I recently took a trip and, for the plane ride, picked up the latest issue of Vogue, which, by the way, I also considered my daily exercise. Have you seen the size of that thing? It's enormous! But, I digress. Normally I just peruse the pages for fabulous fashion, but I was immediately drawn to a Beauty, Health, & Fitness article named Inch by Inch, about "an arm-toning, waist-cinching, thigh-whittling machine that promises miracles in minutes."

Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy working out. However, the idea of losing inches from my waist in minutes was totally intriguing. Just think about it -- all those spur-of-the-moment occasions for which you have the perfect outfit and it's just a little too tight would no longer be a problem!

Anyway, this miracle machine is called the SX-4000 Pro, and it uses technology that was originally intended for physical therapy for multiple sclerosis patients. It uses a microcurrent that "bypasses the usual brain-nerve pathways, stimulating the nerve, and causing muscles to contract." While it was supposed to strengthen and reengage muscles, patients noticed that they were losing inches in the areas affected. And that's the kind of side effect I'd like to see.The writer of the article, Marina Rust, gave the machine a try, and noticed real, lasting results. She asked a few doctors what their opinions were on the machine, and they pretty uniformly stated that they didn't recommend it, and that the results would likely last no more than a day. That's not what spas offering the machine say, nor is it what clients are experiencing -- the inches seem to stay off just as they would if they were lost through diet and exercise.

This might be a quick fix, but it's not cheap. A 40-minute session runs $180. And there is a scary possibility that people who partake of this new procedure will opt out of real exercise, which, as you know, means they would miss out the health benefits regular exercise offers.

Still, if an SX-4000 Pro were available in my area, I think I would give it a shot. Would you?