Once upon a time in a land not far from here, I was height-weight-proportionate. Not HWP enough to have been a stewardess, but thin enough that I could eat what I wanted, and exercise only a little. Tragically (and I use this word with definite irony intended), something magical and maniacal happened called my 30's. As I creeped my way up into through my 30's,  my belly became more of a shelf, handy for resting my elbows on, and for convincing complete and total strangers that I was pregnant, but not much else.

Through my "belly fat" phase, I have attempted crunches with little to no effect, have just started a health drink regime to supposedly ward off my hunger cravings, and am now going for broke with my favorite work-out ever, the Jane Fonda Collection.

I did Jane Fonda tapes with my mom when I was a girl and loved them. When I was online at Amazon recently searching out the Yoga Zone (which I recommend for Yoga beginners like me who are scared of embarrassing themselves in a real studio), I stumbled upon the Jane Fonda work-out from 1995 which is now available on DVD at Amazon for 7.99. As someone who is not in relatively good shape, but is able to walk incredibly fast on flat surfaces, this is the perfect work out for me. The added bonus, is of course, that I can do it in the privacy of my own home far away from the eyes of the perfectly fit people with the perfect bodies who seem to inhabit every single gym I have ever been in.

The DVD offers three separate work-outs. My personal favorite is "Buns, Abs, and Thighs", which is a mix between the fun 80's style aerobics (step-ball change anyone?) squats, lunges, and crunches. Jane and her team of 80's style girls lead me through a 25-minute exercise that leaves me sweating and happy. To step up the squats and arm exercises, I use a set of 2-lb weights so I can feel a little more of a burn. While it's tempting to laugh at the routine and the leotards they are wearing, I really like the mix between the high-impact aerobics and the lunges that Jane uses.

For those with knee problems, the DVD also has a low-impact and stretch work-out as well as a "Total Body Sculpting" work-out. The stretching sections are similar to some of the exercises used in yoga and feel great.

In short, I would recommend this to anyone hoping for a more fun exercise routine or who wants a blast from the past. As for my belly-fat, it isn't quite as much of a shelf as it was a few weeks ago, but let's just say the sweet days of my 20's are over.