That's Fit

It's no wonder we're always hearing horror stories about young women starving themselves in efforts to look like so many emaciated celebrities -- our minds seem to actually be complicit in that health crime.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health sheds some interesting light on self-image and how our perceived health plays a role in our actual health. Researchers surveyed over 150,000 adults to answer questions about their current weight, their ideal weight, and how often they felt unhealthy. Researchers found that the less happy people were with their size, the less healthy they felt -- irrespective of how much they actually weighed.

So, it would seem that thinking you're out of shape can actually play a role in feeling out of shape, even if you're weight tells a different tale. You may not look like this person or that person, but that doesn't mean that you're too fat or too skinny or too anything. Listen to the people around you -- and not the glamorized, celebrity-obsessed media -- when they tell you that you look great, because chances are you do.

This week I've been sampling Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt, and I absolutely love it. Before I go any further though, let me tell you how I feel about yogurt. I like it, but only if I feel like I'm getting a high in calcium, low in sugar, legitimately fruit-filled snack. Now, there is always yogurt stacked up in my fridge, because I have two little children. But, rarely do I even open up a cup for myself. Not that I would ever buy my babies anything "bad"... cause I don't. But I regularly expect perfection of the things I put in my mouth. I'm simply not willing to waste 100 calories on a teeny cup of yogurt. I'd rather have two big pieces of fruit.

So! I was thrilled instantly by the calorie count on Dannon's new Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt. Each cup boasts only 50 or 60 calories, depending on the flavor. That I can do! The fruity varieties are also full of real fruit chunks. Fresh and healthy fruit chunks, not the icky stuff dumped in from a can. On top of all that, each flavor has proven to be delicious to both my children and me, and then a few of my personal training clients as well.

Before you go give Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt a try, I encourage you to do a side-by-side comparison of it's nutritional content versus that of other yogurts. I did this a few days ago and couldn't find anything as good. This is the type of thing you want to put in your fridge if you're trying to lose weight. It's a great fix for your sweet tooth, while providing a decent amount of protein, calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients.

I'm totally guilty of buying yoga pants for the express purpose of having something comfy to wear for ... sitting on the couch, not necessarily for yoga (Hey, I work from home! I'm not going to wear a suit!). However, when you're ordering yoga apparel, don't you want to feel confident that the clothes you're buying are truly made for poses like downward facing dog, rather than super lazy couch potato?

Should you choose to check out J. Crew's online Yoga Shop, you can rest assured that it's truly made for yoga -- their model is actually a yogini and co-owner of the Shri Yoga Center in Tribeca, New York.

As many of you commented, yoga isn't about what you wear, but if you do happen to be in the market for some new yoga-wear, there's nothing wrong with finding something cute and comfy, right?

The last time I took a long walk on the beach, barefoot, my calves let me know about it the next day, which got me thinking about how great it would be if I could do more walking barefoot. There's something really satisfying about stretching one's toes and feeling the changes in terrain while walking, plus, it obviously works the leg muscles differently than walking in shoes. However, it wouldn't be safe (or hygienic) to walk around the places I go barefoot, so that was the end of that.

Only it wasn't actually the end, because this link for Vibram FiveFingers Footwear (which we've also covered here at That's Fit a time or two) popped into my inbox the other day. You know I love fashionable footwear, and believe me, this isn't it, but it is a unique and cool concept based on barefooting, which they define as:

1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings.

Gallery: Vibram FiveFingers Footwear: It's funky!

You might remember a while ago when I "went running with Lance Armstrong," courtesy of a Lance Armstrong coaching mix provided by Nike. Don't forget that Lance's mix isn't the only one available -- check out some of the other coaching mixes for yourself!

To further encourage you to get (or stay) fit, Nike is giving away one $100 gift card to a lucky That's Fit reader. You can use that gift card toward any gear at Nike.com or at Nike stores. You can use it to purchase clothing, shoes -- you name it! Unfortunately, it's not good toward the coaching mixes, but they're pretty affordable anyway.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, May 9, telling us about who or what inspires you to get fit. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on May 12. Some other important details:

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about who or what inspires you to get fit.
• The comment must be left and confirmed before May 9 at 5:00PM EST.
• You may only enter once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• One winner will receive a Nike Gift Card valued at $100.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Click here for complete Official Rules.

Choosing the right sports bra requires attention to a number of factors. First and foremost is your bust size. Obviously, the big busted woman is going to require a different type of support than a woman with small-bust needs.

Second, take into account what you need it for. Playing basketball or jumping rope requires a different level of support than going for a walk, and it really is important that, if you plan to do some jumping activities, you find a bra that keeps you from bouncing.

SheFinds.com came up with a comprehensive list of the Best Sports Bras using the editors' expertise as well as input from readers. There are bras for busts large and small made for all different activities. Check them out in the gallery and be sure to leave a comment sharing your favorite sports bra!

It's inevitable that we will all someday shuffle off this mortal coil. Still, there is much we can do to stick around for as long as we possibly can, and it's no secret that a healthy lifestyle is the key to celebrating more birthdays.

Growing old is not so much a matter of how old you are, but rather how fast you're aging, say Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz. in an article for Open Air magazine. The way our bodies react to stressors can affect the speed of our aging process, similar to the way our brake system changes the speed of our vehicles. Considering that our rate of aging doubles every eight years, if we are able to put on the brakes, so to speak, we could -- at least in theory -- live to be well over 100.

Three tips for life extension, all of which are offered by the docs in the aforesaid article, are to: 1 - stay active with regular exercise; 2 - keep glucose levels in check by limiting your intake of simple carbs; and 3 - be sure to floss regularly, for it will not only keep your teeth and gums healthy, but it will also help prevent inflammation in your arteries.

Depending on where you live, summer may be right around the corner, or it might already be here. And you know what that means ... bathing suit season! If the thought of being out in public in a bikini makes you cringe, don't worry -- you have time to join America Takes It Off and get your body where you want it to be, and if, by some slight chance, your body doesn't end up looking quite the way you planned before your next trip to the beach, you have wardrobe options (check out the gallery if you don't believe me).

First of all, let's take a minute to talk about your body. I'm hoping that you love every inch of it, but if there are some things you'd like to change, I'm right there with you. Perhaps you're not too confident about your mid-section, or there's a little more junk in your trunk than you'd like. Or, maybe you're really thin and wish you had more curves. What we all need to do is realize what parts of our bodies we like best and figure out how to play up those assets when we put on our bathing suits.

If you're busting your tail in the gym, but the pounds keep sticking around, you're probably wondering why. If you're eating as healthy as you can, but your bulging waistline serves as no indication of your effort, you're probably wondering why. And if you're doing both of these things and more, you're probably ready to punch a hole in the wall and scream at the top of your lungs: "Why am I not losing any freakin' weight?!!!"

Okay ... calm down. Every thing is going to be just fine, I promise. Tell you what, why don't you take a second to let your blood at least reduce from a boil to a simmer and then we'll start to deconstruct your approach and, as best we can, come up with a solution. To help us in this endeavor, we'll refer to a recent article published in the current issue of Maximum Fitness magazine, which is aptly titled "6 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight."

For the next six days, I'll offer one of the tips in the order that they appear in the Maximum Fitness magazine article. So, you can either wait to read them day by day or, if you don't have that kind of patience, you can run out to the bookstore and pick up a copy of the magazine. Your call. Either way, we're going to get to the bottom of all this and find out what's keeping the numbers on your scale from getting any lower.

Possible Reason #1: You're Eating Too Much Food at Night. Our bodies do their best job of digesting and assimilating food before we hit the hay at night. So, if you're noshing on this and that all evening long, chances are you're body is having trouble keeping up. The end result? Weight gain. The solution? Assess your nighttime meal and snack portions. In addition, the folks at Max Fit suggest drinking water instead of snacking as your night comes to a close. This approach may also help you get more sound sleep -- save for the possibility of having to wake up in the middle of the night to pee -- and leave you prepared to eat a healthy breakfast in the morning.

Oakley came out several years ago with the THUMP, a sunglass/mp3 player combo. It was a really cool idea, because, really, how much extra stuff do you to carry when you go running? And it's great to not have to worry about cords or earbud slippage. Plus, the earphones hover just outside your ear, so while you can hear the music, other noises aren't entirely blocked, which is a nice safety feature.

They've now come out with an improved version, the Oakley Split THUMP. The first improvement I noticed was the fact that the earphones are removable, so if you show up at a race and find out only then that you can't have earphones (not like that's ever happened to me or anyone I know), you've still got glasses. Plus, if you're out for a run and then head out to the beach or park to hang out with friends, you can remove the earphones.

Additionally, the sound quality has improved (though, I actually hadn't noticed it being all that bad to begin with). They come in two varieties, a 512MB for $249, and a 2GB for $399, so you should be able to fit enough music on there to last your entire workout. The battery life is estimated to be around seven hours, so that should hold out for you, too.

When it comes to putting in hardcore workout, I honestly don't know how some people do it consistently without music of some kind. Granted, many gyms have sound systems playing, but if your gym is anything like mine, the station is set to some of the worst music on all of planet earth. And then there are the people who follow a more monastic approach, working out in complete silence. I don't know how they do it, but to each their own, I guess.

Still, there is actually a growing body of evidence that suggests listening to music while working out can actually enhance performance. In a recent article in Maximum Fitness magazine, a senior instructor from the School of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia stated that some people experience central nervous system stimulation from music, which helps psych them up for heavy lifting (I'm paraphrasing here, of course).

So, whether you're into hip-hop, rock, country, techno, or pop music, it seems that plugging those ear buds into your ears while you workout may do more than distract you from the bad music being played at the gym; it may actually be helping you get a better workout.

Tired of the same ol' ab routine? Well, for only three installments of $29.95, you can have ... oh, I'm just kidding. What I'm selling comes at no cost to you. It will only cost you some calories.

If you are indeed tired of performing the same ab workout, then you're probably well past the point where you should change it. If you've been wondering why you haven't been seeing any new results, this is probably why. If you're yawning during your workout, this is also probably why. And, if you're scratching your head over what you can do instead, worry not, my friend -- for I've got just the move for you.

The Swiss Ball Hanging Knee Raise. If the name alone makes you think this exercise is difficult, you're correct in that assumption. This move is not for the beginner; it's an exercise that requires a fair amount of built-up core strength and coordination. My guess is, if you've been working your abs for quite some time now, you may be ready for this exercise. So, let's get to how to do it.

Are wedding bells in your future? June is the most popular month for weddings, so this year's June brides are probably scrambling to make sure they're as fit as possible for their big day. After all, who doesn't want to look absolutely gorgeous on their wedding day?

Just because your goals are hinged on one big day, there's no call to diet unhealthily. Exercise and eat healthfully, aiming to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Crash diets don't work in the the long-term and they can rob you of energy. You want to be energized and ready to dance the night away on your wedding day so don't make unhealthy choices. In addition, regular exercise and good nutrition can help you deal with the stress of planning your wedding. While you can't lose weight in any certain area, you can focus on toning and strengthening. For example, if you're wearing a strapless gown you may want to add extra exercises for shoulders and upper arms.

As you gear up for the big day, ask your fiance or a bridesmaid to join you in your new fitness routine. It can be just one more fun pre-wedding event.

I want an iPod for my summer birthday -- really bad. I'm hoping to join the MP3 player party out there on the jogging trails. If an iPod is looking promising, then I just might ask for a beautiful GymGirl Ultra jogging skirt with music ports for Mother's Day.

SkirtSports Inc. launched their new 2008 Run & Active Collection a couple months ago. Makers of the revolutionary fitness skirt, the 2008 collection re-designs old favorites and introduces new apparel, too. Here's the highlight of their Active Collection, targeting the everyday woman:

• The Sweetest Thing Capri Skirt: Run errands or groove around town in this cute look. A mesh skirt is sewn over tight-fitting performance spandex -- includes deep hidden side pockets with music ports. XS-XXL, $75.00.

Don't miss their enhanced GymGirl Ultra (top seller), MarathonGirl Ultra and more in the gallery below.

Our recent Land's End Giveaway got a lot of response from you guys -- we asked you to tell us about the craziest outfit you've ever worked out in was, and you sure delivered!

We heard about people running races with pants on backwards, taking walks in slippers, and wearing shorts to the gym that turned out to have inappropriate holes. Plenty of you are proud of your naughty t-shirts, but there were also loads of commenters who either borrowed their husband's baggy clothes or opted to work out in just their skivvies. To each her own, right?

Anyway, since you were all so generous in your comments (and because you continued to bring smiles to our faces), a few of us here at That's Fit have decided to show you some of our most embarrassing work out ensembles. Check out the gallery and have a laugh on us -- it's good for you!