I am proud to say that since having my baby a little over 6 weeks ago I have managed to lose all of my pregnancy weight plus an additional 8 pounds. I have the Atkins diet (http://www.epinions.com/content_125235138180), and exercise to thank for this.

I didn’t start dieting until 3 weeks after I had the baby. I had a C-section and didn’t think it would be a good idea to change my eating patterns while recovering. I also didn’t start exercising until after the 3rd week. Most people can not believe that I was able to start exercising just 3 weeks after my 3rd C-section, but I healed remarkably well after this operation. Besides, because my baby was quite large for my short little body I had been terribly uncomfortable the last couple of months of my pregnancy. It felt great just having the extra weight off of me. I had my 6 week check at my doctor to see how I am recovering and he said that I am completely healed. He told my I could start exercising right away. I didn’t tell him that I already had.

I am certainly not recommending that any one else do what I did and start exercising so quickly after a C-section. You know your own body and you know what you are capable of. Please don’t push yourself at this time. I healed remarkably fast, and that is not normally the case, so please be careful. Also many years ago, I was an aerobics instructor and I have been working out for years, so I know how to exercise safely and I knew how to ease myself back into it gently. I also was aware of witch videos in my large collection of exercise videos would be safe for me to do at this time. One of the first videos I pulled out was Dance Your Pants Off!

Dance Your Pants Off!

No this is not a stripper-size video, it is an exercise video that will help you to widdle down to a lower pants size. This is also a Richard Simmon’s exercise video. Now don’t get down on Richard, yes he is a little on the Hyper active side, but I happen to like him. He cracks me up and he makes fun videos. I don’t care what anyone says, so there.

Scenery

Normally when I review an exercise video I do not jump immediately to the back ground or scenery but for some reason with this video it seems appropriate. The set in this video is set to look like a town, complete with a park and a diner. It is colorful and vibrant, and kind of gets you in a good mood just looking at it. The video also starts out with 4 men harmonizing and with out music the song celebration. Then the full blast song kicks in and all the towns people join each other dancing to the song celebration. These people all seem so happy to be there, that you almost can’t help getting in a good mood right along with them. The exercise in the first song is very low impact, very simple and well just kind of fun. The back up exercisers/dancers are all dressed in various types of clothing, and there are a wide range of sizes of people.

You will also not get tired of looking at the same people throughout the video. The people switch places often, and there are times when you will not see some people at all.

The Work out

The box does not say how long the video is, nor have I ever literally timed it but I would venture to say that it is just under an hour long. I must say that the time does fly by when doing it though.

Warm Up: After the celebration song, there are two songs of warm ups, and very easy stretching. If you are a big fan of 80’s music you will enjoy stretching to the catchy music in the back ground. The stretching moves seem to go hand in hand with the tempo of the music, and the group seems to even be enjoying the warm up.

Aerobics Section: After the warm up you begin moving in rhythm to songs such as: “Call Me”, and “She Works Hard For the Money.” The moves are mostly low impact and very easy to follow, and still quite fun. The aerobic section is full of fun dance moves, and seems like you are joining a dance party in progress rather than aerobics class. You even get to “Shake your body, and do the Conga.”

The most impact you will get through the entire work out is a few ponies here and there, but they never last for very long, so if you hate ponies, I wouldn’t be to concerned about it, you could always just march during the pony section if you have joint problems or if you are not quite in shape enough yet to do the ponies (ponies are kind of like skipping in a triple step fashion). If you like grapevines you will not be disappointed there are lots of them throughout this work out but Richard keeps them interesting and fun, by changing the arm movements. Like the warm up the dance moves go along with the music and you will find your self acting out various parts of the songs.

Each section eases into the next, and you are able to feel a great flow throughout the work out. And though the moves are easy to follow, and easy on your body, the work out will get your heart pumping, and you will sweat.

The Cool Down: The down is just wonderful, and is done to the song The Rose, by Bet Midler, but is sung live by someone else. I have to say usually cool downs bore me and I can’t wait to just get them over with, but I actually enjoy doing this rhythmic cool down. Again the moves of the cool down are gentle and simple, but effective.

About Richard’s Instruction

I find Richards’s teaching style and up-beat attitude to be very motivating. I also enjoy his fun and creative choreography. I like the way he adds moves into the work out that go along with what ever song is playing in the back ground. His cuing is not perfect, but it certainly isn’t bad. There are other popular exercise video instructors who are much worse at cuing than he is, and I have to say I have never tripped up while doing one of his videos. You almost always know what it coming up next, and for the very few times when the cuing wasn’t perfect, I forgive him because no one is perfect, and perfect cuing is something I don’t think I have ever seen any instructor achieve.


An Extra That I Really Enjoy

After the work out is over, the group of people get together and form two lines where certain people dance down the center of the two lines. The group is dancing and clapping and having a good time and as the individual people come down the line, you will see on the screen how much weight those people have lost. I really find this to be very inspirational, and I have to admit, I have watched this section several times to help me motivate myself, I also got kind of teary eyed while watching once, because I was so happy for what those people had accomplished. Yes I am a silly sap.

Recommendation

Well as you probably can guess, I would recommend this video. I have to say I Love It!
I enjoy doing it. This is a video I like to do when I know I need to work out but I don’t really feel like it. 95% of the time after I do this video I feel really energized and am in a much better mood than when I started. I almost never feel tired and worn out after doing this video, I usually feel like I could do another hour aerobics, that is just how much fun it is for me. Of course if you hate 80’s music you probably will not enjoy it as much as I do. The moves are easy to follow but challenging enough to keep you interested. If you are uncoordinated you may have a little trouble at first, but after doing the video once or twice you should have no problem catching on.

Interesting scenery, great music, good cuing, fun choreography, perfect duration, and safe moves make this video an excellent choice for just about any exercise level. Of course those who are super advanced may not find the intensity enough for them, but I think even they would agree that the video is fun.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8