Yoga Posturas » Kripalu Yoga » Aerobics Video Suggestions Wanted
Aerobics Video Suggestions Wanted
Question:
I am a large woman who is pretty unfit and wants to get fitter. I’m looking for an aerobics video tape, and I can’t find any that fit my needs, which are: Low impact: I have dubious knees, and I want to keep them ok Easy on the knees: See above. A lot of the lunges and knee bends on many videos don’t feel like a good thing for me to do. A lot of videos have a lot of moves that are twisty on the knees and also feel like I should avoid them Not too intense: I’m out of shape … I want something that will get me moving, not overdo it. I really like the "Everyday Workout" show on Lifetime in the mornings, but the aerobics portion is only 10 or 15 minutes and I’d like something with closer to 1/2 an hour of aerobics. Videos I’ve tried and why I’m not happy with them: Richard Simmons- Sweatin to the Oldies: This tape spends a lot of time zooming around trying to get cool shots of different people, and leaves me not able to see what they’re doing. Kathy Smith – I’ve got her fat burning and weight loss tapes. They’re ok, but have a lot of these lunges and stretches with knee bends that I don’t like Thanks, — Jennie — CS Dept, SCS, Carnegie Mellon Univ, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jennie
Response:
Hi, about aerobics videos for large women … We’ve done a few reviews in Radiance over the years, and basically the ones we’re recommended are Jody Sandler’s In Grande Form (Canada) and Idrea’s videos (out of L.A. area). Idrea, with Carnie Wilson (singer/talk show host/large woman) just did another video that should be good, and safe for all bodies. It’ll be advertised in next issue of Radiance. E-mail me for more info… Alice Ansfield, publ. (Radiance: The Magazine for Large Women)
Response:
I have the Yoga for Round Bodies videos (it’s a 2 video set), but haven’t gotten around to trying them yet. I do know that the instructors are trained in Kripalu yoga, which I have tried and like. The instructors are Linda DeMarco and Genia Paul Haddon. The name and address on the tapes is Haelix Plus, Inc., Box 226, Scotland, CT. Sorry, no zip code or phone number. I think I found out about them from an ad in Yoga Journal. Hope this helps! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Some time in the past year or so Radiance (I think) mentioned something called "Yoga for Round Bodies" in an article. I no longer know if it was a video or a book, but I’m very interested in finding a source for it. Without an author, publisher, or something more specific I’ve been completely out of luck looking for it, although a great bookstore here (Avalon Books) has been seeking a source from their distributors. My back issues of Radiance are "in a box somewhere" (I’ve considered recording a song by that title to the tune of "Somewhere Out There" as a ballad for all people experiencing the fun of moving). Any leads are much appreciated! Thanks, Cyn
Response:
Please send me some info on the zine Radiance. Thanks, Nancy
Response:
Hi, about aerobics videos…
FYI… http://www.totalmarketing.com/how-to The www on-line catalog for all your educational & instructional needs. Hope this helps.
Response:
Hi: Regarding the "Yoga for Round Bodies" videos (yes, they are videos), we published an article by one of the creators of these videos, Genia Pauli Haddon who lives in Scotland, Connecticut. Call them at 800-793-0666. It was in our Winter 1995 issue (with Diane Amos, comedian, on the cover). About Radiance getting a Web page, we’re working on it! So much to put in it that we’re taking our time and doing it right! Look for us in a month or two! Take care, Alice Ansfield, publ.
Response:
We’ve done a few reviews in Radiance over the years, and basically the ones we’re recommended are Jody Sandler’s In Grande Form (Canada) and Idrea’s videos (out of L.A. area). Idrea, with Carnie Wilson (singer/talk show host/large woman) just did another video that should be good, and safe for all bodies.
I’ve not seen Jody Sandler’s videos but I have Idrea’s _The Larger Woman’s Workout_ and I really have mixed feelings about it. While the actual routines are in line with the original question (e.g. pace, low impact) there are a lot of annoying things about the video. Some of the routines are photographed in a way that makes it very hard to tell what you are supposed to do (e.g. change in leg motions while the camera shows the face, not the legs) and the camera often switches between Idrea and the class in an awkward way (leading to left/right confusion). There is a *lot* of weight loss talk on the tape as well. And the music is terrible – it sounds like the score of a cheap porno flick. On the plus side, Idrea is energetic and encouraging (lots of you can do it stuff) and one is unlikely to be injured doing her routines. What do I prefer? Well, actually my favorite aerobics videos are not designed for large women specifically. I am partial to the Jazzercise videos because I like their choreography – but I am not sure I would recommend them to beginners. The older ones have a number of potentially dangerous moves. And while the newer ones do have somebody demonstrating "lighter side" (i.e. nonimpact) moves, a beginner might be intimidated by the other instructors. The music has gone downhill a bit since they now mostly rely on original pieces. Another negative is that there aren’t fat people on the tapes. There is a little weight loss talk, though not generally too much (but I find that reasonably easy to ignore since the tapes are not marketed at fat people specifically.) What I would probably recommend as a compromise is the Richard Simmons "Sweating to the Oldies" series. He’s weird and there are some pretty perverse things about the tapes too (I laugh hysterically whenever they’re at "The Name Game" routine and the singer is using names of junk food like donuts, cake, etc. instead of names). But, the 60’s music is fun (at least for people in their late 30’s like me) and the choreography is generally reasonably good (though you might want to modify some moves to reduce impact). And there really isn’t diet/weight loss talk in the body of the tape – just at the beginning and end of it (easy to turn it off to ignore the parade of look at how much weight each person dancing has lost). I hate enriching the coffers of the likes of Richard Simmons but, after doing a tape exchange with a friend, I held my nose and bought 2 of his tapes because they are fun to do. And they do have fat people dancing on them and holding their own quite nicely! One general suggestion – see if you can borrow tapes from a friend or from the library (or rent them) before buying them. At least you will get a sense of whether a given tape is dance oriented or amounts to walking in place, what the pace is like, whether you can follow the camera action, whether you like the music, etc.. I like having several tapes (I probably have about a dozen by now) because it’s more interesting to do different ones all the time. Oh – and finally – remember you can always just put on some good music and dance up a storm in your living room. I made a few 45 minute tapes of the music I like to dance to for times when that is the type of exercise I crave the most. Since Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys or Zap Mama or Baka are hardly likely to produce aerobics videos, these tapes make a perfect change of pace. Miriam Nadel
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