A REAL-LIFE Barbie has revealed the secrets that helped her lose 50 pounds and achieve a snatched waist.
Even if you only have 15 minutes, Steph Heintz has tips to help you achieve an enviable figure.
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, she now works in New York City as an executive vice president of sales for a fashion company.
But she also has her own app, the Body Barbie Bootcamp, and has amassed over 580,000 followers on her TikTok (@stepheintz).
"I am showing my followers how having a successful career shouldn't stop you from reaching your fitness and body goals and it is possible," Steph said, in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.
"My content is based on my experience, mistakes I made along the way, the biggest factors in my transformation, and the things I wish I knew sooner."
When asked about how she shed the weight, Steph stated that fasted cardio was one of the biggest factors in her 50-pound weight loss, even if it was just for 15 minutes.
It was not just for burning fat on an empty stomach, but because "waking up and starting my day with movement sets the tone for the day."
Steph shared that she was bullied as a child for both having a cleft lip and also being heavy.
She said: "I'm not sure which was worse, but it was brutal.
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"I also really struggled with emotional eating which I think is so common.
"Every time I felt bad for myself, I told myself that I deserved that treat."
She said she was always active in sports, but her cleft made her breathing difficult, and she had nowhere near the stamina level she has now.
Thankfully, her parents always supported her with whatever resources she wanted, like trainers or nutritionists.
"I got hypnotized to love vegetables because I hated them and after that, I became a pescatarian," she divulged.
Steph said that she discovered that there are so many foods that are marketed to us as healthy and are detrimental to our weight.
"I became a research nerd with food and that's when things unlocked for me.
"I got the diet down and then I met my current trainer in 2017 and she changed my workouts and my life," she explained.
The woman shed the last 15 pounds with her trainer, and her body composition began to completely change.
Many of her most popular fitness videos highlighted leg bridge variations, which is something she is known for online.
Steph said that they're also an effective way to get a snatched waist in 15 minutes if the workout is done correctly and consistently.
"It's pilates at home. Leg and glute bridges are amazing because they do it all. They lift your booty, tone your legs and then fire up your lower abs, giving you that snatched waist look," she added.
In addition, she loves hanging leg twists because they cause a noticeable definition in her abdominal muscles almost immediately.
When it comes to getting into the best shape of your life, Steph said that it all comes down to time.
She suggested that people start their hardest workout on Mondays to kick-start their week and plan accordingly to their schedule.
"If you can only run one mile on Monday, do it so that you kept consistent with movement, but make up for it the next day with a longer workout," she added.
If you want to get in the best shape of your life, she said a 30-day shred is a good idea.
Steph said: "When I want to cut weight and fat, I do a lot of cardio intervals.
"It's no one's favorite but that's why it works. Putting sprints and jumping rope throughout your sets will make a huge difference."
For anyone short on time, she recommends that they download her Train with Steph fitness app Snatched Body Barbie Bootcamp.
It has prompts and clocks to count you down so you fly through your workouts.
The Barbie theme was directly inspired by her everyday life.
"My friends always referred to me as Barbie.
"I just figured because of the movie right now, I'm going to play into it. Because that's what I look like," she explained.
After noticing she was often scrolling through her phone and going through the motions in the gym, she decided a new app was the way forward.
"This app is designed to be your trainer and push you along, so that you get the best calorie burn-in," she explained.
It also has a unique feature that demands the user's attention because "it's designed to give you your body transformation, so it is not just a walk in the park."
"If you swipe out of it to text, it gives you about 20 seconds and then sends you a prompt to get back in the app and come back to your workout," Steph said.
She also motivates her clients to stay in shape with a group chat in the app, designed to hold each other accountable.
"Being born with a cleft lip and cleft palate has given me the drive to go after everything I want," Steph admitted.
"I intentionally didn't put myself on TikTok until I knew I was in a place where I could handle it mentally."
She added: "There have been so many comments about 'fixing' my lip, but those comments only push my page out more and allow it to get seen by more people."
She believed the topic wasn't talked about on TikTok enough when she started content creation two years ago.
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Once her account started taking off, she would sprinkle in the cleft content and now it is recognized on social media, which is something she is incredibly proud of.
"If something seems weird or impossible, I do not care – I will find a way to make it work. There is always a solution and that's how I live my life," she said happily.
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