Dylan Dreyer’s six-pack started with a piece of advice from her dad.
For TODAY’s annual Halloween extravaganza on Oct. 30, the co-anchor transformed into Jeannie from the classic sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie,” complete with a wig, a stunning wardrobe and a midriff-baring top that put her toned midsection center stage.
“I have always, except for when I was pregnant, had a six-pack,” Dylan tells TODAY.com. “And it’s literally because when I was younger, my dad always said to me, ‘Tighten your stomach.’”
So she did, and she never stopped. Keeping her core tight as she went about her day became second nature, a built-in workout decades before it ever had a national audience.
“It’s not like I’m sitting there doing 1,000 sit-ups a day to get my stomach in shape,” she says.
(One caveat for anyone tempted to copy her: Physical therapists warn that constantly sucking in your stomach can lead to “hourglass syndrome,” a pattern in which the diaphragm can’t fully expand, causing shallow breathing, back pain and extra pressure on the pelvic floor.)
Still, Dylan didn’t leave the big reveal to chance.
“I have stepped up my game a little bit in the last couple weeks because I knew this costume was coming,” she says.
Her secret weapon is the Soto Method, a program created by trainer Hilary Hoffman. The name stands for “60 on, 10 on:” Each block opens with a 60-second isometric hold, followed by 10 moves meant to push the muscles to failure. Dylan’s go-to routine ends with a five-minute core finisher designed to leave the muscles burning.
“You really feel it afterward,” she says.
The day before the show, she even fit in bonus reps: a quick core circuit in her dressing room, followed by a second workout.
She also cut back on sweets in the weeks leading up to the big day, though she didn’t give them up entirely. Dylan kept a bowl of candy corn around and allowed herself a piece when she walked by.
Meal timing was already on her side: Dylan is mindful about when she eats, typically finishing dinner around 5:30 p.m. and not eating again until her yogurt the next morning. The mom of three boys gets in some extra movement by taking her sons and the family dog on a long walk after dinner.
The extra workouts and skipped sweets aren’t permanent. Dylan plans to return to her usual routine once Halloween wraps, and Friday night might call for Chinese food.
The six-pack may grab the headlines, but Dylan saves her biggest praise for the people who turned her into Jeannie.
“The wardrobe team is unbelievable,” she says.