Sex has long been considered a more satisfying substitute to working out. But Jackie Warner, owner and managing director of Sky Sport and Spa in California and star of Bravo's "Work Out," insists there's a factor we have to examine: mattress mastery.
"My workouts are great!" pleads the lesbian ab-queen, toying with the false notion cemented by health magazines.
But no matter how much bending goes on in bed, Warner says sex shouldn't take the place of a complete gym workout.
Laughing, she notes: "(Sex is) why you workout."
Since we're up here experiencing Michigan's cold winter, how can we get motivated to get fit?
Uh, don't I know it? Because I was just in (my hometown) Ohio shooting a seventh episode (of "Work Out") and it is very difficult to feel motivated when you're in a freezing climate like that. I do get it 'cause that's my background but I somehow managed. I got up every morning and I went to the local gym there or to the YMCA and I still got my workout in. So go to a warm environment where you feel inspired whether that be your basement room where you have some weights set up or a videotape you can watch or a DVD. The key is to keep moving so you have that summer body, so you feel good when you can start taking some of the sweaters off.
How should women and men's workout regimes differ?
Men are different because they have testosterone, which is that magic formula that allows them to eat Big Macs every day and still go to the gym. It pisses me off. Women have it much harder because we don't have that testosterone level, which maintains muscle, so we can't cheat as much in terms of food. But, in my opinion, women should work out the same way as men. It has more to do with body type. If you are short and compact and tend to gain weight around your mid-section as a woman or a man, you need to keep a power circuit-training regimen up where you're constantly moving. If you're long and lean like me you need to really focus on resting in between sets and lifting more weights, and not so much on cardio.
Can elderly people still workout?
Absolutely! I recommend it. I have some elderly people at my gym and I think it's fantastic. I think it's key because we all get old and our bodies just start breaking down. But you choose, sort of, how you want to end your life and how you want to go out in this world. And I personally want to go out with the least amount of pain and (I want to feel) the best that I can. Keeping up your mental and physical state is key for someone who is elderly.
How good of a cardio workout is swimming?
I think swimming is a fantastic cardio workout and it makes your shoulders look fantastic. The problem is when you swim in a non-heated pool your body starts holding onto fat more effectively right underneath the skin – that subcutaneous layer – and you have like a little layer of fat because your body starts insulating differently. So if you notice swimmers they are lean and ripped and everything, but they're never gonna be as cut as someone who's say a runner or biker or something like that. That's 'cause the body literally starts processing and changing your fat layer underneath the skin to insulate you like a little Eskimo.
What's the secret to a flat tummy?
That whole doing crunches to work out your stomach is a total myth. Everybody who's a professional in the industry knows that but too many fitness professionals cater to making a fast buck by endorsing stomach products and it's a myth. The only way of getting those shredded abs is by putting more muscle on your entire frame, which then decreases the fat in your abdominal area. What happens when you do a lot of crunches and you still have that layer of fat is you can actually build out your stomach area and it's less appealing.
What do you recommend for gym newbies who feel intimidated?
I recommend you take your money and take a little book and hire a trainer and watch trainers at a local gym. You write down everything. You hire them for one month and you pick their brain like crazy. Then fire their ass if you can't afford them.
Check out the March 15 issue of Between The Lines to get a sneak peek at Jackie Warner's turmoil-heavy second season of Bravo's "Work Out" and find out what it was like training trash-talking comedian Kathy Griffin.
