Walking for Weight Loss

Jessica Smith
Year Released: 2013

Categories: Walking Aerobics


This workout approaches exercise nirvana for me. I sweat, but I feel energized at the end. I fall into a time warp and 70 minutes passes in a flash. My knees don't hurt. Best of all, I am downright giddy through it.

Jessica is working out in the yard of what might be a hotel or resort. I like her walking workouts where she is on the boardwalk of a marina, but this one is a nice change of scenery. She is joined by two exercisers (one of whom is her mother, I believe) on circular concrete platforms. This is so, as she explains, they demonstrate the moves in a small amount of space, as this is what most home exercisers have. This is just one reason why she's one of my favorite instructors: she really thinks about her viewers. She also mirror cues and has consistently good music selections. It's all instrumental here, with lots of variety.

Jessica and her two workout companions demonstrate three variations of almost all moves. Asha will do the highest intensity moves (level changes, bigger motions, high impact), Jessica will do intermediate (low impact but big range of motion with the arms) and Andrea demonstrates low (arms stay at shoulder level, less "bounce".) For that reason, I'd say this workout is perfect for just about any fitness level.

Entire workout time: 70 minutes

From the DVD menu, you can chose any of the segments below or play all.

Breakdown of segments:

Warm-up: 5 minutes. Jessica spends some time getting your posture adjusted and then gently revs up the tempo. She includes dorsi flexion in her warm-up moves, which you will see later. I love that she does this, as that part of my body is always tight and I tend to forget about it.

High Energy Walk: 29 minutes. This is a lightly choreographed routine. There is a lot of change of direction: front, back and lateral movement. I particularly liked the Latin segment, which has choreography that is a little dancey, but not complicated. It also has a great drum solo. This walk is not chaptered. It's the easier of the two walking segments.

Power Walk: 30 minutes. This routine is harder than segment one, but there are multiple options available. Asha demonstrates lots of high impact moves (jogging, jumping jacks) so you can make this as intense as you desire. Meanwhile, Andrea doesn't raise her arms above her head, so you can follow her and keep your heart rate lower and/or give your arms a bit of a break if needed. I followed Jessica, and will say that I was surprised how much my arms burned. This is an interval workout. Intervals are repeated twice, except the elliptical arms segment which Jessica returns to a few times (sidebar, I hate elliptical machines and arms. The movement feels really awkward to me for some reason. But I don't doubt their effectiveness.) This walk is also not chaptered.

Cool down: about 6 and 1/2 minutes. I did both workouts back to back, so I was looking forward to a nice cool down and this delivered. There are some simple movements to lower your heart rate, followed by some effective but uncomplicated stretches.

As you have gathered, I love this workout. I have OA in both knees, and while I can still do a variety of workouts, it's nice to have some walking options. I cannot get into Leslie Sansone, so I'm elated to have more choice with Jessica's workouts. I love her constant attention to form and detail, as well as her encouragement. Here are some quotes I particularly liked (paraphrased a bit since I was too lazy to rewind and find them):

"Really lift your leg here, like you are stepping over puddle...we need to be ready for anything life throws at us, right?"

"We're going to take this up to tempo and test our brain power."

"With every movement and breath today, you are going to feel stronger."

"We want you to feel energized with this workout, and feel better when it's over than you did at the start."

"Just enjoying that we can breathe and move our bodies this way."

Bottom line: this walking workout will keep you interested and engaged all the way through. There are modifications available to make this any kind of workout you want or need. Do one segment or both and love it.

Instructor Comments:
Like many VF-ers, I'm a Jessica Smith super fan. She's so natural and personable that you feel-like others have said-that she is a friend working out with you. Her cuing is excellent, I wish more instructors counted out their moves these days. She reminds you of your form several times, which I need as I am a criminal sloucher. I recommend her workouts highly (her walking workouts are all low impact, but some of her others have some high impact so check before you buy if that is an issue for you.)

vanessakm

04/05/2014