Island Girl Dance Fitness Workout for Beginners: Tahitian Cardio

The Island Girl series is my favorite go-to set of workouts in winter. The workouts are fun, feeling more like dance than an exercise class. That's really the best thing about them. They are some of the few exercise dvds I've tried that have me looking forward to working out when I would otherwise be tempted to be a couch potato. I particularly like the Tahitian Cardio for the emphasis on hip work and the graceful movements in it. On the technical end, it has what I look for in a workout dvd. There is a warm up and cool down. Kili teaches "mirror" style so it is easier to follow along. The camerawork shows the full body unless it is appropriate to zoom in to show the movement in detail. It is filmed outdoors against a beautiful Hawaiian background. The music is an upbeat traditional sounding Tahitian drum piece that really sets the mood. The intensity level is moderate. I tend to use this the most after the holidays when I have been in an exercise lull. It is just the right amount to get me sweating without me thinking "Enough already!" There are some standard aerobic exercise movements in it to work more muscle groups. While I would have preferred just dance movements, the aerobic ones are kept to a minimum and serve a purpose. This may not be to the taste of people who are hardcore fitness or hardcore Tahitian dance buffs, but for the average person like me, it's a great way to keep motivated to keep moving.

This workout definitely isn't for any major fitness buffs looking to get even more buff, but for the regular gals, it's very fun, motivating, and relaxing, even though you're sweating at the end! After just one week, I'm already seeing my hips and waist start to slim down. I've been working out nearly every day for the past 2 months and had hit a plateau. Then I tried this and in one week, it kick started me back into losing weight - I lost 2.5 lbs just this week and my only exercise was doing this video! Unless you're familiar with hula dancing, it will take 2-3 watchings to get the routine down. The first 2 times, I was constantly rewinding to try to be able to learn what they were doing. But just go for it and you'll pick it up quick. Just remember to keep your knees bent and it will be that much easier, as well as more effective. After a week, there are still a few places where I have trouble (I'm not the most coordinated when it comes to moving my hips and arms and feet all at the same time) I've found that the better I get at the video, the more of a workout I'm getting. I'm usually dripping with sweat at the end, but didn't feel like I'd worked that hard, until the next day :) What I really like about the video is that it's broken down into 3 parts - the workout, where Kili shows you the dance, then breaks it down over the course of about 27 minutes; then there's the dance itself, where the routine is repeated 3 times for a total dance time of 3 minutes; and finally the cooldown, which brings the total video time to about 36 minutes. I find that I have so much fun doing the workout, that I will keep rewinding to do the dance 3-4 more times before moving on to the cooldown. Kili is an excellent hula instructor, and her two assistants are beautiful. Seeing how graceful the three are and how beautiful the dance looks really motivates me to try to get to their level. Kili has a very soothing voice and not at all annoying like a lot of video workout instructors. What I don't like about the video is that in a few places, especially towards the end of the dance portion, the camera angle makes it harder to see what the girls are doing below the waist - but once I got the routine down, that wasn't an issue anymore. Also, when doing the bumps towards the end of the dance portion, the girls start moving a lot quicker and it's kind of hard to keep up, but that's getting easier the better I get. Overall, I highly recommend the Tahitian Cardio with Kili. I love it so much that I'm planning to buy more of her Island Girl DVDs and have recommended it to all my friends

This is the kind of thing I was looking for. I sweat, and I don't spend the whole time looking at the clock, waiting for it to be over. The moves are fun and sexy, and not too hard to follow. I didn't get all of them the first time around, but a few more tries and I'll have it all down. Just staying in motion and doing my best gave me a nice workout. The island beat of the music is very pleasant and fun. The scenery is lovely. The sound isn't perfect--wind noise is sometimes heard, but it doesn't detract at all from the quality. I like this workout a little better than the cardio hula one. The cardio hula seems a lighter workout, while this one makes you work a little harder. Forget other dance workout DVDs--Tahitian Cardio really -is- a fun DVD that gives you a nice workout. UPDATE: I am still using and just loving this video. I originally bought it to get back into shape after having a baby. I recently bought The Firm's Transfirmer system for a tougher workout. I was surprised to find that (in spite of several people telling me how hard the workout is) The Firm workout wasn't that hard after all of my Island Girl workouts. I guess Island Girl is deceptively strengthening!

I was looking for an intro hula video for my parents as I was to keep them active and hopefully have some fun. I bought this video because it came up with that description and was priced right. I was very disappointed. It is very short and isn't about hula at all. I guess you could say it was hula-inspired but is basically a dance work out video. Fortunately it wasn't very expensive. Still I'd spend elsewhere.

Let me start by saying that I hate cardio. But I recently broke my wrist so yoga, strength training and kickboxing are, for now, not options. The thought of doing walking workouts every day creates, for me at least, a serious dread factor. So, painted into the cardio corner, I ordered several dance workouts... and this DVD was the one that struck gold. I am terribly uncoordinated but have a passing knowledge of bellydance moves thanks to Kathy Smith's Flex Appeal. And although I still can't sidestep and umi (hip circles) at the same time, that didn't stop me from working up a moderate sweat and having a blast with this workout. Perhaps practice will one day make perfect, but the reason this DVD is a keeper is that it's just plain too much fun. Kili keeps the dance routine simple with only a few moves that are repeated and combined. She also adds in a little good old fashioned cardio like pony hops to help increase your heart rate. Tahitian Cardio is the type of workout you look forward to, and I'm also looking forward to trying out more of Kili's DVDs.

Kili does a great job on this DVD. Sadly the workout is only 20 minutes with at 10 minute warm up and cool down. Might need to do both of those longer than 5 minutes. I really think the DVD could have been at least 50 minutes. I bought this as a training when I'm not in Hula/Tahitian class. Kili goes over 5 basic moves and gets you heart rate up slightly and you might sweat a little. This is a low-impact work out but high energy so like I said about her Hula DVD if you don't work out take it easy on this one because of all the cardio in the DVD. As far as Tahitian goes this is waaaaaaaaaaay beginners. So if you have some knowledge of Tahitian this workout may be a little slow because she keeps it low tempo as far as hip work goes. It is over a great video and really gives you a decent work out if you are feeling lazy or short on time! I just wish it had a option on it to make it longer.

The scenery is beautiful, the women are gorgeous, and the music is festive. Although I enjoyed the sensual and meditative dance, I didn't find the actual workout itself to be extremely effective. There are a lot of slow points and I felt like I was taking dance lessons, it did not feel like cardio at all. It's a fun activity to try and do when you're in the mood for light exercise but definitely not a hardcore workout whatsoever.

Fitness level: basically nonexistent. I started working out about a month and half ago. I was already getting tired of the couple of DVDs I had so I wanted to change it up. I got this one partly out of curiosity and partly for entertainment. I've only used it a few times but I like it, it's more fun than my other DVDs. It's good for days that I really don't feel like working out or need a break from heavier workouts. I still have a hard time keeping up at times - trying to remember all the moves, keep the right form, and figuring what the hell I'm supposed to be doing with my hips. This learning part is true for most workout programs though. I'm not sure I would count this as 'cardio'. I knew going in that this wasn't going to be like my kickboxing workout but I was sweating by the end of it. You really have to watch what they do with their legs and hips to understand how to do the moves (I'm really not a dancer). You have to stay in a slightly crouched position for most (if not all) of the workout, just a head's up. If you do all the segments it's right about 35 minutes if I remember correctly. However, the first segment is her talking and then going through the whole dance just to show you what you'll learn. So maybe only 30ish minutes of actual movement (cool down/warm up included). I usually do my stretches while watching the first segment. If you're physically fit, I'm not sure you would get much benefit out of it. For someone like me, it's fun workout and it makes me sweat. Overall, I'd recommend giving it a try if you're looking to change things up. Edited to add: I decided to do this workout after reviewing because I realized that it had been awhile. It was definitely harder than I remember. Staying in that plie squat position for most of the 30 minutes can be hard. My knees are a problem sometimes, I felt it a couple times during the dance. Probably because I was out of position, when I adjusted my stance it felt better. My heart rate isn't up like when I do cardio but I paid attention this time and there was an increase. I was definitely sweating by the end of it. I still struggled with doing the hip movements while moving to the side or front/back. Overall though I was able to keep up better with the moves. During the cool down she doesn't always explain the movements you're doing next so it can be hard to keep up. Decided to bump it up to 5 stars after doing it again.

今もビデオちゃんと残してあります。また再開したいです。タヒチに行ってダンスする機会は、たぶん一生ないと思いますが、この動きはワークアウトとして日常的に使えます。動きも好きなので、またもっと練習します。

I have 15 years of belly dancing behind me but haven't danced for years . At the age of 62 I thought I would give this a go and it's perfect to get you moving if you take it at your time your pace and break it down slowly all achievable if you stick with it . Clear instructions that are easy to follow as long as each individual person takes it at their pace bit by bit and sticks with it then a fun dance to learn a good work out I think a lot of women could really enjoy learning this beautiful dance take your time and learn it gradually then you will really enjoy . There is no hurry enjoy

タヒチアンの知識が無い私でも３回目位からは、一緒に楽しく踊れるようになりました。１枚踊りきる頃には、床にぽたぽたと落ちるほどの汗がでます^m^コアリズムのような効果があるのか、ウエストがかなり細くなりました。キリの後ろで踊る２人のお姉さん達がとてもキュートで目の保養にもなります♪この値段で買えたのは超ラッキーです♪

I LOVED this video....but I have been doing bellydancing for about 4 years, so the moves came quite easily as they were similar. If you have never done anything like this, it would take quite a bit of practice to get the moves down (which Kili does break down slowly at first and then quickens up the pace) A lot of fun to try and get better at. I recommend this to anyone looking for something fun and challenging to target that mid-section!!

とにかくダンサーみんながかわいいので、踊っていて楽しくなってきます。タヒチアンのリズムに合わせて腰を振るので、骨盤ダイエットとしてウエストに効きます。コアリズムほどハードではなく、海と青空といったきれいな景色も楽しめます。痩せるだけでなく、美しく踊るという目的をもってエクササイズに臨めるのではないでしょうか？女性らしくきれいになりたい方にお勧めです。持っているDVDの中で、ダンスをしながらウエストをくびれさせるには一押しです。本当に楽しいDVDです。