Walking for Weight Loss, Wellness & Energy with Jessica Smith

As an advocate of Leslie Sansone's walking DVDs, I was sceptical of finding any others that I'd enjoy as much. But when I saw the high ratings for this one on Amazon and saw the price, I decided it was worth a try.This is a very good walking DVD which really does get you moving and your heart pumping, especially if like me, you choose to do the whole thing in one go. There are warm up and cool down sections (both 5 minutes each), plus two main sections - a high energy walk and a power walk - which are both 30 minutes each. Each of the main sections contains standard walking moves as well as more specialised moves depending on which one you're doing. For example, the power walk section includes brief intervals of higher intensity power walking and jogging, whilst the high energy walk includes moves which are more dance-like in nature.Jessica Smith is a very relaxed instructor on the DVD and is joined by two assistants - one which performs high impact moves aimed at those looking for a bit more intensity to their workout, and one which performs lower intensity moves for those less able bodied but who still want to join in and get/keep fit.As an alternative to my Leslie Sansone DVDs I would definitely recommend this. The only reason for my 4 star rating is because each time I load this into my DVD player, I can't skip through all the health & safety information at the start of the disc, which is very frustrating when you just want to get on with doing your exercise! It might be a quirk of my player, but it's something to bear in mind if you're contemplating purchasing this.

I'm a huge Jessica Smith devotee. I started with her 10 minute solutions for butt and thighs and saw results in a matter of weeks. I then moved on to her 10 minutes solution kick boxing DVD and follow her on her youtube channel where she posts lots of free work outs from 10/15 minutes to 30/40 minutes.Through the summer months I would go walking for an hour every day and when the weather closed in I really missed it so thought Jessica could help me out.It's nice DVD with a mother daughter team with Jessica with the daughter vamping up the moves for a more intense walk and the mother showing you how to slow things down while Jessica keeps at a moderate pace. I thought it would just be walking but there are some jumps involved and jogging on the spot for little cardio bursts together with lots of arm movements to help raise your heart rate.There's a warm up and a cool down as well as 2 different walks, one higher intensity than the other. both are about 30 minutes long and aren't difficult to get into at all. Jessica is smiling and encouraging throughout and chats about the different moves and muscles being used so you know just what your working out.I use this DVD along with her two 10 minute solutions I mentioned above and sometimes her website/ youtube channel to mix things up a bit and make sure I don't get bored doing the same thing over and over again as then I won't want to get off my butt and do anything.I love Jessica, she's a great instructor and very likeable. You have nothing to lose picking up this DVD, you don't need a lot of room to do the walk as it's basically on the spot, side to side and back to front, hardly any space needed really. And there's no weight lifting or running involved. no equipment needed at all. If you enjoy walking and miss it when the bad weather and dark nights set in then this is a good way to keep up with your walking.

I really liked this DVD. I find Jessica Smith positive, not irritating as some instructors can be and very clear with her instructions. The moves aren't complicated and by increasing my intensity I can work up a nice sweat without feeling it all a horrid grind. I'm average fit, but I'm not a huge fan of too high impact or overly dancing jiggy moves (dodgy lower back can't take too much bouncing). These sessions are just right and I can choose to lower my intensity with one Jessica's 'friends' or go higher depending on the move and how it effects my back. The pace in this DVD is a slightly faster tempo than in her WALK ON - 3 DVD Super Set (which I also really enjoy) which is quite nice to have it a bit faster.On a person note, not part of the DVD workout - so I'm not advising anyone, I add light hand/wrist weights if I want to put a bit more effort in (that's just me - not something talked of in the DVD at all). I just modify the arms movements (shorter range of motion) a little as you don't want to be throwing them about too much with weights.These workouts are aimed at those working with little room as well, so if you have limited space it's also good. I also like that the warm up and cool down are separate - very nice.It's pleasant to find work outs where you're not always watching the clock desperate for it to end!

This is a great workout consisting of two main routines, a warm up and a cool down. You don't just walk on the spot. You do various moves in a very small area with your feet continuously moving.The pros: it's really easy to follow, she gives clear instructions, there is a low impact and a high impact option depending on which person you follow (it's great for different fitness levels or joint issues), the two attractive people in the background are 'normal-looking', you don't need a lot of space in your home, and it feels lazy because the routine is so simple you don't need to concentrate much.The cons: she talks all the way through it (although it's easy to mute her voice and just follow her routine whilst listening to something else), and the routine is so simple that if you do it too often, it's likely to get boring.Overall though, I quite like it, and you do feel good after doing it. I would recommend it.Edit: This is fast becoming one of my favourite DVDs as I find myself regularly going back to this one (my other regulars are the 10 Minute Solution Pilates Collection which is also fab!). I'm definitely going to be buying more of Jessica Smith's workouts in the future.