Review Everyday Workout for the Everyday Woman

[Laura S.]

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

To me, it seems like it is harder to find moderate exercise DVDs these days. There are some exceptions, like walking workouts and some of the dance workouts. But, it seems like a large percentage of workouts these days are "extreme", "ultimate", and/or "killer". These workouts appeal to many people, but there are others who want a moderate workout that won't kill them and that will help them just be healthy and fit.

This workout fits that niche and is targeted at beginner to low intermediate exercisers. In her introduction Lisa Whelchel, former star from The Facts of Life, stresses that this DVD is for the woman who doesn't necessarily like exercise, but who wants what it can do for her or who doesn't have a lot of time, but who wants exercise that can be done, so that she can move on with the rest of life. And she, Lisa, puts herself in that group.

This DVD offers two segments that can be done separately or together. These segments are 15 minutes segment and 20 minutes. The DVD menu gives options to do them together or one at a time, with or without the warm up and cool down. I did them together for a pretty good workout that lasts a little over 40 minutes.

The workout is comprised of strength moves, interspersed with bursts of cardio. The instructor tends to start with a simple move and then morph it into a compound move. The pace throughout the workout is fairly slow and deliberate and I had no problem with keeping up with what was happening (picking up dumbbells or putting them down). There are also a number of balance challenges that can be done as well. The cueing was generally well done and the instructor does mirror cue.

There are three exercisers backing up the instructor and they do beginner, intermediate, and advanced modification levels. Lisa does the intermediate level. The thing I liked about them is that they all looked like "real" women rather than fitness models. Lisa says that they are friends of hers and I wondered if they really are. She and the lead instructor apparently are friends. Lisa is miked along with the instructor and she talks some. She makes some comments, which some will find inane, and she asks some obviously planted questions, like "Will using weights make my muscles really big?" (or something like that). I liked her in this workout, but then I was probably flashing back to when I loved watching Facts of Life (yes, I'm THAT old).

I have bad knees and a bad back and bad hands. I modified separately from all the exercisers once in awhile, but I generally followed one of the three. It worked fine for me. There are a number of squats and lunges and if you try to avoid these, this wouldn't be the workout for you.

The setting looks like a living room in the background. They stand in front of the furniture on the set. I don't remember any music and I assume I would have noticed if there wasn't any, so it must not have been memorable at all. This workout does not require much room.

I think that this DVD is very doable for beginners. It is also versatile enough to appeal to somewhere into the intermediate range of exercisers because of the different levels they offer of the moves. I do NOT think that this workout is for high intermediate or advanced exercisers unless they are looking for an easy workout. It does move at a moderate pace. I found it to be a refreshing change from the general trend of exercise DVDs these days, but some will find it boring.