Ok... so... here goes...

1. I LOVE gyms. No really... I am probably going to be spending over an hour a day in the gym when I head off to school in August. But in the meantime... I need to exercise... but a gym membership (even a $20 one) just really is NOT in the budget... and isn't practical in my current situation.

So yeah... I'll be doing stuff through DVDs... BUT... I need advice on what DVDs.

I have a hard time with most DVDs because... well... they do things too fast. I love dance things... but after like... the first two or three moves... I get lost and my body just can't get coordinated. Same with the kickboxing stuff, and a lot of the aerobics things.

Yoga and pilates I can mostly keep up with... and I do those... but I'd like something that is more high energy... but SIMPLE.

Yes, when it's under 100 degrees outside, I will most likely be going for walks. I'm also looking at taking horseback riding lessons throughout this month. BUT... I need stuff in addition to that as well. Pretty much... by mid August... I want to be in pretty good shape. I know I won't be completely ripped or anything... but I would LOVE to spend around 30 minutes to up to four or five hours a day exercising.

So yeah... any DVD recommendations? Preferably something on netflix or something I can get from the library. Like I said... stuff just isn't in the budget... so it's not like I can go out and buy a bunch of stuff either.



2. If say... I work out at a moderate to high level 30-60 minutes a day 6 days a week... how long before I should expect to have visible results? I'm 208 currently and 5'9.5". Or... how long did it take y'all before you had visible results?

Also... along that... how long will it take before one calf will shrink about an inch or two? I just bought a pair of tall boots for horseback riding... and I LOVE them. The only problem is that... one fits great... the other is too tight. Or... more accurately... my left leg is about an inch to two inches BIGGER than my right. My family is thinking it could be from driving... So yeah... I can wear one boot around GREAT. But I put the other on... and can't even zip it up. That... and my left calf is noticably bigger... it's actuall kind of funny... but annoying at the same time.


So yeah... thanks guys!

if by "visible results" you mean fat loss, then their is know way to tell

I will tell you this though, the SECTRET TO FAT LOSS

its NOT spending 30 mintes to 5 hours a day in the Gym.
ITS DIET. DIET
DIET. if you want visible results in the next 2½ months (and you really could easily lose 20 ISH pounds, than you have to xzone in on your diet (whatever method you chose to use) and be spot on. You HAVE TO be in a caloric deficit, thats all there is too it.... and spending an hour in a gym doesnt burn NEARLY as many cals as wed like to think, and doesnt even make a dent in the cals we burn the rest of the day and night just existing.

I AM in a calorie deficit. I am eating 1500 calories a day. I apologize... but I was under the impression that this was the FITNESS/EXERCISE forum... not the diet one. I wasn't looking for diet advice here... but the exercise stuff.

30 day shred. Jillian Michaels. Awesome dvd

Oh I second mkroyer's advice on the diet thing. I'm always a little shocked at how many calories I'm really burning in the gym- especially if I compare it to how fast I could eat that many calories! Exercise will definitely help, but it's only part of the equation.

With that said, I'm in the same boat when it comes to exercise. I've lost all the weight I've lost without a gym membership. Do you have cable? Becuase if you do, you can get all kinds of free workouts on Exercise TV (it's in the On Demand menu). Yes, some of them are so lame and are really not worth doing, but you can find some good stuff if you look. I really like stuff Jillian Michaels puts out. Some people don't like her or her approach, but her workouts are a killer (and on the DVD's you can turn her voice off and just keep the music)! She includes body weight training with cardio, so it's the best of both worlds if you're working out out at home. Her newest DVD, Ripped in 30 is awesome! It starts out easier and gets harder with each week (there are 4 separate workouts on that DVD). It even comes with a meal plan if you're into that- she's all about natural, whole foods so it was pretty easy for me to follow.

I have no idea about your "visible results" question, but it probably comes down to losing overall body fat. There's not really a way to spot-reduce fat in one area (like your calves), but lowering your body fat percentage will help shrink everything.

Workout dvds are really an individual preference. Some people love a certain workout and others hate the same one.
You mentioned netflix, so just try a few and see what you like.
Leslie Sansone is not to hard to get the hang of.
I like Gilad, Leslie, Jillian Michaels. Try some out and see what clicks with you.
Good luck and get movin'

I'll see about Jillian Micheals... I guess... the biggest thing is that most DVDs... no matter who is doing it... I just can't keep up with them. My body just isn't that coordinated.

That's what I was mostly asking about with the DVDs... something that is very simple.

Leslie Sansone may be perfect for you.
It's marching in place, side steps, low front kicks.
Always take it at your own pace. It doesn't matter if you get behind or miss a step, just keep moving or go back to marching in place.
You can even just dance around your room for 30 minutes. Put on some music that you like and just move. That's the good part about working out at home--nobody's watching.

I don't think you'll have a hard time coordinating Jillians stuff

I think you'll be fine with Jillian's stuff too. I did the first level of 30 Day Shred at about 200 lbs when I hadn't worked out in a year (and I had no idea what I was getting myself into- I had no idea who she was). Sure I was out of breath, needed to take breaks, etc, but the moves were do-able. It's like lunges, jumping jacks, a lot of basic stuff. If there are some tricky parts, give it a few tries- you'll learn!

Have fun experimenting!

Haha... thanks.

I tend to enjoy Denise Austin videos in terms of being able to stay with it and not lose my coordination or get lost with what she is doing. One of my favs is her "Burn Fat Fast-Cardio Dance and Sculpt."

The DVD I used a lot was Super SlimDown Pilates Yoga Blend by Crunch the instructor is awesome and you can definitely work up a sweat the first time I did that particular DVD every morning for a month and followed my diet the whole time I lost about 15pds, I first saw this video on my Netflix instant stream but they don't have it available anymore but you can check if you can get the actual DVD mailed out if they still have it another thing I liked about it is that you don't need anything else just a mat if you are on a hard surface so it's great for us budget conscious people .

Now with the 30 day shred I actually saw results after 2/3 weeks of working out every single day and since it was only 20 min it was really easy to work in the time. I can tell I was getting toned in places I never paid attention to like my back and while the work out is tough like other posters said she is really easy to follow because she uses lots of basic moves you will need some weights to use with that video.

I wish you luck in finding a video that works for you!