Jodi Stolove's Chair Dancing Through

Rating:
Summary: Not as wimpy as you might think. Truly suited to ages 5-95!
Review: This video was used in an exercise physiology class I attended, with the stated goal being to show how exercise can incorporate fun through the lifespan. The younger members of the class--in their late twenties and early thirties--pooh-poohed the idea that any exercise in which participants were seated had the potential to physically challenge people of their age. By the end, they admitted that their initial impression was wrong.

The video starts out relatively slow, with a seated version of that classic dance from the 1920s, the charleston. This is only for a warm up. If my class's experience is at all typical, this warm up was fun, with some of the exercise effect coming from the group's collective belly laughter as we all made fools of ourselves to varying degrees.

Part of the physiological challenge comes from the instructor's demonstration of how seated exercise--what she calls "chair dancing"--can be made more challenging, to address the fitness level of individual participants.

I found it refreshing to see pretty much the full age range in the video's participants, from pediatric to geriatric--and best of all, everyone appears to be having fun. This unself-conscious participation by her audience is part of the what may be the unique charm of this video.

If you are looking to accommodate persons with a wide range of fitness and don't want to leave anyone out, this video may meet your needs.

If you are someone with special activity needs--elderly, chairbound, obese, or just not all that coordinated--this video will bring a smile to your face as you take steps to increase your activity level.

If you just want to have fun while you get a decent workout, you won't be disappointed, either.