LOSE THOSE LAST 10 POUNDS: The 28-Day Foolproof Plan to a Healthy Body By Denise Austin; Broadway Books, 261 pages, $21.95

I must confess I’ve always admired Denise Austin’s enthusiasm, casting aside my inherent tendency to recoil at perky trainers and fitness experts.

The woman who convinced me to put my “down time” to good use by doing isometric exercises and abdominals while standing in line or driving to work had little trouble grabbing my attention again. In her latest book, the 5-foot-4, 112-pound Austin (who does just 30 minutes of formal exercise each day) gives the basic common-sense advice we all need to hear: Fad diets don’t work, and successful weight loss means cutting calories and increasing exercise so you burn more calories than you take in.

She also understands the reasons we want to get with the program: a reunion, a dieting plateau, pregnancy pounds, recovery from an injury. So she’s put together a step-by-step plan that mixes sensible eating, healthful recipes (complete with shopping lists) and daily exercise routines, along with motivational tips (listed under the cringe-inducing term “Deniseology”) and ways to squeeze a little more activity into a busy day.

To fend off exercise boredom, Austin’s program alternates aerobics, stretching and interval training with popular strength training moves from Pilates and yoga, presented through detailed instructions and helpful photographs demonstrating proper form.

After reading it, I began thinking I have just about 28 days until my college reunion . . .