Even when I was at my smallest I did not have a flat stomach. In fact I don't think I've ever had one! It is definitely my biggest problem area and I am keen to get rid of some of the fat from my stomach by the time I get married. I am a big fan of the 10 minute solution range of fitness DVD's and own quite a few of them. I bought this one a couple of years ago and it appealed to me because I don't like the whole lying down doing crunches thing, so thought that this would be more fun, although at the same time I was a little sceptical as to how well it would work.

The DVD is hosted by a lady called Petra Kolber and she takes you through each move. I found her fairly irritating when I first started doing this DVD, although she has grown on me the more I have done the workout.

The DVD is divided into five 10 minute sections, which I will go through individually now. You can choose to do as many as you just like - I always try to do at least two or three at a time, otherwise I don't really feel like I have worked out, but if you're particularly unfit or haven't exercised for a while, it's nice to have the choice to start with 10 min and work your way up. Like all 10 minute solution DVD's this has a 'mix and match' feature, so you can go to the main menu and select which workouts you want to do and in what order. This means they will play back to back, rather than having to stop and start while you find the remote.

~~Dancer's Silhouette~~

This is possibly my favourite section of the DVD. Dancers silhouette is about using a dancer's posture, focusing on your core muscles for balance. It is sort of like fast paced yoga to me in a way. There is a lot of stretching in this section and balancing, using your abdominals to stabilise yourself.

This section is very easy to follow and I find all the stretching makes it a great one to do first as a warm up. I also find if I've taken a little time out from exercising this is a good one to begin with before building up to the other sections. I can feel this one working and it's not just the stomach but my arms often feel like they have worked hard when I do this one too.

~~Latin Flavour Waist Sizzler~~

I am not a huge fan of this section and therefore don't do it very often. I think the problem with it, is that it is quite fast paced and there are a lot of moves to learn in a short time. I don't think the moves in the first half of this section are explained particularly well and it can be a little overwhelming and confusing at first. Zumba has shown that latin dance can be fun and easy to follow, yet this section doesn't follow suit. I think it would benefit from having each move broken down and explained first. All of this said, if I do this regularly, I do find the moves become easier over time.

I am a little sceptical how good this is for toning the waist in all honesty though, as the moves - which are mostly cha cha cha and mambo style - seem to concentrate more on the hips and thighs than the stomach, and this is where I can feel it after I've done this section.

~~Fat Burning Beat~~

The Fat Burning Beat section again is quite fast paced and is definitely one to get your heart rate up. At first I thought it was going to be another section where I would be tripping over my own feet and struggling to keep up, however the same sequence of moves is repeated over and over, so it wasn't actually all that difficult to pick up. There is one move in here which I do not like and it's one where you sort of spin from one move to another and even though I have attempted it many times, it makes me dizzy to the point I completely lose what I'm supposed to be doing, so I've started omitting that particular move from the routine!

I can feel this section working on not just my stomach, but my arms and legs too. I definitely feel I have to stretch out after doing this section though because the one arm stretch and one leg stretch that are included as a supposed cool down are really not enough.

~~Attitude and Energy~~

I'd say that this is one of my favourite sections alongside Dancer's Silhouette. It's another section which is fast paced, however I find the moves much easier to follow. Each routine is broken down where you learn one section at a time, before they are put together into a longer sequence.

Although the pace means that doing this section really gets the heart rate up, I don't feel it does much for the stomach area. There are a few moves which incorporate waist twists, but after doing this section it is my legs which really feel as though they have had a workout rather than my stomach.

~~Belly Blaster~~

This is another good section and is at an upbeat pace, yet still gentler than the pace seen in previous sections. The moves in this section are all really simple and most are a variation on basic aerobic moves, such as box step and lunges. I find this section really easy to follow and it's quite enjoyable too.

Unlike a couple of the other sections I really feel this one working on my stomach as even the moves which at first don't appear to directly work on this area tend to involve keeping the tummy muscles tight. I find my arms seem to get a bit of work in this section too.

~~Conclusion~~

On the whole I have mixed feelings about this DVD. A few of the sections are great, but there are a couple in there which I find too fast and not explained well enough. As I said I've owned this DVD for a couple of years now and I've done it on and off over that time. The last few weeks I've done it around three times a week, doing at least two sections each time, often more. In this time my stomach has become slightly firmer, but I don't think I have particularly lost any weight from this area. I might find an improvement if I did the full thing each time or if I did the DVD more times per week.

If you're looking for a DVD to help you lose weight from your stomach this probably isn't the best option. It does seem to offer a good workout though, as being so fast paced it does get my heart rate up. With the exception of a couple of sections I also find it fun to do, but I couldn't really give it any more than two stars since I don't feel it offers what it promises to do.

*Currently available from Amazon priced £4.87