My husband is a good weight, but he's not fit or anything because he doesn't exercise. He eats junk but maintains his weight because of his magical metabolism. I won't get started on THAT...
He'd like to start with some sort of workout dvd that we can do together. Yep, exercising together. Yay.

I'm pretty out of shape, so the exercise dvd's would have to be something that can be learned by a beginner. I was thinking that some sort of dance work out might be fun, but every time I look up reviews for them, some say "great for beginners!" and the other half say "don't bother unless you're already a dancer"---which seems to be the trend for a lot of dvd's, actually, dancing or not.

Who can recommend any beginner dvd's for me? I'm not as into muscle-building or weights (yet-I'll start on that later after I lose some pounds), but more cardio stuff. I guess I'm interested in:

-some sort of fun dance dvd that isn't impossible for a beginner
-a short dvd that my husband would like to do with me (he was looking at the 10-minute ones, because we'd be doing it when he gets home from work)
-NOT a video that focuses on muscle-building or weight training.
-are there any good yoga videos for someone who has never done yoga before? I'm sort of interested in yoga, but I've never taken a class and I don't live where there are any classes (nearest gym/classes is 50 miles away)

There are just so many videos out there and so many reviews, I'm getting overwhelmed hunting for them by myself!! Who can help me?

My mom absolutely loved the turbo-jam workouts from beachbody. They include ways to make it low-impact, or more intense. I did it with her a few times and we had a blast! I think they all run between30-40 minutes- but time flew we were having so much fun together!!

Check out collagevideo.com and totalfitnessdvds.com
They have preview clips of the videos. Watch them and see what appeals to you.
I don't like recommending videos to other people because what I might like, you might hate.

I do think that Leslie Sansons'e workouts are a good place to start though.
Good luck!

I've never had much luck with videos. I also struggle with finding one that will work for a beginner. The only one that I've found so far that's remotely easy going, sad to say, is the Biggest Loser DVD. In the end I've found that I do better going to a gym. I get too distracted at home. :-) But I'll keep coming back to this thread to see what people have to say too. It would be nice to find something to ease me into it.

yogaworks beginners AM/PM is a great yoga video. It has three workouts, a wake up 10 min, a 45 min beginner's, and a 10 PM. I'm a big girl (I have about 100 lbs to lose and am 5' 4") and going from almost no exercise to this wasn't too difficult, I was able to do all but one pose. I think it's a great intro to yoga.

yogatoday.com offers a free membership (although, you can purchase one) but the free one has 1 free yoga class per week.

you can youtube search zumba classes and view many of the dances for free

As always, you can do the absolutely awesome exercises off of BodyRock.tv
I LOVE the core/cardio/total body transformation exercises from their free site!!

Before I would buy any vids for my sedentary husband, I'd do free ones online that way I'd know if he were going to do it with me or not.

I really like Leslie Sansone Walk Away The Pounds dvds. They are super amazing for beginners. It is more then just walking and really make me work but you can learn it easy and then set your own pace if you need to. It is my favorite go to.

If you guys have a wii I also really recommend stuff like Just Dance. You can really work up a sweat and make it a great workout dancing together and having fun at the same time.


Thanks for that link. I am very interested in doing yoga but can't go to classes right now and alot of the dvds I have tried I haven't liked. That site is great though!

rodney yee has a beginner's yoga with a nice section that explains some of the basic poses well www.youtube.com/watch?v=wArr0ZdSPRE


hulu has a Firm dance workout that you can preview (there's some other ones you can check out there also) http://www.hulu.com/watch/228808/gai...-dance-express

Do you have Netflix? If you can stream Netflix on your TV, they've got a decent selection of dance workouts. Crunch Cardio Dance Party is the easiest to follow that I've found, though it takes a couple tries if you're uncoordinated like me. Of course, that's easy for me to say; I don't have an audience when I work out (unless you count the cat.)

The Biggest Loser DVDs are also very beginner-friendly, and decent workouts once you get past Bob's inability to lead a class and talk at the same time. They also allow you to choose which segments you want to do, so you can tailor your workout to the amount of time you have.

Taebo all the way hun , Billy Banks is a legend and his routines cater for all levels of fitness x

I'll second moonkissed with Just Dance if you have a Wii. I bought it a few weeks ago. If you have kids, it's a great way to get them up and moving, too! My 5 year old can play for longer than I can!

I love Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred! I've really gotten great results with it. It lasts 27 minutes including warm up and cool down, and it costs about $9.

I second crusing collagevideo.com even if you don't buy there and just check the stuff out from the library. I like their ranking -- jumping into something too advanced for you is a good way to get hurt.

If you are looking for something newbie/family friendly without being specifically kiddie... try Kim Lyons.

HTH!
A.