One downside of pushing yourself hard at a workout? A bit of soreness that lingers afterwards. You may be tempted to spend the next day in bed, but some research has found that light exercise actually helps to ease muscle soreness. Many times, I hit the road and go for a long walk and catch up on my favorite Podcast. But rainy, icy or otherwise weather-prohibitive days come around and I still want to be active. I certainly advocate taking days off (and I do take a day or more off every week from exercise), but sometimes I still want a little exercise without working full-blast. Time to turn on a lower intensity DVD!

<Remember: it’s not the best idea to strength train the same muscle group on consecutive days, so plan accordingly. Cardio is great any day of the week!>

These workouts would also be a great option for those who are new to fitness, as they offer several beginner variations, have simpler moves/footwork and are all-around less intense than some other DVDs on the market.

Time for the DVD-Lite Lightning Round!

Burn and Firm (Karen Voight) Sweat Stats

Equipment Required: 5-8 lb. weights, open space for cardio

Roses: Well-rounded mix of cardio, upper body, lower body and core, premixes offered on menu for circuits, simple steps/moves great for beginners.

Thorns: Only one “back-up” exerciser—more people can show more variations, toning segments feel a bit lacking after an intense workout (no weights are used in lower body toning), cardio doesn’t get your blood pumping very much, routine gets old fairly quickly.

Overall Rating: 2.5/5 dumbbells

Power Zone (Denise Austin) Sweat Stats

Equipment Required: Open space for cardio, resistance band that comes with DVD

Roses: Light on the equipment, so this may be a great option for travelers, cardio section easy to follow.

Thorns: Austin’s perkiness is great, but can get grating, a resistance band tones but I don’t feel that I gain much strength from the workout.

Overall Rating: 3/5 dumbbells

The Rules of Fat Burning (Kathy Smith) Sweat Stats

Equipment Required: 5-12 lb. weights (you may want a couple pairs), a weight bench, step or stability ball, chair without wheels, open space for cardio (optional: jump rope for one cardio routine)

Roses: Variations are given for beginners and advanced exercisers, cardio routines often build up from start to finish (making them easy to follow), good balance of sweat and strength, lots of content for one DVD, segments taped on different sets makes background interesting, order of segments is customizable.

Thorns: Smith says strange things occasionally, one cardio segment is very dance-y (box step anyone?), I find it strange when she asks her fellow exercisers to lead the routine for her at times, requires a bit of equipment.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 dumbbells

Do you have any favorite plans for days when your body is feeling a bit stiff?