Start Up with Jane Fonda

This was the first exercise video I ever bought, many years ago, and I still use it every now and then.

It's a light toning and stretching routine, done to classical music.It does NOT contain any aerobics.It's 25 minutes long.

It's a perfect video for a beginner because Jane Fonda pays a lot of attention to doing things using the proper form.

The set-up is a class that looks like it's in a dance studio, and the people in the class look more like dancers than athletes.(And they wear strange belted outfits that were inexplicably popular in the 1980s.)Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves without going overboard about it.

The classical music makes this a good tape to do first thing in the morning when I can't take anything too jarring, though I've also done the workout in the evening or at night when I've wanted to unwind.

There's both standing work and floor work.She has a great way of doing crunches where you lift from an already-lifted position.Sometimes I can't do crunches because they hurt my neck, but I was delighted to find I could do these.

I recommend this video especially for beginners or people who are out of shape and want to ease back into exercising.

As far as I can see, this hasn't been rereleased on DVD.You can get it on used VHS on Amazon, starting at a penny.