Customer Reviews

Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home: Walk Your Belly Flat

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Walk Your Belly Flat is another great walk aerobic workout from Leslie that, as with every other Leslie workout, does not disappoint me. The walk is brisk and energizing, keeping the heart-rate elevated all the way through.

This IS a 3 MILE WALK. The floor work at the end is NOT part of the 3 mile walk, so this walk is NOT comparable to the Walk Your Way Thin: Belly, Buns, Thighs Slim Down (Target Exclusive) which does incorporate the fit cuff work within the 3 miles. No worries - you will get 3 miles of very high-energy, fast-paced power walking. If you still question whether you are getting 3 miles of walking, Leslie seems to have anticipated your question and there is a message that comes on the screen - takes up the whole screen like a brief commercial break - which says "You just did 3 miles!"

I'll now concentrate on what is DIFFERENT about this 3 miler than other 3 miles & what gives it the title Walk Your BELLY Flat:

The Walk Clock: I love this new feature. I'm one of those people who hits the display on my DVD so I can see how much time is remaining. To me it makes the walk go by faster not slower. The time goes by the amount of time remaining in each individual mile, not the whole workout. If you are not one of those people who likes to see the time remaining, then I think you'll really be annoyed by the feature as you can't get rid of that clock and it's there throughout the entire walk.

How does this walk focus on your BELLY: This is really classic Leslie walking. Those who are looking for new combinations won't find it here. Besides the floor work at the end, the only other thing that FOCUSES on working your belly is the knee lifts. There does seem to be more knee lifts in this one then in other workouts. She does mostly the knee lifts with your legs apart...and lots of double and quadruple knee lifts. She also emphasizes that CALORIE BURN reduces belly fat. She says that it does more for you than crunches. So it's also really her commentary/terminology that focuses on the belly (think A Walk and a Talk series - Walk Down Your Blood Sugar & Heart Healthy Walk - She is focusing on an area that is so important for us to take care of and that it's more important to reduce your belly fat than to be a certain weight, etc.).

I can't think of anything else that makes this walk distinct from other walks. Of course they are all different to me but I'm trying to be critical for those who would like to know how this walk is very different from the others they own...

It does go by really fast! Although 5 Fat Burning Miles still wins as far as the workout that goes by the fastest (in my opinion). The walk is about 42 minutes long and that includes the warm-up & cool down. There is NO stretching...Leslie then goes right into the floor work. If you aren't doing the floor work then you will want to do your own stretching.....not a big deal for me as I sometimes do my own stretching anyway if I feel like doing more/less.

For those who love BOOSTED WALKING: There is a little bit of that in this walk. I'll say it gives you a taste of boosted walking. While she does just a little bit earlier in the walk, the longest boost is in the middle of the 3rd mile: 1 minute.

MILE MARKERS & MESSAGES: There are messages on the screen throughout this walk like many of the new walks. Messages that correlate to things Leslie is saying. There is also a message to tell you when you have walked half a mile, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2 miles, 2.5 miles, and 3 miles.

I have been a Leslie Sansone fan for years and can safely say that I probably have EVERY SINGLE exercise DVD Leslie has ever put out. I use her workouts every day and have kept off my 30-pound weight loss thanks to her. With that said, I wanted to review this newest DVD and break down the pros and cons of this workout DVD.

PROS:
1. Leslie still has the same energy she always has and the 3 miles really fly by.
2. Great music to keep you going, which is also a pretty standard thing for Leslie.
3. The moves do work and weight will either come off, or it is a great way to maintain your weight loss.

CONS:
1. My BIGGEST complaint with this DVD is that after the 3-mile walk, her abdominal workout is limited to just four reps of bicycle crunches - that's it with regard to abdominal work. For the DVD to be catered toward flattening your belly, I thought Leslie would have incorporated more of her great abdominal workouts into this DVD. She's got some great ones from her other DVDs!

2. I also wanted to point out that I've noticed that all of the newer DVDs she's putting out has been with her by herself. In her older DVDs, she's often said that she prefers working out with her friends or a group of people. I wonder what changed to cause Leslie to work out alone these days. The last "group" DVD she put out was "The Big Burn". I don't know about everyone else, but I personally love having a group working out with Leslie. It's more upbeat, and it is fun to see the engagement between Leslie and her friends. Again, this is just my personal opinion.

All in all, I absolutely love Leslie Sansone and will continue to use her DVDs for exercise, but this particular one was not one of my favorites. :) I didn't like that she is alone AGAIN (!), and the abdominal workout after the walk is limited to four sets of one exercise.

I have three other of Leslie's exercise DVDs and have found them all beneficial. With the help of the Momentum Plan through Weight Watchers I have lost 30 pounds and three dress sizes in the last six months and Leslie's exercise DVDs have been an important part of my progress. In my opinion, this is the best of Leslie's DVDs that I have tried. I like the continuous clock that lets you know how much time you have left to walk a mile - sometimes that's the encouragement you need to keep going. Also, I really enjoy the fact that this is a real one-on-one with Leslie - no other gals with her (even though I love you gals) I found them to be a distraction and this focusing by Leslie on the camera and talking to "me" really works. She seemed to provide more motivational and instructional information than in past exercise DVDs. The three miles flew by!! Hurray, Leslie. Keep up the good work.

As someone with a large collection of fitness dvds, walking dvds can be either hit or miss. Some can be boring and redundant while others can bring in strangely complicated choreography for something called "walking"...This hit the bullseye for energy and interest but it actually had a high caloric burn as well!

CALORIE BURN: I wear a bodybugg to measure my daily calorie burn. Because of this, it also enables me to compare the calorie burn of all my workouts as to how many calories they burn not only during the workout, but per minute. I mention this only so that you know what I say is based upon measurement rather than perceived exertion...while there is no plyometrics and joint straining moves like "mountain climbers", she combines more simple moves with hand movements at a pace fast enough to ensure your heart stays in the target zone and the calories are revved. I didn't feel as though I was worn out, working as hard as when I do my intense aerobics, yet I have to say this burned a LOT of calories in whatever time span you choose to do it. That made it quite impressive because, especially if you've had some days of strength training, this is not hard on your muscles or joints, yet achieves just what it should.

INSTRUCTOR: I couldn't put my finger on why I liked this instructor for the longest time and why she seemed different...I think the best analogy I can give is if you watch "The Biggest Loser" you see how the trainer Bob seems to not be "acting" for the camera or being anything but genuine, yet Jillian does. Often there seems to be some nervousness or "over the top" dialogue from trainers on dvds. Instead, this one seemed to be as though you were in a room with a friend who was showing you a routine she does. I can't quite put my finger on how to relay that...other than she seemed like she had done the routine a million times due to her comfort level, yet that she still loved it due to her energy. Often trainers fill up every empty second with words like "that's it" "you've got it" "you remember this" "You are doing awesome" etc...this one didn't seem to need to do that...she just spoke comfortably throughout with good reminders of how to do it right as well. Don't get me wrong, she still pushed you and encouraged you but didn't use the words just to fill an empty silence because of not thinking of anything else to say.

SET: They kinda went all out for this video...It looks like an upscale studio. 12 foot letters spell out "walk" on the back wall, motivational words flash across the screen, there is a big blow up of the instructor with someone on the left wall, you see REAL cars outside a window so you know it's not a set, a clock counts down how far you have walked and lets you know when you have hit a mile or two. Very different. I wondered if she has her own upscale studio and does these routines in this place.

MUSIC: Typically in workout dvds you have something made for the dvd that can be a little monotonous and all "electronica", but this was more like there was a dj putting on different tracks. Still background music, but it switched it up for interest and it kept it different and the pace of the music also increased as the pace of the steps did.

MOVES: When I say this it sounds so boring but I have little attentioin span when I work out, no matter how often I do it, and this is one of the few that kept it up the whole time so I'm trying to get the best wording when I say that it's easy choreography (and when I say "choreography" do not think you'll be tripped up once...you won't.) with moves that are all variations of walking...kick backs, knee lifts, grapevine, etc etc with arm movements. You WILL be able to follow her. So much so that she says "We don't tell you which leg you need to start with. It makes no difference. They both get worked out anyway" and then she'll say something like "kick backs" and it truly doesn't matter which leg you start with. Her moves are made so that you don't have to rewind to figure out how to "put the steps together" or worry about keeping it. Yet it's a true workout. She has really taken the best of routines and made it easy for all to do but still garner great results.

WHAT YOU GET:
A warm up
A brisk 4-5 mph pace of moves that I found fun
Mile Markers in the video celebrate when you've hit your mile mark of choice and allow you to keep going til you do
Compound Muscle Movements ensure you hit more muscle groups than regular walking
Cool Down Walk
Stretch
bonus "super sculpt the belly" floor work

total running time:53 minutes

I think few dvds can take you from beginner to being someone who works out daily and still feel your needs but I think this one can and still keep your interest.

If it's your only dvd, I would suggest adding another into your mix with some strength training or a circuit that has a combo of cardio and strength training in order to tighten and tone, but this will offer easy to follow fat burning.

NEGATIVES: I wish that she had included more standing ab work rather than limiting it to a different section. This workout will help you lose ab fat and she discusses that often, but there are still some twisting moves that can be done while doing simple walking moves that could further tighten your core as well. This is a minor thing, but no dvd is perfect so I like to cover all bases that someone may look for.

CONCLUSION: A good solid workout for any level. Enjoyable, good energy, perfect easy to follow cueing, good calorie burn

I love Leslie Sansone, and I can't get enough of her 3 mile workouts because they're just about the right amount of time for me for a workout and I like to have a variety to choose from.

This latest release is a 43 minute walk that uses no props - no stretch bands or belt or weights - and features Leslie alone - with no "sisters"/friends/instructors. This workout appears to have been filmed about the same time as the workout "kit" series that were released this spring and sold exclusively at Target. Many will be happy to know that this workout is chaptered and you can opt to do the full workout or select an individual mile. I kind of miss the flow of the unchaptered workouts, as these have a bit of a pause between where one ends and the next starts, but that's a small thing.

I liked the pace of the workout and I got mildly sweaty, which is always a good sign. What is new is the workout clock, which counts down how many minutes/seconds you have left in that mile. I liked it, although it made me a little too aware of the time.

All the standard steps are in the workout - marching, side steps, knee lifts, kicks and hamstring curls - nothing new, but that's fine, as part of the appeal of Leslie's workouts is that you don't have tricky footwork and, as she tells us, you can't do her workouts wrong! One thing she frequently mentions that I fully recommend you heed is to stand up straight and be careful you don't tip back, particularly when kicking and doing knee lifts. I think it's a natural tendency to lean back and if you do, you can make your back cranky. Following her instructions may mean you're not kicking as high, but if you're standing up straight and pulling your belly button in, as she coaches, I think you get a better ab workout.

Some of Leslie's cue-ing was a bit delayed, particularly in the beginning, but if you've done any of her workouts in the past, you almost know what she's going to say or do - and even if this is your first, it's truly not a big deal. I can't say this workout is necessarily any more of a belly reducing workout than any of her others, so the name is a bit of a misnomer, although we won't deduct points :) since she included the 10 minute optional ab workout, which was several sets of the exercise called "bicycle" done fairly slowly.

Overall, it was an enjoyable workout that moved quickly and worked up a bit of a sweat and will be nice to have in the rotation.

I ordered this product after trying it out on On Demand. That was about a month and a half ago. After fearing stepping on the scale, I made myself do it this morning... I've lost 12.5 pounds! I've been trying to watch what I eat, not eating after six, and doing this video religiously! It's perfect for me, and I absolutely loathe working out. Seriously, I hate it. This video however is easy, and often I just turn on my ipod and walk, walk, walk. I guarantee that if you watch what you eat (I don't cook, so I do the Weight Watcher's meals) and do this video, you will get results! Good luck!

This walking workout DVD is OK, but I'm disappointed. I have four other Leslie Sansone walking DVDs, and like those a lot. But this new one has a couple big differences.

Leslie's other DVDs (at least the four others I have) all begin with a warm-up, and end with a cool-down, followed by a couple minutes of stretching. She always emphasizes how important those parts of a workout are. The actual miles are timed separately and are distinguishable by changes in music.

However, this new workout, which is supposed to be three miles in length, is set up this way: Each mile is just over 13 minutes long. But the first mile starts with about four minutes of warming up, so you're not getting a true mile walk, since the remaining nine minutes are not done at a fast enough pace to equal one mile themselves. The third mile is similarly set up, with the first nine or so minutes being "the third mile," and the last four or so minutes being the cool-down period. I feel cheated out of actual mile walking time.

Also, the other four DVDs I own all finish the workouts with a couple minutes of stretching. But this new DVD goes directly to Leslie demonstrating the abs exercise, which is a good one. But I think there should be stretching!

Finally, three of the four other DVDs of Leslie's that I own have her walking with a group of several people during most if not all of the workouts. This new DVD has her by herself. I happen to like the interaction between her and her follow walkers, and think when she is by herself, it's a little "flat." But, other people may prefer her by herself because they find the talking to the other people to be distracting.

I will continue to use this DVD, since I really like to have a variety of Leslie's walking workouts - I can use them no matter what the weather, they're cheaper than joining a fitness club, and they're less stressful on my joints. But I wish Leslie had included stretching and some other walkers, as well as three "true" miles, on this DVD.

I got my dvd last week after ordering for 3 others by Leslie. So, about 30 minutes ago, I decided to try this one that I hadn't tried before, you know, to work on my tummy....and boy it burns!! I love it. I snuck here to add my 2 pence, and I only just did 2 of the 3 miles. I absolutely love it. I am going back to do my 3rd mile, and I broke a sweat or more (I normally don't sweat!!) I am looking to lose weight, get fit and totally take this embarrassing tummy away. Will keep you posted.

I'm an avid Leslie fan and prefer doing 4 miles a day, and then adding some other exercise. So, when I received this DVD I was very happy with the content. I feel my heart rate up the entire time, more so than any other one of her DVDs that I own. I repeat the second mile to get the four miles in. I happen to like the clock in the upper right that counts down each mile individually. I miss the gang, but minute by minute I feel more 'up' and burning calories than any other one. Endurance is built with this one. As one finds, there is always something great about one of her DVDs, a wish that something else was on it and that's how it goes. I find this one high my short list of favorites.

I own several of Leslie Sansone's DVDs, and this is one of my favorites, for these reasons:

1. It's a good, sweaty, 3 mile workout, and takes about 50 minutes to complete.
2. It's just Leslie by herself, in a studio.
3. There is a "walk clock" that shows how much time is left in each mile. LOVE that feature, wish it was on all of her DVDs.
4. If I feel ambitious, I can repeat mile 2, and get about an hour long, four mile workout.
5. I have arthritis in my ankles and knees and provided I stretch properly after, I can do this DVD without being in pain when I'm done.
6. I have chronic Achilles tendinitis and this workout actually helps me keep my ankles "lubricated" (like Leslie says, "Juice in the joints!") and therefore I have fewer painful days when I use her DVD regularly (which for me means every other day).

The only thing I would change is to have more DVDs that feature Leslie by herself, also have the walk clock, and are 3 or 4 mile workouts.