All Entries For DVD
Adopting my dog a few months ago has changed my life in many ways, and that includes my exercise routine. While I'm even more active than before since I share dog-walking responsibilities with my fiancé, I'm not able to spend as much time at the gym. That means at-home workouts make up the bulk of my routine now, so I've been strength training at home, usually with a few of my favorite workout DVDs.
When Amy Dixon's "Give Me 10!" workout DVD showed up on my desk at work, I was excited to try it. Amy Dixon may look familiar to many of you who are avid readers of women's fitness magazines. She's a regular contributor and fitness consultant for magazines like "Self," "Shape," "Women's Health" and more. She knows her stuff, too. With a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology and a boatload of fitness certifications, she's been training and designing workouts for 15 years.
This DVD features a nice mix of six 10-minute workouts: Fat Blasting Cardio, Upper Body Sculpt, Lower Body Firmer, Core Makeover, Yoga Stretch & Flex, and a bonus Kettlebell Tone Up. So are these workouts for you?
Posted 8/6/2010 11:11:07 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 34 comments
I like to do Pilates twice a week. That's the minimum amount of core training I need to keep my persistent back problems at bay and to feel centered and limber. Fortunately for me, I've been teaching two mat classes for the past several years—until recently, that is. One of my classes was recently canceled, so I've been on my own to fit in my mat exercises…only I've been a little lazy about doing it on my own.
Last week I dug through my library of workout DVDs searching for a good Pilates DVD to plug the hole in my routine. The folks at 10-Minute Solution sent me the Quick Sculpt Pilates kit (which contains a DVD and a toning ball) a while ago, and now was the perfect time for me to try it.
I've said it before, but I LOVE doing Pilates with the mini ball. I use it in my classes all the time, and my students really enjoy using it, too. I tested the Bender Ball a couple years ago and loved it, so I had high hopes for this DVD. Still, I was a bit skeptical, because it's not easy to find quality instruction on Pilates workout DVDs. Here's what you need to know about trying this Pilates workout set.
Posted 7/14/2010 5:59:14 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 24 comments
One of my fitness goals this year has been to incorporate more strength training into my routine. I've found that if I'm going to push myself, it doesn't happen with a bunch of exercises I just do on my own. I need a video to follow. So far this year I've tried some short and long ones, good and bad ones, and some that are more challenging than others. A few weeks ago, I tried one that was such a good balance of difficulty and length that I wanted to do a review of it.
Posted 5/21/2010 1:18:16 PM By: Jen Mueller : 32 comments
As a way to say thanks to our readers for all of your support and valuable feedback, we're happy to announce our latest contest: the Spring Has Sprung Fitness DVD Giveaway!
Companies send us DVDs all the time, and try as we might, we don't always have time to review them all. Instead of letting them pile up around the office, we would rather share them with you!
We'll be giving away 10 fitness DVDs to 10 winners! (The titles will be a surprise!)
Posted 5/11/2010 4:36:51 PM By: Stepfanie Romine : 149 comments
Life is all about balance. Yoga helps me balance my busy life. It tones and strengthens my body, and it also calms and quiets my mind. I practice and teach Ashtanga yoga, a rigorous and regimented branch of yoga with a long history and an emphasis on linking breath and movement. It's tough--my heart rate stays up high enough that is counts as a cardio activity--and each movement is held for about five breaths with no breaks throughout the 75- to 90-minute practice.
While Ashtanga is my yoga of choice, there are times when even my yoga practice needs some balance. Therefore, a couple of times a week, I practice yin yoga, as a complement to my Ashtanga practice.
My best friend is a yin yoga teacher, and she first introduced me to the practice. She has rheumatoid arthritis, so yin, which targets the bones and fascia rather than the muscles as vinyasa (a "yang" yoga practice), is her yoga practice of choice.
Yin yoga poses are held much longer than in other varieties of yoga: 10 breaths up to 10 minutes, depending on the practice. While the Ashtanga primary series includes more than 70 poses, a yin practice might only include five to 10 per class. Yin yoga is very slow and relaxing. Because the poses are held longer than in other classes, yin yoga can be mentally challenging.
I've taken a few classes and a workshop, and I practice at home, but I've never tried a DVD. When I saw that one of my favorite Pilates and yoga teachers, Jennifer Kries, had a Yin Yoga DVD, I picked it up at the library and eagerly reviewed it.
Posted 4/13/2010 2:18:03 PM By: Stepfanie Romine : 52 comments
SparkPeople.com is the most highly trafficked weight-loss website in America. Needless to say, we know a thing or two about helping people lose weight. Our members have lost more than 10 million pounds to date by following our fun and healthy nutrition and fitness plans, but we wanted to learn more about what really worked for them, so we conducted a huge survey, asking the most successful "losers" what they really did to reach their goals.
We recently shared several of their secrets to weight-loss success with you, and included even more of their strategies in our book, The Spark, which we released last year. Soon after, SparkPeople asked me to create a workout plan based on the book, so I turned to the strategies of our most successful members for help. After all, I wanted this DVD to be more than just another workout DVD. I wanted it to incorporate tactics that were proven to help real people lose weight and reach their goals.
The result, Fit, Firm and Fired Up in 10 Minutes a Day, is a no-brainer workout plan that's fun, easy to follow, and truly effective. I believe it can help you learn to love exercise (if you're not there yet) and totally change your attitude about fitness.
Posted 3/17/2010 7:02:12 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 46 comments
I've seen Jillian Michaels on TV, and I've tried her infamous "30-Day Shred" with co-workers. She lives up to her reputation as TV's toughest trainer. It seems like there's no workout Jillian hasn't tried. She's a jill of all trades in the gym.
On "The Biggest Loser," her co-trainer Bob is usually the one seen leading yoga workouts, so when I heard Jillian was releasing her own yoga DVD, I was intrigued. As a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher and longtime student, I love a good yoga practice. For me, yoga helps me stay centered, builds strength inside and out, and makes me feel good about my body.
Here's what I knew about the DVD before I tried it:
"Jillian Michaels, winning trainer on NBC's 'The Biggest Loser,' introduces a new yoga workout unlike any other. Combining hard-core yoga power poses with her dynamic training techniques, Jillian will get you real weight-loss results fast. YOGA MELTDOWN includes two complete 30-minute workouts that include a warm-up and cool down. Begin with the Level 1 workout which focuses on quickly flowing yoga sequences to burn mega calories. Then progress to Level 2 which adds twists and balance poses for an even greater burn."
I generally practice Ashtanga yoga, which is practiced in silence, with only the breath or a teacher's cues (often Sanskrit counting) to guide you. The same poses are practiced in the same order and held for five breaths, with each one flowing from one to the next. Would Jillian, who's always moving and very assertive, give me that same "love your body" and peace-love-yoga vibe? How would her "you can't phone in a workout" philosophy translate to yoga, where we're taught to respect our bodies and never push too hard?
Well, my friends, I was pleasantly surprised.
Posted 3/16/2010 12:23:57 PM By: Stepfanie Romine : 97 comments
Like many of you, I'm a busy mom who tries hard to balance work, family life and my own priorities. One of my personal goals is to stay healthy and fit. That's not easy, especially on those days when I barely have enough time to brush my teeth, much less find time for a long workout. That's why I was excited to check out the DVD our friends at SqueezeItIn.com sent us to try. It sells for $14.99 and can be purchased on their website.
SqueezeItIn.com is a website full of exercises that you can do anytime, anywhere. The exercises don't require equipment and often use everyday movements to create a workout. For example, countertop push-ups can be done while making dinner, and hot squats can be done while blow drying your hair. The program suggests dividing your workout into three 10-minute segments throughout the day. The DVD contains many of the exercises that are found on the site, as well as a longer workout and more tips for how to fit exercise into a busy day.
Posted 2/26/2010 6:09:40 AM By: Jen Mueller : 61 comments
A few months ago, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Leslie Sansone for the dailySpark. Sure, I knew who she was and that our members love her, but I had never actually tried any of the "Walk Away the Pounds" DVDs that made her the famous fitness guru she is today.
Leslie was kind enough to send me a free copy of her newest title, Leslie Sansone Walk At Home: Walk Your Belly Flat, a 3-mile walk you can do from the comfort of your living room. I busted it out on a cold day that I didn't want to head outdoors for a walk. Want to know what I thought about it? And more importantly, whether it'll help you lose that stubborn fat around your midsection?
Posted 1/15/2010 6:15:14 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 261 comments
Are you having trouble squeezing exercise into your busy days? Do you need a workout plan that is simple to follow, yet effective? Are you thinking about making fitness a part of your life, perhaps as a New Year's Resolution? Whether you need help starting a consistent fitness program or just want new ideas, my newest workout DVD, The Spark: Fit, Firm and Fired Up in 10 Minutes a Day can help!
A couple months ago, I told you how you can get a free workout from this DVD by preordering The Spark. Today, I'm happy to share that this DVD is now available!
Posted 12/16/2009 6:46:44 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 38 comments
A growing number of people are overweight and obese, but you wouldn't know it by flipping through a magazine, watching TV or going to the movies. Thin is still "in" when it comes to models, actors, advertisements and yes, even exercise. We've known for a while that you can be overweight and fit at the same time, and certainly, many overweight men and women work out and live active lifestyles. Unfortunately, the world doesn't cater to the overweight. Airplane seats are too small; fashionable clothes are harder to come by; and most fitness programs don't offer the specific instruction and welcoming environments that many full-bodied people need in order to be successful. It's no wonder that 1/3 of SparkPeople members felt the need to lose weight before joining a gym in the first place!
Research from 2007 found that people who follow workout videos that prominently feature the instructor's thin or toned physique feel worse about themselves. Talk about low motivation to continue a program! Another recent study found that women who read fitness-related magazines while on an exercise bike exercised for a shorter duration than those who read general interest magazines that focused less on body shape. Apparently, all of this "thinspiration" isn't very good for us. So wouldn't it make sense that we'd all be more successful if we worked out with trainers or exercise instructors who looked more like us (and less like a seemingly unattainable ideal)? I think so.
A few fitness pioneers are paving the way for people of all sizes and ability levels to get fit without pressuring them to change or making them feel out of place or bad about themselves. We recently told you about Debra Mazda, founder of Shapely Girl fitness DVDs, which feature curvy women (including 165-pound Mazda herself) and back in June, I had the pleasure of reviewing Abby Lentz's DVD, HeavyWeight Yoga, which is specifically designed for overweight and obese individuals. I immediately fell in love with the DVD and everything that Abby represented. Soon after, she sent me her newest DVD, HeavyWeight Yoga 2: Change the Image of Yoga. I had the opportunity to try her new title a couple weeks ago. Want to know what I thought about it?
Posted 11/25/2009 5:37:10 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 63 comments
I can hardly contain my excitement as I write this post. There's something that I've been hiding for a while and as much as I wanted to, I wasn't able to tell anyone about it. But the day for my big reveal is finally here, and I hope that you will be as excited about it as I am!
Most of you know me from the SparkPeople workout videos. Some of you may also know that I created a couple workout DVDs for the SparkPeople Store. But what you don't know is that I designed and shot eight new workouts for a brand new fitness DVD a few months ago. This wasn't just any video shoot. We built our very own set, shot it on a real sound stage, and I even had my own make-up artist and stylist for the two-day shoot. Probably the most exciting part for me was that I bought eight new workout outfits to wear (and you know how much I love workout clothes!)
This isn't just any fitness DVD either. I designed it as a compliment to our new book The Spark, and like that book, it will be sold in retail stores nationwide. Look out world: Coach Nicole is going to hit the mainstream!
Now, you can get a sneak peek at one of the new 10-minute workouts from my forthcoming DVD: Fit, Firm & Fired Up in 10 Minutes a Day!
Posted 10/21/2009 8:32:04 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 66 comments
As many times as I've received requests to create a cardio dance video, I have to assume that our readers love dance workouts. I do, too, but unfortunately, I'm not very good at creating or leading these types of workouts. I danced throughout my childhood and I still miss it as an adult, so I rely on cardio dance DVDs to get my dancing fix. Sometimes they can be disappointing. Other times they're too advanced. It isn't easy to strike the perfect balance of teaching fun dance moves without going over most people's heads, so I applaud those fitness instructors (or dancers in some cases) who can do it right.
Recently, I received a package from the folks at 10 Minute Solution. They make a wide variety of workout DVDs— toning, cardio, Pilates and more—that each include five 10-minute workouts, allowing you to choose a short workout or a longer one. Their DVDs have impressed me 95% of the time in terms of quality instruction, value, and workout variety. (So far, the only title I've tried that I would not recommend is their Kettlebell Ultimate Fat Burner, but we won't go into that here.)
Two newer releases of theirs impressed me all over again. If you're looking for fun, short cardio dance workouts that you can actually keep up with, look no further.
Posted 9/25/2009 4:25:01 PM By: Nicole Nichols : 76 comments
I don't know what it's like to be obese. I've never been inside the body of a very overweight or obese person. Although I know a lot about fitness and do my best to lead workouts that are suitable for people of many levels of fitness and mobility, I can truly never know how it really feels to do that workout while carrying excessive weight. But like many of you, Abby Lentz (that's her in the photo to the left) knows what it's like. A certified yoga instructor, who also happens to be obese, she's been sharing her knowledge for the past four years by leading overweight and obese exercisers in Austin, Texas through classes just for them: HeavyWeight Yoga. Recently, she released a DVD by the same name so that overweight men and women can enjoy the many benefits of yoga at home. She doesn't think you need to lose weight or tone up before you try yoga. In fact, she says that everyone can—and should—practice yoga starting with the body you have today.
I first learned about Abby Lentz in Fitness magazine's "Fit 50" list of tips, trends and trendsetters, and thought, "How refreshing!" I personally contacted Abby to request a DVD to review for our readers, and finally had a chance to test it out over the past week…and I was blown away!
Posted 6/17/2009 11:55:56 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 90 comments
Almost every woman has heard of The FIRM, a brand of at-home workout equipment and videos that has sold over 10 million workout videos. I remember watching the infomercials for their version of the step (and its accompanying workout videos) as a teenager; today, the FIRM continues to come up with new workout DVDs and products that are available online and in stores.
More recently, I started seeing ads for The FIRM's newest product, The WAVE. Its unique design, with two usable sides—one for stepping and one for rocking and balance training—looked fun and interesting, so I was very excited to test it out when they sent the whole package directly to SparkPeople.
The WAVE comes with a lot of stuff: the WAVE itself (that's the rounded 'step'), 4 DVDs to use with your WAVE, a small mat for your WAVE (to prevent your WAVE from sliding around on the floor), a poster of exercises you can do on the WAVE (complete with photos and instructions), and more. I tried all 4 DVDs to test out the WAVE, and I enlisted the help of two of my friends, both of whom enjoy step aerobics and own a standard aerobics step at home. I thought they'd have unique perspectives for how the WAVE compares with a regular step. Want to hear what we thought about it?
Posted 6/5/2009 6:00:36 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 2980 comments 
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