I am a master at justifying bad decisions.  For example, when I eat a delicious bacon, egg, and cheese on bagel sandwich, I focus on the healthy level of protein I’m getting, not the massive amounts of calories/fat/grease.

When I choose to do an extra couple shots instead of leaving a party and end up making out with that creepy guy who didn’t talk to anyone all night, I prefer to think that I’ve done a public service and this guy will hopefully come out of his shell and be more sociable from now on (and hopefully not stalk me).

Finally, since I don’t exercise in a traditional manner (i.e. don’t exercise at all…), I end up counting any and all physical activities as exercise.  Like walking to the train station. Or shopping.

Or sex.

Well, apparently someone else is on the same page as I am.  A fantastically provocative exercise tool called the Shake Weight has debuted, prompting women all over the planet to ask the same question:  can’t I get the same effect for free?  AND please my man? Read More »

Vsit with Tricep Extension

Welcome everyone to the last season before summer: Spring! To celebrate the wonderful season of blooming flowers, running outside, and the warm weather, get started on that bikini body with a circuit workout: Spring Into Swimsuit Shape!

It’s a 30 minute circuit workout you can do at the gym or in your dorm (or apt for you cool upperclassmen). There is some equipment involved, but if you don’t have it, I’ve provided below a list of alternative items you can use to get a similar burn.

To get the most from your workout, make sure you are eating the right post workout foods! Now, onto the plan… Read More »

[While I have covered physical exercise in previous editions of the Body Blog, this week I'm going going to take a step away from the various routine tips and dive into some good eating/snacking habits that will increase your energy without adding the pounds, while giving you the right nutrients to complete your workouts.]

Everyone knows staying energized is important. But staying energized the right way is often unclear. Drinking cups of coffee or energy drinks to give you a necessary boost to keep going is not the right (or nutritious) way to satisfy your cravings and give your body the energy it needs.

Here are some healthier alternatives for on-the-go gals like us, especially those trying to get into shape:

- Almonds. Grab a handful and throw them into a Ziploc bag for the day. Full of nutrients and antioxidants, you’ll be satisfied, revitalized and energized for those long classes and long workouts.

- Carbs. Now, I know what you’re thinking: carbs are bad, bad, bad for you. Well, in one respect that is correct. But, if you are a runner like moi, you need carbs to keep you going; they are a runner’s fuel. So, if you are gonna eat crabs, eat the right ones: whole grain crackers, whole grain/wheat pretzels, or half a cheese and wheat bread sandwich (so you can get your dairy and carb in-take in a small dose). Read More »

[Hey all. It’s your fitness guru here, ready to keep you up to date with this week’s workout tips. I hope you found last week’s Elliptical vs. Treadmill article helpful to your road to a new bodddday! This week I am going to be discussing the pros and cons of working out at a gym, versus buying your own equipment and working on your own, at home.]

Working out at the gym:

Pros: It can be great motivation to see people you know, or strangers, pushing themselves to lengths that you want to push yourself too. Creating a sense of unity, a gym can group individuals together that have the same mentality: getting and staying healthy. You can even make gym dates with your friends or spouse as a way to bond, workout, and push each other. Additionally, there’s more of a variety at a gym; you can take classes or use machines that really work for you.

Cons: The competition can get to you. Some people go into gyms to flaunt their bodies, while sizing up the other men and women, making you, say a less healthy or thinner individual, feel inadequate. Some people view gyms like sororities; you have to look a certain way to fit in. Also, there can be lines for specific equipment, which can cause a time constraint. Depending on where you join, a gym can cost you an arm and a leg; the local gym by me is $100 bucks a month – yikes!!! Too rich for my blood.

Working out at home:

Pros: You can work out when you want, however you want, in your sweats or in your undies. Yes, buying equipment is expensive, but the lump sum you pay will add up to less than a annual gym membership. I splurged three years ago on a treadmill for the holidays, which ON SALE, cost me $500 bucks. However, three years down the road, it’s still alive and kickin,’ which is more than I can say for my uber expensive monthly gym membership. Read More »

We always hear about the obesity epidemic in America: It’s a major issue! People are dying! Fat people are evil! While it’s true that being overweight can lead to serious health problems, it is not true that being overweight automatically means being unhealthy.

Which explains the new “Fat Acceptance” movement that is spreading across the country. Activists and supporters of this movement are screaming from the rooftops that being fat is OK, and as long as people are making good choices to support a healthy lifestyle it should not matter what size pants they wear.

And I totally concur. I cannot tell you how sick I am of salads, fad diets and feeling guilty when I want a Potbelly Oreo Shake so badly I could punch someone. So, you know what? I’m joining this movement and I urge you to do the same. Stop kicking yourself for enjoying a hot dog at your football tailgate. Stop crying after a late night pizza binge.

Put down that carrot and join me in embracing ourselves, no matter what size we are. And what is the best way to do that? By enjoying some of life’s most delectable treats. Come on, it’s OK; fat is in! Read More »

You know how you can rub a lamp and a genie will come out and grant you three awesome wishes (I mean, in theory)? Well, according to some people, if you rub a staple shoved into the “upper cartilage of [your] left pinna” — the visible part of the ear — three times a day, you won’t want candy and you’ll lose weight.

I’m serious.

Acupuncture has been around for a while, but this type of acupuncture has recently become more popular with lazy people who would rather get foreign objects stapled into their body then move around and eat more vegetables. Ear Stapling is connected to the idea that piercing the upper ear cartilage, “provides constant stimulation for the vagus or pneumogastric nerve, a very lengthy (the word vagus means wandering) nerve that supplies motor and sensory information from the mouth and larynx down to the large intestine and colon“.

Even though some people swear it works, one can really prove anything scientific when it comes to the practice of Ear Stapling. Maybe it’s real. Maybe it’s the Dumbo’s Feather affect. Whatever the case, if you’re asking someone to shove a staple through your ear to lose weight…you’ve got more to worry about than a propensity for donuts.

I mean…leave your ears alone, lift some weights, and cook more stir-frys. Honestly, friends…it’s not that hard.

Spring fever affects everyone differently, but personally, I’m filled with a dread for bikini season. I love summer, but the process of getting in shape for it is always terrifying until I’m about a month into it. I can’t motivate myself to start moving again and take advantage of the weather, and come June, I’m not quite where I want to be.

A friend of mine decided it would be fun to sign up for a race in Central Park, nothing “too serious,” just over three and a half miles. It’s far enough in advance where we all would have the opportunity to start “training” and whatnot, and so she worked her salesperson magic and spun it as a great, fun, healthy bonding activity. We could all run outside together when it got warmer, we could do it for ourselves instead of an actual win, it’d be great.

And it sounded stellar via email, so sign up I did. And as I printed my registration form, complete with runner number and team captain name, I calculated how long it had been since I had even seen my gym. I wasn’t sure I remembered how to get to it. Sure, last time I’d been I could run almost four miles on a treadmill, no problem… but that had been in January-ish. And there may have been an exceptional soundtrack to guide me.

The last time I ran outside I lasted fifteen minutes without falling over dead, and I willed my roommate my new pumps (even handed her the receipt so she could return them for her size). Read More »

I, like so many others, joined a gym last month. I swear, it had nothing to do with me wanting to hop on the New Years Resolution Band Wagon…it was more about the deals in January targeted toward those people more than anything else.

So now I go to the gym every day. And on Thursdays and Sundays, I belly dance. That’s right. I never saw my self as a belly dancer before, but when I saw these classes were being offered for free at the gym…uh…duh…I had to try it.

I saw a belly dancer once at a party and I thought, “Damn, that looks kinda easy. She shakes her ass and looks mysterious and has a cool outfit.”

I was gravely mistaken. Belly dancing is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Hands down. It’s harder than riding the train hung over, harder than breaking up face to face when you really just wanna send an email, and it’s definitely harder than just shaking your ass and looking mysterious. God, how I wish it were that easy.

The ass and hips, I am learning, have all sorts of muscles. But I’m pretty sure they’ve been set aside for those who belly dance ONLY because I certainly never felt them before. And now I feel them aching…every Friday and Monday. Read More »

I had seen the little symbol before: some weird upside-down horseshoe in a circle. My yoga instructor had even referenced them in the middle of class.

“Grab your legs, ladies. And don’t worry about stretching out those lululemons.”

I just never made any sort of connection. Lululemon? Is that some new way to refer to the va-jay-jay?

And then my sister in law brought me up to speed. Lululemon was a brand of workout apparel. The “best workout clothes around,” according to her; not to mention “super cute.”

“Lauren, they are seriously amazing,” she told me. “They are totally worth the money.”

So, when I was shopping with my mom this weekend and came across a brand new lululemon store, I decided to pop in and see what all the fuss was about. I sat my mom down in a chair and began sifting through the infamous black pants stacked neatly in little bamboo cubes.

I pulled out a pair labeled “tall;” simple black with some cute black diamond stitching at the top. They looked nice. Felt nice too. And then I saw the price tag. Read More »

Bad news New Years Resolutionites: looks like all that work you are doing at the gym isn’t quite as impressive as you have been lead to believe. Nor will it lead to the extreme or quick results you have been counting on. A recent article in the New York Times is claiming that the calorie counters on your favorite machines – especially the cherished, Elliptical – are wrong. Sometimes way wrong.

This news isn’t a total shock to most people – I mean, unless you are slightly delusional or in denial, you should be able to tell that a 30 minute stint on the cross-trainer could not possibly burn 500 calories – but it is still a little disconcerting. What is the point of having calorie counters on machines if they are so off? And how many calories am I burning during my workout? Read More »