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I have not yet found a cosmetic that will take years away (good maintenance yes, but no miracles). Exercise, on the other hand, can strip decades away from your body. So let’s make regular exercise a resolution for 2012. If you are getting out of a rut, wanting to get back in the saddle or just want to get started on a program to get fit, I really recommend The Bar Method. It gives results at any age and is supremely efficient. I am a complete convert, have an embarrassing crush on the founder, Burr Leonard, and have just added another of her DVDs to my collection: The Bar Method Accelerated Workout ($20 in the shop).

Accelerated Workout is similar to the classic (well, that’s how I look at it) Bar Method Change Your Body exercise DVD. If you are new to the Bar Method, then I would start with Change Your Body, as the pace is good for beginners as they learn the intense precision of the moves. But if you already know and love it, you might want to turn up the tempo a bit and get more of a calorie burn with the Accelerated Workout. In any event, it’s always a good idea to switch your routines slightly to prevent plateauing or just simply getting bored.

The Accelerated Workout integrates the main tenets of the Bar Method, combining interval training for fat burning, the muscle carving technique of isometrics, dance conditioning to elongate the muscles (my thighs are longer and leaner, I swear), and physical therapy science. It is a total body 50-minute workout.

You will need free-weights (2 to 5lbs) and a mat. You don’t need a bar – you can use a piece of furniture such as the back of a chair. You can complete the full 50 minutes in one session, but 25 minutes worth (providing you try to exercise up to five times a week) will elicit great results. Thighs and bum are especially trimmed with the bar exercises and there’s some deceptively challenging core exercises as well. The Super Sculpting DVD with its intense muscle chiseling movements is my favorite of all Bar Method DVDs, but Accelerated Workout is a great way to switch it up and keep my routines fresh.