i am 250 plus pnds and 5'4. i am just starting out at working out and am wondering what exercise dvd's i can use that won't cause me injury.

i already do just my size yoga and when i recieve it i will be doing plus size pilates. i have also bought but have not yet received turbo jam(i use to do tae bo years ago and loved it) and hula cardio. i need variety in my workouts and would like to know what works best for a beginner who is on the large side?
i also have a physical condition that keeps me from going out to do things and sometimes i have to stop my workoout to deal with it. it is more of an annoyance than anything but it still keeps me from doing things like going out for a walk.this is why i am asking for the suggestions on dvd's.

i move and bend pretty well but not great for someone my size.

thank you. any suggestions would be appreciated.

Have you tried Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds dvd/s? She has different ones....just one of them would get boring quickly...but if you have those along with the ones you allready have....??? She is deceptive...when it starts you think your doing old-lady exercise...but about 7 min in she has ya sweatin in your living room!
Good luck to you! Remember...slow and steady wins the race....

No i haven't. I haven't even heard of these dvd's.
i will look into it.
Thank you for your suggestion and your positive words.

I love the Walk Away the Pounds Series. Also, Weight Watchers makes a work out DVD that I did a couple of years ago and that was great too. If you aren't a member, I bet you can find it on eBay. Do you have netflix? Thats an -awesome- resource for workout dvds. you can rent one for a week or so until you get bored then move on.

For variety I would look up belly dancing Dvds, they are fun, pretty to look at, (ha, ha) and you can watch them a few times before they get boring. Most usually have a dance routine at the end for you to build up to, makes a good goal to achieve. Assuming you are a beginner, I would say Discover Bellydance by Veena and Neena would be a good one to start with. There is also a "show" called Shimmy, which is also great, it has multiple episodes and goes through many different types of moves. I really suggest the show, because he has a lot of great stretching in the beginning so you aren't likely to injure yourself, which you said was one of your concerns. This is the link to shimmy: http://shimmy.tv/. Plus with Bellydancing, you look great no matter what your size, but as you dance and slim down, you get even more excited, and keep dancing, and it is a beautiful vicious cycle. Good luck on your quest!

I weigh more than you & can't do much besides walk & do a Water Fitness class twice a week. The water is extremely easy on your body. I also to the Walk-Away-the-Pounds & walk around my neighborhood. Best wishes on your exercise & weight loss journey.

It sounds like you are already off to a great start by getting the plus-size workout DVDs. The best thing is to ease into the workouts slowly and listen to your body. If you have some weird aches, take day off or do another activity until it passes.

While working out is great, you will reap the most weight loss benefits by altering your diet. I'm not saying starve yourself, but cutting 600 calories is easier than burning 600 calories. It's really depressing just how little an hour of hard work will burn.

Thank you for all your responses.
I have gotten the walk away the pounds 3 pack off of amazon and am hoping i enjoy it enough to keep with it. i have also gotten some more various workout dvd's from amazon. my only problem right now is finding one for strength and toning, i don't have much for that.

I have already changed my eating habits but i just can't bring myself to get there and count every calorie just yet so for now it's salads, low fat food,cutting down portions and light exercise.

If you got the Turbo Jam maximum results package, it comes with a Turbo Sculpt DVD that is focused on strength and toning. They even show you how to do the exercises without weights - which is great for beginners.

I'm not sure about DVDs, but I would give Wii Fit a try if you have a Wii (and a hundred extra dollars...).
Basically, you can set your own intensity for the workout, and it's fun (well, at least to me).
Good luck! We're all rooting for you!

Joanne,
I weighed a little more than you when I joined this site and I'm 2" shorter.
I couldn't [and still can't] do most of the workout DVDs because of joint pain and my basic fitness state. What I've found works for me is Tony Little's Gazelle. I bought one used from eBay for $100. When I started, I could hardly do the ten minute beginners' workout. But I did it faithfully 5 or 6 days a week, just doing what I could each time. I didn't change my diet at all and after the first month [and I was totally prepared for small results if any at all] when I measured myself, I had lost 18.5 inches and almost 7 pounds. And I can promise you I wasn't gasping for air doing the routine and there was no pain while I was doing it [apart from the expected muscle burn]. I'm now up to 15 minutes and am looking forward to my weigh and measure on the 12th. I really like the Gazelle workout because it's a nice combination of cardio and strength training with zero impact to your joints.
Whatever you do, the best advice I can give you is this: focus on cardio at the outset to burn that fat off. If you do a lot of muscle building stuff, you'll be building muscle under the fat layer and you'll actually look fatter. Once you get to th1e point where you can do the 30 minute advanced Gazelle workout, there's another set of DVDs where you can do all kinds of strength training on your Gazelle. Sure beats lying on the floor
Good luck!!

Hi! ivie,michelle and beth and everyone else. Thanks for the responses.

I finally received turbo jam volume 2 which has turbo sculpt but there is a delay in start up of anything cardio or pushing the heart rate too fast because thanks to odd chest pains (which i personally think are muscle pain and a touch of arthritis brought on thanks to the lousy confusing weather in this place) i had to get a new ecg done immediately. i won't get results for at least 2 weeks (they are slow here) and i am more than a little pissed that my plans are delayed for at least half a month. maybe more.

Anybody got suggestions on how to be patient?
The problem is the longer i have to delay the more likely i will talk myself out of it, it's not the first time. The faster i can make it routine, the more likely i will stick with it.

I wish i could afford a Wii or a gazelle. I used what little money i had buying sale priced workout dvd's. I'm hoping i get a clear health check and it wasn't all for nothing.

Thanks.