Workout Secrets

Summer is almost here!!!! Is your body ready for that hot two piece bikini?

Doing aerobics in high heels to flatten the stomach.

The Truth: Women in one study who walked in heels 3 inches or higher toned abdominal and pelvic floor muscles 15 percent more effectively than when wearing flats. "Heels force the body into a posture that requires core muscles to fight to stabilize," says Philip Goglia, Ph. D., author of Turn Up the Heat (BookSurge, 2009). More muscles working together equals superior toning. But since heels can up injury risk, Goglia advises a safer option for similar results: platform sneakers like Skechers ( $100 and up at Zappos. com)

Working out in a sauna suit to speed fat loss.

Donning a vinyl suit spurs only water-weight loss. "But heat makes muscles warm up rapidly, so they're more supple and flexible, which can help improve muscle tone," says Goglia. Still, he caustions against wearing a sauna suit, adding that the benefit can be achieved by exercising in a room heated to 80F." However, this is only for people who are healthy- no high blood pressure, vertigo or other health concerns. And hydration is critical, so drink water before, during and after a workout."


Exercising on an empty stomach to burn more fat

"When you train on an empty stomach, your body will rapidly utilize whatever sugar is floating around in the bloodstream, then start burning stored fat," says Goglia. But there's a downside: A study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that when people ate nothing pre-workout, they became fatigued faster and stopped exercising 30 minutes earlier than when they ate breakfast. The fix: Eat 1 Tbs. of almond butter 20 minutes before a workout. Goglia explains, "almond butter provides fuel to extend exercise duration and intensity, so more fat calories are used as energy."