The Top 10 Most Effective Exercise DVDs

All of these DVDs have been personally effective for me at various times throughout my life. They have worked well enough that I have used them multiple times, for specific reasons, and the results have been visible to those around me. After using them in conjunction with a healthier diet, I have heard such compliments as, "skinny Minnie" and, "the incredible shrinking woman". Whether you want to tone up for a special event, have more energy or lose a significant amount of weight, the exercise DVDs I list in this article are great tools to accomplish any fitness goal.

Sidebar: It has been my personal experience that my body fluctuates regularly with room for an extra 10 or even 15 pounds. This is healthy for me, and I notice that with all the changes and differences in my body, I try to go with the flow instead of thinking about fighting it. It's much easier to think about staying strong and feeling good than it is to try to be "skinny". There are monthly changes in women and changes that come each year with age for everybody, especially for me as I leave my mid-twenties. So if you could work some mental flexibility into your body image, you're starting from a great place.

I want to encourage people to think of their bodies as clay. You can change parts of it, all of it, do spot work, and feel comfortable with the elastic nature of your shape. As long as you are within a healthy weight range for yourself and you aren't being self-abusive with food, you should learn to relax.

These exercise DVDs have actually helped me to do that. By reminding me that the body is complex, that there is a time to focus on different types of exercise, and that with hard work, even after one workout you can visibly see differences. We are in more control than we realize and these DVDs have really helped me learn that over the past few years and continue to do so.

It should be noted that I discovered almost all of these workouts via Exercise TV back when I had Comcast On Demand. They are free for people with that service But Exercise TV is also available on the internet, so you may want to consider giving it a try if you are interested. You can pay for individual workouts and download them from http://www.exercisetv.tv/browsevideos.aspx

You can also search for these exercise DVDs on websites like Amazon.com and Ebay.com, buy them, and have them shipped to your home. Here are my personal top 10 exercise DVDs.

Denise Austin: Mat Workout Based on the Work of J.H. Pilates

This is one of the single most effective workouts I have ever used, and I've been using it for the past 5 years. It's the longest running DVD in my collection for a reason. Do this workout even once a week consistently for a month, and you'll feel your stomach and butt tightening significantly. Your posture will be better as well. If you're not a fan of Denise Austin, you can simply turn the sound down after you're familiar with the workout and do it to music.

Billy Blanks - Basic Training Bootcamp

This is an excellent workout, and along with Cardio Espresso and the other Tae Bo workout later on the list, it also seems to go the fastest. Billy Blanks is the most encouraging trainer out of all 10 of these exercise DVDs. You'll feel sore the day after, which is a good sign and you'll find that the Tae Bo workouts are very cathartic. You can release your anger while doing something good for you, which is a much better option than stress eating or sitting around and feeling depressed.

Rodney Yee's A.M. Yoga for Your Week

This workout is extremely relaxing, which is a rare thing to be able to say about any exercise DVD. Rodney Yee isn't trying to kill you with this workout. He's trying to empower you. You'll feel amazing stretches, a little bit of muscle burn, and you won't be exhausted and sweaty afterward. You'll enjoy the leftover energy you feel and the new awareness you'll have of your body throughout the day as a result. It's like rehab for people who don't like exercise DVDs.

The Biggest Loser Workout, Vol. 2

This is a truly unique workout DVD, because it enables you to build your own workout. You can choose from a handful of smaller workouts to build your own. There are cardio segments, toning segments, specialized segments for men or women, and a warm up and a cool down. Sadly, Jillian Michaels isn't on this workout and the 15 minute unisex cardio segment seems suspiciously like Tae Bo. Other than that, I love it, and this is one that my husband and I can do together, and he likes that too. Especially the weight-lifting segment with Bob.

Dance Party with Ilyse Baker

This is a very high energy dance workout with a tiny little powerhouse known as Ilyse Baker. She's easy to follow because she looks like a normal person. She's toned and she's fit, but she looks like someone you would see in the grocery store, which makes me trust her. Sometimes the trainers on workout DVDs are so fit that you couldn't possibly imagine ever looking like them, this is discouraging and can cause you to sometimes feel hostility toward the trainers. This is not the case with Ilyse. The workout is fun and so is Ilyse.

Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party with Jennifer Galardi

This is a great DVD. The dance combinations are actually easy to learn and follow, which isn't always the case with workout DVDs. Best of all, it's actually fun to do! I often times rate workouts in my own head by how easy they are to "get through". But this time, you can actually let go and have a good time. So enjoy it while it lasts, and you can actually take some of these moves with you if you ever go to a salsa club! Honest!

Tae Bo: Get Celebrity Fit

This is another Tae Bo home run. Billy Blanks does it again, you can have a great time, see results quickly, and feel like you're part of the Tae Bo team. Blanks is the absolute best when it comes to communicating with the camera. Get Celebrity Fit is clear about its motivations, letting you know that you can be just as fit as your role models on television. It's all accessible to you and you can do it! It's very empowering and also very fun to do.

Budokon for Beginners with Cameron Shayne

I enjoy this workout very much because like Rodney Yee's yoga workouts, these leave you with energy and awareness of your body. But I will warn you, it's a little bit melodramatic. If you can't stand trainers who seem like they're on a high horse, you may struggle a little bit with Cameron Shayne. There are moments in his introduction that make him seem a bit like Zoolander and less like a trainer. But if you can hang in there, the results are great.

Cardio Espresso with Gay Gaspar

This is a kicky little workout that is tough and goes very quickly. It's efficient and enjoyable and you'll be extremely sore after the first couple of times you try it. It's a great staple.

Cher Fitness - A New Attitude

Okay, I know that this is hilarious. This is actually a tough video to find and often it's only found on VHS. But it was the first workout video that ever changed my life. Because get this, it's excruciatingly hard! You can find some segments on YouTube. It's funny because it's Cher and some of the outfits are laughable, but the exercises are good and solid. Cher may be many things, but she's always been in great shape.

The most important thing to remember when doing any of these workout DVDs is to give it all you've got. Put all of your energy into what you're doing, eat wisely, and you can't go wrong. Also, one of the best ways to lose weight by working out at home is to try a wide variety of DVDs. By changing things frequently, you won't get sick of your workouts and your body won't get used to them either, which should give you better results as you work the different muscle groups used in various workouts. This is a much better option than simply using the same DVD over and over. I recommend that you try at least all of my top 10 exercise DVDs at least once before settling on a handful of your favorites.