in the future.
For the one with brothers try BJU ones, they wear sweatsuits and are very modest, not boring at all workouts.
Leslie Sansones about the most modest where you can still get a decent workout. Her walk and jog is good to ramp it up a tiny bit.
Denise Austins walk video is okay too.
I work out when my Peanut is napping or in the morning before she wakes up. In my old life I was a gymnast and took dance so some of the more modest workouts don't give me enough of a workout.
I really like the Self magazine workout where you workout based on your body type but the pictures in the background and introduction are not the best (and totally unnecessary).
My favorite by far (for getting a good workout) are The Firm but forget it on modest clothing.
Walking is one of the best workouts you can do. 20 minutes 5 days weekly kept me fit while working full time.
If you can put together your own routine Prevention's book Banish Your Belly Butt and Thighs has resistant moves in it for toning as does Denise's JumpStart.
Yes the library is the best. And if there is one you want to try and it's not at your library ask for interlibrary loan. It will take longer but it (should be) free.
If you're fairly proficient in workout lingo you can go to http://firmbelivers.yuku.com/ and visit the Yayas Video Review forum (at the bottom) and then follow the link to the reviews. The reviews usually post the workout in detail down to how many minutes each section takes. You can then take this and put together your own fairly comparable workout.
HTH
haha, I thought I'd be the only one to mention DDR. I do it four times a week for a half hour a day, and boy does my five month old love to watch mama hop up and down on the arrow pad!
I use a game on PC called Dance Praise. It has a mat, but I have to make up the moves for my arms. The music is all christian, and there are 4 sets of music. It has a work out mode as well. My girls like to try it too, so I end up doing the moves beside the girl on the mat because we don't have two mats yet. I'll bet DDR is a blast, but don't have a game system, so Dance Praise has been great. Tonya
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