please recommend me some exercise DVDs!

[addstudentdinners2]

I am 10st 6, want to lose about 1.5-2 stone. Heaviest weight was 11st 7 so am doing ok but now seem to have plateaud a bit. Am on 1200 MFP diet, but allow myself 1600 at the weekends (happy with losing slower if I can eat more!)

Really hate exercise. Try to do a lot of walking/some swimming but neither are good for weight loss.

I have the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD, but yet to try it. Has anyone seen good results using that? And what are some other DVDs that people have used to decent effect? Not just ones you enjoyed, once that actually worked :)

Thanks!

I'm 100% in love with my Kettlebells DVDs at the moment. It's really efficient, shortish workouts but they're both cardio and weight based so you burn a lot of calories and tone up at the same time.

I bought a set of 3 kettlebells on Amazon plus the Paul Katami beginners DVD. Since then I've progressed to his Kombos/Drills DVD. I've been doing it since January (and low carbing) and lost just over 2.5 stone.

Meant to say - the only downside is that MFP don't have a 'kettlebells' entry on their exercise database so I don't track the calories from it.

I am currently doing the 30 day shred, but if I'd started straight away with that I think I would have given up, because it's pretty hard. What I recommend would be getting the Shred Beginners DVD, which eases you in a bit more gently, gets you in the habit of exercising regularly and definitely shows results.

Why not try the Shred being as you have it? It is a good all body workout which can be done by anybody. It's also very short. See what you think. I find the Shred too cardio lite but love other Jillian Michaels DVDs.

Your best bet is to try a few different things. YouTube is often helpful, there's the library which often stocks them, if you have LoveFilm you can try lots too and the website Fitness Blender can be very useful (hundreds of workouts tailored by what you want to achieve and how long you have).

I could tell you which DVDs I like (Jillian Michaels and Davina mostly, but also some BeachBody stuff) but it might not suit your ability, wants and sensibilities. You should enjoy your workout. You may prefer interval training or resistance training. You might want quick fat blasts or longer toning.

Do you know what you might like to do and how much time you have? Walking is good for weight loss actually but you have to walk very fast and you have to push yourself. It shouldn't feel easy or comfortable. Swimming too but again I don't like swimming for fitness. It's not enjoyable for me. I prefer swimming which is good for endurance and lung capacity. For weight loss, you really have to be strict and push it. I find in mind numbing.

Try some DVDs and see how you get on. The Shred is usually an excellent starting point.

Another recommendation for fitnessblender on YouTube. I saw it suggested on here a while ago and love the simplicity and variety. It's great for trying new things as well - I've really enjoyed the Pilates workouts but probably wouldn't have bought a DVD for that.

thank you everyone, great tips!

grantaire I will definitely try the shred but my attention span is hideously short so I wanted a variety of things to keep me interested

It's only 30 days and it's three levels so only 10 days of each really. It takes 20 minutes and you only do each exercise in a short burst. I don't enjoy it in the way I do other workouts and I have to do another workout afterwards as I find it too easy (I workout A LOT and have done for years, I promise it's a good workout generally) but it's over quickly and 30 days really is nothing. By mid June you'll have finished it and I suspect you'll be fitter, slimmer and more confident.

It sounds patronising I know, but you could just make a decision right now. Say you'll do it and then the decision's made. Do day one, level one today and go and find the Shred thread in exercise where other people are doing it. They will cheer you on. In just over 4 weeks, you'll have finished. If you put it off until tomorrow, or next week, you'll be chasing down July as a finish point. No. Make the decision now and then you're on your way. Go on. You have DVD already. Do it.

I've just completed T25 by Shaun T. I've lost 2 1/2 stone since January (had a baby so weight was quick to come off at first). It's brilliant but really challenging. It's also expensive but you can probably get it on ebay. Each workout is only 25 mins long and each day you do a different one. You have to do it every day Monday-Friday. But then weekends are for resting. Brilliant for fat burning and toning. You do one five week cycle and then different videos for the next 5 weeks. There are videos on YouTube showing people's results.

Grantaire I did 30 day shred yesterday. It was really good, didn't find it too difficult at the time but I am dying today. Not sure if I'll be able to do it tonight, thighs burn so much!

Sophie thanks for the tip :)

That is absolutely brilliant. Well done for starting. I think you are brilliant. You'll probably find that you ache more as the day goes on but if you work out, it'll loosen you up and stretch your muscles. You'll ache more tomorrow but by day 3, you'll find you're much less sore and by day 5, you'll start noticing improvements in your endurance, energy etc. It's fine to have a day off if you need it though. You're on your way. Only 29 days to go...

T25 is fab isn't it sophie? It's so expensive though. I like Insanity too but borrowed it from a friend as I couldn't afford it. I know it's cheaper than a gym membership but it's prohibitive imo.

thank you!! Yes I'll try my best to do it properly tonight as I hope my muscles will loosen up and be a bit less painful.

Do you think I should do any other exercise alongside the DVD (ie something gentler like power walking or swimming), or just stick with that for now?

I'd give it the first 3 days of doing the Shred (you'll probably ache more later today and tomorrow than you do right now) and then make a decision. You'll probably find that, as happened yesterday, it was quite manageable but you know today that your muscles are sore and protesting. That's a good thing. It showed you worked effectively. I wouldn't push it more for the next couple of days until you have a real idea of how much it's challenging you. If on day 4 you are finding it quite straightforward still and you are following Natalie and really giving it 100%, then you can add in some other stuff as required. Then you'll be stepping up to level 2 and you'll probably only want to Shred for a few days again before deciding if you need more. The Shred alone is a good all body workout and you can make it more challenging instead of adding more exercise on top of it if you want to hang on to that 20 minutes a day and not find more time. For example, hold weights on the butt kicks, star jump at double time or whilst holding weights, keep your legs in 90 degrees while crunching from the top, move your hand position on the push ups to make it more challenging (try elbows tucked in by your body or try lifting one knee and putting it on your elbow while the other leg stays back to stabilise).

I always work on the principle that I am as active as possible anyway. I walk everywhere, run up the stairs instead of walking, move around lots, enjoy some swimming or a bike ride or a long walk regularly so that exercise is a normal part of my lifestyle, not something I have to artificially add in iyswim. So I know that the exercise programmes and workouts are adding to my lifestyle, not the other way round iyswim.

thank you Grantaire, I really appreciate your advice.

I do try to walk more or less everywhere, take stairs etc. May start swimming once a week or so too. I used to swim competitively as a teenager so my stamina is still quite good, it's my strength that's rubbish!

There are so many free workout videos on youtube now, I wouldn't recommend anybody part with cash for a dvd! I love Pop Pilates for toning work, the presenter is lovely and inspiring.

Have a good look around youtube and see what suits you or what you fancy best?

YouTube and fitness blender are good BUT they rely on you having the discretion and knowledge to know if what you're watching is correct. I've done a couple of Fitness Blender workouts where the guy is clearly tired and his form suffers. I know what to copy and what not to copy iyswim (marriage to an ex personal trainer has its benefits). You also sometimes find that there isn't enough instruction on technique and form and if you're not sure what you're doing, it's easy to injure yourself which is demoralising, painful and hampers weight loss and fitness along the way.

I do think that if you're not used to DVDs or not sure where to start borrowing DVDs from libraries and LoveFilm and friends and then looking at known workouts on YouTube or buying a very affordable Davina or JM DVD means you can start with a basic grounding in the knowledge that you're getting a proper, safe workout.

If you know what you're doing, YouTube and similar are absolutely invaluable.

I wish I had the stamina of a swimmer. DH was a swimmer as a teen and his endurance is top notch. He does triathlon now instead. My endurance is my weak point. My strength is, well, strength. I like weight training. I do lots of cardiovascular stuff and like interval training but I'd never, ever manage a marathon.