'Skinny jeans' class aims to aid your zip

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'Skinny jeans' class aims to aid your zip

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/10/skinny.jeans.workout/index.html

To look at her, you'd never know Ordona, 25, has a problem with her

jeans. " I don't like the fact that when you sit down, your stomach comes over

them, " she says.

A retail specialist with a commercial real estate firm in Bethesda, land,

Ordona knows image is part of success. That's why she has been diligent about

hitting the gym four to five times a week. But even with all her crunches and

lifting, she sometimes experienced denim frustration.

Unhappy with her former gym, Ordona decided to join a national health club chain

in her neighborhood. Much to her surprise, she found a class called Skinny Jeans

Workout, specifically designed to get rid of those annoying little bulges and

bumps. " It's different than your typical workout class, " she says. " It's not

high-impact cardio, but you're sweating the whole time because you're working

every muscle group. "

The Skinny Jeans Workout concentrates on core muscles, balance and posture. A

cross between ballet, butt-burning stretches and light weight lifting, the

workout involves the entire body.

Grimmer, a group fitness instructor, teaches the class. " What I love about

Skinny Jeans is it takes everything from Pilates -- the core workout, which

would be the tightening around of your abdominal muscles, your lower back.

People think of that as " the core. " But there's also the shoulder girdle, which

we work out a lot in Skinny Jeans, too, " says Grimmer. " So really we're thinking

about anything that would be postural or placed into your jeans, so you've got

your abdominals, of course, and we work the inner and outer thighs that go into

the jeans. "

The hourlong class is taught twice a week. Regulars swear they've dropped a

jeans size or two since the class began four months ago. They say it not only

tightens the tush, but the workout also helps develop the flexibility and

strength to hold the back straight.

Cherpeski Bannister, another class instructor, believes posture is key to

fitting into tight pants. " In addition to sort of holding it in, we're also

lifting and lengthening and, as we do that, we sort of set our shoulders into

place, " Bannister says. " I probably said it in class -- we 'tuck our shoulder

blades into our back pockets' -- so we're opening the chest as well. "

Bannister says so many of us spend portions of our day stressed, at our computer

or rounded forward while driving. " So this is a good way to kind of set the body

back up. ... It makes everything more efficient, " she says.

The class is usually taught in bare feet, for maximum balance. It forces " our

bodies to be smarter, " says Bannister. She reasons that by freeing up your feet,

you have to use your brain as well. " You have to think and feel what's

happening. If you don't [go barefoot], then it's not a waste of time, but you

don't get as much out of it as maybe you should. "

But like any exercise program, it's important to take it slowly. " Any time you

begin a new workout, you need to avoid doing too much, too soon. You don't want

to go from zero to 60 in 10 seconds, " says Dr. , an orthopedic

surgeon at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. " One of the worst

things a person can do is start exercising, overdo it, get hurt and become

discouraged. You should look to your instructor for guidance and make sure that

person is keyed in to your fitness level. "

likes the concept of the workout. " Exercises that develop the core

muscles are important, " he says. " Not only does core strength decrease waist

size, it increases your energy and endurance, which make it easier to engage in

other physical activities such as golf, tennis -- even shopping for another pair

of skinny jeans. "

The Skinny Jeans Workout and other programs similar to it can be found at health

clubs across the country. While the specifics of the workouts may vary,

depending on the health club, the goal is pretty much the same: It's all about

zipping yourself up into the smallest jeans in your closet.

" You do it right, you do it a few times, and then you're set, " Grimmer says. " My

clients love it. ...They all come to the class, and they've seen such great

results. I've had people go down sizes in jeans; I've had people tighten up. ...

They're standing up a little bit taller, and everything's straighter and very

proud. "