Home Stretch: Cardio dance delivers on title's promise

Welcome to our column on finding ways to get fit at home.

We hope to share what we've learned by trying different at-home techniques, whether it's through tips from trainers, workouts from a fitness DVD or a streaming fitness show on Netflix or Hulu.

We're hoping to find anything we can do in our own homes that help us in our goals to keep away the doctors as much as possible. Then we'll share it with you.

But remember, before starting any fitness routine, talk to your doctor or health care provider about it.

What I tried: "Dance Off the Inches: Calorie Blasting Party," which I found streaming on Netflix.

Fitness level needed: Wow, people. This video was pure cardio, so it's something to try to keep aspiring toward. I'm still aspiring (and perspiring, for that matter). Let's just put it this way - a total couch potato could do it. But, like me, they'd probably have to slow it down and stop a few times.

What you need to proceed: Besides good sneakers and an outfit that moves with you, a little space is the main requirement for this dance-oriented workout. You'll be sweeping from side-to-side and back-and-forth more than a little. And, if you do it with a friend, you might just want to go outside. That is, if your place is as small as mine. Otherwise, pushing back some furniture might work.

My thoughts: This one reminded me of Jazzercise. Remember Jazzercise? Well, I do. Basically, the video was like the '80s-style aerobics class, but with dance moves - most of them fairly simple for me, until the pace picked up. It promised to be a real calorie-burner, and I have a feeling it was. If you're a lover of all things dance, I would try this one out.

The super-upbeat instructor, Juliane Arney, starts out with a few basic dance steps in a slow tempo, then ups the tempo, then ups it again. Then she lowers the tempo, adds a few more steps, combines them with the ones she previously taught and raises the speed again. And so on. This goes on for about 40 minutes until it's time to cool down.

I liked some of the dancing, especially the Broadway show-type moves towards the end of the video. I pretended I was in "West Side Story." But the length of the workout wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong: It was just right for an aerobic workout without resistance, and I'm sure it burned loads of calories. I guess I just don't like to dance that much. Not by myself, at least. Honestly, if I were to get a group of friends together to do this, I think I would've enjoyed it much more. Arney is actually so upbeat, it's infectious. And with her corny phrases, she seems to be getting a kick out of it, which is nice in an instructor: "Now, we're having a party! And you are invited!" I'm not sure I'd take the time to do this one again, but then again I'm not too terribly graceful.

However, I would definitely recommend it to people who love to dance and want to get moving without the weights and the running and all the rest.