One Sunday, I read an article about vacuuming fat off bodies. The article was posted on the plate glass window of Body Chic...
July 18, 2007
One Sunday, I read an article about vacuuming fat off bodies. The article was posted on the plate glass window of Body Chic (www.bodychic.net), a unique spa located at North Hills. My sister and I laughed acknowledging that we had both thought of that from time to time as we vacuumed the house. “Ah, if only we could hook this thing up to our thighs and suck the fat right out,” we lamented privately. I hadn’t thought much about it until I met the purveyor of this unusual technique.
Body Chic owner Swanie Tolentino discovered Vacu Step while living in Paris. She had one of those days we’ve all experienced: a Fat Day (though she’s not fat). As she walked her dog along a Parisian sidewalk with a mild sense of regret she thought about all the rich foods she had eaten the day before and at breakfast. But she was in Paris! She had to try everything -- twice! Rather than pass up the chance to eat delicious French cuisine she knew that doing more exercise could help, but she wanted to target her stomach, thighs, hip and butt where she tends to gain fat. Fortunately, she knew just the place and it didn’t involve surgery or liposuction.
Swanie saw that Europeans had discovered a non-surgical alternative to liposuction. This special program targets the trouble spots that don’t seem to change much despite hours on cardio equipment. Created in Germany, Vacu Step looks like an enclosed elliptical trainer. You step into a capsule and onto the elliptical steps, close the door, and attach a rubberized “skirt” similar to a kayaker’s spray skirt. This seals you in. You then set the vacuum and start walking slowly within a fat burning range. Swanie said it feels like walking in water, so it’s low impact.
How It Works
According to the makers of Vacu Step, during typical aerobic exercise, body temperature decreases in the stomach, buttocks, hips and thighs because blood typically flows away from the skin and into muscles. Blood must be available to transport the required fat for the muscles to burn as energy. When you are able to increase the blood circulation in the lower body while doing a low impact workout, you increase the chances for fat to be transported to the muscles to burn as energy.
The Vacu Step is designed to incorporate the necessary combination of muscle movement and gentle vacuum technology to help improve blood circulation in the stomach, legs, hips and buttocks. It uses reduced partial air pressure with the gentle vacuum technology to encourage blood to flow more effectively to the outer layers of skin tissue. The result: lost inches, lower body fat and sometimes healthier, firmer better looking skin.
A Business is Born
When Swanie moved back to Raleigh from Paris she missed her Vacu Step workouts. Instead of buying one machine, she took a leave of absence from her job, purchased five machines and opened a relaxing Vacu Step spa called Body Chic on Six Forks and Lassiter Mill behind Harris Teeter. “I felt women in Raleigh should have access to the benefits of Vacu Step just as I did. It’s not a magic solution. I consider it an add-on to your other exercise program and eating healthy. But it can target the trouble spots that we women tend to have. Another bonus is I see women who’ve been sedentary having more energy and they start to mix this up with walking and other physical activities.”
Swanie has the testimonials and statistics to show results, including her own. “I wouldn’t promote this if I failed to see results in myself. I lost 4+ inches. I have customers who have lost on the average anywhere between 2 1/2 and 6 1/2 inches in four weeks. Others continue for another four weeks and lose additional inches.” Clients who’ve kept the inches off stay on a maintenance plan when they reach their goals.
“It’s exciting to share the successes of my clients. I really enjoy helping them achieve their goals,” said Swanie.