Customer Reviews

Kathy Smith - Moving Through Menopause [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You can rarely go wrong with Kathy Smith. Her videos are consistently well-produced, excellently choreographed (simple enough to be effective and easy to follow yet interesting enough to be fun) and effective. I get 90% of my workouts done with videos and she is really the cream of the crop especially if you're just getting started (she's great for intermediates as well). This video is not just for perimenopausal or menopausal women. I bought it as a Christmas gift for my menopausal mom and at 22, I use it more than her! The informative sections before and between the actual workouts are useful for people of any age. The nutritional tips are sound and the discussions about the cultural and personal meanings of menopause were interesting to me even if I am 30 years away from if myself. The cardio segment is the best. It's fast and thorough, it will really get your heart pumping, and I enjoy working out to it. I am less pleased with the strength training. It isn't bad per se, she's just done better. Some of the poses in this section may be too challenging for beginners and other moves aren't challenging at all. The one part of this section I enjoy is the Pilates part but there's not enough of it to consider it a thorough Pilates session. I'm not a big fan of yoga so her yoga section did not do much for me. However, if you're just starting with yoga, the majority of poses are possible. However, beware if you have not done yoga before or are inflexible because the last 1 or 2 poses are too difficult for beginners. You may want to try KS's TimeSaver Strength Training tape which contains upper and lower body and abdominal work in separate 20 minute sections and Kathy Smith's beginner's yoga tape. One more thing that gave me pause about this video is that KS has been releasing too many 20 minute cardio workouts. While this is enough of a workout to maintain cardiovascular strength and a weight you are already pleased with, if you are trying to lose fat, you need more than 20 minutes of cardio. I hope Kathy Smith will release more 40 minute cardio workouts as she has with her excellent Functional Fat Burning step workout. All things considered, I still think this menopause workout is worth purchasing. The cardio is great and the other sections are as well, I've just preferred a few other tapes she's made more. Kathy is the best!

I purchased this DVD b/c it is a DVD. I don't know why workouts keep coming out on VHS and rarely on DVD. So, that said, I received this dvd today and did the 3 part workout: cardio, strength training & yoga. Each section has an overview before you begin, Kathy lets the viewer know why it's important for the body while going through menopause. She gives the cues before the moves, the moves weren't very difficult, thus, finally a workout I could do! The cardio workout was medium-level, I was breathing intensely but certainly not huffing & puffing. I thought the cardio was perfect. It's only 20 minutes, so it would be great on a quick-workout day. If you want a longer one, I suppose you could do the workout twice. During the workout, Kathy voices over every now & then with little bits of info on menopause, such as "did you take your vitamin E today" and explains why vitamin E is good during menopause & other such tidbits. The strength training workout lasted 20 minutes, you need weights & a chair and wasn't too difficult. One nice thing is that a picture of a person's backside was shown to let you get an even greater knowledge of doing the exercise correctly. The yoga workout was my least favorite. I've not done yoga before but it just seemed like stretching to me. There is a question & answer section for a doctor on menopause, and a group discussion. Both informative. I'm not going through menopause, I'm too young! I just wanted to be able to buy a moderate-level cardio workout on dvd that I could do, that wasn't so choreographed & jumpy that I couldn't keep up. This is it. Although I'd rather see Kathy's "Step Workout" (the best workout!) on dvd, this one is a decent substitute until something better comes out. So bottom line, a nice overall workout on DVD and it gives lots of nutritional advice & menopause information. Just don't be put off by "menopause" if you're too young and not even thinking about it. It's still a good, decent workout.

Kathy Smith has always been an inspiration to me, but even moreso now. This video has good, solid, useable information about peri-menopause and menopause and what to expect and how to cope. Kathy's be-kind-to-yourself approach to fitness is comforting. Her two assistants on the tape help as well because they seem like normal people, not super-bods. The 20-minute segments make up a very good 60-minute workout, or you can break them up and do them separately. Each 20-minute workout is good in and of itself. I also appreciate the discussion at the end of the tape with the health care professionals who also dispel myths and give advice. It's definitely money well spent.

First of all let me say that the DVD format is ideal for exercise programs, allowing you to skip to exactly the desired workout without all the rewinding and fast forwarding. As someone who has been exercizing on a regular basis for the past 6 years, I have come to realize the benefits of exercise. Kathy is ahead of her time for targeting menopausal women. It is even more important to stay fit at this stage of life. I have been doing her cardio and strength training segments exclusively since receiving this DVD. Her workouts are a pleasure to do and her tips for staying healthy are an added bonus.

I'm so impressed with this video that I have also ordered the book. I recommend it to every woman near or over 40. We are the most fortunate generation of women to have access to this much help to deal with the health concerns of our lives. I own a library of Kathy Smith videos that I've collected over the years. They have all been hours of fun exercise and helpful tips for good health, which has improved the quality of my life. Once again Kathy has released just what we needed to reach our fitness goals and improve our health. This time the focus is on improving the quality of life through mid-life and beyond. I am so thankful for all the work she's done but this program in particular is outstanding.

I can't tell you how great this video is - I loved it!! Even though I'm only in my 20s, it is still a great workout and I love the way they make each section only approx. 20 mins - perfect for today's busy woman. Even the workout music used during the segments is good.

I also love the graphics in the information sections!!

The video comprises Cardio, Toning (with weights and Kegels) and Yoga sections which can be done individually or as a combination.

It is also highly informative - plenty of information that the viewer needs to know about what will happen in the near or distant future. It includes information on diet and which exercises relieve which symptons; Osteoporosis is not the only concern we should have!

You've done it again, Kathy!!

I worked out to Kathy Smith tapes regularly for a long time. That was before I let myself go 5 years ago and gained 35 awful pounds. Now, just starting out all over again at the age of 42, I could not keep up with the different types of steps being changed in this DVD and would have preferred it if she had stuck to a fewer number of moves a little longer, rather than having so many to learn/change so rapidly. I began cheating and just doing my favorties over and over before becoming too frustrated and stopping altogether.

I would recommend the Sansone "Walking Away the Pounds" DVD's for those (like me) who are very out of shape and just starting out again. It has a lot of basic steps repeated, with varying arm movements to get your heart pumping and body conditioned for the more moderate DVD's like this one.

However - I gave it 4 stars because of the menopausal informative sections and the great yoga section. Also, because I WILL someday again be able to keep up with her. But for the time being, this DVD is just too much.

Wow, what a workout! I've recently re-started my workout program and wanted something up-to-date and this DVD really delivers. I'm in my forties, a bit overweight and don't like to do alot of jumping so this program is just right. It has different intensity levels so you can work at your level of fitness, has a cardio, weight training and yoga section plus offers some helpful hints for getting through menopause. The routine is interesting but not complicated and works both upper and lower body. The chapter list allows you to choose where to start; each section is only 20 minutes so you can divide the routine if you're crunched for time or do the whole thing when you're not. I also like the real women Kathy has working out along side her, no fitness babes here!!! The equipment is minimal; just some weights, a towel, and a mat or towel for the floor work. I'm left sweaty, and worked out from head to toe but feeling energized and like I just did something great for my body, my health, and myself!!

I first bought the book of the same title and really liked the workout sessions recommended towards the end of the book, but particularly with the weight section, I was concerned I wasn't doing it correctly. I bought the video to help with the lifting instruction and it is a perfect companion. She even interjects in the middle of your repetitions to remind you how your posture should be or where your shoulders should be, etc. I'm really enjoying the workouts-so hopefully I'll use them!

It's a great fun workout, the video is divided into 3 parts, areobics is fun, easy, but you get an excellent workout, part 2 strenght training also very good (if you like an intense total every part of your body this won't be enough). Yoga I don't do so I skip this part, the abs part is very good also. It also gives alot of tips for hotflashes.