Did you ever think that a pair of shorts, could actually help you fit into pants? Well, you might find it strange, but Cool Shapes is a compression short with pockets into which you put chilled gel packs. They are literally supposed to freeze away your fat!
The concept embraces the theory of cold therapy as a means to diminish stubborn localized fatty deposits resistant to diet and exercise. There is a lot of interest and perhaps, some controversy surrounding the scientific idea that fat cells are uniquely sensitive to cold. Brown fat cells, the kind we want, react to cold by becoming more active and burning more calories. White fat cells, the ones we don't want so much of, have been shown to react to cold with withering and dying.
So what is Cool Shapes? It's a stretchy pair of shorts very much like the ones cyclists wear, made of a very comfortable 90% Polyester and 10% Lycra. The waist is elasticized and into the garment are sewn six elasticized pockets: one small one that sits at the small of your back, and four larger pockets on either side of your thighs, plus one "kangaroo pouch" when your stomach sits. You chill the pads, place them in the pockets, and wear the shorts for 30 minutes a day. The claim is that in as little as 5 weeks of wearing these shorts with the cool packs for 30 minutes a day, you will look and feel better, with more toned skin and perhaps, even a tighter bottom half, overall.
That may seem like a lot of snake oil, and this process has not been FDA approved, nor have the bike shorts been scientifically proven. but there are testimonials that say it works. There is also a page of press including articles from sources like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and MSN. If you are interested in this product you can, and should, check these out.
The one thing I do like about Cool shapes is that they come in women's sizes Small (4-6), Medium (8-10) and Large (12-14). They're comfortable to wear, even with the gel packs in them. The gel packs make the shorts bumpy so if you were going to wear these out in public, you'd want to wear a long T-shirt over them. You would think that the gel packs would be cold and uncomfortable, but actually, they were pretty refreshing. Wear the shorts with the cool packs in them for 30 minutes a day and that's it. You aren't supposed to wear them for more than 30 minutes at a time (although I put them on, got busy, and forgot for an hour). My skin didn't feel tighter, but who knows if or what was happening beneath the surface where I couldn't see??
You aren't supposed to shower or bathe within 30 minutes of wearing Cool Shapes. That makes sense, since you have chilled your skin down and you dont' want to reheat it too quickly. There are other caveats, such as the product isn't for kids, it isn't for those with certain medical conditions, or for those with certain skin conditions.
I cannot say whether or not the Cool Shapes work because I just couldn't use them regularly for the 30+ days required. But my skin did feel, well...cold. In the Summer I would love to wear these just because. The shorts are machine wash cold and gentle dry low (obviously, without the gel inserts). The inserts should last a long time as long as they are not punctured. They don't freeze "hard" so you can just keep them in your freezer. and pop them out and in as you want them. However, the initial Cool Shapes set only comes with four gel pads. You really need six to fill all the pockets.
Cool Shapes will set you back a few bucks. The initial set of 1 pair of Cool Shapes shorts, plus 4 gel packs, is $99.95 *plus shipping and handling. Additional gel/cool packs are offered in sets of two 6" x 9" packs for $23.90 plus shipping and handling. To get all those pesky spots on your thighs, you really need the additional two packs, and that brings the cost from $99.95 to over $124.00 plus shipping and handling. There is no trial offer, so you have to believe they will work before you buy them. I was dubious, but you never know.....
If you want to try this unique approach to chilling your fat away, you can get Cool Shapes on their Freeze Away Fat Web Site
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