The Science:
I bought the 'Atomica Hotpants', which were £65, I was a little nervous about spending that much money on jogging bottoms but the reviews from other bloggers really convinced me to splash out. The hotpants use Celu-Lite Technology which according to their website is a "patent pending, multi-layer fabric technology" which heats the body up during exercise to "help you burn more calories", in other words, they make you work harder and they make you sweat. The '2 Week Challenge' is encouraged by Zaggora itself - basically you wear the hotpants everyday for between 30-60 minutes while being active. I found this pretty easy most of the time. I'm training to complete a 5k by the end of the year with the C25K plan, so 3 days a week I'm sorted. The rest of the time I've made myself either go out for a walk or do the housework (honestly, our house & garden have never been tidier!). I only missed one day through the whole two weeks, and that was only because I was overindulging with cakes & alcohol in Harrogate (whoops!)
The Look:
The 'Atomica' Hotpants have a fold-over waistband which enable you to hide your midriff if necessary, not something I'm bothered about as I don't make a habit of wearing clothes that show off my stomach! However, the waistband itself is something that really attracted me to these, as it looked really stylish, funky and UNIQUE. I love the quirkiness of the waistband, it really makes them standout from the rest, and when they came in the post I spent a worryingly long time admiring them! I also love how I can cover up my stomach, smooth out its outline and STILL be comfortable without feeling 'squished in'! As a fashion statement, they really are great. I know that's not the point as when I go out running I turn into a hideously red-faced beast who sounds like Darth Vader, so anything that I enjoy wearing can't be a bad thing, right?
Just to support the 'fashion statement' claim, I once actually wore these to band practice as leggings underneath a dress and [in my opinion] they still looked pretty good.
The Feel:
A lot is said about way the hotpants feel, they do resemble a wetsuit but there's certainly nothing strikingly unusual about them, and like I mentioned above, I've worn them as leggings and I swear no one was any the wiser. Many comments I've seen complain about the sound they make on the inner thighs, this is especially prevalent when you're running or walking when they rub together. Now, I don't actually have this problem, I've always had a gap between my legs, however, even when I do rub the material to test out the sound I don't feel it's anything to be self-conscious about in my opinion.
The Workout:
One question I got asked about the hotpants was how much you can tell you're sweating. This was something I wondered as well, especially as sweating isn't a very pleasant experience (for me anyway). To be honest, they were really comfortable, the fit was good and I didn't feel sweaty until I took them off. During the workout I definitely felt like I was working harder. I made the mistake once of not taking any water with me on a particularly hot day, and I lived to regret it. Obviously, if you're going to lose this much water, you need to replace it! That's one big bit of advice I'd give to anyone using these. For gods sake, keep yourself hydrated! On a hot day they do make things harder, and I did have a bad run this morning because of the heat. I'm looking forward to trying my other jogging bottoms to see if they make things easier. It's not a big complaint though, as you feel like you're getting more from the workout and that can only be a good thing when you're trying to build stamina.
As for washing, Zaggora recommend that you wash on a cool temperature or hand wash. I've been washing these 1-2 times a week and rinsing in the shower every other time. So far so good. They dry quickly as well, so no need to worry about having damp jogging bottoms next time you use them.
Good:
- They look great, nice design and very flattering.
- Good quality material.
- Excellent fit, waistline can be adjusted depending on how much you want to cover.
- You work harder during workouts.
- Easy to look after.
- Not great for people who don't like excessive sweat, but that's down to personal preference. If I didn't like that, I wouldn't buy them.
- Expensive. I spent a long time deliberating whether to get some. I gave in to temptation, but I may save any future purchases until my birthday or Christmas.
- You can get very hot in them. Take water with you on a workout.
Overall:
Ok, here's the real test - did I lose anything? That's the big selling point, the thing that Zaggora insist the hotpants help with. I grew quite frustrated with many of the reviews I read, because many mentioned how they worked, how they looked and how much they sweat, I don't feel they addressed the true issue - do they actually work?
Before:
Waist - 84cm
Hips - 105cm
Thigh - 55cm
After:
Waist - 79cm
Hips - 100cm
Thigh - 53cm
So that's 2 inches from my waist and hips, and 2cm from my thighs. Not bad going for 2 weeks! My weight hasn't changed at all though. I see a lot of reviews where people shed lbs quite quickly, but not for me. Like I've said, I am running though so I'd assume that's down to muscle mass (I have lost 2lbs since I started running). My diet hasn't changed much either, I'm eating better generally but I didn't make a deliberate attempt to change anything during the 2 week challenge.
So, a nice little loss there. Something that will certainly motivate me to keep using them (for £65 I'd be daft not to!), especially if I'd lost a couple of inches in the space of 2 weeks. As I'm still on my summer holidays I'll still have the time to wear them everyday, so who knows how much more I'd lose in the next 4 weeks?
I'd definitely recommend Zaggora for anyone who wants to lose inches, but this would have to be alongside a decent diet and active lifestyle. I didn't lose any weight, but I have seen people who have had more success. If you are willing to pay the money, then go for it. Zaggora do some fantastic, stylish products, and I can't wait to keep using the hotpants over the summer. Now I'm going to start saving for my next purchase :-)
