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Bootylicious buns

Provided by: Sun Media
Written by: Cary Castagna, Sun Media
Nov. 9, 2009

Stephanie Vitorino has Bootylicious Buns.

Well, that's the name of her most popular workout on ExerciseTV, an online video fitness network.

"Everybody wants bootylicious buns," she tells Sun Media with a laugh. "It's one of the top downloads on the site (www.exercisetv.tv). It's 10 minutes. I get people that email me that have memorized the workout."

Buns aside, Vitorino is billed as "one of Los Angeles' hottest celebrity trainers."

Indeed, with the launch this month of her first fitness DVD, The Ultimate Body Shaper, the former magician's assistant and professional dancer is rising to the top of a competitive industry.

And at 36 years old, Vitorino is proud to proclaim she's in the best shape of her life -- an uber-fit 125 pounds at five-foot-seven.

"I've never been stronger. I'm heading into my late 30s and I feel like I look better and I'm stronger than I was in my 20s," she says.

"I feel that I could accomplish anything in my life and that's through fitness."

Sounds as though she's a born natural.

But Vitorino confesses that she was actually an inactive, overweight child from a family not the slightest bit fitness-conscious.

"Up until about eighth grade, I was always the heavy kid in my class. I was raised with a grandmother that cooked the most delicious, fattening meals imagined," she recalls, noting classmates poked fun at her excess weight. "That was really difficult, when you get teased and you have to deal with that in school."

Then one fateful day when she was about 12 years old, Vitorino decided she had had enough.

With support from her mom, she changed her eating habits. And on the advice of her phys ed teacher, she took up dance.

As she remembers it: "My weight dropped and my self-confidence grew."

Years later as a young adult, Vitorino launched a successful professional dance career that culminated with a nightly gig as an assistant to Master Magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

"It was a job that required you stay fit," she says. "But what happened was that it really inspired me to learn more about my body and what I could do to make it healthier and better."

After five years as Burton's lovely assistant, Vitorino opted to devote her life to her new passion: fitness.

She became a certified personal trainer circa 1997. Twelve years later, her passion for fitness still burns brightly.

These days, Vitorino is the group fitness manager at a Los Angeles health club, where she teaches four classes a week.

One notable class participant is TV personality and model Brooke Burke.

"She's a darling," Vitorino says of the famous Wild On! host. "She's known for having this incredible body and I can tell you that she works really hard at it."

As Vitorino can attest, genetics only go so far in the hunt for a hot bod.

"It takes hard work and it's what you put in your mouth," she says.

In addition to teaching, Vitorino works out three times a week, executing an intense blend of weight training and cardio for up to an hour each session.

Once a week she'll toss in a run or bicycle ride, as well as a yoga class.

Vitorino also enjoys taking her dog Stella -- a Corgi and Australian Shepherd mix -- on hikes or long walks.

"I like to mix things up a lot," she explains, adding she often steps out of her "comfort zone" by modifying an exercise to make it more challenging and spur the recruitment of more muscle fibres.

"Get uncomfortable with it because then your body has to adapt."

Of course, all that activity would be rendered futile if she didn't watch what she ate.

Vitorino eats three meals and two snacks daily -- composed largely of veggies, fruit and lean protein sources.

"You feel energized when you eat that way," she adds.

The exercise-video star needs all the energy she can muster. She's in production on Bootylicious Buns 2, which is slated for release this winter. And the sequel has a lot to live up to.

Visit www.StephanieVitorino.com for more.

Stephanie's tips:

1) Vary standard exercises to challenge your body to change. The end result is maximal muscle adaptation in every move, saving time and helping break through a plateau.

2) Manage your stress levels as best you can so you can reap the rewards of your hard work in the gym. It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for you.

3) Strengthen your upper body muscles, such as your back and shoulders, to create a V-shape, tapering to a tight waistline. It's not only an illusion that has a slimming effect, but with a strong back and upper body you will stand taller and look thinner.

Cary Castagna is a certified personal trainer through Can-Fit-Pro. If you have a story for Keeping Fit, e-mail Cary at cary.castagna@sunmedia.ca

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