Busting off your gut

Reporter: Rodney Lohse
Broadcast Date: November 01, 2005

With summer nearly here it's time to squeeze back into bathers and head for the beach. We find a solution to get rid of unwanted spare tyres in only six weeks.

We put three guinea pigs to the test to see who could lose the most centimetres off their waists in six weeks through different forms of exercise.

Anna Mahoney was our first guinea pig. Like many mums after a baby, she found it hard to shift the weight left behind particularly round the middle.

"I had a baby about a year ago and as women grow they put on weight and after having Penelope the tummy pretty much stayed there and didn't go away," Anna said.

So for six weeks she was in the hands of Simone Evans, from Fernwood Fitness.

"We're going to do a few classes with her - she'll do our 'abs butt and thigh' classes and she'll have a program she can follow at her convenience," Simone said.

Anna started at 104.5cm.

Next was Diane Takis. She also had children, and had been trying to lose her tummy through various forms of exercise.

"Just general aerobics exercise, lots of walking, and although that gave me a good cardio level that tummy was the hardest to lose," she said.

Diane tried the latest craze Pilates under the guidance of Natasha Newton from Corpilates, who said it was the ideal gut busting exercise.

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"It's an exercise method that concentrates on aligning people, and once we've got that good alignment and core strength we can move on to strengthening the outer limbs," Natasha said.

For six weeks Diane did three pilates sessions a week. Natasha said without any dietary changes she would see dramatic results.

The third guinea pig was TT reporter Rodney Lohse.

"I know I'm not the fattest bloke in Australia, but I don't have a ripped six pack either and we all know that ever since Tom Williams got his gear off on 'Dancing with the Stars', anything short of a six pack isn't going to cut it," he said.

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"So over the next six weeks I'm going to do 100 sit ups four times a week and see if I can reduce my 94cm girth," Rodney said.

"So Tom Williams look out," he said.

After having their measurements taken, it was time to get exercising. Anna was 104.5cm round the waist; Diane was 82cm and Rodney 94cm.

Six weeks and a lot of exercise later, Anna was a changed woman.

"I wake up easier in the morning got more energy more confident happier buying new clothes now," Anna said.

And although Anna did cheat a little by dieting, the result was still dramatic - a 15cm loss.

"I'm very surprised - I worked hard but I didn't think I'd get such wonderful results," she said.

As for Diane she too has had impressive results with no changes to her eating or lifestyle, except for going to pilates.

"I've actually toned up all over my body and the strength in everyday life playing with the kids," she said.

"By engaging my core, I'm minimising the risk of damage".

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And even though Diane didn't look like she had much to lose, she had significant results with just three sessions a week, losing 7cm off her waist.

"Now I must point out I did not change my diet at all," Rodney said.

He started on 94cm, and finished on 91 cm.

Our final tally stood with Anna losing 15cm, Diane losing 7cm and Rodney losing 2.5cm.

Just goes to show you don't have to do a lot to make a difference.

For more info on Fernwood Fitness, check out their website: www.fernwoodfitness.com.au or call 13 33 76

For more info on CorPilates, check out their website: www.corpilates.websyte.com.au or call 03 9510 0880

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