Rating: 
Summary: Fit Chic
Review: Excellent tape. Highly recommend for anyone who has the basic understanding of Pilates workouts. You can enjoy ~25 minutes of uninterrupted pilates workout to excellent background music. I love it and and have so much fun rolling, stretching and bending to music. Now I am so flexible that I sometimes show off my flexibility skills in front of my friends. You will have a rock hard mid-section in no time. Do yourself a favor and buy this tape. I have told all my friends about this. I love everyting about the tape and so will you.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT DVD!
Review: I absolutely LOVE this DVD. It is short and to the point which is what I need given my time schedule. In 20 minutes you get a great pilates workout. She also throws in a lot of fun moves to make this DVD a lot of fun to do.
Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners and advanced
Review: I bought this DVD after reading everyone else's reviews. I found it challenging at first and extremely fats, since this was my first time trying Pilates. The second section guides you through the whole 20 minute first section of the DVD. Diedre is very pleasant and explains everything thoroughly. I find it to be a great workout for any fitness level. Recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Only if you are very familiar with Pilates
Review: I do not like the format of the DVD at all. I had taken several Pilates classes before buying this DVD, but I found it difficult to remember exactly what to do in each pose since all of the instruction is at the end. Much of Pilates is in the finer points like breathing correctly and making sure to squeeze at the right times, so with no reminder of what I should be doing in each pose I felt like I was being cheated out of a workout. I don't think that having no interruption is worth sacrificing form, so this DVD will be stored away while I learn the specifics of Pilates elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite pilates video so far
Review: I have 4 pilates videos now and this is by far my favorite. The fact that a full pilates workout is condensed nicely into 20 minutes is fantastic. The instructor saves time by not talking or breaking between exercises during the first run through, and there is just music. If you want detailed instruction there is a second part that goes through the whole routine and explains everything very well. The routine continues to be challenging, but wasn't overly difficult to get started with when I was not in my best shape. I actually look forward to doing this every day instead of having to force myself into it. I highly recommend this video.
Rating:
Summary: This video has made me feel great!
Review: I never thought I would purchase a workout video, but because of my lack of budgeting, I was forced to quit my gym membership. I bought this video on a whim--I was pretty skeptical--but I have been doing the pilates routine every morning. I highly recommend this video to anyone who wants to get in shape and feel better about themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful for Beginners!
Review: I really enjoy this DVD. I've been into yoga for a while and do aerial circus training once a week. Pilates has always been of interest to me, and I finally got this DVD and gave it a shot. The instructional segment is about 45 minutes long and perfect for beginners, I have back and hip problems but was able to do the moves smoothly within 3 sessions. After a week and a half or so, I switched to the routine and still find myself challenged 3 weeks later. I also got another DVD which is segmented into beginning, intermediate and advanced, and was pleased to find that there are some 'advanced' exercises included in this workout! I doubt I will ever outgrow the routine, though I'm about to the point where I am going to put my own music on.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! -- Fast workout delivers fast results!!
Review: I started doing Pilates about three months ago (in addition to my regular yoga and jogging), and got this DVD in a quest for variety after I got bored with the good, but VERY slow paced, intro Pilates discs I had. This routine could be called "speed Pilates" and I love it!
This disc is divided into two sections: a non-stop :20 routine (no instruction, just music and title cues), followed by a detailed run-through with complete instructions for each exercise. The quality of instruction is excellent, and I picked up some good tips that were missing from the other (big-name) Pilates tapes I have.
I do think this workout can be appropriate for beginners if they start by following the detailed instructions section until they have mastered the basic moves, and don't try to do the non-stop routine right away (and maybe skip a couple of the more challenging moves until they build strength and flexibility). Do what you can, and respect where your body is at, and you'll improve faster than you expect!
It's also important for beginners (and experienced) to remember that Pilates is all about CONTROL and PRECISION. In the non-stop routine, Niedra does the moves quite quickly. Don't expect to be able to match her pace right away. It's better to do 5 reps with control and precision in the time she does 10, than to rush trying to keep up and get sloppy. The more attention you pay to form, the better your results will be, and soon you'll be moving at a nice tempo right along with Niedra.
As for RESULTS: I challenged myself to do this routine every morning for 40 days. It's day 38 today, and I definitely see a difference; my honey says I look "sleeker" in the hips and thighs. I've lost 2 pounds (without giving up chocolate, wine, or cheese!!) and look like I've lost 5. My waist, abs, and hips are all down an inch, and I've lost a half-inch or so from my thighs and have better muscle tone. My butt is firmer, and even though I've been doing yoga for years, my flexibility is a little better. Since I was in okay shape when I started, I didn't expect to see this much improvement in 5-1/2 weeks.
What I'm most thrilled about is that I'm trimming down without bulking up. I gave up doing free-weight workouts years ago, because my muscles got too big. I didn't care that it was muscle, not fat; I wanted slimmer, not bigger! This workout is delivering the strong, stretched, firm, toned, sleek thighs and mid-section that I had feared (at age 45) I would never enjoy again. Thanks Niedra! I'm a "speed Pilates" fan for life!
Rating:
Summary: What a great workout!
Review: I started with Winsor pilates, which is great but sloooowwww. Winsor moves through the moves with a lot of detail and explanation. But FIT CHIC is awesome! There are two parts to this video, the first is the routine which is done with no breaks. She moves from one exercise to the next like a dance, following her choreography. It is a great intense, twenty minute workout. Afterward, is the instruction bit, where she explains all the moves, how they should be done, and number of repetitions. It can be intimidating because there are no breaks, and she moves relatively fast but if you want a challenge, and are familiar with pilates, this is a good one.
Rating:
Summary: Great instructor!
Review: I wouldn't consider this a beginners video. It is challenging, especially because there are no pauses between excercises! Niadra is a great instructor. I love her style, very unique (altough her fiery red hair, her glitzy workout clothes and her bracelet are a bit distracting at times!), and she does take time to explain you each exercise and how to do variations for begginers/ intermediate / advanced levels. Niadra has a killer body! I have several Pilates / Yoga videos, and altough all of the instructors have fit/slim physiques, I think Niadra looks the best.The production is quite simple, no elaborate sets or lights or decorations. Just Niadra and her mat. But the workout and her instruction overcompensate for this. I would recommend this video for somebody who wants to make their daily Pilates video more challenging.
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