Blast Away the Pounds - Indoor Walk [Import]

If you are just starting your work out regime or are looking for something a little more low impact Denise Austin Blast Away The Pounds Indoor Walk may be something you might want to look into. The DVD includes 3 complete 1 mile programs. This DVD includes something for everyone.

If you are just starting a work out program and aren't ready for something real high energy you might want to check out the Easy Walk. This segment is especially configured for people who don't exercise regularly. This is a fifteen minute walk.

The Fat Blasting Interval Walk is a fifteen minute cardio walk. This is a faster, more high energy walk exercise. This is a metabolism boosting exercise and it is the equivalent of one mile.

The Power Walk and Tone walk is a very intense walk for the people who enjoy power walking. This segment combines walking and body sculpting techniques. This also is a fifteen minute walk.

What is great about this DVD is that everyone can use this DVD and start at their own pace. If you are new to working out you can set your goals to one day complete one of the more advanced walks on the DVD. I have older family members who were able to complete one portion of this work out over the holidays. So if you are a power walker or just getting started this is a nice indoor workout.

Circulation is what heals your body. ~Denise Austin

This walking program is divided into four sections. You can easily customize the walks so this works for anyone from beginner to advanced. If you want to take it easy and walk for 15 minutes, you can choose Easy Walk and then cool down with the 10-minute Stretch. For a super-energizing walk, play all four sections at once.

1. Easy Walk

Denise Austin has created three 1-mile programs to energize your body and clear the mind. The brisk pace and the addition of weights in the third segment guarantees a fat burning workout. By raising your arms above your head in the first Easy Walk, you increase the intensity.

The first section begins with walking in place. Then you work your way into walking back and forth, side to side and taking side steps. This section puts you on the fast track to lifting, toning and shaping your entire body.

2. Fat Blasting Interval Walk

This is a total body workout because in the second section Denise introduces you to interval training, which makes the walking even more fun.

3. Power Walk and Tone

This is perhaps the most fun I've had walking at home and the addition of weights in the third section makes this an especially effective aerobics routine.

4. Stretch

The creative stretching routine with a chair completes the workout and by this time your mood has been brightened and your mind is clear. I felt especially energetic and renewed after this amazingly fun workout. The spacious setting, customizable workout and fun routines makes this one of my favorite walking workouts.

~The Rebecca Review

Firstly, let me get this out of the way. Denise is still Denise. She is still bubbly and has not toned down her 'effervescent mannerisms', so if this is what bothers you most about Denise, then shoo. Navigate away from this page right now. Don't go looking at the Denise Austin workouts if you don't like her. She is not going to go through a personality change for any of her workouts, and this one is not an exception.

Right, now that's cleared up, here's what you get on this DVD.

1. 15 min mile - Easy Walk
2. 15 min mile - Fat Blasting Interval Walk
3. 15 min mile - Power and Tone Walk
4. 10 min Stretch

EASY WALK - This is fantastic for those just starting out exercise, or for those who have injuries. At the moment I am using this workout because I have very bad soreness in my lower body and cannot a high impact workout, but I am pleased to say that with a bit of effort on my part (in other words, responding when Denise says, "Pump it out!"), I do get a thin film of sweat over my hands and some parts of my face. Denise uses leg lifts and side steps to keep the workout interesting - it is not just marching in place for 15 minutes - she even does some tweaks to simulate uphill and downhill climbs.

FAT BLASTING INTERVAL WALK - This walk alternates short bursts of intesnity with regular walking segments. She'll have you doing your regular marches, sidesteps, leg lifts, knee lifts and arm movements for a short while, and then she'll add a high(er) impact - burst of intensity. In cases where the transition between the walking and intensity intervals is very large, one of the exercises performs a low impact modification which you can follow if you have week knees or are building your fitness level (or heck, even if you're just feeling a bit lazy one day). There are no weights used in this routine, but if you want to increase the intensity, it might be a good idea to add ankle or hand weights if you like.

POWER AND TONE WALK - This is my favourite walk, as it uses hand weights to make the routine efficient and effective. Of course you can choose not to use weights if it is difficult on your joints to do so, but for my liking it is the toning combined with the cardio that give this routine its own special flavour.

STRETCH - If you have the "Shrink Your Female Fat Zones" book, or are currently subscribed to Denise's "Fit Forever" online plan, you will recognise a lot of these stretches. Denise takes you through stretches for the calves, hamstrings, the achilles, the hips, triceps, inner & outer thighs, quadriceps, and probably a few others in there that I can't remember at this moment. While I do not believe that this stretches you out as thoroughly as the Standing Segment on "Tamilee Webb's Total Body Stretch", it does a good job of stretching the areas of the body that you worked during the walks.

The DVD is beautifully produced; filmed on set rather than on location. The walk takes place in what looks to be a ceramic courtyard with archways looking out onto a red sandy desert (well, more like looking out onto a big picture of a red sandy desert). The timing in the first workout is excellent, though in the second and third workouts it can get a bit off-beat here and there, but the advantage with walking over aerobics is that it doesn't really matter too much.

I have no excuse for exercise now, I can do these when I am injured and when I am pressed for time. That, and when I hop back on the treadmill for a longer walk, or if I am going on an outdoor walk, I can use some of the toning arm movements that I have picked up from this workout to keep things interesting and boost heartrate and increase my calorie burning potential.

I would, however, be very interested in any feedback from someone who can compare this with Leslie Sansone's 'Walk Away The Pounds' series. I cannot compare this with any of Leslie's workouts simply because I have never done them - and I have achieved great results with Denise and find her very motivating, which influenced this purchase more than looking for a perfect indoor walk DVD. Even then, I find myself incredibly pleased with this buy.

Cheers!