As previously advised, it is supremely important to exercise amidst the economic downturn. That means we should all be taking our stress-relieving workouts to a whole new level.  What better way to pump yourself up than to pump up the volume on a brand new masterfully composed workout playlist.

Where do you find such a thing, you ask? Well, luckily I happen to be a self-proclaimed playlist expert especially when it comes to the association of music with movement.  This skill is a product of many years of dancing semi-professionally.  So get your LEGAL music downloading software ready...(DISCLAIMER: the only material I have consulted in compiling this list was my own iPod)

Cardio: The common thread of these workout songs is the pulsing back beat that encourages an even stride while making it fun.

1. "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Tiesto Remix)", Justin Timberlake on LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Remixes) EP
2. "When I Grow Up", The Pussycat Dolls on Doll Domination
3. "Let Me Think About It (Radio Edit)", Ida Corr & Fedde Le Grande on One
4. "Don't Stop the Music", Rihanna on Good Girl Gone Bad.

Abs: A bit slower on the tempo but still an even bass beat to keep you on target with each crunch.

1. "You Ain't Right", Janet Jackson on All for You.
2. "Black Sweat", Prince on Black Sweat/Beautiful, Loved & Blessed Single
3. "The Way I Are (feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E)", Timbland on Shock Value
4. "Boyz", M.I.A. on Kala

Weight Training: I happen to think hip-hop (inspirational in nature) makes for perfect weight training music.  The lyrics in the songs below are quite literal but you might need Nelly telling you "no one can stop me now" in his Rocky-like anthem below when you are down to those last three reps.

1. "Lose Yourself" Eminem on 8 Mile Soundtrack
2. "Heart of a Champion", Nelly on Sweat
3. "Let It Rock", Kevin Rudolf & Lil' Wayne on Let it Rock Single (also a great abs song)
4. "Get Crunked Up" Iconz on Booty Classics Throwbacks

Yogalates: If ever I can't make it to Bikram, I try to do some positions at home.  Not without the appropriate ambient music of course.  I like my independent yoga/pilates sessions to be motivated with at least a little beat.

1. "The Gentle Dissolve", Thievery Corporation on The Cosmic Game
2. "Breathe", Telepopmusik on Genetic World
3. "Porcelain", Moby on Play
4. "Move for Me (Radio Edit)", Kaskade on Move for Me

 I'd love to hear your favorites, I am always looking for new workout music!

 

 

Nothing is sexier than wearing high heels, slap on a pair of your favorite Manolo's or Jimmy Choo's and you are smokin. What's not so hot, is the pain felt at the ball of your foot and charlie horses in your calves after day-long marathons of a busy work day in heels. For those of you who absolutely cannot leave the house without a pair of heels strapped to your feet, but wish there was a way to strengthen your legs so that you walk right and make heel-wearing less painful, Victor Chu (former designer for Ralph Lauren) and Cece Chin (former accessories designer for Michael Kors and Calvin Klein) have come up with a unique way to do just that with LEGWORK High Heel Fitness.

Continue reading "LEGWORK High Heel Fitness" »

While Yoga has solidified itself as a mainstream fitness option, Bikram Yoga has been emerging as one of it's most popular versions, especially as it becomes branded more often as the "yoga to the stars." Developed by Bikram Choudhury of India now based out of Los Angeles with studios globally, Bikram Yoga has been gaining momentum as more than just a trend, but a way of life for those who incorporate Yoga into their everyday fitness routine. Celebrity or not, Bikram Yoga continues to gain a following that has resulted with countless studios opening around the world and the demand for more.

Bikram Yoga is practiced in a room that is heated to a minimum of 105°F with a humidity of 40%. Classes are guided by a specific set of postures and dialogue including 26 postures and two breathing exercises. While the 26 poses may be challenging, most people tend to scoff at the idea of doing yoga in a very hot environment. However, according to Bikram, this is essential to his technique because it detoxifies the body, increases heart rate, improves circulation, improves strength, protects the muscles and prevents the body from overheating.

Heather Park, Manager of Global Communications for MAC Cosmetics has been practicing Bikram Yoga for the last 4 years. She was willing to share her experience and the benefits of this exercise:

Continue reading "What's Hot In Fitness: Bikram Yoga" »

The words 'wedding day' are almost translated as 'lose weight' to many women taking the plunge. Many brides-to-be seek out wedding prep specific workout plans to lose weight and tone up for the infinite amount of pictures that will be taken on that special day.

 

Toned arms are obviously key to pulling off the insanely popular strapless gown and overall weight-loss is a main goal many brides hope to achieve.  Tailored programs and diets multiply each day to satisfy this growing need and can be found online, on TV or in person at your gym.

 

Besides the desire to make sure your photos feature the slimmest possible version of oneself, brides are also turning to fitness as a way to de-stress.  Working out can help alleviate the craziness that planning a wedding can create in the typical bride's life.  If a future bride takes up kickboxing, maybe it's her mother-in-law's face she envisions as the target?

 

Why can't we apply this same motivation to physical fitness in general?

 

Sue Fleming, the author of the book-turned-T.V. series 'Buff Brides', wants to change the quick fix nature of most diets/fitness programs.  Her approach includes starting early and setting specific and realistic goals.  She also hopes that by giving advice to women getting ready for their big day, she can also show them the advantages to a healthy lifestyle post-wedding. 

 

Many of us, present party included, are guilty of losing weight only in preparation for a specific event.  Be it vacation, a reunion, the summer season...it is always easier to stick to a fitness regime with that tangible goal looming over us.

 

How many of us often resume bad health habits after an event we lost weight for?

 

photo credit: buffbrides.com

Gyrotonic is a low-impact expansion system that can be practiced by everyone regardless of age or fitness capability. Whether you are an advanced athlete, a beginner student or recovering from an injury, Gyrotonic increases flexibility and range of motion dramatically while at the same time toning and strengthening the body. A difference is felt immediately as one begins the low-impact Gyrotonic warm-up starting with gentle undulation of the spine.

Gyrotonic exercise is not linear, but is in fact multi-dimensional, as it smoothly reverts back and forth from contraction to expansion. This procedure releases joints and ligaments from muscular constriction while strengthening surrounding tissue. In conjunction with the exercise procedure, a special method of harmonized breathing aligned with fluid movement takes the body through a complete and full range of motion.

Continue reading "Fitness Trend: Gyrotonic" »

Some of us might be taking the recent headlines as an order to re-evaluate your budget.  I can bet a lot of us might be looking at gym memberships as a cost you can do without.  In a stressful time in your life, a gym membership could be the most important investment you make.   Here are my top three reasons why it’s a no risk-high return investment that we shouldn’t ignore (and what sounds better than a no risk high return investment right now?):

1. Mental-health booster: Do I need to remind you that exercise helps relieve stress and promotes overall mental health?  The overall benefits from exercise are so numerable that if you could bottle them up, the potion would be the hottest selling drug on the market.  It is guaranteed that exercise will renew your energy and help you sleep better.  So by depriving yourself of exercise is completely counterproductive in coping with any economic challenges you may face.

 2. A fit person is a more confident one.  What does confidence often lead to? Better opportunities. And as we all know—the words “better opportunities” can also be defined as more money. Exercising gives you a sense of self-worth that cannot be measured in dollar value.

3. It actually saves you money.  When do you feel the most compelling urge to buy something new? I know I am the most vulnerable to the wrath of retail therapy when I feel badly about myself.  If you are working out on a regular basis, you are improving your appearance (and confidence) without any help from a pair of black patent leather Louboutins. 

So that I am not promoting living beyond your means (one of the things many financial advisors have cited as the undermining of our nation's financial challenges), I want to offer in-home fitness tips that can be adapted into your everyday life to reap the same benefits without a monthly bill:

Weigh-less-ness Yoga
AntiGravity Yoga is No Light Weight in the Fitness Industry

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another yoga blend technique, AntiGravity Yoga comes at us with full force (or in this case no force at all). 'Wings' AntiGravity Yoga classes are offered at Crunch Fitness Centers (in New York, LA and Miami) based on the AntiGravity Yoga concept created by Christopher Harrison that utilizes a silk hammock to add a weightless dimension to traditional yoga and Pilates movements.

Christopher Harrison is the man responsible for Team AntiGravity, a performance troupe that not only defies gravity, it completely ignores it.  Harrison's bouncing dancers (fully equipped in his patented "gravity boots"), floating and flipping acrobats, and bungee-attached performers have been commissioned by superstars Britney Spears, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and Marc Jacobs as well as companies Disney and Universal.

AntiGravity Yoga's concept closely resembles the company's mission statement, "We defy gravity as a means to inspire levity."  Silk hammocks suspended from the ceiling offer a means to challenge the body in ways gravity normally wouldn't allow.  Harrison designed this workout around movements of dance, Pilates, and yoga and the following are benefits of regular class attendance:
    -decompress tight joints
    -align the vertebrae of the spine
    -hold more challenging yoga postures longer
    -stretch further with less strain
    -have better body awareness
    -increase overall agility

Crunch currently holds the exclusive rights to 'Wings' AntiGravity Yoga classes, but I have a feeling variations of this technique will become more readily available in the near future. Does this weightless workout sound appealing to you? Are we jaded by the many balletyogalate classes already offered or is this concept fresh and unique?

The Subliminal Workout: Footwear that Improves Muscle Tone

Recently someone asked me what I did to keep my legs in shape.  Since I couldn’t recall the last time I’ve really done an exercise to target my legs in that place I vaguely remember being called a gym,  I responded with three simple words- “commute in heels.”  I know that stacking up my soles forces me to stand straighter, engage my core and ignite my leg muscles all to a greater extent.

For those of you not brave (or crazy) enough to trade your “walking shoes” for four inches of an escalator hazard, there’s a safer alternative. I found three fitness shoes that will help burn more calories and improve muscle tone by simply walking around:

FitFlop:   The most well known of the “strength shoes,” with many thanks to Oprah.  From the FitFlop website,  I learned my heel wearing habits are actually very bad for my feet and these shoes will provide better orthodic support while claiming to improve muscle tone from the buttocks down to the calves.
Fashion + + + Function + + Fiscal +++


Orthotebb:  Before you pass them off as Crocs Knocs—consider the added benefits of improving circulation.  Great circulation is cellulite’s and varicose veins’ worst enemy.  Conclusion, we like circulation.
Fashion +  Function + + + Fiscal ++



MBT Footwear:  These pricey kicks claim similar benefits as the Orthotebb pair, but come in the most fashion forward designs of all three.   Swiss Engineering never runs cheap but often delivers unparallel results.
Fashion +++ Function +++ Fiscal

Just think of how many minutes you could shave off your workout if you built leg strength while running errands or getting to and from work everyday. As long as you aren’t marching your way to Krispy Kreme, the extra caloric activity should help you shed unwanted fat.

Are there other ways to incorporate exercise into our regular day’s activities?  Being so busy can often put the gym on the backburner so I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one benefitting from such advice.

*the “fiscal” rating indicates price value i.e. + is poor value and +++ is the best value

With the U.S. Open underway this week, I thought it would be an appropriate time to discover the benefits of a tennis-based workout. I searched the web for some tips on incorporating this fun, fast-paced sport into your fitness routine so you can rock Federer calves, Williams biceps, and Nadal Abs.

Rafael Nadal (the bottom most athlete above), the world's current number one tennis male, is every woman's dream man: talented, muscular, handsome, muscular, sexy...did I say muscular? It's true, Nadal's muscles are a prototype for every woman's fantasy and every man's physical ideal. Rory Cordial, performance coach for professional tennis players and physical therapist, formulated some off-court moves for Men's Fitness Magazine to either improve your tennis game or simply get your body in tip top tennis shape.

And as for us females, wouldn't we all like to have the physique of Miss Maria Sharapova? Check out this clip to see a on court great tennis workout that will get you closer to the well defined limbs of the tennis star beauty.

If you aren't a tennis player then don't fret. You needn't hit the courts or even the gym to get your upper body in tennis shape. My personal experience with tennis only comes via Nintendo Wii and let me tell you- I've gotten rather sore in the aftermath of a long Wii tennis session. Who would have ever thought I'd work muscles I never knew I had by whacking a virtual tennis ball around my living room?

So now you have tennis workout options in the gym, on the court, and (thanks to modern technology) in your living room. Since going to U.S. open is a stretch for me, (you know it's the hottest ticket in town when Anna Wintour actually leaves her perch at Vogue to attend) I am going to host a U.S. open party instead. I'll serve the official cocktail the Honey Duece, watch the matches, and challenge my guests to a Wii Tennis Tournament. I encourage you to find some way of incorporating this age old sport into your lives whether it be for fitness or fun.

What do you get when you put boxers from USA and Bulgaria in the ring together? One heck of a fight.

In this clip filmed behind the scenes by LA Boxing, Javier Molina, the 2007 National Champion in boxing, is taking on one of Bulgaria’s toughest. In the end, Bulgaria won this match, but Molina put up a really great fight. Check out this clip of the two going head to head.