Let me just tell you: I hate hair. I hate finding it in clumps in the shower, I hate it in boys’ armpits (and really hate it in girls’) and I hate it anywhere on my body except for my head. Even still, I’ve yet to go to a professional to yank off my unwanted foliage. Shaving is a major pain in my arse, but I’m just really scared of getting waxed.

Help, I’m torn!

Love it: It’s the summer, so clearly we’re all showing a lot more skin than usual. Whether you’re keeping smooth for a specific hottie or you just want to look perfect in a bikini, hair removal is a must. Waxing lasts a lot longer than shaving, which sounds like heaven to this compulsive hair remover. My shower is tiny, so it’s extremely difficult to get my shave on. Plus, I love the idea of getting worked on by a professional. Whether you’re getting a manicure, changing your ‘do, or, in this case, getting your legs waxed, going to a salon always makes you feel classy.

Loathe it: Um, duh, waxing hurts! Like most people (besides those crazy S&M peeps), I’m not a fan of pain. I’m the kind of girl who used to run around the examining room to escape getting a booster shot at the pediatrician and nearly passed out when I got my ears pierced. Though I’ve clearly matured since then, I still try to avoid pain at all costs and I’m not going to pay someone to torture me with hot wax. I’m also not really into the idea of letting my hair grow past the stubble phase in order to be waxed – that’s just disgusting. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the numerous yoga-like positions required for an in-depth Brazilian. Do I need some stranger getting her hands near me in a downward dog? I think not.

So seriously, guys – it’s summer and I want to look good. Should I walk my little legs over to a salon to get waxed, or stick to my traditional shaving routine?

-Your cardio doesn’t have to be boring when you’re hoofing it under the sun. After a quick warm-up, try jogging backwards. Experts say it burns a fifth more calories and improves your balance by engaging your core. Afraid of looking silly? Don’t be.  All anyone will think would be, “Hey! She knows something I don’t!”

-Now, let’s build our endurance. Find some stairs and sprint from the bottom to the top without stopping or skipping steps. Walk back down and finish up with 4 more sets. Just like having a Stairmaster outdoors, this exercise will increase your heart and lung capacity while building killer legs for those adorable minis.

-How about you pull your forgotten roller blades out of the back of your closet and lace them up? While also a great cardio workout, rollerblading tones your inner and outer thighs along with your beautiful booty. To torch about 450 calories in 30 minutes, alternate one minute of tucked, speed skating with one minute of upright, relaxed skating. Be sure to wear your knee and elbow pads! I hear scrapes and bruises are out this season.

-Remember how much fun it was to jump rope with your girls on the playground? Pick up a cheap rope from Walmart and prepare for a cardio blast from your past! Jumping rope can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour while toning your upper and lower body. Since it’s a strenuous workout in itself, you’ll need to take frequent breaks to catch your breath. Skip rope for three minutes, then drop and do some push ups while your heart rate decreases a bit. Skip for three more minutes, then throw in some crunches. Keep alternating the rope with intervals of slower paced exercises. Aim for a 30 minute session. Can you feel the burn yet?

-Afraid of getting grass stains by doing your crunches outdoors? When you have a playground set available, there’s no need to be on the ground! To target your abs, quads and lower back simultaneously, head to the monkey bars for hanging leg lifts. Hold on to a bar with both hands while tightening your core muscles. Slowly lift your legs straight out in front of you, using your abdominals to maintain control. Slowly release and repeat with 3 sets of 10-12 reps. If it becomes too difficult, try one leg at a time or with knees bent.

Save some money and rev up your workouts by putting your gym membership on hold and taking advantage of the fresh air this season. With this beautiful weather and these fat blasting, muscle toning moves, you are well on your way to a sizzling summer bod.

Today, we’re going to discuss the difference between using an elliptical and a treadmill. Now, while I am partial to a treadmill, as I run on mine every day, I spent two years using an elliptical before I made the switch, so I’m a pro on both ends. Here’s the dish:

Elliptical:

Pros: It’s a great full body work out; while placing your feet in the holders and holding on to the handlebars, you’re body is secure, and the lack of actually lifting your feet makes this a good low impact workout for those of you with knee/leg problems. If you hold the handles and use your arms, you work your full body for the entire workout (which should be about 30 minutes at a time), and when you get off you will feel refreshed, invigorated and a bit winded (in a good way).

Cons: While you get a full body workout with the simultaneous arm and leg movements, you won’t feel exhausted when you get off in the sense that you had to push yourself to excel, like you would on other workout equipment. Also, because your feet are stationary, they can get numb over the course of the workout, which causes some discomfort. It is also very difficult to move your arms and legs at the same pace, so one part of your body may be working harder than the other (i.e., you move your arms faster to push your legs, making them do less work).

Treadmill:

Pros: If you can run, a treadmill is a low impact alternative to pavement or a track. The belt you bounce up and down on can provide a relief for your legs. Running or walking on a treadmill is a fantastic workout for your entire body because every aspect of your leg muscles needs to work. For example, if you walk on an incline, you can work your calves and thighs, while using free weights to perfect your arms. You can push yourself to any extent you want, as well as clock your distance and calories burned.

Cons: If you’re using a treadmill to run, its stressful on your body. Running, while a great workout, is damaging to your knees, your legs and your feet (not to mention it’s just plain difficult!). Years of wear and tear on your legs using a treadmill can cause problems later in life, which is not to say that other workouts aren’t damaging. Also, if you don’t have something to keep you occupied, a treadmill can be boring (really boring) because you’re not actually getting anywhere. And you are probably staring at a wall/the person’s butt in front of you. This can easily be rectified by bringing along some music, or putting that badboy right in front of a TV, but you don’t always have that option.

So, neither option is perfect, but they are both great for different reasons. While I personally prefer a good ole run on the treadmill, choose whatever works for you and gets you working out.

Which do you prefer?

Stay turned for a new workout tip next week.

(Photo courtesy of teambath.com)

Lots of times, when you’re in a new class in college, you can feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, and hesitant to speak up and give your two cents.

Unfortunately, slinking into the last row doesn’t always work; lots of classes base a part of your grade on participation, so speaking up is necessary. But, everyone gets those butterflies – the fear of being wrong or of giving the wrong impression is scarring and, for lots of people, a risk not worth taking.

I had a Psychology class my freshman year of over 550 people. Seriously, seriously scary. I never said a word. Sat there with my nose in the books and kept quiet until one day when the professor polled the entire class. Simple enough, right? Well, when I shot my hand up, face down of course, I noticed the room got extremely quiet. I looked up and realized that, out of 550 people, I was the only person who had raised a hand. So the professor asked me to stand up and explain why. It was then or never, so I got up, legs a little wobbly, and grew the courage to speak up.

What happened was pretty cool; no one laughed at me, no one made fun of me…everyone listened, smiled and, when I was done, went on with their business.

So, for all of you scared to talk in class, remember these points:

Everyone is in the same boat as you: Whether a freshman or a senior, the class you’re in is new for (almost) everyone.

There’s no wrong answer: While, technically, something you say could be academically incorrect, it’s never wrong to voice what you believe is the truth and/or your opinion

Teachers will admire you: Your professor will take note of your courage and keep it in mind when grade times come up!

You’ll contribute: By contributing to a conversation, you’ve embedded the conversation topic within your mind. So, when it comes time to study about that poem you were studying in English class, you’ll remember talking about it with your classmates!

Practice: If you are still a little worried about getting up in front of everyone, practice. When you’re in your room late at night, practice what you’d say about a specific topic so you’ll be prepared when the time is right to say something!

And, if it ever gets realllly tough, just picture everyone (including that cute boy you’ve been eyeing) naked!

Be Confident!

(Photo courtesy of spacegrant.nau.edu)

Hello? Is this some infuriating trend I’m missing because I don’t live in the hotspots of NYC?

Thankfully, since I don’t live there, I can provide those girls with a clue. Leggings are NOT pants! Okay?! They are like tights—meant to be worn under something. Something such as PANTS!

Wearing leggings as pants is like painting your legs hoochie black and then walking around. If you think you have amazing legs, then fine. Walk around in a miniskirt or a pair of skinny jeans. But for the love of all that is proper, do not treat leggings and pants interchangeably!

If you still don’t get it, here’s a simple cheat sheet.

Leggings with a minidress? Okay, as long as the minidress is conceivably long enough so that you could wear it with only underwear.

Leggings with a tunic? Not unless you’d go around wearing the tunic with a thong and no pants.

Leggings with a skirt or shorts? Completely fine.

Leggings with a shirt that’s regular-length or kind of long? No! What the hell is wrong with wearing jeans, anyway?

Leggings as pants for a special exception that you think is really OK? NO! Get a grip! Do not wear leggings as a substitute for pants. You look like a fool.

Daily exercise:

Improves Memory: Working out boosts blood flow to the brain, which improves your mental abilities. So, each trip to the gym is doing double duty: working your quads and your brain! Exercising is a sure-fire preventative measure to keep your brain working and sharp as you age.

Reduces Your Risk of Breast Cancer: By up to 60%! Exercise lowers the production of two ovarian hormones that are linked to the production of breast cancer tumors. Working out also delays ovulation until later in your menstrual cycle, which reduces the time women are most susceptible to these hormones.

Helps You Sleep Better: This seems like such an obvious one — working out makes you tired, so you sleep – but it’s deeper than that. Physical activity for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week has been proven to help you stay asleep longer and enjoy more of the deep sleep, which is the stuff we benefit most from. But, the workouts have to be in the morning or afternoon, because exercising at night will energize you too much to sleep.

Will Help You F*&K Better: I don’t know why (because I’m not a doctor and don’t understand all this medical mumbo jumbo), but regular exercise increases sex drive, activity and satisfaction. Rar. Between your increased self-confidence with your leaner body that lets you go buck wild, and something that happens in your sympathetic nervous system that sends more blood to your genital area, sex is just so much better with exercise.

Increases Will-Power: Self discipline is controlled by the frontal cortex of the brain. The lovely thing about the brain is that it can change and your frontal cortex/will power gets stronger with practice! So, pushing yourself to workout now will strengthen that part of the brain making it easier to exercise tomorrow and the day after that.

It also alleviates menstrual cramps, improves digestion and, somehow, aids complexion.

God; what does working out not do? I’m pretty sure that there will be evidence out soon to suggest that exercise creates world peace and reduces our carbon footprints. But all of this just proves that physical exercise is vital to living a healthy life, in more ways than we ever knew.

So, download this workout playlist and start improving your life!

The tease, in my opinion, may very well be the purest form of foreplay.

So why not participate in some online foreplay? Everything else these days is online. You trust your bank account online. Your private emails. Your social security number. So why not your sexy legs?

I’m not saying that you need to go off and buy a “(your name)inherunderwear.com” domain. However, if you’ve got an appetite at all for building on sexual chemistry between yourself and someone else, why not restructure your approach to the traditional tease? Lets face it: nothing else is traditional anymore, so this doesn’t need to be, either.

Far too many girls, in my opinion, really need to sort out their bunched up panties over matters like this.

DEAR GIRLS WHO ARE AFRAID OF SENDING YOUR DESIRED OTHER SEXY PICTURES OVER THE INTERNET:

You have boobs. You’ve got a vagina. You’ve got an ass. And so does every other girl in the whole wide world. Considering the fact that so many girls in the whole wide world are naked on the world wide web, believe me when I say that you won’t be making headlines IF your pictures ever “get out”. And that’s just an IF.

Don’t get me wrong…being a good Catholic girl can be hot. But ACTING like a good Catholic girl and then surprising your potential or current lover with naughty pictures is even hotter. The internet is making everything easier…and that includes foreplay. So why forgo a prime opportunity to make someone’s morning at the office just a teeny bit sexually frustrating?

It’s only a click away.

Well, we found six awesome moves in a back issue of SELF that will make you a blue-jean babe in just one month. Just perform three sets of 12 reps of each exercise three days a week and on non-consecutive days:

Pigeon Toes

Stand with toes together, heels out, hands on hips. Contract abs as you slowly lift heels, rising onto balls of feet. Hold for two seconds. Lower to start and repeat.

Seated Leg Raise

Sit with right leg extended, foot flexed, and left knee bent, foot flat. Grasp the shin of left leg. Raise right leg a few inches off floor and sweep away from body. Hold for one count. Return leg to center. Switch legs.

Glute Sweeper

Start facedown, supported on forearms and right knee. Extend left leg behind you as high as you can, toes pointed. Contract abs and butt and slowly cross left leg behind left foot, reaching toes toward floor without touching down. Return leg to start and switch.

Sumo Strut

Stand with feet wider than hip width apart, toes out and extend arms at chest level, toes out, and extend arms at chest level, palms together. Bend knees at 45 degrees. Maintain wide squat as you take baby steps forward. With each step, move arms mechanically in a semi-circle, from left, to center, to right, then back to center to complete one rep.

Leg Tap

Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips. Step back into a lunge with left leg, lowering until right thigh is parallel to floor. Shift weight to right leg and stand, knee soft. As left leg comes forward, tap back of right calf with left foot Return to lunge. Repeat and switch.

Butterfly Crunch

Lie faceup, arms at sides, palms down. Raise legs, bend knees to 90 degrees and hold legs together. With feet touching, opens knees and crunch up, then close legs. Continue to flutter legs open and closed while you crunch up and down.

Being Italian, I’m blessed with lots of the stuff. It’s nice on my head, but anywhere else…a little less so. At least according to society.

The first time I realized nobody liked a hairy girl was in 6th grade. I was sitting in class in a t-shirt, trying to deal with early June heat and a new sensation I now know as “bra sweat”.

A kid, who I’m pretty sure was (and probably still is) named David, turned around and stared at me while the teaching wasn’t looking. “Yo, look at your arms!” he said as loudly as only a 12-year-old boy can, “who invited Harry and the Hendersons over?”

Harry and the Hendersons was a show based around Bigfoot.

That stinging comment has (obviously) stayed with me for years, and since then I have shaved everything—at least everything I could reach.

I often wish I could just chuck the razor in the drawer and never deal with balancing precariously in my shower again, but 6th grade David is always around, along with completely hairless movie stars, magazine models, and guys who continually obsess over girls being clean shaven “down there”.

This girl, on the other hand, is no slave to the razor. At least, she hasn’t been for a year. In a post on The F Word website about growing out both her leg and armpit hair, she explains how empowering and amazing it feels, and how she never plans to shave again.

“Eventually I grew to love my hairy armpits.” She writes, “I grew to love myself, to accept my grown woman’s body and, more than anything, to love the freedom I discovered when I no longer had to waste time and money preparing my supposedly unacceptable body for the outside world.”

Her liberated words and legs sound awesome, but I’m just not sure I’d ever be able to follow in her free footsteps. I’ve become so used to being sleek and smooth that going back to hair just doesn’t feel cool.

Society has convinced me that 6th grade David was right.

What about you? Why do you shave? Could you ever go for months without doing it?