Why use an ab workout DVD?
Look at me, I’m an apple! What’s an apple, you ask? An apple is the opposite of a pear when it comes to body shape.
People with apple-shaped bodies have regular heads and legs, it’s just the mid-section that’s shaped like an apple. You know, the old spare- tire. The “pooch”. The beer-belly. The swallowed-a-watermelon-whole look.
People with pear shaped bodies are, by definition, shaped like a pear. They’re generally thin through the shoulders and “rounder” at the bottom. Studies show that pear-shaped people are at lower risk for heart disease. (Figures. Some people have all the luck.)
If you’re an apple-shape you can be underweight and still have a little belly. (Sigh.) It might feel like a losing battle, but it’s not. All us apple-shapers need to do is focus our workouts on our abs!
I’ve never been all that coordinated. Or very graceful, for all that matters. Or athletic enough to keep up with a group, if you really want to know the truth. So I like to workout in the privacy of my own home with DVD’s. Being an apple I had no doubt about where I needed to start. I had heard that Pilates was good for toning the abs, so I started my “abs workout DVD adventure” there.
What are 5 of the best DVD workouts for abs?
Pilates Workout for Dummies. This was my first venture into DVD workouts for abs. The back of the package said, “Not only can you tone and reshape your entire body by using this video — but you may even change your mind about exercise.” If that wasn’t written for me, I don’t know what was! I liked this DVD! It was easy to follow and yet I had the feeling that I had truly “worked out” when I was done. This particular DVD is what they call low-impact. It reminded me a lot of the floor exercises in the old Jane Fonda workout videos, if anyone remembers those. On a scale of 1- 10, I give Pilates Workout for Dummies a 5 for difficulty (meaning it’s pretty easy) and a 7 on the fun-factor scale.
Leslie Sansone Walk at Home: Walk Away Your Waistline! After I wore out the Pilates phase, I was ready for something a little more high-energy. You could say I stumbled across Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home DVD series by accident, in the library. I loved her Walk at Home series and was tickled to find Walk Away Your Waistline! This particular DVD is a 3 mile walk with 1, 2 & 3 mile markers. I defy anyone to do a Leslie Sansone workout DVD and not feel better afterward. (To learn more about Leslie and her at home workout DVD’s click here.) On a scale of 1-10, I give Leslie Sansone Walk at Home: Walk Away the Waistline an 7 for difficulty and a 10 on the fun-factor scale.
Dance Off the Inches: Hip Hop Party. After my good luck with Leslie, I decided to continue the “standing” exercising. (Somewhere along the line I decided that I didn’t want to lie on the floor anymore.) The back of this ab workout DVD package said, “Drop inches and get dancer’s abs! The motion used in hip hop is known for developing unparalleled flat, sleek abs- without crunches!” That was enough to sell me! Jennifer Galardi hosts this DVD and she is one ball of energy! There’s a special section that has instructions for each step. I needed to watch that several times before I attempted the actual hip hop dance. (What can I say, I’m a forty-something white girl.) I have to warn you, I laughed my butt off the first couple times I did my Hip Hop Abs DVD! (Too bad I couldn’t laugh my abs off, right?) On a scale of 1-10, I give Dance Off the Inches: Hip Hop Party a 9 for difficulty (I can’t really do all the moves) and a 10 on the fun-factor scale. This one is a riot!
Kickboxing for Dummies. I really thought I was on a roll with this at home ab workout DVD thing, so I decided to learn to kickbox. I had heard that kickboxing was great for the abs, and it was high energy, so I checked this DVD out. (Of the library, that is.) This DVD was fun, but not my favorite. It seemed like just when I got the hang of the exercise, it was time to move on to the next one. I guess that was alright, because the “Dummy” series is designed to act as an introduction. As an introduction to kickboxing, it made me want to learn more. On a scale of 1- 10, I give Kickboxing for Dummies a 7 for difficulty (it kind of went too fast) and an 8 for fun-factor.
Billy Banks TaeBo Get Celebrity Fit Ab Bootcamp. I’m exhausted, and that was from just reading the title. Seriously, Billy’s too intense for this middle-aged office worker. The hype here is just as irresistible as can be: “How many times have you looked in the mirror and wanted to flatten that stomach! Billy created a new approach that attacks belly fat with target moves to give that head-turning stomach and waist you’ve always wanted.” That sold me, for sure! I want that, Billy, but I need to get into better shape before I can do your ab workout DVD! I’m adding this to my top 5 ab workout DVD’s as a personal goal. On a scale of 1- 10, I give Billy Banks TaeBo Get Celebrity Fit Ab Bootcamp a 10 for difficulty (too hard for me right now!) and- I’m just guessing- an 9 on the fun-factor scale. (It looks fun?)
Where can I buy an ab workout DVD?
I always recommend checking things out of the library first (kind of a try-before-you-buy thing), which I did with all of these except Billy Banks. (No wonder I can’t do that one!)
I bought Dance Off the Inches: Hip Hop Party and Billy Banks TaeBo Get Celebrity Fit Ab Bootcamp at Wal-Mart. I got Leslie Sansone Walk at Home: Walk Away the Waistline at FYE. New ab workout DVD’s usually run between $9.99 and $19.99.
I bought the Pilates Workout for Dummies DVD on-line at www.overstock.com or www.amazon.com, I can’t remember now. I’m certain I didn’t pay over $9 or $10, including shipping.
It’s interesting to note that you can also rent ab workout DVD’s from www.netflix.com for $4.99/month.
