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Amazing Work Out Day After Day

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is the funnest Work Out video I've ever done. The initial set up is soooo neat! You go through your vitals and then do a regime of exercises and go through your vitals again and then she designs a workout program to fit your goals. She even suggests what she thinks you should focus on, but you can still chose whatever you want. As you go through the program, you have several different selections that become upgraded as you progress through her workout on a daily basis. She also checks you again after your 1st couple of weeks and takes you through the Vitals and Stamina Regime to see how your improving. Another neat aspect is the chart that you can go and look at to see a progress chart of your improvment.

Whenever I started this program, I was out of shape, and I still am as far as what my goal is set for. But I've already lost a little weight and some inches. I can get back into my jeans already and I'm feeling more confident about myself daily.

The other neat thing about the program is - during your workout - she stops for a break every now and then to see how you did on that part of the workout - she will give you 3 different things to chose from and based on your reply - she will make changes to the workout to best fit your needs.

I like the way she is set up and how she encourages you daily - even if you miss some workouts - she doesn't scold you too bad - but she does remind you how important it is to maintain commitment in order to reach your goal.

One last thing - My kids have even set themselves up a workout routine with her and they love it!!!! They like meeting the goals and getting rewarded with new workout areas and new music.

Has room for improvement

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have been using yourself fitness for two months now, and am generally satisfied. It gives me a good workout at home, makes me push myself, and I'm doing some new and different exercises. If you are looking for something like an exercise video that mixes it up so you don't get bored, I would recommend it. However, it could use a lot of improvement.

The most annoying thing is when you are doing exercises in which you cannot look at the screen and also keep proper form, she doesn't count or say anything such as "right leg, down, left leg, down" to let you know how long you are supposed to hold a position, or how quickly or slowly to move, so you end up either guessing or hurting your neck trying to watch her while doing the exercise. I read somewhere that they didn't want to make her too repetitive, but when you're doing exercises, you appreciate some verbal cues.

Another thing is that sometimes the exercise sessions are a little uneven. I found that the first time I did a lower body strength session it was pretty well rounded. The second time practically every exercise was some form of squat or lunge....so I decided in the future if it's harping on one area too much, I'll just do a different exercise on my own.

There are a couple of other little things, but I don't want to rag on it all day because in the end I'm still using it. I've just been disappointed in some areas. I would recommend it as better than videos, but don't expect too much.

Great for Workouts at home for those with limited time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I use my Yourself Fitness XBOX game atleast 3 times a week, and because fo the changing workouts, scenery, and excercise, it has kept me excercising. I'd highly recommend this for those wanting to work out but don't have time to go to the Gym.

Finally something I can stick to

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Updated 11/8/07
I still love YF! I started working out in January 2007 and had lost 20 pounds by June and people could tell I had lost weight. I did not change my diet much either, just tried to eat less as I can not give up chili dogs or pizza. Due to some unforseen circumstances I was not able to continue exercising from June through October but I was still keeping quite active and I did not put weight back on. I have started up again to lose just 10 more pounds and am looking forward to it! My friends laugh at me when I tell them about Maya and the workouts she puts me through. Definately a GREAT fitness program!!

What a great concept! I received YF for Christmas and as soon as I got home, the next morning I set up my profile and have been working out since. I have missed a couple of workouts which Maya got on my case about so I do my best not to miss, I hate feeling guilty! I am a mom of 2 very active toddlers and I was having a hard time sticking to a workout and YF gave me just what I needed. We live out in the country about 30 minutes from town so going to a gym was not only too expensive but unreasonable too. YF has given me just what I need to stick to a workout - choosing the days of the week to work out and the time period and the ability to change the time period right before each workout if you are unable to complete 30 or 45 minutes that particular day, being able to change the focus of the day as well from, for instance, cardio to core body strength or something else. Now that I have been working out with Maya for about 2 months now I can really tell a difference in my energy level and just feeling altogether better about myself and I have lost about 3 pounds so far. Yeah!! Of course they are some glitches as mentioned in the other reviews but they are not big enough glitches to keep me from working out. I think the biggest one for me is when she is doing a cardio (my least favorite)exercise and you see a rest period coming up, then it skips right over it and she keeps on doing that same exercise for another minute or so. Exhausting!! Also the rest periods between cardio exercises are very short whereas the rest periods when doing exercises with weights or crunches or the like seem too long sometimes. Overall YF is a great fitness motivator!

Great for a variety in your home workouts

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This "game" has been great to add variety to my workouts--it's very cold where I live in the winter, so I'm inside on the treadmill a lot, but that gets boring. This game is nice b/c once you get all the info stuff entered in, the "virtual trainer" knows what you need. The workouts are as easy or as hard as you want them, with plenty of opportunity for your input. I recommend it to moms, especially, probably because I am one, but also because it's convenient to do in increments--if you want to do 15 minutes at a time, the game lets you do that. I'm not the type of person to actually watch the tutorial, and some of the exercises are the kind that you need to be taught to do them right, so I improvise a little. I'm sure I look hysterical, but heck, as long as it burns calories, I'm okay with it.

Game has a purpose in an overall fitness program

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This "game" is a pretty neat concept and for a first of its kind workout program is pretty good...better than I had expected. When you first start the program you create a "player". They put you through a series of questions and exercises to see what level they need to start you at. Questions include your weight, etc., what equipment you have (weights, exercise ball, step, heart rate monitor) and then ask you to do different exercises for a certain time to see how in/out of shape you are. Once you have done all of this you are ready for a workout. It asks you how much time you have for your workout. Then you choose what type of workout including cardio, upper body, lower body, yoga type of stretching etc. You choose your location (you get more to chose from the more you work out). It asks you several times throughout the video how you feel in order to give you the right level of difficulty. It gives you a running bar at the bottom to see what exercise you are on right now, what level of difficulty and what is coming up next. These are helpful. Also tells you the heart rate you should be in if you have heart rate monitor. Negatives: When you are doing the warm-up/aerobic part of the routine that begins most of the workouts, the "instructor" does not make smooth transitions from one exercise to the next. I have learned to just watch the bars at the bottom and make smooth transitions myself (thus be out of step with the instructor). Also, there seem to be the same 5 or 6 moves in the aerobic section...they just don't repeat them in the same order. This can be good for someone wanting non-complicated moves with little variety. I am quiet overweight but in better aerobic shape than I look and am able to keep up well with the program.

Great motivator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I know almost nothing about exercise. I've always wanted to have a good exercise program, but I can't afford a personal trainer and gyms intimidate me. Yourself Fitness has worked out just like I hoped it would - as a motivating personal trainer that keeps me exercising in the privacy of my home. I like it. And, even better, my wife likes it! From my perspective as a video game junkie, ANY game my wife likes is a great game, since it helps her put up with all the time I spend gaming!

Good overall

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: September 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I liked this software overall, but I wish I could pick exersizes myself.

This actually works

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My husband and I bought this after reading about it, only because it was on sale after christmas. In the back of my mind I thought it would probably end up in the garbage but whatever, it was cheap. We have now been using this product for 6 months and I have lost 12 pounds, doing this for 3 to 5 times a week and eating everthing I like in moderation. The 5 different workouts focusing on different areas of the body help keep it varied. You don't need to own any equipment for it to work, but as we realized we were really into it, we have gradually bought the recommended equipment, and this helps to vary the workouts and keep things interesting. The music gets old after a while, but now that we know the workouts and don't need the verbal intstructions from Maya, we do picture on picture on our tv and do the workout while we watch our favorite shows. The fact that the software keeps track of how many workouts you have done and if you have skept any helps motivate us to be consistent. I highly recommend this and can't wait for a new version.

Fun & motivating, perfect for beginners & intermediates

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As a mom of two small children, I was excited about Yourself Fitness. Gym memberships are expensive, and it's hard to squeeze a run in after a hectic day. TaeBo - which I'd used with fantastic results for over 3 years - had gotten a little boring, and I was looking for something different.

Yourself Fitness features Maya, an interactive "personal trainer." Having done a bit of personal training myself, I'll admit that Maya is fairly typical of trainer-client interaction. She's encouraging when you need it, and admonishing when you need it. Example: if you skip a few workouts, Maya will remind you that consistency is necessary to achieve your goals!

The first time you work out, Maya takes you through a brief workout designed to measure your fitness level. After keying in your height/weight/etc., she takes your resting heart rate. Then she has you do jumping jacks for 2 min and takes your heart rate again, to measure your intensity levels. She then tests you on lower body strength (bodyweight squats, up to 40), upper body strength (modified pushups) and core strength (crunches). Based on the measurements, Maya will recommend a focus - upper body, lower body, cardio, etc. Whatever focus you choose will be incorporated into each workout (for example, if your focus is cardio, every workout will have some cardio; if your focus is flexibility, every workout will have a little bit of yoga).

The workouts are fairly basic moves, nothing too complicated or fancy, but also fairly effective. If you're confused about how to perform a move, you can click a button to get a model illustration (this pauses your workout). The illustrations are useful (I've been weight training for 2 years and it was interesting to see a different perspective on things like plie squats). Some of the weight training seems to move a bit fast: Maya tells you to go "slow and controlled" on a bicep curl, but she's curling faster than frizzy hair on a humid day. The rest times between sets are good (and necessary - don't skip those rest times, your body needs them). One note on the cardio/weight loss: they're fairly interchangeable, but the cardio is superior and incorporates cardio weight training at the end (weighted lunges, etc.). Both work for weight loss but in my opinion, the cardio option gives a better workout. You can raise or lower the intensity for just about any exercise with the click of a button.

At the beginning of your workout, Maya asks how you're feeling (not too good, okay, great) and incorporates your mood into the work - if you're feeling great, she might amp it up a bit. After each section of your workout, she asks how that section felt to you (too hard, working it, no sweat) - and adjusts future workouts based on your answer. About every 10 workouts, you will do the "Fitness Challenge" - a repeat of the first workout you did to test your progress. The results are measured in the progress section, which shows your weight, strength, heart rate, etc. on line graphs. You will also be given the option to change your daily focus at the Fitness Challenge based on Maya's recommendation.

Some other things:
*meal plans & recipes (didn't use them, they looked pretty lame to me)
*meditation garden
*times offered are 15 min, 30, 45 and 1 hour
*equipment options are ball, heart rate monitor, step and weights - your equipment is incorporated into the workout. I have a weights and a ball; the weights are almost always used, the ball occasionally

The music .... well, the music. It's OK, nothing special. At different levels (depending on your workout consistency), you're awarded new music preferences. I like Techno and House, but the salsa and 80s sets are fun, too.

The settings are interesting: a dojo, an urban gym (complete with helicopters flying around outside the high-rise windows, occasionally pausing to apparently watch Maya in action), an alpine retreat - outdoors in what looks like a Colorado lodge, a desert retreat, and the beach retreat - outdoors under a huge thatched umbrella next to the beach (this is the last one you "earn" and is definitely my favorite).

If you're just starting out in fitness, Yourself is fantastic. I wish I'd one when I first started out - probably would have saved myself some injuries! Intermediates will enjoy the change of pace YF offers. If you're an advanced lifter or cardio junkie, YF will work as a good motivator. Remember to increase the weights as you get stronger; if you're always using 10lb weights, your progress will be limited. Lifting heavier *will not* bulk you up; it will make you stronger and leaner. The cardio is not high intensity, it's more like low- to medium-intensity for a longer duration. I prefer high-intensity cardio, so I generally use YF for weight training and core work, and then do HIIT (high intensity interval training) on my own.

Overall, it's a great program and a wonderful idea!

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