I have been looking for some good exercise DVDS that will get me moving and help loose my problem areas of hips and stomach. I do suffer from knee problems( weight related?) and am afraid that most of the DVD's are for those who are a size 4. Anyone have any good suggestions for DVD's that will get me moving and are interesting? Also I am not cordinated and have never done an exercise dvd before. I was looking into Tae bo and Turbo Jam,but don't know if they are really any good. I like to walk, and lift weights, and use my elliptical, but a dvd would be great to switch exercises and try something new. tia Cheryl

I highly recommend Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds DVDs. At 300 pounds, I have no problem doing them. They don't require "bouncing" moves (believe me, my downstairs neighbors would not appreciate me bouncing around), nor do they have complicated moves.

I have done Tae Bo before, and while it is fun, it requires a lot more coordination and space--I can't currently do it in my itty bitty apartment living room.

I would also second what Jill said in looking at Walk Away the pounds. They are pretty gentle.

Honestly, I've never had a problem with any DVD because I modify it for me. There are only a couple DVDs that I have to heavily modify which are Jillian Michaels the biggest winner. I swear she made those DVDs for someone who is really close to goal and much more fit than myself.

Also if you happen to have a Netflix subscription, you can try out some exercise DVDs.

Personally, I love "The Firm" workouts but I'm not sure if that would be something you are interested in. I also have knee problems (osteoarthritis).

Well I'm bigger than you and I KILL Turbo Jam. LOL. Seriously, it's the most fun workout I've ever done. You seem like you are in pretty good shape, with walking and weight training. I started with WATP, and it is good to start with, but I wanted to move on to something more challenging and fun. (And Leslie talks too much sometimes... )

Also, if you have Comcast cable (or any with On Demand programming) you can find a variety of free workouts in the Exercise section. I've seen some Turbo Jam workouts, WATP, and a bunch of other stuff. I do them sometimes to change up the pace.

Just keep looking and you'll find something that you absolutely love to do, and that will make exercise a habit and not a chore.

Hi,

Definitely try Leslie Sansone. When I started with her at my highest weight, I could do less than ten minutes. Now I can do a four mile walk, with some quick water breaks. They can easiliy be found at Walmart, or Amazon, ebay or Deep Discount dvd (free shipping, great prices!)

There is a series of walking dvds by Petra Kolber with George Foreman (yes the boxer) that are fun also. However, some of them have some squats and lunges that may bother your knees.

There are clips of these workouts a Collagevideo.com

Taebo moves very quickly and may leave you frustrated. Maybe try your library and see what they have-then you could try some tapes for free.

Best of luck, and feel free to post more questions. I have tons of exercose dvds and have mostly tried almost anything you can come up with to ask about !

Take care,
Sherry

Definetly Walk Away the Pounds is a good place to start.

I have also had luck with the weight watchers walking kit. It include 10,20 &30 minute walks and a cd that you pop in your discman for outside walks (helps you keep up the pace).

One of my favorites is Just My Size yoga with Megan Garcia. Very easy to follow and I feel like a million bucks when I'm done the dvd.

Hope some or any of this helps

I 4th the vote for walk away the lbs... but it does get tiresome after a few weeks to be honest.

No fear you can do things like turbo-jam after you break yourself in a bit with the walking tapes. Turbo Jam takes a few tries to get, but trust me Oh so worth it. I was doing Turbo at about 285ish and jumped in after doing about a month or so of easier cardio.

Definitely check into Richard Simmons' workouts. He has people of all sizes who actually work out with him, and you can definitely do his workouts if you truly want to!

I second the On Demand idea -- there are all kinds of workouts there. Also check into FitTV because they have workouts of all levels.

If you really want to work out, you can do it! No more excuses -- bad knees, too big, not interesting enough, not sure it's for me. Take the plunge! Start where you are, and go from there. You just might be amazed at the miracles that start happening for you!

I just got Denise Austin's "Blast Away the Pounds - Indoor Walk" and it's good - it has 3 different 1 mile routines and I am now doing the first 2 in a row and the stretching and I can feel it but not so painful that I can't walk. If you can get past the peppy-ness of Denise, it does the job!

If you're looking for videos specifically for bigger people, here's a site I find helpful: www.plussizeyellowpages.com/fitness.html

Browse the links, bigyogaonline.com looks interesting to me.

From the yellow pages site and amazon.com searches, I've made a list of videos I want (but haven't tried, so can't endorse) I used to love the Richard Simmons videos, but his voice got a little annoying to me over time. I wish there were an option to hear only the music (and maybe have the instructions in closed captions).

Anyway, here are a few of the videos on my list. Some might no longer be available from the publishers, but I buy used from amazon a lot (which are often actually unused bookstore stock).

Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women (Paperback)
(this is a book, but I've read it, and it's really good)

Real Fitness for Real Women: A Unique Workout Program for the Plus-Size Woman (Paperback) Also a book, haven't read this one yet, though.


Yoga: Just My Size With Megan Garcia (2005)
Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy
More Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy
Yoga For Inflexible People
YogaFit Plus: Yoga For Real People
Yoga for Round Bodies, vol. 1 (and 2)

Fitball 101: Exercises for Plus Size and Under Active Adults
(I REALLY want a fitball)

Total Stretch for Beginners with Tamilee (2001)

The Art of Exotic Dancing for Everyday Women 3 DVD Set! Core Moves, Develop Your Routine, and Chair Dancing (2001)

Sit and Be Fit: Fibromyalgia Workout (because I have fibro, there are also a bunch of other Sit and Be Fit videos)

Jodi Stolove's Chair Dancing Around the World (she also has a bunch of other Chair Dancing videos)