If I was stuck on a desert island and had to pick one exercise DVD to take with me, this would be it. (Well, truthfully, if I was stuck on a desert island I'd prefer to take a pound of chocolate and a case of wine, but that's another story.) The point is, that in order for exercise to be successful, you have to keep doing it. And keep doing it. And keep doing it. So it has to be something that you actually like (or at least can bear) to do.
Because the DVD I like might not be the same as what you would like, I'm going to tell you what criteria I use to judge. I look for the following:
Is there any variety in the workout?
Do the instructors explain things well, for example, proper form?
Are the instructors annoying, or do I like their personalities?
Is the workout so hard that I'd never want to do it two days in a row?
Is the workout so easy that I don't feel like it was a workout?
Is the workout structured so that I can do short pieces of it - 10 or 20 minutes at a time?
QuickFix Total Mix met all of my criteria. The instructors are good and very specific with directions. They're not too annoying - even after watching this 50 times. But here's the best part - this DVD is actually broken into 9 different 10-minute workouts - 3 for abs, 3 strength training (legs, arms, and both), and 3 for butt. You can mix and match any 3 (or less) to create your own personalized workout. So I may do all strength training one day, or I may mix it up with 10 minutes of abs, 10 minutes of butt, and 10 minutes of arms. Or any sort of combination.
The producer claims that there are over 100 possible combinations - I never bothered to do the math to find out. Regardless, there is enough variety to keep anyone busy.
If you are a beginner to intermediate level exerciser, this is a recommended DVD. If you are very advanced, you may find it too easy. You will need a set of dumbbells (3 to 8 pounds), a chair, and a mat for the abs work. The DVD is widely available. Click here for more info - TotalMix - The Complete Total Body Workout System
If I was stuck on a desert island and had to pick one exercise DVD to take with me, this would be it. (Well, truthfully, if I was stuck on a desert island I'd prefer to take a pound of chocolate and a case of wine, but that's another story.) The point is, that in order for exercise to be successful, you have to keep doing it. And keep doing it. And keep doing it. So it has to be something that you actually like (or at least can bear) to do.
