Salma Hayek’s “Restorative Yoga” as a Way to Tone is a Crock

If you want to see an example of media pushing a news story without doing much research, look no further than all of the places where you can read about how Salma Hayek supposedly keeps her figure. The actress is turning 49 this year, and she credits her youthful appearance to something she called “restorative yoga.” And while you may want to consider trying restorative yoga, don’t expect to shed pounds. It’s also not exactly what Hayek is doing.

In People magazine, Hayek claimed that due to her hectic schedule she has no time for fitness, so she must find a way to exercise “on the go.” And she does so by, well, check this out:

I work with a woman in London who taught me how to hold my body in a way where the muscles are activated all day long. So even when you brush your teeth, you’re working the muscles.

So is this a miracle trick to get a body like a Hollywood actress? Uh, nope.

According to this article, all of that is nonsense. You can’t just activate certain muscles all day long and get the same kind of effect that you get from diet and exercise. And activating muscles takes lots of focus, and it’s hard to do when co-workers, kids and others are making demands of you. We recommend activating the lower abdominal muscles by performing the drawing in maneuver – when doing simple things like lifting an object or going for a walk. We make this recommendation as a way to engage part of the core to protect the lower back – not to shed pounds.

Is muscle activation the same as restorative yoga? Not exactly. Restorative yoga is a low-impact, concentrated yoga where you use props to hold certain poses for many minutes. It’s a good mental challenge and not nearly as physically strenuous as most yoga. It does have some worthy benefits, but it will not give you Salma Hayek’s body.

Instead, try diet and high-intensity exercise. And if that doesn’t work, you may consider becoming a millionaire celebrity with great genes.