Rollerblade invited me to try a new workout recently called Mobile Yoga–as you might guess it’s yoga on Rollerblades. They provided the skates and I brought the mat. At first, I thought the concept was crazy, but I’ve never been afraid to try the latest hybrid workout so I took the challenge. I expected to attempt downward dogs and standing splits on skates, luckily Mobile Yoga 101 is much more doable.

Cleveland-based yoga and skating instructor Kris Fondran created the workout not to impress others by putting pretzel-like poses in motion, but because she noticed that both yoga and skating have similar qualities of balance, rhythm and flow. By blending the two, Kris adds cardio, muscular strength and endurance to the meditative yoga practice.

Read the rest of this entry »

A summer vacation? Definitely. A workout vacation? It may sound weird, but taking a week off from your fitness routine could actually be worthwhile. If you’re a fitness junky and it doesn’t sound like much fun, a workout vacation is an even better idea.

If you’ve been hitting the gym hard, completing grueling workouts, your body can actually benefit from a little time off. I’m not talking about the day you took off last week, or the several days you took off when you had that awful cold back in March. A week off after 3 months or 6 months when you’re on top of your game can give your body some much needed R & R. Experts say you’ll return stronger, more energetic and reduce your risk of injury. Read the rest of this entry »

The secret to great skin isn’t only found in a bottle. What you eat can have a tremendous effect on your complexion, too. That’s why Women’s Health reported on the topic in their April issue. Lisa Drayer, a registered dietitian and author of The Beauty Diet, revealed 11 skin super foods you should start incorporating into your diet today. Here, four of my favorites.

Almonds: An easy snack to keep in your handbag or desk drawer at all times, this super food staves off hunger and the sun thanks to vitamin E. Studies suggest that the free-radical fighting antioxidant can help protect skin from UV light, possibly reducing sunburns.

Green Tea: This mighty leaf has had some mighty media attention over the last few years boasting it’s all-around goodness, but when it comes to your skin, it offers anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t always have to do your ab workout lying down. This challenging exercise from Prevention is a great full body stabilization exercise, but will especially work your abs, obliques and lower back.

You’ll need two small towels for this move. Start in a plank or the position you’d assume at the top of the push-up, keeping your body in a straight line. Then as you use your abs to stabilize your body, make a small clockwise circle with your left palm and then your right. Continue alternating back and forth. Make 3 clockwise circles with each hand, then switch directions and make 3 counterclockwise circles with each hand. Rest and repeat.

Victoria’s Secret beauty just launched PINK Body, a new 100% vegan line, that’s packed with natural and organic ingredients. I’m always happy to see big brands jumping on the clean product bandwagon, giving us new options that are free of parabens and other nasty chemicals!

For active women, I love the Energizing collection. It promises to bring new life to dull, worn and weary skin. Organic citrus and mint give the lotion, body wash and sugar scrub an uplifting scent (great for jump starting your day) while organic coffee beans tone, complementing all that hard work you do at the gym.

Another highlight–the Nourishing Shave Cream. Traditional shaving creams often contain petroleum-derived ingredients that strip moisture from your skin. But this formula has organic shea and cocoa butters as well as antioxidant-packed grape seed oil.

In honor of Mardi Gras and National Pancake Month, I’m in the mood to indulge in a sweet plate of pancakes. But with off-the-charts sugar and carbohydrate levels, they’re such a guilty pleasure! A stack of four Banana Nut Pancakes at IHOP has 957 calories, 31 grams of fat and 155 grams of carbs! But you can give them a healthy makeover. Reduce fat by swapping in skim milk, increase fiber with whole grains and embrace the vitamin, mineral and protein benefits of eggs. So I’m going to try this recipe for Whole Grain Banana Pancakes With Blackberry Syrup from Weight Watchers.

For the syrup mix 2 cups blackberries (unsweetened frozen or fresh) with two tbsp powdered sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes or until it thickens.

While it cooks, use a fork to combine 1 cup boxed pancake mix, 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ, 1/4 cup flax seeds in a large bowl. Then whisk together 1 cup skim milk, 3 egg whites, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp walnut oil (small lumps are okay). Slice 2 bananas.

For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter onto a preheated griddle, cooking until you see bubbles around the edges. Sprinkle on banana slices before flipping. Cook until golden. Top each pancake with about 3 tbsp of syrup.

This morning—even though I wanted nothing more than to dive right into a bucket of coffee—I opted for a warm cup of lemon water instead. Satisfying? Not so much. But I was reading Body & Soul’s 35 Days to a New You Plan, which suggests starting the day this way to stimulate your liver and help release digestive enzymes. So it’s a fairly painless way to cleanse your body in the a.m. (no maple syrup or Tabasco sauce required). Plus, lemons have a lot of other great things to offer, too. Great for this time of year, is their immune boosting vitamin C, pectin, limonene, bioflavonoids, citric acid and even calcium. And now, on to that cup of coffee.

Every athlete and fitness addict has their favorite post workout snack or drink–maybe it’s a protein shake, a sports drink or a granola bar. I was always partial to cottage cheese or a handful of almonds, but now I’m going to put another item on the list–milk.

Milk helps rebuild muscles. In fact one 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects of three different drinks on building muscle and burning fat after weight lifting workouts. Milk drinkers saw the best results after training five days a week for 12 weeks. The moo juice helped them build 60% more muscle than the carbohydrate drinkers and 40% more than the soy drinkers. And they lost almost 2 pounds of body fat.

So the next time you need to nosh after the gym, reach for a muscle-building glass of milk. Or mix up a smoothie. Try this recipe filled with antioxidant-packed acai juice, green tea, blueberries and more.

US Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is 41 and FIT! ‘Nuf said.

Drool over her abs for a minute, marvel over her bio, rock out to her playlist and then plan your weekend around the Olympics schedule. Coverage of the opening ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m.

While you continue to admire the amazing athletes and their fit bods, do some crunches during the commercial breaks.

When you’re traveling it can be tough to stick to a healthy diet. And when you’re traveling to a country where you don’t speak the language it can be even harder! How are you supposed to make a healthy choice when you can’t read the menu? That’s why I love Budget Travel’s Menu Decoders.

If you’re lucky enough to travel to the Olympics in Beijing, use their China version. It’s a good reference of Chinese to English translations for food terms, destination staples, drinks and popular dishes. You might want to stay away from dishes with the word guòyóu (flash fry in hot oil) and gravitate to shucài (vegetables) instead.

When I head to Portugal later this summer, I’ll have a menu decoder to follow too. So I can be sure to choose cozido de grão com vagens á alentejana (chickpeas with green beans) instead of migas à alentejana (fried bread with pork and/or beef). You can also read up on eating in Barcelona, Morocco, Prague and France. That said, I fully support breaking your diet abroad–sometimes you’ve got to try the local fare even if it doesn’t fit your usual low-cal plan–but all in moderation, right?