The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough, by Sean Foy, with Nellie Sabin and Mike Smolinski (Workman, 2009), 290 p. Wire coil bound. ISBN: 9780761154198

The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough, by Sean Foy, addresses the single most common excuse that people have for not exercising: I don’t have enough time. Experts usually recommend half an hour of moderate exercise every day. Is it really possible to become fit in 10 minutes a day? That depends on how you spend your ten minutes.

Sean Foy, a behavioral coach and exercise physiologist, has devised and clinically tested an exercise regimen based on the sequence 4-3-2-1. Start with 4 minutes of high energy aerobic training (or cardio). Move immediately into 3 minutes of resistance training, 2 minutes of core exercises (abs and more), and end with 1 minute of stretching and deep breathing.

In all exercise routines, your body will adjust, and after a while will cease to provide benefit. Besides, doing the same thing over and over gets boring. So Foy presents three levels of routines, with enough different routines at each level for four weeks. Although the individual exercises, including chair jogging, air boxing, stationary marching, and wall pushups, are all simple, Foy provides illustrated step-by-step illustrations.

The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough works because the routine requires non-stop movement for 10 minutes. No stopping to rest or catch your breath. The intensity of the workout will boost your metabolic rate, increase your endurance, build muscle, lower your blood pressure and blood cholesterol, and enable you to lose weight.

All-Purpose Guru Alert offers one carefully chosen, high-quality book like this every day. Stop by often.