Are the 10-Minute Solution Exercise DVDs the Right Choice for You?

If finding time to work out interferes with your health goals, a series of fitness DVDs called the "10 Minute Solution" series might be right for you.

The series features a wide variety of different exercises from yoga and pilates to kickboxing and dance aerobics, but the format is the same for all the DVDs. Each DVD offers five 10-minute segments. You can do just one when you're in a hurry, do all five if you want a complete workout, or mix and match two or three of the workouts on each programmable DVD.

So far, the basic Pilates DVD, "10 Minute Solution: Pilates" is my favorite. Instructor Lara Hudson will give you a well-rounded workout if you do all five segments. "Pilates for Abs" is a challenging workout for beginners and even intermediate-level Pilates enthusiasts. She works the entire set of abs, upper, lower, and obliques. Pilates for Buns and Thighs will also make you feel the burn. The "Sculpting" segment requires a set of light handweights and mainly targets shoulders and arms, with a bit of work on your chest and upper back as well. The "Pilates Burn" segment is the cardio workout. A series of flowing moves will keep your heart rate up. The DVD ends with "Pilates for Flexibility." Here, Hudson combines some yoga moves with traditional pilates moves to stretch your sides, arms, and legs. It is a nice cool-down if you do the segments in order.

Of course, though, the best thing about the DVD is that you can program it in any order. Some days, I want to do the "Burn" segment and cool down with the "Flexibility" segment. Other days, I may want to work out my upper body with the "Sculpting" segment and follow it up with some work on my abs, thighs, and buns. Other days, I'm just looking for a quickie stretch routine, and I will do only the flexibility segment.

I also enjoy the "Fat Blasting Dance Mix" with Jennifer Galardi, where the focus is on having fun while moving. This DVD contains five 10-minute dance routines, although the last two only barely qualify as "dancing." The first is the "Simple Slimmer." It contains only 10 or 12 simple dance moves to warm you up. She next moves on to the "Calorie Meltdown." Here, the dance moves get a little more complicated, and the workout gets more intense. She turns it up one more notch in the third segment, "Fat Burning Party." The fourth segment is the "Butt and Thigh Blaster." The moves in this segment have a dancy feel to them, but you're not doing fancy footwork similar to the steps you learn in the first three segments. She finishes up with "Ab Attack." This segment is also less dance-oriented than the first three segments. One caution here: if you're exercising on a carpeted floor instead of hardwood or tile, you may find some of the "sliding" movements in the dance segments hard to execute. You may have to skip them or modify them. Overall, it's a well-rounded exercise DVD.

I've also tried the "10 Minute Solution: Yoga" DVD, also with Lara Hudson. I love yoga, but I find that the 10 Minute Solution format doesn't work as well. I've seen criticisms from other users who suggest that you don't have time to really relax into each pose before Hudson is moving you on to the next one. The whole point of yoga is to slow down and do each pose with deliberate attention, so the 10 Minute segments feel a little rushed.

The makers of these DVDs obviously don't want their fans to get bored, since they offer a really wide variety of exercise styles. There are several more Pilates titles, including "Pilates On the Ball," "Rapid Results Pilates," "Slim & Scultp Pilates," and "Prenatal Pilates." Other dance titles include "Fat Blasting Latin Dance Mix," "Dance Off Belly Fat," and "Dance it Off & Tone it Up" (includes toning band). The people at 10 Minute Solution also offer "Tone Trouble Zones," "Blast Off Belly Fat," "Kickbox Bootcamp," and "Carb Burner." There's even a variety program called simply "10 Minute Solution." This DVD offers five different kinds of fitness activities in 10-minute segments: boot camp, Pilates, ballet, kickboxing, and yoga.

The makers of the series have more titles slated to come out later this year as well.

Bottom line? The general idea of the series is great. Most of the DVDs deliver a really good 10-minute workout, and doing all five segments will generally give you a great well-rounded workout. However, the 10-minute format isn't equally appropriate for all kinds of exercise. If possible, see if you can preview a video by borrowing it from a friend or watching it for free via the "Watch Now" feature of Netflix. This will help you eliminate routines that won't work for you and identify ones that will fit perfectly with the fitness routine you want to create.