How To Choose An Exercise Video
Exercise videos are a convenient way to get fit. Your workout doesn’t have to be at the mercy of the weather, traffic or a tardy (or worse, absent) instructor. You don’t need to be a member of a fitness center.
With one press of the button, you can summon a world-class fitness instructor into the privacy of your bedroom or living room. You can wear whatever you want and you don’t have to worry about how you look.
On the other hand, exercise videos can become part of the dusty
clutter in your closet. You can spend a lot of money without getting a
step closer to your fitness goal.
Guidelines To Buying An Exercise Video
Gone are the days when the only type of exercise video available was similar to the one that started it all, The Jane Fonda Workout. Today, there are hundreds of exercise videos to choose from. There is an exercise video for every need and interest whether it is stretching for golf, belly dancing or tai chi. There are also specialty videos for pregnant women, seniors and handicapped people.
Here are some guidelines to help you choose the exercise video that’s right for you:
Know your fitness goal. What do you want to do? Get aerobically fit and burn some calories? Get stronger and tighter muscles? Become more flexible? Make sure the video matches your fitness need.
Be honest about your fitness level. You can hurt yourself if you buy an exercise video designed for advanced fitness participants when you can’t even walk a block without panting.
The exercise video should include safety guidelines, not just the usual disclaimer that you are doing the exercises in the video at your own risk. The instructor should tell you about the danger signals of doing too much— nausea, breathlessness, etc.
Don’t judge the quality of an exercise video by the flashy set or the gorgeous bodies of the instructors. Instead, ask yourself the following:
- Is the sound quality good?
- Can I understand the instructions?
- Was the video filmed in a way that I can clearly see all the movements of the instructor?
- Does the instructor offer modifications of the exercises?
The instructor should give clear solid cues about technique and body position or alignment. Watch out for instructors who just “whoop it up” or just keep saying, “Come on, you can do it!”
Look at the credentials of the instructors or the consultants behind the production (if a celebrity with no real fitness training made the video). Reputable associations include:
• IDEA—The Health and Fitness Source
• ACE —The American Council on Exercise
• AFAA — Aerobic and Fitness Association of America
• ACSM — The American College of Sports Medicine
• NASM — National Association of Sports Medicine
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