I try and keep fit most of the time. I do a few nights at the gym and maybe play a bit of squash or go for a jog. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Paula Radcliffe, but I just like to do a little bit to keep my fitness slightly up and my weight from going slightly up.
But we all know what it's like after Christmas. The good food, the alcohol and the not moving from the sofa except to grab another chocolate for two weeks, is the perfect way to grow by a minimum of half a stone. Only that half a stone is ten times more difficult to shift than it is to gain. With the dark and cold nights drawing in, the last thing I felt like doing after work was dragging myself off to the gym. So I decided to get a workout DVD, so I could do a bit of a workout in the comfort of my own home. My Mr was over the moon when he heard this, and tried his best by picking up Davina McCall's DVD, the FHM High Street Honeys effort and some old thing featuring Nell McAndrew. He was not a happy bunny when I plumped for the Janice Battersby DVD, and has refused to watch it, yet alone attempt it. Yes, I was swayed by the press. But to be fair, have you seen how good this woman's figure looks?? She is in a pair of size 6 shorts during this video. She is down to seven and a half stone, and she really does look great. Ok, she probably did the workout 4 times a day everyday for four months to get that figure, and not the once in a blue moon that I seem to have got into, but nevertheless, it is a DVD that really gets the blood pumping and the muscles working.
Richard Callendar (Ok, I was slightly influenced by the fact he was leading the class too) is a fitness expert to the stars, well, to Jordan. And although his phrases can sometimes be a bit cringeworthy on this DVD, (i.e. I want two big ones...give it to me) he really does know how to make you break out into a sweat...from working out only!!!
The DVD is split into four sections. These are a ten minute warm-up, a twenty minute fat burn, a ten minute toning and a ten minute bellly shrinker.
Lets go through each:
The TEN MIN WARM-UP really does warm you up. It gets the blood pumping round your bodt and gets you slightly out of breath. It is not too complicated and by the end of it you feel ready to take on the fat burning. There are no stretching exercises in this section so do these beforehand if you like to stretch out. The exercises aren't too taxing though, and should get you nicely prepared to take on the next section.
The FAT BURNING session is fairly intense. If you are reasonably fit, you should be able to do this without getting too uncomfortable, although you will belowing a bit and will break out into a sweat. If you haven't done a lot of exercise then you may struggle to complete this section. But, as Vicky tells you, she could only manage five minutes when she first started...and now look at her! This section is based on boxing. There are a few punching moves, some knee lifts and some kicks. The section is quite repetetive, as you have to do each exercise on both the right and the left side. But the routine is fairly easy to master, and you don't need a lot of room. Even if you have a small front room, you will have plenty of space to do this DVD in.
The TONING section is mostly squats and lunges. These are very good for your legs and Richard shows you the correct posture to adopt because, as he tells you, safety is what he wants. There are a few push-up exercises here and some other leg toners. It's relatively easy to follow, and sometimes I use some handweights to increase resistance where I can. You are now starting to cool down after the fat burning session, and are nearly ready for your shower...
But before that you must do the BELLY SHRINKER. Now, I don't think this is very good. Vicky tells you its the only part she has to do every day, as her problem area is her tummy, but the exercises are not very intense. I can manage them easily, despite the fact I'm not that great at crunches and stomach exercises. And the day after I didn't get that ache in my abs that reminded me I had done a workout. However, for beginners they are fine, and easy to copy. They belly shrinker actually only lasts about 5 minutes, as on the end of this section is the stretch and cool down.
Vicky looks fab in the DVD. She is tanned and toned, but still has that annoying voice (obviously) and I just keep waiting for her to scream 'Les' at the top of her voice. But she does the moves very well, and even gets out of breath, which makes you feel better when you are puffing and panting in your living room. She does, however, look like she is going to fall out of her top at times! There are a few shots of her sneakily pulling it up. My Mr would have been glued had it been Nell McAndrew! The music to the DVD is not that great either. It is pretty quiet, and doesn't kick in when you are really going for it with the moves
The extras show you what Vicky as like before, and it's not pretty! It also shows her getting weighed at 7 and a half stone, and doing a photo shoot in her size 6 shorts. There is also a good diet plan on the DVD.
Overall I think this was good value for money. I bought mine from Asda for #11.49, which was the cheapest I could find it anywhere. It is a good workout, takes up little space, is easy to follow and does get you a little bit hot and sweaty. There is also a bit of eye-candy for the girls in the shape of Richard!
As for results, well, I have not noticed anything drastic, but I bought it so I could replace a gym session with a home work out when I couldn't be bothereed traipsing all the way to the gym, and for me it has worked really well. But as I am only replacing a session with the DVD workout and not doing any extra, then I haven't seen any huge benefit.
All in all, if you're after a quick, simple and effective workout, this will probably suit you well.
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