How to Get the Most of Out an Exercise DVD: Choose and Use it Wisely

Using exercise DVDs can be a good way to keep your resolutions about working out and getting fit. However, many people start an exercise program with good intentions, only to leave their DVDs on a shelf after a few viewings. You may find you've picked something too hard or too easy. Or perhaps you get bored with a DVD after just a few viewings.

Doing some pre-planning before a purchase and exploring your DVD in a methodical way after the purchase can help you get the most out of a workout DVD.

Ask yourself questions

Before you buy an exercise DVD on impulse or because a friend loved it, ask yourself a few questions about what you want out of the purchase. Is it important that the DVD is challenging or good for beginners? Is your emphasis on making exercise fun? Do you need a fitness program that's low-impact or easy on sore joints? Do you want a quick routine you can fit in before work, or are you looking for a longer program that will burn a lot of energy? Do you want to get stronger, increase your stamina or become more flexible?

Asking yourself these questions will help you narrow down your choices for an exercise DVD. For instance, knowing you want to increase your flexibility but that you don't have a lot of time in the mornings to work out might help you narrow your choices to yoga DVDs with programs that last 40 minutes or less. If you know you want to start off easy but also want the option to challenge yourself, you might choose an aerobics or circuit-training DVD that has three or four programs at various difficulty levels.

Get advice

Once you've narrowed down your choices to a few different DVDs, you can seek advice on which DVDs are worth purchasing. Friends are a valuable source of recommendations and may be willing to loan you a DVD so you can preview it before buying. You can also ask friends to recommend duds that you should avoid.

Additionally, you can look the DVD up on amazon.com to see if other users have commented about it. Health and fitness magazines targeted toward women, such as "Self" and "Shape" often run reviews of exercise DVDs, and these can be helpful as well. If you have a subscription to Netflix, you might be able to order up a DVD and try it out a few times before deciding if you want to add it to your permanent collection. The "Watch Now" feature on Netflix also offers an opportunity to preview a few dozen exercise DVDs as well.

Making the final choice

Once you've defined what you want and have asked for advice, it's time to narrow your choices down to two or three DVDs and do a comparison. When you're looking them over, don't just buy the least expensive one but the one that gives you the most value.

When you're looking for value, consider how fun and how flexible the workout is. Finding a DVD that makes exercise fun for you will keep you using it longer. So will a DVD that has flexibility. For instance, a belly dance DVD that has one easy warm up routine and one longer more challenging routine will give you more value than a similar DVD with just one routine on it. The " 10 Minute Solution" DVDs are also a good value as they allow you to customize your workouts by doing only one 10-minute segment, all five for a thorough workout or any combination of two or three segments.

Once you've made the purchase

Once you get the DVD home, use it wisely. Start by previewing the DVD without any intention of actually doing the whole routine. Get comfortable and watch it to get an overview of the program. Listen to any special instructions, and feel free to pause and rewind if there are any tricky or confusing parts. You can try out a few moves if you like, but put the emphasis on just getting a feel for the routine the first time through.

Next, use the DVD a few times and see how you like it. Feel free to modify the routine however you need to. If there are sections that are too tough when you're first starting out, it's perfectly fine to fast-forward through them. You can always go back and try them once you've worked your way up to the challenge. You can also modify many workouts by doing the moves at half the pace or only doing part of the move. For instance, for a weight-lifting DVD, you can modify it by doing only half the repetitions. For an aerobics DVD, if the footwork is complicated, you can eliminate arm motions until you get the footwork down.

Over time, it's likely the routine will to get easier to do, and it may not give you the great results it did at first. This is the time to explore any extra features on the DVD. For instance, the "Yoga: Just My Size" DVD has a special feature with a few additional stretches. This is also the time to think about ways you can customize the workout to keep it challenging. If you've been doing a resistance training DVD using two- or three-pound hand weights, for instance, try moving up to five-pound dumbbells. If a yoga DVD is becoming easy for you, try concentrating on really good form and going deeper into each stretch. If an aerobics DVD is getting much easier to do, try stepping up the intensity of your moves: jumping higher, getting your knees up in the air and putting some real energy behind your upper body moves.

Finally, consider stocking up on at least four to six good DVDs and rotating them to alleviate boredom. Use two for a month or so, then move on to a different set of two DVDs, and yet another couple of DVDs the third month. By the fourth month, you'll rotate back to the first couple of DVDs, and they can challenge you all over again without becoming stale too quickly.

Trying just a few of these techniques will help you find the right DVDs and keep using them. Making smart choices will help you maximize the use you get from your DVD and make your purchase a better value.