The "Everything New to VF" Thread :-)

[Joanna]

Hi everyone

And welcome to all VF newbies! You'll find nearly everything you would ever want to know about exercise on this lovely site, and in this particular FAQ, you'll (hopefully) find everything you need to know about finding out everything you need to know :-) VF is a special resource for video consumers because it is "non-denominational"--it's not focused on just one instructor or topic, and it is self-run by consumers who are there to help their fellow home exercisers make the best video choices they can. You’ll find both positive comments AND constructive ones here because none of us have a marketing agenda here.

There is a lot of information to be found, but don't panic---it really isn't that complicated :-) Let's start with some basics...

1) What can I find at Video Fitness?

There are two main components to VF---the reviews, and the forum. In the review section, you will find thousands of reviews for practically every exercise video there is. These reviews are all written by people who use the site---consumers, like you. New reviews are added all the time, and you are very welcome to post some of the tapes you have. There are several ways to find reviews for the tapes you want to learn about. You can do a search from the VF homepage. Just type the name of the instructor or title you are interested in. Or, you can browse the review section, which can be found here:

http://www.videofitness.com/reviews/

The page sorts the videos by category, for example strength videos, or yoga videos. You can also follow links to the site search engine, a page that indexes all titles by instructor instead of by type, and a page that lists all newer reviews that have not yet been filed on their proper page. Many Vfers have that particular page bookmarked so they can check the latest updates easily. That page is:

http://www.videofitness.com/reviews/new.php

Sometimes people post reviews on the forum too, so if you are searching for information about a newer title, you might want to look there. People will often post their first impressions there before they write a formal review, and a quick search of the forum posts can often yield a lot of great comments. The forum also hosts the general discussion topics, the VF exchange and the challenges and check-ins (more on all of that later).

Your first stop on VF (after this FAQ!) should be the Beginner's Corner
http://www.videofitness.com/beginners/index.php
where Wendy, the site owner, offers a handy tutorial that quickly walks you through your first moves:

Step One: Are videos for you?
Step Two: Choose the right activities
Step Three: Choose the right videos
Step Four: Get the right gear
Step Five: Set realistic goals
Step Six: Create a rotation
Step Seven: Just do it!
Step Eight: Stay motivated
Step Nine: Evaluate your progress, reevaluate your program and goals
Step Ten: Keep coming to Video Fitness