Customer Reviews

Walking: The Ultimate Exercise for Optimum Health

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

 

 

Dr. Weil and Mark Fenton combine their expertise to provide a very thorough and helpful walking CD. The metered walking paces of 120, 135 and 150 steps per minute are very useful in developing a rhythm. Thanks for the help.

I'm a workout walker just coming back to it. These 2 CDs contain a good cheerleading session for the benefits of walking, but I find that the practical walking workout isn't helpful on a day in-day out basis. For that I would highly recommend Kathy Smith's CDs or tapes. The Weil/Fenton CD scrimped on music production, and doesn't give you the option of a 30 minute or hour-long walk at a graduated pace like Smith's. Also, the pace on the Fenton CD is far too strenuous for someone overweight, elderly, recovering from illness or just beginning. This one simply gives you one work-out going from a brisk pace to a breakneck pace. You might get some basic info from this--for instance, how fast to walk to lose weight--but mainly this seems like another in a series that uses Weil's name to sell CDs of dubious value.

Very disappointing. Too basic for even a beginner. Feels like more of a marketing ploy than substative effort to assist.

This CD is informative and gives good advice on walking and how to speed up your pace. I like to listen to it when I am walking because I can see that I am kicking up my workout a notch. Otherwise it is easy to keep the same old pace.

Nothing fancy, but for my purposes, this DVD is just about perfect. The introductory informative remarks by Andrew Weil and Mark Fenton make an excellent and motivating case for the benefits of walking and give practical suggestions. Mark Fenton makes a srong case that regular walking is virtually a "silver bullet" for maintaining good health. (Of course, there are other factors, such as diet, stress management, etc., but as one single thing that will set you on a path toward health, Fenton and Weil make a convincing and motivating argument.) Even as little as 10 minutes a day can make a significant difference! A half hour is better and doesn't have to be a consecutive half hour; you can spread it throughout the day.
Weil and Fenton place this issue of walking in the context of maintaining overall health and in the social context of our society, with its reliance on cars and encouragement of a sedentary way of life. They make the case that even a little bit of moderate walking is already an important step in the right direction and how the simple act of walking regularly can initiate social as well as personal changes.
Mark Fenton gives some suggestions about posture, etc., that are simple enough to be following easily and make a noticeable difference in my enjoyment of walking.
I also like that the program is flexible. The stretching exercises before and after really add to a sense of well-being during and after a walk--and I like the option of shorter and longer stretching sequences. (The DVD comes with a booklet with photos demonstrating the stretches.)
I like the simple format with three different paces: a health walking pace, a good, moderate, active pace, a weight loss pace, more strenuous, and finally a really active, workout aerobic pace. There are simple rhythms to help you keep the pace, nothing fancy, and it can be turned off and then turned back on briefly just to keep you on target with your pace.
Very enjoyable and practical and most of all it has been getting me out and walking.

The title and the product match. It's about walking. The info given is easily understood and broken down into digestable parts, but it's really just about walking. There is nothing to be truly gained from most of what is imparted here. I give it a four for it's delivery and understandability.

Walking the Ultimate Exercise for Optimum Health

CD 1
1. Introduction
2. The Benefits of Walking
3. Walking as a Component of Everyday Life
4. A Supreme Form of Exercise
5. How Much is Enough?
6. The Four Steps to Increasing Your Pace
7. Finding a Place to Walk
8. The First Step on a Path to Better Health
9. Reconnecting with your Community

CD 2
1. Introduction
2. Abbreviated Warm-up
3. Additional Warm-up Exercises
4. Gentle Walking
5. Health Walking Cues
6. Health Walking Tempo
7. Weight Loss Walking Cues
8. Weight Loss Walking Tempo
9. Aerobic Walking Cues
10. Aerobic Walking Tempo
11. Cool Down Walking
12. Stretching at the End of Your Walk
13. Additional Stretching Exercises

I can't believe anyone would give this CD set 5 stars. Honestly I can't believe anyone would give it more than one star. Happily I didn't buy it. I borrowed it from the library. I almost wish I did buy it though so I could have destroyed it. It probably would have been worth it.

First off, CD 1 is about as pointless as a screen door on a submarine. It's almost as if it's designed for a moron that has never taken a step before. I'm pretty sure most people realize ANY exercise is beneficial. But do you really need these guys to tell you how much is enough? Are you that needy and pathetic? And do you actually need "four steps" to increase your pace. Wouldn't "walk faster" be sufficient?! Instructions on finding a place to walk? Didn't the Winter Warlock teach us that when we were youngsters? Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door!!!

As far as CD 2 goes... just more of them talking only this time add a metronome to the background so you know what pace they want you to walk. How annoying is that?! They should have to PAY ME to listen to it!!!

In all fairness, I honestly didn't listen to both CD's in their entirety. Had I done that, I wouldn't be able to write the review as I'd be in the looney bin.

Save your money... use your common sense.