Letters

Shape, August, 2003

Cellulite Solutions

Thank you so much for the article "Lose Cellulite [Guaranteed]" (April). I've been doing the strength exercises along with jogging, and I'm definitely seeing the results. The moves may look simple, but I can feel my muscles working when I perform them. Thank you for a plan that I can do at home and that finally gives me amazing results!

-- Name withheld by request

I was disappointed in "Lose Cellulite [Guaranteed]" because you didn't show any results. I was expecting to view "before" and "after" photos of women who now have cellulite-free legs. The model who demonstrated the exercises probably never had cellulite in her life. The real women featured in the "You Can Stick With It!" anti-cellulite workout section were photographed wearing long pants -- not a bare leg anywhere! If an article promises results, please show them.

-- Kim Bailey, Louisville, Ky.

The statements in "Lose Cellulite [Guaranteed]" were both inaccurate and irresponsible. The article states, "Doing just three 40-minute cardio/strength classes each week will give you the dimple-free derriere of your dreams!" This is simply not true.

Cellulite is influenced, by both genetic and behavioral factors. Some women, no matter how great the shape they are in, will always have some cellulite. These kinds of empty promises are the equivalent of modern-day snake oil. Please be more careful in the future.

-- Laurie Avery, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Editor's note: Even with a proper diet and exercise regimen, some women may not be able to get rid of cellulite altogether. However, the program prescribed in this article is proven to reduce the appearance of cellulite, and your chances of smoothing the dimpled texture on your lower body (and elsewhere) are far better with this program than with other cellulite-reducing methods in the marketplace. We do acknowledge that results may vary.

Awesome Abs in the Works

I read Shape every month for the great weight-training workouts and inspiration. I've been trying to firm up my abs and I was excited when I saw the cards for "Make Over Your Middle" (Target Training, April). I'm taking these cards to the gym with me so after I'm done exercising on the treadmill, I can do a great ab workout. Thanks!

-- Anna Victoria Reich, Albuquerque, N.M,

Apologizing Gracefully

Thank you for the wonderful article "The Art of Saying 'Sorry'" (Life Lessons, May). An honest apology is important in any kind of relationship, yet it's a struggle for many. If you think of all the effects of saying a simple "I'm sorry" when you should, the world would be a different place.

-- Michelle Dorsey, Denton, Texas

In Great Shape

Four years ago I was married to a man who often belittled me, which left me feeling angry and depressed. Then I read my first issue of Shape, and it changed my life. joined a gym, stopped late-night snacking and followed a healthy diet. I eventually divorced my husband, and as a result my self-esteem soared.

I now meditate, practice yoga, work out and eat right, I still read Shape each month and have run in three 5k's. I feel healthier than I have in years. Thank you for shaping my life.

-- Rhonda A. Mona, Queens Village, N.Y.

Thank you for the inspiration, workouts and recipes featured in Shape every month. Reading each issue and following the workouts and health advice have inspired me to pursue a career in fitness and nutrition. I look forward to continuing to live my life in great shape.

-- Acacia Mandell, Bronx, N.Y.

shapecontributors

Although photographer Davis Factor brought out actress Kristanna Loken's formidable strength for our cover (she does, after all, play the "Terminatrix" in the sci-fi film Terminator 3), he found her unfailingly easygoing, making for a pleasant photo session all around. Factor also shot Loken for our cover story, "She'll Be Back" (page 152). A photographer for 25 years -- with credits including Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair -- Factor co-owns Smashbox (the cosmetics company and studios) with his brother, Dean, and has taught photography at his alma mater, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif.

"If someone who's headed for the couch after work is inspired instead to walk around the block or hit the gym or hiking trail, we've done our job," says Kathleen Doheny about co-editing (with Shape senior editor Sharon Cohen) our Get Fit News, Eat Right News, Shape Your Life News and Think Healthy News columns. It doesn't take much to inspire the Los Angeles-based journalist to go hiking. "Something as simple as a new pair of padded hiking socks will do it," she reports. Besides writing and editing timely health, nutrition and fitness items for us, Doheny covers breaking medical news for healthscoutnews.com and contributes a biweekly travel health column to the Los Angeles Times.

It was her sister, Lesley, a fitness instructor and avid Shape reader, who suggested that Sydney Stoyan, author of this month's Time Out (page 192), submit her story about how taking up running eased her sense of loss over two miscarriages. "Running outside, particularly in a park, was hugely healing for me," Stoyan says. "When I began running after my second miscarriage in spring 2002, the trees were still bare. As the weeks passed, everything started to bloom, and I felt energized by the life unfolding around me." Stoyan's son, Jacob, was born a year later, in April 2003, and now she is eager to get him comfortably settled in a baby jogger. Stoyan, who lives in Toronto, also has written on fashion and style for the Toronto Star. In addition, she runs Sophie Frocks, a home-based business that sells clothing and accessories by Canadian women designers.