Whoever came up with the sayings, "No pain, no gain!" and "Feel the burn!" may have been a marketing genius - but he or she certainly didn't trouble themselves to educate the public with the truth about effective exercise to achieve a fit, healthy body. All they were focused on was selling gym memberships and/or expensive equipment to people who were freaked out about the shape they were in.

The truth is that effective exercise doesn't have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. In fact, if you aren't familiar with fitness equipment or the intricacies of the routines performed on them, you easily could injure yourself, sometimes causing lasting damage to your body.

Fitness doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For the low price of an isometric exercise training DVD, you'll have all you need to get in shape - and stay in shape - without the expense of gym memberships, special clothing or special equipment.

Isometric exercise offers a safe alternative for all age groups to the tortures of excruciating gym workouts, and it's every bit as effective - maybe even more effective, since you won't be in so much pain that the very thought of continuing the workouts makes you want to toss in the towel and give up. The exercises are so simple and gentle that anyone can do them, too - regardless of age or what condition your body is currently in. Since many isometric exercise can even be done while sitting down, they are appropriate and effective for those with physical limitations, as well.

In an isometric exercise, you hold muscle resistance at a specified tension point, so you're not stretching the muscle; it's the increased tension that does the job. The longer you hold the position, the more intensely you're working that muscle. But you aren't torturing it; you aren't stretching it to the point of pain or burn - you're simply using it, as nature designed it to be used.

That's why isometrics is so well suited to all exercise groups of all ages and levels of fitness. Everything about it is natural, simple, easy and without danger or pain. There's nothing "magical" about it, of course. You do have to actually do the exercises on a regular basis - but since they take just ten minutes, are easily integrated into the chores and activities of daily life, and can even be done while sitting down, there's nothing to discourage you. In fact, when you see how quickly you start to feel and look more fit, toned and healthy, you'll be encouraged to do the isometrics more and more.

Whether you've never exercised before or have done so regularly in the past ... whether you're eight or eighty ... whether you're already somewhat fit or are a true, lumpy couch potato, a focused program of isometric exercise found on an instructional DVD is your best bet for getting and staying fit without enduring needless pain and expense.