email address:
wendy@videofitness.com
Click for Forum profile
Age: 34
Hometown: Northern VA (Washington, DC area)
Family: married with a 3 year old son and 11 year old kitty
Occupation: Creator/Editor, Video Fitness
Collecting videos since: 1992--I was a relatively finicky collector, only buying videos I was pretty sure I would love, but since videos became part of my job my collection has gotten out of hand
Number of Videos Owned: approx. 150
Other Fitness Activities Running, Walking, occasionally cycling
Current fitness goals: Get back into running again this spring, regain some ground lost during a recent slump, rediscover more of the video gems collecting dust in my cabinet. My one "vanity" goal is to get back into at least ONE pair of my pre-pregnancy pants.
Loved ones' opinion of video habit: My husband has always been great about it, but since I've managed to make videos my career he's quite enthusiastic!
Wendy's opinions:
Current Favorites:
Leaner Legs (love to hate it! love what it does for my legs)
Hi/Lo Heaven
Body Tech
Yoga for Athletes
All Time Favorites:
PowerMax (Cathe Friedrich): This is still my favorite step workout from Cathe
Maximum Intensity Strength (Cathe Friedrich): a brutal workout, but a milestone in fitness videos, IMO
Intense Moves: Gin Miller at her best.
Ali McGraw Yoga Mind and Body: probably the most beautiful fitness video there ever was
Yoga for Energy (Rodney Yee): The short segments make it much easier to incorporate yoga into my schedule
CIA 9801 hi/lo: fills me with joy every time I do it
FIRM Strength: the FIRM tape I come back to most often
Two the Max (Kari Anderson): yes, it's a little goofy in places, but it was the fourth or fifth fitness video I ever bought and, most importantly, the first fitness video I ever truly loved, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Pure Strength series (Cathe Friedrich): another great strength series from Cathe
Secrets to a Great Upper Body (Kathy Smith): another classic that hits the whole upper body in half an hour
Favorite Instructors
Cathe Friedrich
Christi Taylor
Kari Anderson
Underrated:
Leisa Hart is one of the best instructors for beginners. She gives explicit form pointers and great information, and is friendly and encouraging without being over-the-top bubbly.
Biggest Disappointments:
Many CIAs, though I won't name names. I get very frustrated with sub-par cuing.
Trying several Tae Bo's, PowerKicks, Cardio Kicks, and Kathy Smith's Kickboxing made me realize I just don't LIKE kickboxing, even though I wanted to!
I also get disappointed with dance workouts that have great potential, but don't keep your heart rate up due to all the "half-time" sections where you learn the moves. There has to be a better way.
Would love to see:
I would love to see Mindy Mylrea and Jennifer Mills team up for a workout. They're the two funniest ladies in the business, and I can only imagine how much hilarity might stem from such a collaboration.
I'd love to see Cathe Friedrich do a low impact but powerful step video. Heck, I'd like to see anyone release a challenging low impact workout with interesting choreography.
I also agree with other 100 Clubbers who have cried out for more videos with good music that's loud enough to hear but not so loud it drowns out the instructor.
Words of Wisdom:
It's been said many times before, but there's so much truth in it--find a type of workout you enjoy. This is especially true for those just starting out and trying to make exercise a habit. If you try a workout or a type of workout and it doesn't grab you, find something that does. There are now so many video workouts to choose from, and life's too short to spend time doing workouts you hate.
I'm a big believer in setting performance-oriented goals instead of weight loss goals. Don't let a scale rule your life! I don't even own one, and I'm much happier for it.
Accept your genetically-determined body type. Celebrate what your body can DO and don't stress too much about what it looks like.
