10 Minute Solution Yoga

I've had this dvd for a few years, but I only started using it last month. The first time I tried using it, I had a really hard time doing the moves and keeping up. But ever since the incident where I hurt my back doing yoga, I figured out that there is no need to keep up with the instructor; you have to just do what you're comfortable with at whatever pace works for you.

10 Minute Solution Yoga has a very nice variety of segments. Like all of the dvd's in this series, there are 5 ten minute segments. You can do all of them to get a 50 minute workout, or just choose whatever ones you feel like doing on any given day.

First of all, I have to say that I really like the instructor, Lara Hudson. She provides excellent cues, and for the most part goes at a good pace. She explains how to modify tougher poses, and has a nice, soothing voice that you don't mind listening to.

The first segment is Yoga Basics. It is definitely for beginners; it is much slower paced than the others to make sure you can follow along and understand. I don't recommend it for anyone more advanced unless they wanted to use it as a warm-up. The whole segment is pretty much sun salutations.

The second segment is Yoga for Buns and Thighs. This segment is a lot tougher than the first one, and is great. You can really feel your thighs working as you do the poses!

The third segment is Yoga for Abs. This one, like the second segment, is tougher. Your abs have to really work hard through this segment. But there are certain points in this segment that I found I could not do. For example, there is a move near the end of the segment that I cannot do because my legs are too long. But other than that, this segment is a wonderful ab workout.

The fourth segment is Yoga Burn. For quite awhile I couldn't be bothered to try it, as I was happy with the second and third segments. But I finally decided to give it a try in my room over the weekend. Well, that was a big mistake! You need a LOT of room for some of these moves! So today I tried it out in my livingroom and had a bit more success. This segment is very fast-paced and really works your whole body! It is definitely not for beginners. There were some poses that I could barely do, or could only do for a few breaths then had to stop and hang out in child's pose or something equally relaxing.

The final segment is easily my favourite: Yoga for Flexibility and Relaxation. This segment is just so calming and wonderful, I always like to tack it onto the end of my workout whenever I use this dvd. It's a bunch of stretches and twists that just feel so good at the end of any workout. I have a bit of problems with a few of the stretches near the end (again because my legs are too long) but I still enjoy it anyway.

Like the video I reviewed last week, 10 Minute Solution Yoga is a great dvd. It has something for everyone, no matter what their ability level in yoga.

Crunch Super Slim Down

This is one of the newest dvds in my collection. My dvd collection is mainly made up of dancing videos, and I have been looking to expand into more yoga and pilates dvds. I wandered into HMV and this was on sale, so I decided to buy it.

Crunch Super Slim Down: Pilates Yoga Blend is about a 40 minute workout. There are 7 chapters to the actual workout. This dvd was nice because it started out with yoga moves, and slowly transitions into pilates moves, giving you the benefits of both workouts in one. I also really liked Ellen Barrett; she's friendly, cheerful and give really good cues. She isn't overly peppy or crazy like some other instructors I've seen on other dvd's.

The first two segments are Standing Yoga segments. You start out with a warm-up, and then the second segment is a lot of triangle and warrior poses. I really started to feel it in my arms during the second segment. They really leaving you feeling stronger and stretched out.

The next two segments are the All Fours Matwork. These ones aren't bad, but if you have knee problems then you should be extremely careful with them. For example, the first time I tried this dvd, I had to skip one of these segments because my knees were hurting. If I think about it next time, I'll try it with some sort of pads on the knees and see if that helps. Other than that, the segments are pretty good, filled with lots of good yoga postures like the cat poses and child's pose. There's also an optional downward dog pose.

The next segment is the Side Lying Matwork. I really like this segment, as you can really feel these moves. You start out doing some side leg raises, and move onto that move where you lift your hips off the ground. This is a great segment that really works your inner theighs.

The final full segment is the Abs Matwork. There are some really different moves in here (like the "climb the rope" move that gets into your obliques) along with some more standard pilates moves (like the full or partial roll up). By this time, you can really feel your abs working!

The Abs Matwork is followed by a quick Calming Cooldown. This is the one segment of the dvd that I'm a bit disappointed with; it seems like to little after a very invigorating 40 minute workout. (It reminds me of the quick little cool downs that are thrown onto a 10 Minute Solution segment). You sit on the floor and do a couple of movements and then your done; there's no leg stretching at all. I think they could have come up with something better to end this dvd with.

All in all, I really enjoy this exercise dvd. Other than the two points I listed (how the matwork segments are a bit hard on the knees and how the cooldown is way too short), this dvd is great. It gives you a good workout and has a great instructor. I think this is going to be one of those dvds in my collection that I keep coming back to!

Welcome!

Over the last few years, I have bought a large number of exercise videos in an effort to get in shape. I have tried some, and some have just sat on a shelf waiting to be opened. I've started this blog in a two-fold effort: first, I want to actually try all of the videos that I have. And second, I'd like to get myself into better shape along the way!

At this point, I'm not 100% sure how I am going to be formatting this blog. My initial idea is to review one dvd a week. I will choose one dvd from my collection, and use it every second day for a week, and then at the end of that time I will post my review. This way I can vary my exercises every day (say yoga or pilates one day, aerobics of some sort the next) which will give my muscles a chance to heal between exercising. I think a week should be enough time to try out all the segments for each dvd (especially for ones like 10 Minute Solution, which have 5 different segments). I'm going to try this for the first while, and see how it goes!