5 Steps to Fat Loss by Joanna Hall

Price £11.95 Also used copies available on Amazon for £0.90!

This is not a new video, as it was produced in 2001, and it is not a specialist pregnancy or postnatal video either, but the teaching techniques that Joanna Hall demonstrates and her ideas for good body alignment, especially in the aerobic component are useful and worthy of a good quality postnatal exercise routine. She uses the idea of lights shining from strategic parts of the body, which remain constant whilst you are working and so help to keep the body in good posture.

It is for this reason that I am reviewing it for the Guild because as a teacher it is useful to dip into videos for ideas and revitalization. At the beginning Joanna spends 10 minutes on motivation. She introduces two companions, Emma who offers a ‘beginner’ adaptation (in the cardio section with arms mostly on the hips) and the other, Mairi, showing an ‘advanced’ option including impact work - Joanna herself takes a middle course and often breaks off to find out how the others are doing. She is giving teaching points almost constantly and her motivational work is helpful.

She demonstrates Emma and Mairi’s fat loss in terms of blocks of lard and it is presented in a way to show that weight loss should and does take time - through increased level of exercise and healthier plus slightly reduced level of eating. Emma had a baby 2 years before the video was filmed.

Step 1 is a Postural Body Warm up, done at a pace which should enable the average newcomer to get good alignment and it promotes body awareness.

Before starting Step 2, Joanna suggests new participants look at the 20 minutes section before they actually do the workout. She introduces the concept of ‘extra effort’ which is a 1 minute section at a slightly harder intensity, and this is repeated every two minutes.

Most of the moves she uses are compatible with postnatal exercise, although I would suggest that mothers up to five months postnatal should take all the low impact moves offered, so keep the eyes on Emma rather than Mairi and be extra careful on the ‘repeater’ knee lift, for very good quality technique is needed here.

Step 3 is the Chair Workout, Nice ideas and good technique but use of the transversus muscle could be explained.

Step 4

I was disappointed to see that Emma’s tummy domed during the abdominal work and when Mairi & Joanna came into table top knees the transition was not outlined in preparation for a challenging toe tap exercise.

Step 5

The lying hamstring stretch is performed with a bent knee, and ‘rolling like a ball’ is used as a transition without any previous teaching or outline of technique, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the video.

Otherwise a useful, high quality, motivational video.

MEG WALKER