Hi all, I am 43 y/o and an avid walker, but recently I've noticed a lessening in my upper body strength. How little muscle I have was very evident when playing a game of h-o-r-s-e with my son the other night. I kept blaming my short shots on my eyesight, but I know it was because old mom just didn't have the oomph anymore. I've lifted weights in the past, put just have no desire for that right now. I would like advice on which pilates and yoga dvds you like that are aimed at upper body strength. I don't want to waste money on something with no appeal.
Thanks for your help in advance!

i have a pilates dvd from shape magazine, i really like it. leslie sansone from wlk away the pounds series also has a pilates dvd, its called you can do pilates

MOST Pilates dvds are aimed at core strength (back, abs, hips, thighs) and only a few are aimed at the upper body area.

I would recommend yoga, because a lot of the poses where you are lifting your body weight, strengthen the upper body (as well as the legs, core, etc.)

However, if you have never done it-I would recommend starting with a beginner video. For absolute newbies, Leslie Sansone has one called "You Can Do Yoga".

After that, I would recommend the series by Yoga Journal. It can be purchased at Amazon, or at the Yoga Journal website. It is a 3 dvd series, and I believe that they have 1, 2, and 3 in the titles. They are not only workouts...but each dvd has a 30-35 minute segment (very important!) that takes you through the PROPER execution of each pose and the various modifications for your personal strength and flexibiltiy. After you have mastered this part of it, then you can do the 20 minute workout.

aphil, Thanks for the input. I've been enjoying yoga on and off for years. I'm not a novice, but have never really moved past beginner. I've been enjoying Total Circuit Training with Alan Harris. It has 20 min of yoga followed by 20 min of pilates. Basic pilates moves are still quite difficult for me. No tummy muscles much to speak of. I will definitely give the Yoga Journal dvds a try.

Thanks to you too BizMax, I had others suggest the Leslie Sansone series as well.

I just got this Rodney Yee DVD and I love it...It's a bit advanced but it's good, he does alot of downward dog poses and that takes a lot of upper body strength... His voice is very soothing and his instructions are right on and very specific you could do it with your eyes closed after a while, but you wouldn't want to do that he's quite the eye candy


I also got this one, I haven't done it yet but I met her in Montreal a few weeks ago and she was amazing...


I also ordered her Power Yoga DVD...but it's on back order...


The DVDs are French though....

Ilene, Thank you for the suggestions. I actually have an old Rodney Yee vhs. He was featured on Oprah a hundred years ago or so. I will definitely check this one out....French hmmm....let me know how you like the last two. I could probably go through it slowly and learn the cadence of her voice. Who knows, maybe I'd even pick up a few words. Now that I'm adding yoga on a more regular basis I'm really enjoying it. It makes a huge difference in how I feel overall when I do a couple slow sun salutations after walking or running. Flexing down to cobra and then up into downward dog seems to stretch everything that ends up tight after a jog.

Me too!! For years I did Yoga regularly, then stopped in the last 4 years or so... And a few weeks ago I went to a Fitness Seminar in Montreal and met Lyne St Roch and she was really good... and I was sooooo rickety I could barely touch my toes anymore and when I moved I could hear all the bones crack, even doing a small head roll ... After that I just decided to start doing it at home instead of going out at night to do a class ... Before I got the DVDs I took out my old book
along with some relaxation music and did the sun salutation and poses for 40 50 minutes.... I know enough about Yoga that I made my own class ....

If you like books this is a great site Thriftbooks.ca I've bookmarked the page at all the Yoga books available there... Some books are like $0.01, the shipping costs more ....The Sivananda Companion to Yoga is not there though, I saw it on Amazon, but there are other really good books...

Hope this helps...

Ilene-
I really love yoga, too. So many people think that it is an "easy" or wimpy workout-SO not true!

I have various yoga dvds-some focusing on increasing flexibility, some focusing on strength, some on relaxation, etc. and I choose what to do based on my individual needs.

For those who are larger and want to try yoga, I have heard wonderful things about the dvd called "Just My Size Yoga". Supposedly, it is taught by a larger instructor, and is geared towards plus sized women, and modifications that they might need. I have not viewed it myself though...has anyone here?

I really loved doing yoga when I was pregnant with Saber. I had absolutely no lower back pain with him, and I think the yoga was a lot of the reason for that.

Right now I have some of the ones by Yoga Zone, and a couple by Rodney Yee. I have a handful of prenatal ones as well.

I just finished the Lyne St. Roch, Yoga Relaxation tape and I really liked the 60 minute workout... there are two other workouts a 20 min and 30 minute workout I didn't like those because they seemed too short... But I thoroughly enjoyed the 60 minute workout... VERY relaxing...

Aphil -- I did yoga right to the end of both my pregnancies too and I loved it... Although it didn't make my kids any more relaxed once they were born

It didn't make Saber more relaxed, either. He is a little tornado.

I've ordered the Rodney Yee, Yoga Burn dvd you had suggested Ilene, plus another one of his for strength. I've been e-mailed notices that they both have been sent. I'm eagerly awaiting their arrivals. In the meantime I've found one from the library I like very much. Karen Voight, Yoga Power. It has a 30 min w/o for strength and a 20 min w/o for flexibility. I've only used the strength section so far and can really feel it in my arms, chest and abs.
Have a happy day!

lovnmom -- Let me know how the Rodney Yee strength workout is .... I just may get that one too...

Aphil --DS was a Tasmanian Devil when he was little... Now though he's super calm, he's 20...

Ilene, My March got really busy and although I've had both Rodney Yee dvds for quite some time I just did the power strength. It moves at a much faster pace than I am used to ( I was a little light headed when I was done ) and some of the strength moves are way out of my league. For now All in all I really think I will like it. I like his voice. The music is nice and there is no way I will not build upper body strength if I continue to use it. I'm off for a walk with a friend now and plan to try the yoga burn tomorrow.
Have a great day!

The Yoga Burn, I find, is nice and slow....But you do need a LOT of UB strength... Let me know what you think of it...