DanceX Everybody's Workout Total Body Cardio

THE WORKOUT: DanceX "Everybody's Workout" Total Body Cardio

REVIEW BY: Sophia

WHO CAN DO THIS: Think you can't dance? Here's a dance aerobics workout for the dance-impaired. Songs are short and moves are simple with room to personalize and increase or decrease the cardio challenge.

THE BREAKDOWN: Fitness pro and former street dancer Kenn Kihiu is adorable, with a blinding smile and a happy motivational style. The workout is a series of short dance segments, a mishmash that includes Zulu, Irish, disco, salsa, the twist and more done to music that could be louder in spots but is appealing enough to help inject a little dance into the simple moves. Mr. Kihiu's accent (he grew up in Kenya) makes cues a little difficult to understand at times, but if you miss a cue, catching up is a cinch.

Segments are 1 to 3 ½ minutes long, adding up to 45 minutes of high-energy, low-impact cardio that works the heart and other muscles. Mr. Kihiu's creative approach injects strength training. For example, he'll work your shoulders by having you hold your arms perpendicular to the floor while shaking your booty to the music.
Sound easy? At first, maybe. A bouncy pony step to work the calves also is easy at first but goes on and on until the burn sets in.

A bonus 8-minute abs segment is creative, too. Also included on the DVD is a motivational talk from Mr. Kihiu and basic nutrition tips.

THE SWEAT FACTOR: Beginners can keep energy low; fitter exercisers can push themselves harder. Both will get sweaty.

BUT IS IT FUN? Yes, it is. Minimal concentration is necessary to follow the steps, so you can let yourself go and work that body.

WHEN IT'S OVER: You'll have a nice post-aerobics glow.

GEAR AND APPAREL: Aerobics shoes and a small amount of space because moves don't cover much ground. It may be wise to scope out a sliver of uncarpeted floor for the twist segment so you don't wrench a knee.

LAST WORD: I like it have done it many times since reviewing it.