Craig Melvin didn\u2019t reach \u201cSexiest Man Alive\u201d status just by sitting on the couch \u2014 he had help from a famous workout.<\/p>\n
The TODAY co-anchor recently won<\/a> the \u201chotter than your cup of coffee\u201d morning host category in the People\u2019s Sexiest Man Alive Readers\u2019 Choice poll.<\/p>\n It may have helped that Savannah Guthrie encouraged viewers to \u201cvote early and often\u201d after he was nominated last month. But guests on the show also couldn\u2019t resist asking Craig about how he accomplished the feat and stays in shape.<\/p>\n \u201cTell us what you did, I think people want to know,\u201d NBC News medical contributor Dr. Akshay Syal teasingly inquired during a segment about exercise goals for every age<\/a> on Friday, Oct. 23. The inquiry prompted laughter from TODAY\u2019s Dylan Dreyer and Laura Jarrett.<\/p>\n \u201cPilates \u2014 a lot of Pilates, because I was having issues with my back and my core,\u201d Craig answered.<\/p>\n \u201cYou too can win the award if you do Pilates,\u201d Syal jokingly told the viewers.<\/p>\n Pilates, named after founder Joseph Pilates, focuses on exercises to strengthen and tone the core \u2014 which includes the abs, back, hips and glutes \u2014 plus the arms and legs, explains TODAY Fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour<\/a>, a certified personal trainer and a yoga and Pilates instructor. <\/p>\n Repeated movements work the midsection, which can be especially beneficial for people with back problems, she adds. The low-impact workout helped to cure her chronic back pain<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pilates can be done on a mat or a reformer machine. When Craig previously tried the machine version<\/a>, he called it \u201cperhaps the most intense\u201d workout he\u2019d ever done, noting that it left him sore for three days afterward.<\/p>\n