by Tracie Parker

Created on: June 18, 2007

I used to love aerobics. Then I started working full time and moved into an apartment, and my love of aerobics began to fade. I no longer had the time to go to classes at the gym, and jumping around is usually frowned upon when you live on the 2nd floor. As a result, I had to look for new, lower impact workouts.

After purchasing and renting over 20 exercise videos, these are the ones that I find I use on a regular basis.

Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds Super Fat Burning 3 Miles

This is my favorite workout video. It's a 45 minute long indoor walking video that works your entire body. The steps are simple: walk in place, side step, kicks, and knee lifts. There are also arm movements with every move but even they are simple. Leslie leads the group, and her warm encouragement will motivate you to make the 3 miles. There is also a section that involves arm movements with weights. The group uses weighted balls, which are available at most sporting good stores. I purchased some and like them much better than regular hand weights as they don't hurt as much when you drop them.

Kathy Smith - Latin Rhythm Workout

I bought this video five years ago and still enjoy it. The video uses Latin dance moves to help spice up the workout. Kathy begins with a brief overview of the three main dances: the salsa, the meringue, and the cha cha. The video itself includes a warm up, two twenty minute portions and the cool down. This video is definitely fun, and the moves are easy to learn. You will also enjoy the Latin music.

Carmen Electra's Fit to Strip and Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease

These are two separate workout videos, but they work best if you do both together. The Fit to Strip is a 30 minute total body toning workout that targets hips bun and abs. The moves are unique, and the video moves fast enough that you don't have time to get bored. The second video, Aerobic Striptease, involves three workouts: a warm up and two strip routines. The routines are broken down step by step and you can also play them straight through with no vocals and three different choices for music. My favorite part of this video is that you can customize your own workout, choosing the order and number of times you wish to do each routine. However, considered yourself warned, while these routines are fun and sexy, they are not enough of a workout on their own so make sure to incorporate both videos for a full body workout.

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