Ballet Beautiful: Total Body Workout

The best workout -- ever!!
I stumbled on Mary Helen Bowers series of DVD's through Amazon and have enjoyed them, her streaming videos on her website, her book and her live classes. This is DVD is the foundation of my workouts and I alternate the other DVD and streaming videos along with a live class. I have been the DVD workout queen for over 15 years and never, ever, have I enjoyed the results I have from just 3 months of Ballet Beautiful. I have done them all and enjoyed many, however, I have the best posture, core strength, elongated strong legs and stamina I have ever had (and this is 1 1/2 years after falling from my horse and breaking a vertebrae) and above all - I look forward to my workouts, I enjoy them and feel great afterwards. In fact, I try to get in at least 30 minutes before going to ride, makes a huge difference for me in my performance. I am not sure where the guy who reviewed this is getting his comments from, but I can honestly say the proof is not only in the physical appearance, but I...

A beautiful, minimalist workout
Pros: you only need a towel or mat ~ no weights, ballet barre, chair or other props required; you'll develop beautiful, streamlined muscles; the DVD is chaptered, so you can easily select one or two segments if you're short on time; Mary Helen's cuing is excellent and her voice is encouraging, but never over-bubbly or grating like a drill sergeant; the set is serene and, combined with the music and elegant moves, you'll feel as though you're taking a class in a ballet studio.

Cons: you may curse like a sailor the first time you try this workout.

I bought this DVD because I wanted to add something new and different to my workout routine. I'd been doing Physique 57 (Volumes 1 and 2) for a few years, in addition to strength training with free weights, body weight exercises, walking, and jogging occasionally. I've been physically active my whole life - I'm no stranger to exercise and consider myself to be above average when it comes to fitness. That being said,...

Great workout, there's pros and cons
I have to say first, the only person I really workout with anymore is Tracy Anderson because I'm very short and petite and I bulk very easily. I used to work out to everything from Jillian Michaels and Jackie Werner to Leslie Sansone or Jennifer Galardi. They were effective in making me stronger but I also looked a little too strong--BULK! I was getting in better shape, yet my were getting tighter from my quads getting overly muscular. Also, the fast paced high-intensity boot camp style of working out just wasn't working for me anymore. When I discovered Tracy Anderson I was in love because she worked the accessory muscles that normal workouts don't get to and she used the attitude position for a lot of her leg/butt workouts which is very ballet inspired, and she also did most of her leg workouts on the floor (on all fours) so instead of just squatting and putting all your weight on your legs, you were doing much more varied movements without the pressure on your legs and many...

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 Ver 2

An 80's child speaks her mind..
I am an 80's child. TMNT was one of my all time favorite tv shows. I don't like todays cartoons, expecially the newer versions of the 1980's cartoons like new Strawberry Shortcake and TMNT. They changed them and took away what they were. I know today they want to try to get it to appeal to the audiance but they're changing them and loosing what they once were. So i am soo glad that they are trying to release alot of the 80's shows on dvd so now i can watch them all over again. When i put in this dvd i felt like i was 8 years old again sitting in front of the tv with my Turtle figures in my hands and singing to the theme song. ( which i still remebered)..Though I wish they would release more episodes and more kids today would at least give the oldies a try.....TURTLE POWER!!!!

An 80's classic animated show!
This show became one of the most popular and original animated shows of all time ever since it's debut in 1987, it actually all began as an independent comic book in 1984 that became an instant cult favorite. Then in 1987, it was sold as an animated series that started a mini-series first thus it was a success and a pop culture phemeneon spawning merchandise, three movies with a fourth one on the way, a musical tour, and more for it ran from 1987 to 1995. The Story deals with four human-like anthropomorphic mutated turtles who were once ordinary turtles turned to what they are thanks to chemicals especially their once human master named Splinter who are trained in the art of ninjetsu as they befriend a beautiful news reporter named April O'Neil to fight crime and battle the forces of the evil Shredder especially munch down pizza.

This DVD has the first five episodes which were actually part of a mini-series that lead to the successful show. The first part "Turtle Tracks"...

Will remain a keepsake in my collection, but...
I loved that this DVD was so inexpensive but had on it an hour and a half of some of the finest work ever put to the saturday morning cartoon line-up of the 80's. All five of the defining episodes of the series are here, as it is for the most part the pilot for the series. The four green heroes, along with their master Splinter (aka Hamato Yoshi) and April O'Neil, go up against Shredder and his brain pal Krang and try to save the world from "Dimension X". Looking back now it's actually as enjoyable for the nostalgia as it is for how it resembles americanized anime. The wit and simple action is all represented in the original five, leading up to and including most of the original figures and set-ups from the toy collection.

HOWEVER, as a DVD set it's none more impressive than featuring the basics to the five episodes (no seperate language/audio tracks, no subtitles, no trailers, no behind the scenes footage), and the only bonus being four "never before seen episodes" (as...

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