Knee Issues

Today was meant to be C25K week 2 day 3 but I woke up this morning and found I've done "something" to my knee. There's an unfamiliar lateral tightness on my right knee. So I thought I'd postpone my run until tomorrow and do something a bit less vigorous today. To that end I pulled out a Tai Chi DVD I thought might offer some gentle streching. From the back of the box-

Tai Chi Gong Exercise DVD-27 Tai Chi Gong exercises for beginners and advanced, designed to enhance the mind and body. These selected exercises of internal energy cultivate inner peace and tranquility, balance the body and mind, and improve health, wellbeing, lifestyle and longevity.

I must be upfront and admit that this particular DVD came free with a magazine. I pretty much expected to get what I paid for and to a certain extent I did. First for the good: The exercises are gentle but at the end of the 45 minutes I knew I'd worked, lightly though it may have been. The DVD was recorded at some truly lovely settings. There is a comprehensive health warning prior to the session commencement. Now to the bad: The exercises are poorly explained and inadequately demonstrated. Often the spoken explanation of an exercise is not given until after it has commenced and the moves are demonstrated at speed, they are not slowed down or broken into individual components for the novice. Fortunately I've done some Tai Chi in the past and so was familiar with some of the stance names, without this I would have been entirely lost. This DVD has served to remind me that there is benefit to exercise even if it is not of a calorie burning, red faced and sweaty nature. Tai Chi has a lot to offer but I can't see myself repeating this particular program. There has got to be better out there on the market. I'm certainly glad I didn't pay the $39.95 recommended retail price.-Lynn