Customer Reviews

Lean, Strong and Healthy with Susan Powter [VHS]

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This video is fantastic! I can't lose weight like I used to. The treadmill and stationary bike did nothing for my weight. This video did! Not only that, occasionally I get low back pain; it's not serious but it hurts. All I need is 20-25 minutes of Susan Powter, working very easily and without the step, and the pain is GONE!

Ms. Powter's upbeat, energetic manner keeps you going even when you yourself can't.

Another great thing about this workout: it's all about common sense. If you want to burn fat, she says, your body needs energy. Eat protein, eat carbs. Just be smart about it. And she tells you how.

That common sense is applied to the workout as well. "Just keep moving," is her motto. Can't kick your legs like a Rockette? Are you very out-of-shape? Fine! Kick low, or not at all. She gives alternative moves to those who can't or aren't ready to do the workout full-out. Use the step, don't use the step. "Just keep moving!"

AND I LOST 32 POUNDS!!!

I've been working out with this video for five years now. I love Lean, Strong and Healthy because Susan doesn't expect you to be a dancer or someone who has worked out in a gym for years. In fact, you can do this workout even if you've never exercised in your life - Susan's unconditional willingness to work with people of all weights and fitness levels helped me lose 60 lbs (I was a devotee of her book Stop the Insanity, too). These workouts might be a little boring to someone who is 1) very coordinated and 2) used to complex routines, but for the average size 14/16 (or alot bigger) woman who hates to wear a leotard in front of anyone else, Susan is a savior. The people working out with Susan on this video are all different shapes and sizes, all different levels of fitness; Susan offers support and encouragement to all. The only reason I didn't give this video six stars was because the music and visuals are . . . okay, they're simplistic and boring after a few hundred sessions. I turned on my radio and turned off the sound to the video after I got the workout down. Nevertheless, I adore Susan and recommend this video to anyone looking for an easy-to-learn, high energy, fun workout.

I began using Lean,Strong& Healthy 4 months ago. I began exercising in August 1999 - first with one mile a day walks which led to 4 miles per day. After a few months I felt I needed more and I got it with this video. Susan has been where I am and she is inspiring to say the least. The routine is not difficult to learn, you get a marvelous workout, and she is there encouraging you all the way- showing you how to build a stronger fitness level. If you are serious about getting Lean,Strong& Healthy then buy this video- it will change your life. Another great thing is the different people in the video- they are all different sizes at different fitness levels. They are not all size 3 - they are real people who are working REAL hard at getting healthy.

I was never fat becuase I ate alot, and alot of people, who might read this,especially thin people generally have the notion that the only reason people are bigger is because they sit and eat at all hours of the day, which for many is not the case. I was at my biggest, at 230 pounds, 5 feet tall, and 12 years old. I have gained a tremendous amount of weight due tot he fact that I had gotten allergy shots from the time I was very young, which completely changed my metabolism. The allergy shots were actually steroids that made me blow up into a balloon virtually from teh second they began. No one, not even my parents stopped the shots, and I was too young to make choices I suppose, on my health.
It was to the point that I did not want to go to school, or even out due to the comments that people would make, people of all ages, starring as if I did not know that I had a weight problem. It had basically come to the point that I was so miserable with my life that I had to change or end my own life. It may seem dramatic, but when a teacher laughs at you in school when you sit in a desk and kids scream in unison, " Don't break the desk!!!!!!!" it sure doesn't do wonders for your self -esteem.
I went with my mother to a store that had videos for sale. I woke up that morning with the intension that that was going to be the day I do something about my life. I saw the Susan Powder tape - Lean, Strong, and Healthy and had my mother buy it for me. I know that she probably did not have much faith that I would do it, but I was determined to prove everyone wrong and one day make everyone envious of me. So everyday I worked out to the video, changed my eating habits, started walking to school. Within three months I had lost 80 pounds. Over the next nine, and by the end of the year I had lost a total of 125 pounds. I am 21 years old now, and have managed to keep the weight off for 8 years. I do admit that I have slacked off in the workout department, over the past years in college, although today I put in Lean, Strong and Healthy, and have decided it is time again to get back into a routine and that would only involve this tape and the wonders that Susan Podwer did for me. She literally saved my life, in more ways than one.She is an inspiration to me and I will always be glad that she was the only one who helped me along the way and in my goals for wellness.

This may be too slow for the fast paced younger ones but I have lost weight, feel better, and have more energy. You can follow Susan easily as she guides you thru each step. I also like it because it is more than 30 minutes long. I need 45 or more minutes a day of exercise. I have had this tape for 3 months now and would like another similar to this one with some different routines. I love the way Susan takes time to show you how to do the steps. Some videos are just too fast and you can't keep up if you are an older person. I don't want something with a snail pace either. I like this kind of pace or just a little bite faster. I don't like jumping around and this one does not do that. I have a little hip problem and using these steps does not bother it at all. Thanks for making this tape with modifications. The only thing I found that could improve this tape was that the camera didn't show the changes sometimes when a new step was being done. They focused on Susan's arms rather than her feet. Needed full view. This is a very good tape and I recommend it to a beginner or intermediate. You will work up a sweat. I have viewed and tried several other tapes and I come back to this one.

I just purchased this video. I was using a ski machine and power walking and had to force myself to do that. For the last two weeks I look forward to working out with Susan. I've never done step aerobics before and at first I thought I would never make it through the tape. I'm happy to say that I now use this tape everyday and the inches are melting off my body. Susan is a tremendous motivator and I like the way the people exercising with her are real people at all fitness levels. Susan is informative and down to earth. She is not a bubble brain as I've seen in some aerobic videos. She makes you feel that you can do this and by using her modifying techniques, anyone CAN do this. Get this tape. You will not be sorry you did.

Think what you may of the mouthy maven, she's like having a friend in the fitness business. This video is my favorite (and I own a bunch of them!)so I use it 6 days a week. I'm 52, have a Monday through Friday sedentary job and a little arthritis. I take advantage of her "modifications". Forty-five minutes is an optimum time for working out, and with this video I can feel that I've worked everything. However, I still augment with crunches and free weights. I'm not interested in being skinny, I just want to be fit, build some muscle,improve bone density and live to retirement, plus, be healthy enough to enjoy it. This video may help me get there.

My mother quit smoking and started working with susan powter. After one year of working out, she lost 90+ pounds, and I could see her life being refilled with energy. I never smoked, but I have always been a heavy guy. I just recently started working out with susan... 5 days a week. And I can already feel the improvement... I no longer struggle to get out of bed, I sleep better... and I feel better. These workouts are not _only_ geared towards women.. or skinny people.. anyone can do them.. and thanks to the concept of her modifications... you can do to the excersizes... anyone can do it. I recommend this to anyone who is serious about getting fit. All it takes is motivation. KNOW THAT YOU CAN LIVE HEALTHY.

"It's not the fat that you can see on the outside that kills you... it's the fat that you cannot see."

I have had this video for a number of years, but I finally started using it in June. I followed Susan's advice to modify, as I was overweight and out of shape. I could only do 20 minutes of it at first. I did the warm-up, the first aerobic routine, and then I'd fast forward to the cool-down. I gradually added on more minutes as my fitness improved. I also followed Susan's instructions on how to modify the level of intensity to fit my fitness level. That was easy to do because I just had to look at the participants and follow the one who was exercising at my level. This video has real-life women (and a man) with real-life bodies, and they appear to be at various levels of fitness.

After five months of daily workouts with the video, I am at the highest intensity level, with my step also at the highest level. In addition, I stop the tape at the end of each step routine to do push-ups, crunches, and to lift weights. This adds another 10 minutes to the workout, making it a full hour. I find it easy to substitute in other movements if I get bored.

The tempo of the music is at a pace that allows me time to think about form, extension, and resistance, and I can practice using all those. That is what Susan says will change your body, not just doing the movement. Throughout the workout, Susan gives reminders about the correct form. She also reminds you that all you need to do is step up and down on the step, and not to worry about doing it perfectly.

My results? I am now 40 pounds lighter. I went from a size 16 to a size 6. I look and feel fantastic, and my doctor is amazed and very pleased with my progress.

I had to make myself do this workout everyday at first, but now I look forward to it. I still modify. If I'm feeling too tired to workout, I'll do the 20 minute version I started with. Or I'll just step up and down, and not do all the arm and leg movements. But most days, I like the challenge of doing the whole tape, and seeing if I can do it at the highest level. Afterward, I feel energized for the whole day.

I recommend this workout for anyone who'd like to get lean, strong, and healthy. It works!

Susan is the best. Period. This video is for all levels, ages and sizes. If you are truly serious about exercising for a lifetime, buy this video. You will actually use it. A great investment in your health.