Elastic Waist goes over a few key etiquette tips to remember at the gym, and let me add that if there are 20 free treadmills you better not hop on the one right next to me!

Simply Stated reminds us to laugh out loud and do it often.

The Guardian reports that Justin Timberlake plans to develop an eco-friendly golf course in Memphis Tennessee–sounds like a great way to mix fitness and sustainable living to me!

BeThree explains how to tell a friend they’re being too critical without coming across as too sensitive.

Epic Self reports that “floating” is the coolest and deepest new form of total mind/body relaxation.

iVillage and the Today Show examine whether or not reusable plastic bottles are safe–one more reason to get a SIGG bottle.

I took a new class the other day that incorporated the Body Wedge–basically it was sculpt on an angle. The Wedge is like an incline bench except it’s made out of soft foam material which adds a challenging level of instability (and it’s more comfy to lay on!). With it, you can work pretty much every muscle in your body (back, butt, triceps, shoulders, etc.)

During the class we stood and sat on the wedge, lifting weight with dumbbells and body bars. We also laid on it for ab work. If you’ve ever done ab exercises on the incline bench after months of doing crunches on the ground or tried lifting weights while standing on the Bosu, you’ll know what I mean when I say the extra incline and instability really helps you feel the burn!

The Wedge didn’t seem like a dramatically different fitness tool, but it will work your muscles in different ways, so try it the next time you want to mix up your strength routine.

I don’t count every single calorie I eat or burn, but when I really need an extra push of motivation to get back on track, it helps. Recently I tried a bunch of sites that help you do just that and I really fell in love with The Daily Plate.

It’s super easy to use. You search for the foods you eat and you’ll find all of their nutritional information (calories, sugar, carbs, fiber, etc.) ready to load into your personal “plate” for the day. I had no trouble finding everything I needed from the Goya canned chickpeas I put in salads to the slice of Domino’s pizza that accidentally found it’s way into my belly. I also love that the site makes a pie chart of your calorie breakdown between protein, carbs and fat.

In the same way that you can input what you eat, you can input your fitness activities to see how many calories you’ve burned. The list is comprehensive with counts for everything from rearranging furniture to rock climbing. If you like, you can also log the glasses of water you drink, your weight and more. The site will even determine a daily caloric intake goal based on your activity level, current weight, how much you want to lose and how fast you want to lose it. If you’re looking for a way to track everything easily, give The Daily Plate a try.

In honor of Earth Day, try an activity that’ll help save the planet and burn calories all at the same time. These estimates are based on a 145 pound person.

Bike to and from work: If your round trip ride takes an hour, your commute is worth 526 calories.

Spend two hours tending to your organic garden: Bend, squat, dig, rake and water to burn off almost 600 calories.

Recycle: Spend 20 minutes sorting glass, cans, plastic and paper, then take it all to the curb or recycling center to zap 93 calories.

Walk to and from the farmer’s market: If your entire shopping excursion takes an hour, you’ll burn 205 calories thanks to your walk and toting around that big bag of fresh fruits and veggies.

Plant trees for an hour: Lift, squat and dig your way through 313 calories.

If you’re checking out JivaFit for the first time, welcome! Want to know what this site is all about? In short, JivaFit is your daily dose of information and inspiration to help you live your fittest life for a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy planet.

And if you’re wondering what the heck jiva is, well, it’s a Sanskrit word that means life, a living being or a center of potential vitality and intelligence. I was drawn to this name for the site because here at JivaFit, we focus on health and fitness as a lifestyle, not just the hour you spend at the gym after work or the effort you make to eat a healthy breakfast every day.

Here at JivaFit you’ll find tips on fitness and nutrition, but you’ll also find info on personal development and eco-friendly living because in the end, every choice you make in your day-to-day life will affect your body and your health. So join us here to find new workouts to try, tips for healthy eating, ways to live a greener life, challenges, fitness tricks, new ways of thinking, encouragement, inspiration and more.

I’m jetting off to the Dominican Republic later this week and since it’s a last minute trip, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to get ready for my bathing suit. But here are three ways that I’ve been trying to get ready fast. Try these tips for quick results before your next beach escape.

1. Give your workouts extra oomph: If you run 3 miles, run another mile of interval sprints. If you like to take a sculpt session, hit the stair climber for 15 minutes after class. If you have a strength training routine, add plyometric bursts in between sets instead of resting.

2. Eat whole foods: Choose veggies, legumes and proteins like chicken or fish, to avoid extra sugar, fat and sodium. Processed, frozen, canned and restaurant meals can harbor a lot of hidden diet downfalls. Cutting back on salt can help you look and feel thinner quickly because sodium makes your body retain fluids. Get super serious a couple of days before you bare your bikini. Pay close attention to sodium levels on nutrition labels–you may be surprised how much you’ll find even in condiments like ketchup. Try to keep your sodium level under 500 mg a day.

3. Get a bronzed bod: I don’t know about you, but I feel more toned with a bronze glow than when I’m pastey white. I’m not telling you to visit your tanning salon for a fake bake, but I do advocate swapping out your normal body lotion for a tan-building variety like Dove Energy Glow.

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”

-Anthony Robbins

Here’s a move from Women’s Health that I tried the other day. The added weight will definitely have you feelin’ the burn. This move works not only your abs, but also your hips and upper back.

Start lying on your back with a set of 10- to 12- pound free weights.

Raise your legs to a 45-degree angle with your arms over your head to get to the starting position shown in image A.

At the same time, lift your legs until they’re perpendicular to the floor and reach your arms over your chest and toward your toes, lifting your shoulders off the floor.

Return to the start, never letting your legs touch the floor and continue for 3 sets of 15 reps.

Body: Whenever you want to reach for sugar-filled treats like ice cream, cookies and cupcakes (banned for the month!) reach for fresh fruit instead. While you’ll still get a sweet fix, fructose (the sugar in fruit) is healthier. The sucrose found in desserts and processed foods breaks down quickly and causes spikes in insulin that promote weight gain.

Mind: Reconnect with a friend you’ve lost touch with recently. Make a call, write an email, send a card and remember why you value their friendship.

Planet: Start an herb garden. Plant the seeds in indoor pots now so you can transfer them to your outdoor garden once they’ve sprouted. By mid-summer you can use the fresh herbs for cooking. The fewer herbs you have to buy at the store, the better. Even cutting back on just a couple of items that have to be shipped from other locales helps reduce carbon emissions.