Minna - Emergency Workout

Remember the pre-hip-hop era of aerobic dance when we were doing cha cha, salsa, mambo, grapevines, and hip-swinging, feel-good combinations that kept our heart rates and moods up without taxing our minds terribly much? That's what Lessig gives us in the aerobic segment. The dance moves are just challenging enough to be fun and give us a sense of accomplishment, without being a major learning endeavor. Lessig teaches the routines smoothly and expertly, a move at a time. Her two female assistants, their faces animated, seem to be having a great time, too.

The second workout is a non-stop weight segment using dumbbells. Lessig's routine is an interesting mix of combination moves, such as biceps curls with lunges, or leg extensions with lateral raises, sometimes involving balance. The only problem is that you have no time to change weights between muscle groups, so you have to go light. Each workout has its own warm-up and cooldown, so you can alternate them on different days, or blitz yourself by doing the whole hour. A sample 1,100- to 1,200-calorie diet menu is included. --Joan Price