Want to Burn Fat and Have Fun Doing It? Try Ivy Larson’s Full Fitness Fusion DVD.
I love working out. I do. Or, let me put it another way. I love the way I feel AFTER I work out. In many instances, working out is a series of tedious movements followed by more tedious movements. I get bored. Enter Full Fitness Fusion, a 30-minute, total body workout that fuses a variety of training techniques to keep you motivated and engaged while strengthening every muscle in your body. The workout is fun, yes. It’s effective too – but perhaps the greatest thing about it is that it’s appropriate for all fitness levels and is zero impact, which means that it puts no stress on the joints. Fitness professional Ivy Larson designed the 30-minute program because her MS symptoms would flare up if she became overheated from exercising too long. As if that’s not enough of a challenge, Larson had undergone major surgery to correct a congenital hip disorder just nine months before filming the DVD. During her recovery, she was unable to walk for seven months but stayed fit using the techniques in Full Fitness Fusion. This woman is my hero, I gotta tell you. The DVD begins with a quick intro in which Larson explains the challenges she’s faced and the raison d’etre for the workout. She then introduces the three women who join her in the workout, all of whom had physical challenges of their own and were able to get their heart rates up while targeting every major muscle group without doing explosive cardio moves or joint-stressing repetitions.
Full Fitness Fusion is fast-paced and fun. In fact, it had me giggling and sometimes laughing out loud while I worked out. I love the movements. They are different from anything I’ve ever done – and I’ve been hitting the gym for decades. Instead of a variation on the theme of squats, for example, Larson teaches you moves that target the same muscles but are really fun to do. And, after all, isn’t one of the goals of exercise supposed to be fun? If it’s not, you’re not going to stick with it that long.
One of my biggest gripes about workout DVDs is that the instructor neglects to explain the proper form of an exercise to the viewer. The first tenet I learned about exercise at the first gym I joined was that proper form is key to an effective and injury-free workout. Kudos to Ivy Larson for constantly reminding the viewer about the proper way to do each and every exercise on the DVD.
Ivy Larson, a former Lifetime TV personality who has also appeared on Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News, is fantastic. She instructs but isn’t didactic. She motivates, but is never phony about it. She has a great voice that sounds as if it’s about to erupt in giggles at any moment. Call me petty, but an instructor’s voice is important to me. I find that it’s sometimes difficult to give my full attention to watching an exercise DVD while I’m working out to it. Sometimes, I listen more than I watch. Larson keeps up a steady stream of conversation, explaining moves and proper form, reminding you to breathe and motivating you. While she’s beautiful and fun to watch, she is completely effective at verbally explaining the exercises so that watching can become secondary allowing you to concentrate on your form.
I like to dive right in when I do an exercise video. I don’t watch it first and then exercise with it second. Nope, I want to start exercising as soon as the DVR starts to whirr. If there’s too much of a learning curve, I lose interest. If it’s too challenging, I become frustrated. If it’s too boring, I become, well, bored and move on to something else. None of these was the case with Full Fitness Fusion. I was on the mat and able to follow along the second Ivy Larson began the routine. While there may be a few exercises that are too challenging for beginners, Full Fitness Fusion is appropriate for most. If you can’t do a particular exercise, skip it – but stick with the DVD. You’ll get stronger and more adept as you work out. Of course, consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise routine.
The DVD includes an optional five-minute calorie burning warmup, (Do it. It’s really fun), the 30-minute Full Fitness Fusion workout and a 10-minute stretch and firm yoga-inspired cool down.
Full Fitness Fusion is a keeper. It’s fun and it provides a whole body workout in only half an hour. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have just about 30 minutes before I have to get to my next deadline. I know just how I’m going to spend that time.
Full Fitness Fusion is available for $16.99 at http://www.fullfitnessfusion.com and at http://www.cleantecuisine.com.
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