Wednesday, July 22, 2009

10 Minute Solution Dance Your Body Thin


10 Minute Solution: Dance Your Body Thin Kit w/Weighted Dance Belt

WHO CAN DO THIS: The coordinated and fluid hipped.


REVIEW BY: Sophia

THE BREAKDOWN: The gimmick here is that the DVD comes with a two-pound weighted belt that rests around your hips to engage core muscles and give the workout extra oomph.

Dance Your Body Thin! is standard format for the series—five 10-minute segments than can be programmed to do individually or in any combination or sequence. Regular readers here know that 10 Minute Solutions is among my favorite workout series.

I’m spoiled from doing a lot of DVDs. If baby can’t nail the moves pretty quickly, baby gets sulky. With some DVDs, I feel like I’m dancing the first time through, even if I don’t have the steps exactly right. But the first time through this one (one or two segments at a time), I mostly felt awkward.

While tiny dancer Andrea Leigh Rogers’ arms were sinuous, mine just flailed. The footwork is simple, but moves rely heavily on hip action. That didn’t go well, either. Compounding my problem, Rogers’ cueing is a little off—some counts would have been helpful and she tends to announce changes just a speck late. Everything slows down for the ballet sculpt segment, which is interesting and definitely challenging, though tough on my hinky old knees.

The workout is designed to work well with the weighted belt (hence all the hip action) and that is a plus. The belt is not a finely crafted piece of workout equipment, but I like it and plan to use it with some of my other DVDs. And the dance workout is not bad, it’s just not me. Maybe it’s you.

THE SWEAT FACTOR: I definitely worked up a sweat, but it was partly frustration.

BUT IS IT FUN? It could be for anyone who masters it. I probably won't put in the effort.

WHEN IT'S OVER: You may feel it in your abs if you wore the belt. Not a ton, but nice.

GEAR AND APPAREL: Enough space for about four steps forward and side to side. I wore aerobic shoes.

FINAL WORD: I might choose one of the chapters to master and use as a core workout. (That’s the great thing about these 10-minute workouts—you can mix and match.) It might not be able to compete with other dance DVDs I enjoy more, though. The belt’s a keeper.

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