Leslie Sansone: 5 Mega Miles

I had considered skipping purchasing this one after reading a particular review about the production of the DVD. I'm so glad that I took a leap of faith and just decided to experience it for myself. The curiosity was too great. I am so impressed with Leslie because the mega miles consist of toning, speed intervals, strength intervals, and ab concentration. It's almost like an all-in-one workout except for floor work. ***Menu Screen*** 1. Play All 2. Mile 1 (with or without music) 3. Mile 2 (with or without music) 4. Mile 3 (with or without music) 5. Mile 4 (with or without music) 6. Mile 5 (with or without music) ***Pros*** - Music: Picture it this way; if you can remember Janet Jackson's video called Rhythm Nation, then you certainly remember the dim and dark background or area she danced through. The music in this DVD reminds me of that, only replace Janet and her dancers with human beings wearing a cyborg suits exercising with Leslie. That's exactly what the music reminds me of in this workout. I think her choice of artist this time is more favorable. When you first listen to it, you may not pick up the beat right away. But when you do the full workout at least a second time, you'll enjoy the music more. You will definitely pick up the beat if you choose the 'music only' option, which is why I'm glad that option is available becuase the music is actually very nice this time. The warm up song repeats into mile one, mile 4, and then the cool down. I would give the music a 4.5 out of 5. It really helps you move. - Clock: The clock at the bottom only appears when you have 10 minutes left until the mile is over. So, by the time that second song hits, the clock will appear and it will stay there. But I'll say this; those are the LONGEST 10 minutes ever! It does seem like the miles on this DVD are a lot longer but that's probably because the miles are more challenging. It's MEGA. - Her Friends: There's one guy and the rest are women. There's one woman that's probably as old as Leslie but the rest are like collage age. All are in good shape. I think Cain/King is the guy's name but I like watching him sometimes because his moves can be fancy. Their apparels are really nice. They change colors throughout the workout. There were a few things they wore that I actually wanted to buy, like Leslie's really cute shirt she wore during the second mile. There's a woman name Angela there that wore a lot of nice and cute things. - Energy: This entire workout requires a lot of water intake, patience, push, and energy. When I first did it, water never tasted any better, but it also ran out faster. If you're like me, You can just do all the five miles at once and I've been waiting on her to do a really good challenging DVD and believe me, this is it. Unfortunately, this may not be a workout for those who are a little older. This is HIGH intensity. If you're around my weight (170-157) you can surely do this. But there's a reason why she has younger people with her in this workout. **Cons** As you saw up above she's got all miles and then each individual mile listed on the menu screen. However, if you choose to do 'play full workout' option, it does not give you the option to choose 'with or without music'. That's only for the individual miles. But there is a trick. Just choose mile 1 'music only' and the workout will continue to go on from there. It won't bring you back to the menu after you're done with a mile. It will just keep going, even if you choose music only. The only bad thing about this 'trick' is that if you do start from mile 1 on the menu screen, you miss out on the warm up because the warm up is ONLY part of the 'play full workout' option. There is no warm up or cool down option on the menu screen. BUT, your DVD remote should have a 'next' or 'next chapter' button. Just choose that at the beginning of Mile 5 to skip to the cool down. The cool down has it own chapter even though it's not on the menu screen. It looks to me like those responsible for her DVD layout were perhaps rushing through. But please do not let this influence your buying options. The workout is still fantastic and it's a good experience where you'll know a different atmosphere, music, and faces. And again, if you're like me and just do all the workouts at once, this should not bother you much anyway.This is the only MAJOR con I think of because you don't have a lot of freedom. I understand many of her fans would love to schedule and make their own combination mile settings. We should get the word out more on her Facebook page. - Key on moves Leslie does get off step here and there or she'll forget to warn you when the kicks, etc, are coming up. It's not severe. But I'm sure we're all veteran walkers now. So, it should not be much of an issue to keep up with her. *********************** **Miles** Mile 1 (Classic Low Impact) It's claimed to be low impact...but it's not and I like that because I like competitive workouts. There is boosted walks and a lot of arm movement as well. Mile 2: (Walk & Tone) This mile will get your teeth gritting, especially when she exaggerates the moves longer due to talking too much. This band mile features stretching the band in front of you, behind you, above you, and to the sides. She'll give you a few SMALL breaks in between, but you'll find yourself quickly returning to the bands. On this mile, you do not stop moving completely, you will continue to move with or without band use. I was already very tired by the time it was within 2 minutes of the band usage. VERY competitive stuff! I know most people would prefer she leave the band as a separate thing from the entire workout. But look at it this way; You are getting your arms TONED. You'll have sexy beach arms instead of jiggly flesh. Think of the cute tank tops you can wear. All Leslie is doing is applying more concentration at another area of the body. MIle 3: (Speed Intervals) Intervals! Yes! There is a lot of jogging and shifts, plus side kickboxing. Bri is also in this workout and she'll provide a low-impact version for this mile only. The intervals are done three times throughout the mile. Mile 4 (Strength Intervals) By the time you get to this mile, you're probably already be very exhausted and don't feel like doing a SECOND mile of band workout. This band workout as actually more pleasant because it's targeting the bottom such as your legs. There's the word interval again, so for three times, you'll go back and forth through fast walk and band workout. There is some pausing because you have to do lunges and squats. And I'm grateful for the pauses because that gives you time to gather your energy. I DESPISE Lunges, so, I just substitute for squats. I think there is a little bit of boosted walk in this mile along with four-knee set. If you think by going back and forth to the bands and pausing is losing your progress, you're NOT, because she provides excellent arm toning where you feel the burn, plus she makes up for the 'pauses' with the fast walk intervals. Mile 5 (Ab Walk) I really wanted to reach through the screen and yell at Leslie to tone it down! Ugh, I was so tired! But I can't be a hypocrite because I wanted this! I wanted a tough workout. She will use knees (one, and four sets). She will do the 'skater' move about two times, side steps but also with a turn while reaching out. She uses the 'cha-cha' twice. The cha-chas were just too much. I was so tired. When she did it the first time, I thought she extended it out a wee bit too much, but again...she was talking. :p Cool Down & Stretch The cool down is when she'll introduce a lady that has lost a BUTT LOAD of pounds. You can see her story on Leslie's website. Very good encouragement. The cool down is usual, but the stretch was pretty short. All she gave was just the reach upward, forward, and sides. That's it. There was nothing for the legs. But I have a feeling that maybe it had something to do with the length of the DVD. Maybe she was not allowed to have a full stretch session. Who knows. But we all know her by now. You can just do them on your own. Plus her stretches are never really long enough for your body to get a REALLY good amount of stretch anyway. **Additional Information** When I first did the full workout, I burned 598 calories. When I did it a second time, it was 570. The third time, it was 607 calories. The trick is to just make sure you exaggerate arm movement. You'll burn more. Even when she did not use arms, I did anyway. So for a workout that's almost 600 calories, that's basically TWO meals burned off.

What a great DVD for those of us who want to lose some weight, get fit and stick to it. I had purchased Leslie's Walk to the Hits (3miles) DVD first. This 5 Mega Miles is my second and probably my favorite of the two. I try to alternate between them and find I like the challenge of the 5 Mega Miles. Mine did not come with the bands so I use an elastic band from another exercise system for mile 2 and free weights for mile 4. Works fine for me. The exercise is easy to follow, even if you aren't familiar with Leslie's general routine. I was able to do all 5 miles on the first try. I think you get a great work out and for me, the fact that I continue to do it, makes it a winner. I thought I would get 'bored' just walking for 5 miles but you aren't 'just walking', and Leslie does a great job keeping you engaged. You can choose to do it a mile at a time, but I have discovered that it is so well put together, 5 miles goes by quickly. The effort and sweat is well worth the feeling of accomplishment you get and is a great start to the day. The warm up is about 5 mins; miles 1 & 2 are about 15 mins each; mile 3 is about 13 min; mile 4 is about 12 mins; mile 5 is about 16 mins; and the cool down is about 5 mins. Total of 81 minutes. Doing all 5 miles puts you at about 9,696 steps!!!! I would recommend this workout to anyone wanting to get fit and not wanting to go to the gym. I also think it is a better workout than taking a walk outdoors when its either too cold or too hot. If I can do it (I'm over 65yrs.) you can too. So go for it!!!!

Love this workout video. I have lost a lot of weight working out to her videos. For all ages and levels of fitness. You can go at your own level.

Ok, let me start w/ the minor cons to get it out of the way. I don't like the fact that you can't customize the miles. The menu gives you the option to either play entire workout, or select individual miles; but you can't create your own workout. Also, the cool down walk & stretch session is embedded to mile 5; there isn't a selection for it on the menu. However, these are just minor annoyances for me & not bothersome enough for me to take down a star. This is a great workout DVD; the miles are about 13-16 min long. Today, I did miles 3-5 (including the cool down in mile 5) and it took about 45 min to complete. I worked up a sweat & felt like I had a complete/efficient workout. The moves are pretty much Leslie's basic moves--walking in place, side steps, knee lifts, kicks, kick-backs, etc. However, there are some new moves such as the "cha cha" & some skater moves. The strength training sessions in miles 2 & 4 are great--if you are short on time, you can easily combine one of those miles w/ mile 3 (the interval mile) & you've got yourself a short, yet complete workout w/ cardio & strength training combined. The great thing about all of Leslie's workouts is that you can modify the intensity level based on your own ability & comfortability. I'm able to do higher impact workouts, so i usually jog in place, even when leslie & her walkers are just walking. If some of the moves are too intense for you, you can just modify them; for example, instead of doing the skaters, you can just do side steps. In mile 3, during the speed intervals, leslie & her walkers are doing high impact knee-ups--if those are too much for you, you can just jog in place. Anyway, you get the idea. I would definitely recommend this DVD.

I love Leslie and her very convenient at home workouts. These living room walks are exactly what I need to complete my steps and get some good cardio in. I love the timer and how the workout is broken into segments to allow breaks and changes in scenery so that one can stay focused and alert without becoming so quickly bored. You can choose to do just one or all the miles and it’s conveniently broken into one mile segments to help you choose clearly what route works for you. Even if you turn it on and do your own thing instead of the different paces and workouts included in these videos, just press play and get moving.

First off, here's a shocker for fans of Leslie Sansone's videos: No Nick! That's right, the ever-smiling Nick Drago doesn't appear in 5 Mega Miles, but the young, athletic cast of walkers is as appealing as ever. (How does Gabby make those moves look so graceful?). They are fun to watch. This is my 5th Leslie Sansone DVD, and it's definitely on the higher side for impact and exertion. I'd say it is a little tougher than 'Tone Every Zone,' and a little less demanding (minute-for-minute) than 'Walk It Off In 30 Days.' But Walk It Off is designed to be alternating 30-minute programs, while 5 Mega Miles is going to take 1 hour, 15 minutes in its entirety. That's a strong workout. Because each mile walk can be selected individually from the top menu, you don't have to do the entire DVD. But the warm up and cooldown sessions aren't included in the menu. You can get the warmup (which I recommend) by hitting play all, and get the cooldown by playing Mile 5. So I'd recommend doing 'Play All, doing the warm up, and then going back to the menu to select the miles you want to do. Miles 1, 3 and 5 are brisk cardio programs, while 2 and 4 mix in the stretch band, so the pace is a little slower. Mix and match! If I want a little less than an hour, I really like warmup, mile 1, mile 3 and mile 5 and cooldown. If I want an hour, mix in mile 2 or 4. This program is fast-paced and aerobic, especially miles 3 and 5. But to Leslie's credit, she gives you options to lower the impact, and in Mile 3 Brianna demonstrates the moves. Trust me, Brianna is still getting a great workout. I wouldn't recommend doing Mile 3 without first doing the warmup or Mile 1, which is low impact but still very aerobic. Here's what I like about Leslie Sansone's DVDs: They are doable. You can bump up the workout, or keep it simpler, but in the end YOU CAN DO IT.

So, I bought this DVD based on the absolute overwhelming positive reviews regarding Leslie Sansone in general. As I was already doing cardio that equated to three miles with another DVD (more traditional cardio), I chose this one because of the promise of five miles. However, five miles is inaccurate. I am one of those people that have something attached to them to monitor miles traveled and steps taken. I wear it 24/7 and it's fairly accurate. When it's inaccurate, it's generally because it's too generous with the miles/steps, rather than not giving it enough. When I do this complete workout I get 3.5 miles total. I've done it everyday for 1 week and I get the same miles every time. With that being said, I still love this workout. It doesn't look like it's going to be intense, but it is. I work up a good sweat and multiple parts of me are sore when I'm done each day. I like the band that came with the DVD as well. It's a good quality band with mid level resistance. There are some things that I'm not a big fan of, such as Leslie's 'surprise' when she sees who's walking with her in the middle of a class. Really? You didn't notice who was walking with you before you started? Also, I wouldn't mind being able to hear the students make noise and such during the workout. Hearing them grunt/groan or yell/whoop let's me feel like I'm more part of the class. Frankly, Leslie is my least favorite part of the workout, but that's based on personality and we all have our own tastes when it comes to that. I'm not going to break this down to mile by mile or anything like that - a lot of reviewers already included it. I will say the video is good quality, the sound is great and the workout will help you to burn calories. I'd love a true 5 mile workout, but I'm still glad I made this purchase!

This DVD is a welcome addition to my Leslie Sansone collection. I prefer videos that include boosted walking segments and exercises for toning, which this one does. MILE 1 is a classic low impact mile MILE 2, Walk and Tone, uses the toning band during parts of the walk to strengthen arms MILE 3, Speed Intervals, is a faster mile MILE 4, Strength intervals, alternates walking with lunges, squats and arm moves using the toning band MILE 5 is the Ab Walk and cool down PROS: Leslie has added some new moves--the cha-cha and skater. A mile countdown, which begins when there are ten minutes left, has been added as well. The other exercisers work at various levels of intensity, which is helpful if you want to step your workout up, or take it easier. The music is fairly innocuous and there's not too much giggling and chatter. And...the DVD includes a free toning band. CONS: There's not much lower body work. MILE 2 concentrates on the arms and MILE 4 has only a few lunges and squats which alternate with arm exercises. I skip the arm movements and do extra lunges and squats. After I've done this workout a few times, I will probably pause it during MILE 4 to add even more lunges and squats. All in all, I'd recommend this DVD.

I love all of Leslie Sansones workout videos, Im always amazed how fun and fast it goes by! And you don't have to do all the miles if you don't feel like it!

I would perceive myself to be an advanced exerciser (I regularly workout to Cathe Friedrich, Paul Katami, Patrick Goudeau , Michelle Dozois) and I must admit I did wonder how a "walking" dvd could in any way fit in with my exercise schedule. However , I have recently been trying to increase the number but vary the intensity of my workouts and I decided to give Leslie a try, as she has so many devoted "followers" and I'm hooked!! I love the fact that if the weather's miserable (and I live in Northern Ireland so more or less the norm!!) I can "walk" anything up to 5 miles. The 5 miles in this dvd are all different (although all Leslie's walking dvds are based on 4 steps, basic march, side step, knee lifts and front kicks) with 2 of the miles using a fitness band (included with the dvd). I honestly don't find the workout boring, Leslie changes the steps quite frequently and its motivating to see on screen you've walked another mile. Leslie can be a bit irritating at times to be honest but I love the workouts so much I just get on with it!! I use 1.5kg had weights and I do get a good low impact workout that energises rather than exhausts me with zero dread factor!!!

Notevole,sono molto soddisfatta . La banda elastica poi è perfetta .fa lavorare tutti i muscoli.grazie leslie.

Every one of Leslie Sansone's walking videos is fabulous. You get a good sweat on if you want or you can go a bit slower. Your choice and Leslie will show you compensations so you get an effective workout. She'll also show you how to ramp up if you're feeling strong. Not happy the DVD didn't work and I learned of that fter the return window had closed.

Puh, dieses Programm hab ich heute früh gemacht und ich muss sagen, dass ich bei der Letzten der fünf Meilen dann schon ganz schön kaputt war. Die Stretchys werden mitgeliefert, es wird abgewechselt zw. Intervalltraining, Kräfitungsübungen und Low Impact Walks. Mir gefällts, ich kann es abspielen und finde es nicht fair, einem guten Sportprogramm so wenig Sterne zu geben, weil man selbst nicht den passenden Player hat