Fitness or exercise DVDs are really popular in the health market. Every celebrity and trainer is coming out with their own DVD to get you into shape. There is a DVD for Pilates, yoga, Tae-bo, kick-boxing, cardio, dance and every other form of fitness activity you can imagine. There are so many of them available, the business must be most definitely thriving and earning profits for them. But, do these fitness or workout DVDs really work? Making It Work For You An ideal fitness workout DVD will combine cardio and strength training exercises to help you lose weight efficiently. It should match your fitness level whether you are a beginner, an expert or are resuming back after a rest period. There are many people who claim that these DVDs don't really work. Well, this probably happened because they slacked down or the DVD wasn't challenging enough for their body to start burning fat. Also, you must know that only doing cardio will not help you keep the weight off in the long run. Your exercise DVD should train you to build muscle mass too, because more the muscle, more the fat you will burn. You need to play the DVD in order to get motivated to exercise. If the difficulty level of the DVD is too high for you, you will instead be demotivated from the extra fatigue and exhaustion that your body cannot handle. There are many DVDs that require you to exercise for 30-45 minutes for 5 days a week. They do work well but you should not expect immediate results. Wait for at least 2-3 months to be able to tell the difference in your body. Scales do not tell you how much weight loss you will experience in future. However, also remember to combine your DVD workouts with a healthy diet plan which is realistic to follow. If you eat a lot while also exercising, you'd still end up gaining weight. Make sure your food is not the culprit that is making you pile on the pounds. A great fitness workout DVD will teach you the basics of weight loss and toning up to help you build a correct knowledge base for future. Don't rely on those workout DVDs that promise results in just an 8-minute workout. More often than not, they are meant for people who are already fit and only need a little workout routine to maintain or for those who are only looking for reducing certain problem areas. To really know if your fitness workout DVD is working for you, pay attention to the fitting of your clothes every month. If they become looser, but your scales still don't show much improvement, it is because your muscles are toning up and becoming leaner. I'd suggest that you use YouTube for about a fortnight. There are some great fitness videos by well-known trainers. You'd be able to tell if you are the kind of person who can stay motivated to work out watching fitness videos or if you really need a gym and personal trainer to get you to move it on the machines. Plus, you would also be familiar with the style of the trainer whose DVD you are planning to buy. By judging the intensity and style of the workout with respect to your comfort, you'd be better equipped to make an informed decision and minimize regrets over your purchase. You can also check out the trainer's website for more insight on his/her workout. Working Out on a Fitness DVD The effectiveness of exercise DVDs is relative, because it is entirely subjective to the willingness and dedication of the person trying to cut flab and get fit. Choosing the right fitness workout DVD is the only way to ensure that it works for you. But, you have to hit that play button for it to help you pump up. The only con for buying such a DVD is that even though it may have an amazing video, if you are not inspired enough to lose the fat, there is no trainer to keep a check on you to do it. And that is exactly where most people fail. Even if you were to join a gym, laziness will do nothing great for you on the scales. So, you could probably make these DVDs a comfort factor to keep you motivated to trim yourself and tone-up. Plus, it is a very good and low investment with long-term benefits. Ultimately, you are the one doing the workout. If you don't sweat, you won't see any results and you have to be regular with your workouts while eating right. So, for someone who is gym-shy, buying one of the fitness workout DVDs like those by Mel B, Claire Richards, Natalie Cassidy, Nell McAndrews or Jillian Michaels, are probably good fitness ideas. There are also others like Hip Hop Abs and Insanity by Shaun T, Boot Camp by Cathe Friedrich, Slim in 6, P90X or Turbo Jam. Watch their previews on collegevideo.com or videofitness.com. My best advice to you would be to buy 2-3 of them and change them when you start to get bored. You wouldn't have to pay for gym memberships and it is a lot more flexible and easier to squeeze out time out of your schedule to play your favorite fitness workout DVD on your television and make that body sweat.