The letter D is the fourth letter of the alphabet. It’s also one of the most important things you want for your body so your bones don’t deteriorate and so you don’t look like one of those Twilight vampires.

What do I mean, you ask? Well, I’m talking about vitamins. Specifically, Vitamin D.

Did you know that this D-elightful vitamin increases calcium absorption and thereby helps encourage healthy bone growth? It has shown promise in helping to prevent certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, and osteoarthritis.

The Institute of Medicine currently recommends an Adequate Intake (AI) of Vitamin D of 200 International Units (IU) for adults under age 50 (that means you!). As new studies continue to showcase vitamin D’s potential benefits, more scientists are calling for increased recommendations, some suggesting as much as 1,000 IU!

That number seems high at first, but considering that a fair-skinned person can manufacture 15,000 IU or more of vitamin D in as little as 30 minutes of sun exposure, it’s not that hard to get. In case you don’t like the outdoors, though (or it’s just too cold during winter), here are some easy ways to make sure you get enough D in your life: Read More »

Before Miss Indiana was crowned Miss America 2009, TV viewers watched and envied the bodies of 15 in-shape young women strutting across the stage. How do these college-aged women keep their fabulous figures while juggling classes and life in the dead of winter?

The new queen, Katie Stam went home with a $50,000 scholarship and $1,000 for a preliminary swimsuit and fitness award. This basically was a check for having the hottest body. How does the new queen stay fit? You might be surprised.

On Miss America’s official website Katie cites a favorite hobby as working out on a Power Plate!

According to Power Plate’s manufacturers, if you stand on the machine’s vibrating plates for 10 minutes a day and three times a week, you will lose weight, increase bone density and improve your overall health. The whole idea is trying to keep balance on the vibrating platform while you tense and release your muscles 30 to 50 times per second during strength-training moves like squats or bicep curls. There are more than 30 private studios and fitness centers across the nation offering total-body training classes which typically last 25 minutes.

Unfortunately, most gyms still do not carry Power Plates, and many experts are weary of them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a Miss America body. Read More »