Leslie Sansone: Burn Body Fat

First, a little background -- I started out my fitness journey with Leslie Sansone. Fast forward five years and I am now a certified personal trainer, STILL doing Leslie's DVDs! Although I've since branched out to "hard" stuff like kickboxing, spinning, heavy weight training, and other things, I still love Leslie's workouts. With her, I have NO EXCUSES. Sometimes I can just dread putting myself through a brutal workout, but if I put in a walk DVD I can "trick" myself into working out harder than I intended. Or I can take it easy. It's up to me! Leslie's workouts make it easy to get in activity EVERY DAY. Leslie's workouts are SAFE to do every day. And that's what I love about these DVDs. They're great for any time, at any level. You get what you put into it. For example, if I feel like it, I add higher impact moves into the walks. Like on "tap-out" I get down very low into a squat and jump the taps from side to side, and when she says to turn I change the squats to jumping lunges. This REALLY, REALLY gets your heart rate up. I also add a hop into my double side steps, add in extra jogs, and use weights even when Leslie doesn't carry them. BUT -- sometimes I don't do any of that. Sometimes I want to walk just to burn extra calories easily or wake myself up. Using Leslie's DVDs makes it easy to sneak in an extra burn of an average of 100 calories per mile, throughout the day! There have been days where, after my regular workout, I've actually done 5 extra miles in pieces throughout the day. That REALLY adds up. Try it! On days when you're home most of the day or all day, put in a DVD with 3-5 miles on it, start from the beginning, do a mile and pause to cool down. In the next hour or so, do a second mile. Then a third, and a fourth, and so on. It's addicting! The miles feel so good and it's such a great way to wake yourself up if you're feeling sluggish... and I'm not gonna lie -- I've been known to do the workouts BAREFOOT because I'm lazy sometimes ;-) I've also been known to mute Leslie and walk while I watch one of my favorite shows on TV. Leslie's on the laptop and my show is on the TV :) NOW... let's get to the actual review of not just Leslie's workouts, but this particular DVD. First of all, I love it because it has THREE WORKOUTS on it! Usually Leslie releases a DVD with just one 2-mile or 3-mile or 4-mile workout on it. Example? Walk Away Your Hips and Thighs. The Big Burn. 5k With a Twist. These DVDs have just a single workout on them. Burn Body Fat has a total of 6 miles on them, and they are GREAT miles. You could do all 6 miles if you wanted to, without having to change the DVD. I love the addition of the weights and especially in the 2-mile walk, she uses them for almost the entire workout. It really adds punch to the calorie burn for sure. And after the 3-mile walk, I am always really sweaty!! I don't really feel a burn in my muscles unless they're already sore, but using heavier weights while moving like that can be dangerous, so... but I'm happy to use the weights whether I really sculpt my arms or not because carrying 4-6 extra pounds is hard! And you burn more calories overall. I'm not sure whether I like it better when Leslie is alone or with people. I guess it depends on what I'm doing. If I DO have her on mute, then I like her by herself. But if I'm exercising to the DVD alone, or if I am working out with a friend, I like the groups better--so we can watch and talk about the group, lol. Not in a bad way, it is just more entertaining :) I find that when Leslie is alone, the DVD doesn't get "old" so quick. Although they tend to feel the same after a while, I don't mind using this DVD several times a week, whereas with one that has a group, I do them less often. This DVD also has the option that I haven't seen on any of her other workouts-- MUSIC ONLY! Great option to have. I haven't used it, because I do like Leslie's reminders and perky, positive attitude. It sometimes gets me out of a rut if I'm not feeling motivated to work out for the right reasons (health, not appearances!). This DVD is just no frills, solid workouts, and I think the pace--and the price-- are perfect. Again, you get what you put into it, so it can be as easy or as hard as you want. You could literally jog the entire workout if you wanted to. If you made it this far into my review, don't think about buying this DVD. Just DO IT!

Terrific video for beginning to intermediate exercisers. My husband and I both like this one -- I'm a beginning/intermediate exerciser, he's a beginner and rather choreographically challenged. We are both around age 40, and each have about 30-40 pounds to lose. We like exercising together, but finding videos that suit both of us is a little challenging. This video is so flexible, it's perfect for us! The option of doing 1-mile, 2-mile, or 3-mile walks lets us tailor the video to our available time and desired intensity -- 2 or 3 miles when we want to work harder, 1 mile for a light day or a rushed morning. Within the video, Leslie consistently demonstrates both easier and more advanced moves, and gives you lots of options to do a more challenging step or stick with a more basic one. Her cuing is excellent, and she is very affirming. My husband, who has very little sense of rhythm, especially appreciates how Leslie encourages you to do the movement without worrying about whether you are in sync with her -- no counting, no worrying if your left/right is backwards from how she is demonstrating. The weights work is invigorating, but not especially challenging. This is essentially a cardio video that gives your arms a better-than-usual workout, but isn't a substitute for a more toning-focused workout (such as Debra Mazda - ShapelyGirl: Let's Get Moving 2! Cardio Toning w/weights ). The plus side of this is that I am perfectly happy to do this video for any cardio workout, even if I have done more intensive weights the day before (or plan to do them the next day). My only real disappointment is that -- although her gradual cool-down is excellent -- the stretching at the end is perfunctory. We add a longer, more thorough stretch on our own or do one of the 10-minute segments from Total Stretch for Beginners with Tamilee . But shortchanging the ending stretch seems to be a common problem with cardio videos; this is no worse than most -- definitely shouldn't dissuade anyone from buying this, but just be aware you'll probably want to add your own stretching, especially if this is one of your first videos on your fitness journey. I do have to note this was my first Leslie video, so I can't address the comments other reviewers have made about whether or not it is repetitive compared to her other videos. (Those frequent complaints about Leslie's videos discouraged me from trying her earlier -- I'm sorry I waited!) But taken on its own merits, we found it to be fun, challenging, upbeat, and affirming.

The combination of walking and weight training in this one workout helps you get a better workout in less time. If you're new to weight training, the one-mile workout is a perfect way to get started. Leslie gives very good instruction on proper form, technique and safely using one-pound wrist weights. If you're more advanced, this is a good workout for days that you're short on time. The two-mile workout is my "go to" workout for week days. It's approximately 30-35 minutes long and after using it for two short weeks, I could see that my arms were more muscular already. Even though Leslie takes a conservative approach to this workout using one- and two-pound weights, it's possible to get results by following the DVD exactly. For those people who want to use the weights longer than she recommends, she also gives direction on how to do the moves safely. Very smart. If you're looking for a challenging workout that doesn't exhaust you, the three-mile workout is for you. She uses two- and three-pound weights and even incorporates some gentle jogging. The pace is brisk, so the cardio is good. I like the slow, controlled lateral raise sequence she does at the very beginning of the workout because it helps me focus on proper form. A couple of things I would like to have seen in this workout are longer cool downs and more upper body stretches. I find that I need to do extra stretches after every workout. A separate, optional segment with extra upper body stretches would be a great solution. The music is also on Leslie's other workout DVDs, which is fine. There's a nice variety of songs. One thing that could be improved about the production of the DVD is the audio. The volume needs to be turned up and seems to be uneven throughout the DVD. Overall, this is a great DVD - I recommend it!

I have a lot of the Walk at Home DVD's- I am giving this one 4 stars as it has the main feature I like, Multiple complete workouts to choose from (In this case 3)- it gets a star knocked off b/c I find in these sessions Leslie isn't as vocal about annoucning the transitions into different moves. Not a big deal- just watch her closely and you will know when she transitions. For me, I tend to just listen and not watch her unless it is a new move that I am not familiar with. So I found myself glancing at the DVD and realizing she was back to walking or onto a different move when I was still doing the previous one. Again, not a big deal- now I know for this DVD I have to watch her more closely. While it doesn't matter to me, some viewers might not like the fact that this is a solo Leslie workout, meaning she doesn't have a team of people with her also performing the walk. It is just her. What I really love about this work out is the focus on the arm strength training- it really gives your arms a good workout so if you want a day that focuses on upper body and arms in particular,this is a great Walk at Home workout to add to your collection. In the video Leslie uses hand weights- they are not included but you can get your own or just do the workouts without them. One good thing is that she provides instruction on how to perform the moves with or without weights (slower, smaller controlled movements if you are wearing the weights; bigger and faster movements without the weights) Overall I really like this workout collection from the Walk at Home line and it will definitely feature strongly in my rotation.

As a full-time working mom, I prefer to work out at home in the evenings. The treadmill gets too boring so I like to change up things with a diffent dvd each day. Leslie Sansone is my favorite instructor. I prefer Leslie's workouts, because I'm getting a good cardio exersize without all the crazy moves and without feeling like an idiot trying to keep up. I have a variety of her dvds, and this one is awesome. I just got it in the mail today, and I immediately popped it in. I have already been working on three miles WATP and went with that right away. The use weights makes a huge difference. Leslie is less cheesy than usual. Towards the end her goofiness came out a bit, but not enough to be annoying. I'm glad she's by herself because her friends can be distracting. At the end of 3 miles, I was smiling and felt rejuvenated. The stretch felt great at the end. Tomorrow, I'll try the 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk that I also received today. Enjoy, and good luck to everyone trying to stay healthy!

I have several of Leslie Sansone's workout DVD's, but I have to say this is now my go-to workout. The warm up is just right, and even with the one mile your heart rate gets going. She alternates between weights (1, 2, and 3 lbs), or you can do the workout without weights. The music is ok, better in this DVD than in some of her others. I enjoy doing the 1 mile first thing in the morning before work. It takes about 15 minutes, including the warm up. I like that you can choose a 1, 2, or 3 mile walk depending on how much time you have or your mood. I'm very satisfied with this workout!

One of my all time favorites!!!! All three workouts (1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles) are just great. I should note that I ONLY use 3 lb weights for these workouts because I don't have any weights less than 3 lbs. I am young & pretty fit, but I definitely sweat with this workout (even the 1 mile). I highly recommend this DVD, whether you're trying to lose weight or just maintain, because this is a wonderful low-impact workout that makes you sweat as if you're doing a high impact workout. Easy on your joints, yet VERY effective (and safe). I love leslie!!

So disappointing! I have used her DVDs a lot over the course of the last 10 years, and I was looking forward to shaking up my routine with a fresh version. Unfortunately, this video is so poorly made that I was distracted throughout the entire routine. The transitions between moves are awkward. She doesn't count down to begin or end movements. She is caught off guard by the change in musical pace. There is no clock counting down the minutes. What you do get is a bizarre pink bar at the bottom that flashes miles and healthy phrases with a weird stripper outline commonly found on trucker's tire flaps. Spend your money on her videos produced by Exercise TV. They are well made and challenging!

Straordinaria come sempre la lady del walking casalingo! Ottimo tonifica io lo faccio con 1,5 kg per braccio ed è davvero un ottimo allenamento ... STRACONSIGLIATO!!

Great video to workout with

Good item

I like this one and use this in between my other DVDs. What I like is I still feel that I done a good work out and it light relief. I can do this before or after work, it not too taxing. There no getting down on the floor like the other DVD I own and in this one you mainly work your arms, leg and a little on your stomach musles as well. I have only done the 3 miles walk. Her cueing is not brillant, but that Leslie. In this DVD she does the exercises by herself, I preferred her DVDs, when she with the group, but that me. What I do like about this DVD is she uses weights and I wanted to work on my flabby arms. I would recommend this DVD

This is my favorite workout from all Leslie's cds. I do this workout every other day. It works on all muscles including the core and I use 3 pound weights in each hand. I am sweating when I am done the 3 mile workout, and I don't sweat a lot.