Can an undergarment fast-track your workout routine by helping you burn calories on days you don't get to the gym? Amy Verner,  The Globe and Mail's style columnist, interviewed York Professor Veronica Jamnik about such claims July 22:

Designed by Canadian chiropractor Denise Perron and launched in June, the knee-length ShaToBu (as in SHApe, TOne, BUrn) offers added resistance around the legs. The claim is this: By wearing one, women can not only achieve a sleeker silhouette but also expend more energy going about their day.

Veronica Jamnik, a professor and exercise physiologist in York University’s Faculty of Health, says it’s hard to assess the company’s calorie-busting claims, which are based on independent oxygen output tests, because there are so many variables that may not have been factored into the final results.

She notes that women would probably benefit as much, if not more, by incorporating more non-exercise physical activity – whether standing up while on the phone or gardening – into their day.

She reserves her greatest concern for wearing such a restrictive garment for any extended period of time. “What is the health impact of wearing it all day,” she wonders. “Am I guarded about it? Absolutely.”

She also points out that the perceived caloric expenditure may translate into people thinking they have licence to eat more.

The complete article is available on the Globe's Website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin.