The Thing I've Added to My Workout Routine That I Swear Helps Me Slim Down

I hate working out. There. I said it.

All that moving around, and that bass-tastic music, and those god-awful peppy instructors. Oh, and don't even get me started on the SWEATING. I really can't stand the sweating. The whole gym rat thing is just not my bag.

Still, I do it. A couple of times a week, I suck it up and suck it in just so I can keep a spring in my step and my butt in my jeans.

A few Tuesdays ago as I sat in my car outside the gym summoning the strength to go inside, my workout buddy Katrina walked by my window wearing a bright pink pair of pants. They were remarkable in a couple of ways: a) They were neon, and Katrina is typically a low-key, all-black-gear kind of exerciser; b) They appeared to be made of some wetsuit type material -- neoprene or the like -- and sort of "swished" as she walked by; and c) They were SKIN-tight -- again, like a wetsuit. Finding out what was up with these mystery pants was all the incentive I needed to hop out of the car and catch up to her on the way to our spinning class.

Turns out that Katrina had on a cool pair of Zaggora Hotpants. Evidently they're the cat's meow with the workout set because, as it says on their website, they are "specially designed with Celu-Lite technology fabric lining, and enhance your natural body temperature to warm you up in the areas you want to target most (thighs, bum, and legs)." The result? Women claim to lose weight four times as quickly when they work out in these pants.

How do they work? They use your body heat to increase energy expenditure by raising your core temperature by up to 18 percent. You heat up, use more energy and -- presto -- burn more calories. And you look pretty snazzy (granted, in an '80s dance club kind of way) while you're at it.

Since I hate working out so much, I decided to get myself a pair. Hey, if I can blast more calories in the same amount of gym time, maybe I can go less often. I'm all for making deals and gross rationalizations when it comes to exercise! I got home later that day, logged on to the Zaggora site, and ordered myself a pair in bright blue with neon orange piping.

They arrived a few days later and I was ready to take them for a spin -- in a step class. (Yes, step classes still exist.) Guess what? I sweated up a storm. It was tantamount to what I imagine wearing saran wrap in a sauna would feel like. And even though, as I've said, I'm not much into the whole sweating thing, knowing that I must've burned up a gillion more calories in those pants than in my regular Lulus, I was stoked and encouraged.

And, today, several weeks later, I remain excited and very into my bright blue pants. They're the greatest thing to happen to workout wear since Nike dri-fit technology. So, if you're looking for a way to get more out of your same old routine, you may want to try a pair of HotPants too. If you do, let me know how you like them in the comments section below!