The reality: The only way to strengthen your muscles is to work out. We
think the reason electrical stimulation gizmos have such staying power is
that electrical stimulus or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
machines do have legitimate medical uses: They’re used by highly trained
doctors and physical therapists to manage pain and help rehabilitate certain
injuries. But they can cause serious injury from burns and electrical shocks
when used by laypeople.Spot-Reducing Gadgets
The products:Abdominal gizmos, neoprene “waist trimmer” belts, neck
toners, “reducing” shorts — there’s no shortage of products that profess to
melt the fat on a particularly blubbery spot on your body. In response to a
crackdown by the Federal Trade Commission, many abdominal-gadget manu-
facturers have stopped making the direct claim that their products will cause
weight loss in the abdominal area. However, they haven’t stopped implying
that this will happen, firming and flattening abs, melting excess fat, and so on.The reality:The concept of spot-reducing is bogus; you can’t pick and choose
where on your body you’ll lose fat. Abdominal exercises can only strengthen
your abdominals (and many of them don’t even do a good job of that). To lose
that gut, you have to embark on a sensible eating and exercise program — an
approach that will reduce your overall body fat. Some of this body fat is likely
to come from your midsection.Weight-Loss Clothing
The products: Vinyl and synthetic rubber exercise suits that make you sweat
like it’s August in New Orleans.The reality: It doesn’t matter whose heat you use: Reducing inches by
sweating profusely can put you in serious danger. People have died from
wearing vinyl and rubber suits after working out in the heat or wearing the
clothing over a long period of time. Cause of death: extreme dehydration
or a form of blood poisoning brought on when chemicals from the suit
escape into the bloodstream. We think suggesting that these suits can be
worn for “the most strenuous activities” is particularly appalling. The more
strenuous the activity, the more important it is to wear clothing that lets
your skin breathe.376 Part VIII: The Part of Tens