Let's be real: Some days the gym just isn't going to happen. You had a long day at work, the traffic getting home was a nightmare and all you want to do is watch the latest episode of "Modern Family" while sipping on a glass of wine (or two).
Forcing ourselves to hit the gym is not always an easy feat: Who actually wants to pound the treadmill after work when we could settle down on the couch with some wine and Netflix? Sometimes we need a little extra nudge to get us to set down the vino and lace up our shoes.
Sadly, all the summertime lounging and vacationing is just about over, but think of it this way: Fall is the perfect time to turn your focus back to your exercise regimen before the hectic holiday season sets in. And while the idea of harvests and new boots is romantic and all, the stereotypical description of fall -- orange, red and yellow leaves falling from the trees, a cool breeze that slowly prepares you for hardcore jacket mode -- isn't usually so picture perfect all over the country.
Like Gwyneth Paltrow, mascara and pixie cuts, Crossfit is a topic that people have feelings about. Love it or hate it, there's no denying that the bodies of elite Crossfitters Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Annie Thorisdotter prove that "strong is the new sexy." The fitness program even has a slew of celebrity fans, like the Jessicas (Alba and Biel).
Think about what you actually do with 10 free minutes of your time. I waste at least 10 minutes each morning combing through my closet with seemingly nothing to wear. And then I spend 10 minutes perfecting my cat eye and attempting to tame my beastly hair. Then there are the minutes I waste on non-appearance-related pursuits that are probably even less beneficial: Like the 10 minutes I spend flipping through new releases until my boyfriend and I agree on the perfect movie. Or the 10 (or more likely, 60) minutes I devote to browsing pictures of cats and corgis online.
Some people love to splurge on dresses or denim. But whenever I go on a shopping spree, I tend to blow my money on workout wear. Printed cropped leggings, cute tanks and strappy sports bras are my weakness.
Before smartphones, life was tough. If you wanted to keep track of your workout, you had to use this thing called a "pen" and write it all down. Now there are fitness apps that do it all for you.
There's a reason the dancers you see on stage (or on TV shows like "So You Think You Can Dance") look so good: They work hard … like 12-hours-a-day hard. Since most of us don't have the time or desire to work up that kind of sweat, we talked to former New York City Ballet (NYCB) dancer Rachel Piskin and celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser of AKT In Motion to find out how us regular folk (you know, those not training for reality TV stardom) can get the body of a Balanchine muse -- in just three easy, do-anywhere moves a day.
You're finally following through on that New Year's resolution. You'll get to the gym, sign up for that 10K and come up with a workout plan. But before you do, consider this: Every year, more than 174,500 women end up in the ER with an exercise-related injury. The No. 1 cause of exercise-related injury? "Overenthusiasm," says Dr. Joseph Horrigan, a board certified chiropractic sports medicine practioner at DISC Sports & Spine Center in Los Angeles.
Blame it on my crappy knees or a childhood filled with organized sports that regularly used sprints as punishment, but I hate running. I complain about it on a daily basis, and yet, I drag myself to the treadmill and force myself to run to reap its cardiovascular benefits, to continue to fit into my skinny jeans, and because the gym's TV is my only access to cable (a girl's gotta watch "Breaking Bad" live before the spoilers get tweeted left and right).
The class list at my gym has more options than a Chinese takeout menu ... and some of the classes, like "Animal Flow" or "IntenSati," seem even more mysterious than the "brown sauce" that covers my usual tofu order.
Ahh, the summer life. It's such a paradox. On the one hand, you're happy as a clam wearing your new sunglasses, floating around in airy fabrics, debuting your fresh highlights, and showing off your cute pedicure. On the other hand...it's bikini season.
Hilaria Baldwin may be known as Alec Baldwin's better half these days, but she was a yoga instructor and fitness expert first. Now that she's pregnant, she's exactly who we'd want to go to for prenatal exercise tips and insight into looking gorgeous when you're eight months pregnant.. So, we did.
For some reason, cellulite has unfortunate food-related names -- cottage cheese skin and orange peel syndrome -- but the skin condition isn't purely a result of diet or overeating. Some 80 to 90 percent of women are afflicted by the ripples, which are linked to genetics, not your size. Even supermodels and athletes can show inconsistencies in their skin, since it's not a matter of weight but merely the way in which your fat pockets tend to push against connective tissue. However, the more body fat you have, the more likely you are to see increased puckering because of the larger pockets.
A recent survey of 10,000 women in the UK has uncovered the secret to being a gym rat: It's predestined by your zodiac sign. Outlandish? Sure. But we're totally intrigued by which signs are most likely to exercise and which ones are more likely to be slackers.
As far as I'm concerned, there are only two kinds of workouts: incredibly sweaty workouts that require an immediate shower, and minimal-sweat workouts where you can go back to the office without so much as a makeup touchup.
Finally! Here's a workout for slackers that actually works. If you find it tough to motivate yourself to get off the sofa, you're going to love this one ...
Going for the classic "work out more" New Year's resolution? While you don't win points for originality, it's still an admirable goal -- and one that'll do a world of good for you physically and mentally.
