That's the magic of Lithe.
Fitness buff Lauren Boggi introduced her Lithe Method five years ago, and the locally grown exercise style is becoming a bona fide fitness phenom. Some of the city's smartest women swear it's the secret to their shapely, but not skinny, yet fiercely toned bods.
Well-known local lithers include CBS3 news anchor Lesley Van Arsdall, a new mom, as well as Beka Rendell, special-events planner and daughter-in-law of former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (yes, she is preggers).
Lithe is so popular in certain Philadelphia circles it's not just an adjective anymore. It's accepted as a noun - as in lither - and a verb - as in, I'm getting ready to lithe.
Allison Lubert, owner of Philly's Sweet Freedom vegan bakery, lithes on the regular as does Christine Speer Lejeune, deputy editor of Philadelphia Magazine. Kate Egan, owner of Center City jewelry store Egan Day, says the Lithe Method is responsible for her boo-tay.
"It's a little bit like a cult," said Kelly Boyd, owner of Center City public relations firm KB Consulting, who says lithing keeps her perennially bathing-suit ready. "It's like a girls' club full of fit and healthy women."
Boggi, 34, a tiny-waisted mother of a 6-month-old, got her start in the fitness world as a Pilates instructor. The former cheerleader added some cheer and dance moves to her routine and the Lithe Method was born. Yes, the Lithe Method and Pilates are related, Boggi says, but are more distant cousins than direct descendants.
"I like to think of it as one part cardio, one part cheerleading, one part sculpting," she said.
At the moment, Boggi offers 38 kinds of Lithe Method classes, such as "Fab-u-legs," which tones thighs, and "Arm-istice," which promises to eviscerate bat wings.
