 10 Minute Solution: Dance Off Fat Fast(Anchor Bay) 2008 What is it? Five 10-minute, dancey exercise routines. Four of them are cardio and one is ballet-inspired sculpting. Leah Sarago instructs. Who is it for? Beginning and advanced beginning exercisers who enjoy dancing. While the steps aren't too difficult, you may be lost if you have two left feet. Intermediates will probably want a more intense workout, unless they really need a light day.
What to expect: If you've spent any time reading my cardio dance reviews, you know two things about me: 1) I love cardio dance DVDs and 2) I suck at learning complicated choreography. (Being a walking mass of contradictions is my second career.) Every time I get a new cardio DVD in with the word "dance" in the title, I wonder just how long it's going to take me to learn it well enough to review it. This time I was in luck — the moves were both fun and so easy to learn that I got the whole workout (all 5 10-minute routines) down in just one pass. True, I cheated my way through a couple of steps, but I had 'em down by the second time I did them. Sarago is a cheerful, fun instructor who cues nicely and who puts together standard moves in creative ways. "Simple Slim Down" is your basic cardio dance routine, with big moves to get your heart rate up; "Flirty Fat Burner" puts a cute-sexy spin on the moves; "Fat Blasting Flashback" is full of retro disco fun a la Saturday Night Fever; and "Cardio Swing Dance" goes back yet another couple of decades into the 1950s for some lively, kitschy dance steps. The 10-minute segment that finishes the DVD is "Dance Sculpt," which tones your lower body with ballet-style plies, arabesques and more (and don't think your arms get off easy — they're usually mid-air so you will feel them working). These beginner-level routines are only moderately intense, so if you're looking for something that'll leave you totally winded and make you sweat buckets, you'll have to find another DVD. On the other hand, if you're not ready for heavy cardio, or if you want a light day, you'll have lots of fun (and trust me, the sculpting segment is tougher than it looks). As with all 10 Minute Solution DVDs, you can pick and choose how many segments you do — or do them all. Since they are so brief, you don't get much stretching, so you might want to tack that on at the end of your workout. My one teensy complaint is that I think it would have been more festive if Sarago had some background dancers to join in these entertaining routines. But I'm being picky here — I'll definitely be reaching for this DVD next time I've burnt myself out from tougher workouts.
Other Exercise DVDs you may like:
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Cardio DVDs 
