Hello - I just started Jazzercise 2 weeks ago, have gone to six classes. So far I am enjoying it with the music and all. Has anyone out there any experiences to share? I was trying to do some of it high impact, but my knees are painful, so I backed down to low impact. I never had problems with my knees before, so it must be this new exercise. The instructor said I should get good exercise shoes too...I have brand new walking shoes, but they're not as good for this type of activity. And then after class on Sat morning, I have a lot of pain in my right calf. <sigh> Am I too old (47) for this? I have a sedentary job and I want to get fit, not only to lose weight, but to be healthy. Maybe the calf pain is from not warming up correctly or twisting my leg funny. Any insight would be much appreciated.

Hi Victoriamy...

I used to do jazzercise for a year or more straight. I love it. My job now doesn't allow me to do it because of the hours. Just so you feel better..I had the same problem. I found if I stretched even before we did the stretching in class it was a lot better. Drink A LOT of water while you are doing jazzercise. Bring a big ol' bottle with you. Since it's your first 2 weeks ...take it easy. Definitely do low impact. You will start getting faster and not even realize it. Do it low as long as you want. You will still see results. If it makes you feel better...once I started jazzercise and was doing low carb I lost 30 pounds and my body took shape again. It is so great. I'm hoping to start back if I can fit it in. Keep up the good work...STRETCH!!!!

Oh and for shoes...I always bought the same pair the teacher had. I figure I couldn't go wrong. Nike aerobic sneakers are great...expensive but great.

Take Care

Remember, also, you are very heavy. I hate to bring reality into the situation, but the more you weigh, the more pressure you are putting on your joints. When you get lighter you will feel less pain.

I have bad knees and all of my orthopedic surgeons assure me most of my problems will be gone when i lose a signifigant amout of weight.

Thank you marleegirl I appreciate the kind words. I did skip class tonight but I wanted to give my knees a little longer rest. They are feeling better. Wow I hope I have the same success with Jazzercise that you had! It's on the way home from work for me, so very handy and convenient. I think on Saturday I got out of bed, got dressed and went to class, so was not warmed up at all. I will try and remember to limber myself up a bit.

And thanks to you too Alleine! Reality is always a good thing. I will just be very careful. What type of exercise do you participate in?

Thanks again! What a great forum this is...!

Because I know anything impact (high or low) will do more damage than good, at this point, i am doing yoga. Not only does it feel great (stretching, toning, relaxation and breathing) but it is getting my body back to it's very flexible self. I highly reccomend the Yoga Zone series.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...3705309-6532636

You are quite welcome. I definitely agree with Alliene. Definitely be careful. They also have a jazz circuit class out where I live. You could check into that ..it's less aerobic. More toning and a lot of fun. Keep up the good work.

Well, to update you all, I took a week off from Jazzercise, mostly for my knees but then I got the flu in there too. But hey my knees feel great now! After talking with some others about the pain, we came to the conclusion that it was the 'crouching' type of movements that were killing my knees. And here I thought that type of movement would tone my thighs faster. Well maybe, but it killed my knees. Now at class I watch those types of moves and modify them. Oh I also got some new cross trainer shoes, and they are great. So far, no more knee pain. Yeah! I've been steadily losing two pounds a week, which is great for me! I was thinking I was going to turtle my way, but this is really helping me. This week I am adding one pound weights to the weight part of the class. Oh marleegirl, my class instructor does incorporate circuit training into the class twice a month. Makes the class about 15 minutes longer is all.

.... i used to go to JZ .. as i call it...

The class would be doing high impact .. and i would do low... the instructor would notice me and then show the move in low impact to accomodate those of us who wanted to do low impact....

... I just posted a thread.. has anyone tried Curves?

Thanks!
M-