bikini-related stories
Bikini Blues Cost Us Money, Keep Us from Holidays
That's right -- according to recent research, about 250 billion pounds (nearly $500 billion) was spent on bikinis that have never and possibly will never be worn because the people who bought them don't feel comfortable enough with their bodies to don the merchandise in public.
What gives, ladies? Are we buying these swimsuits with the hopes of being inspired to slim down by their presence in our closets? Or are we just hoping we'll work up the courage to bare all once the inevitable trip to the beach becomes a reality?
Wait -- that's not all. Here are some other startling bikini facts:
Have You Entered to Win This Designer Bikini Yet?
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| Wouldn't you love to win this? Photo: Zimmermann |
This week, we're giving away the Zimmermann Papillon Underwire Bikini -- it's not even available for purchase yet, so it's extra special. And it could be yours!
All you have to do is head over to the original giveaway post and leave a comment. While you're at it, you should probably check out the Zimmermann swimsuit giveaway going on over at StyleList, too. But hurry -- you only have until 5 p.m. on Friday to enter.
Zimmermann Papillon Bikini Giveaway
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| Put a little sexy in your swim. Photo: Zimmermann |
This week, we're giving away a fabulous (and flattering) Zimmermann Papillon Underwire Bikini here at That's Fit, and over at our stylish sister site, StyleList, we're giving away the Zimmermann Papillon Frill One-Piece. Both suits are super exclusive -- they won't even be available for purchase until fall. And, both are absolutely gorgeous.
Designer Nicky Zimmermann wouldn't have it any other way. She told us a bit about what she sees as major trends in swimwear this year. "There's a big movement in the swim category towards sophisticated one-pieces, and a bustier shaped bikini paired with a low slung pant," she says. "The easiest way to wear these trends is with confidence!"
She also recommends trying on lots of styles in the fitting room, but look for good construction and quality fabric. This suit certainly fits the bill. And it could be yours -- enter for a chance to win today!
- To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling about your favorite (healthy) poolside activities.
- The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, July 24, 2009.
- You may enter only once at That's Fit and once at StyleList.
- One winner from each site will be selected in a random drawing.
- One winner will receive a Zimmermann Papillon Underwire Bikini (valued at $230).
- 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. Winner will be notified by email, so make sure to check next week to find out if you've won!
Bikini Yoga, Body Confidence and Running in Pain - Links We Love
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation
There's always time to tone up for a trip to the beach. Give this bikini-body yoga routine a try.
When a stomachache or muscle cramp hits you mid-race, should you go on or go home? Find out more from "Running With Pain" on AOL Health.
Are you in need of a good confidence boost about your body? This week on AOL Health, Sabine Wilhem, Ph.D., author of "Feeling Good about the Way You Look" serves up some esteem-boosting tips. Plus, a humorous slide show about our body insecurities will get you smiling again!
5 Tips for a Better Bikini Body
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| Photo: FranUlloa, Flickr |
Work in exercise every day. You don't have to be sweating away for hours upon hours -- just make a commitment to be physically active every day. No excuses!
Forget about spot reduction. Targeting one area of your body for weight loss is a myth. Strength training can target the muscle groups in certain areas, but that has nothing to do with weight loss. A healthy diet and consistent exercise will help your body lose weight (from all over) at a steady pace.
Set milestones. It's great to have a long-term goal such as losing 25 pounds, but if that's all you focus on, it can be demotivating. In addition to your long-term goal, set smaller, achievable milestones.
Stick to water. Frozen margaritas and tasty blended drinks may tempt you when the mercury rises. But those summer treats really pack on the calories. Stick to ice water and avoid all of those liquid calories.
Mix up your workout. Don't get stuck in an exercise rut. Have a well-rounded workout routine that includes cardio, strength training, and flexibility moves.
ABC "Wipeout" Host - Once Flabby, Now Fit
Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.
Jill Wagner is the bombshell host of ABC's ludicrous obstacle course game show "Wipeout." We recently spoke, and she openly revealed how she'd fare on the course and why working out is a requirement of her job.
Fitz: The "Wipeout" obstacle courses are insane. In your opinion, do they require great strength and balance or just luck?
Jill: Well, if you look at some of our contestants ... I wouldn't say that some of them are the most athletic. I think that a lot has to do with balance and luck, though, because I've seen the most athletic people not even make it through the qualifier. Balance is probably the most important factor.
Fitz: Do you think weighing more could be an advantage?
Jill: I think weighing less is definitely a bigger benefit. The smaller people get across those big balls easier; maybe it's because they don't make such a great impact as they cross them. You know what happens to the bigger people (she laughs)!
Fitz: Have you ever done one of the courses?
Shape's Bikini Body Tour Has Begun!
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
You'd better bet your booty that it's time to break out that bikini, and chances are, you still have a little work to do before you feel comfortable strutting your stuff in that bathing suit. In fact, according to SHAPE magazine, four out of five women aren't satisfied with their bodies, and so SHAPE is offering the SHAPE Bikini Body Tour to help sculpt you in time for beach season.The magazine is touring the country and hitting two of the hottest beaches to provide women with a chance to take part in 40 classes, games and prizes. One of the sexiest bikini models around is lending her name (and her body) to the effort, too -- Victoria's Secret supermodel Marisa Miller was at the first stop of the tour last weekend in Santa Monica, California, and she is on the cover of SHAPE's June issue, hitting stands May 25.
The next stop of the tour occurs in Miami's South Beach on Saturday, June 13. Preregistration is simple and only costs $10. Considering you could take part in a really cool class and have the opportunity to win fab prizes (like a free trip to one of two Beaches resorts), it sounds like a pretty good bargain to us.
Summer Body Meal Plan - Links We Love
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
It's almost Memorial Day and that means it's almost summer. But that doesn't mean it's too late to get in gear for the bikini-sporting season. At AOL Health, you'll find a tempting array of lean meals in the "Summer-Body Diet Plan," as well as a few foods you shouldn't eat in our photo gallery of summer health food shockers. Plus, test your knowledge of picnic, barbecue and amusement park fare in our "Which Summer Food is Diet-Friendly?" quiz challenge.
Does Swimsuit Season Stress You Out?
Flatter Belly, Tighter Butt - Step-By-Step Guides to Getting Toned - This Week on AOL Health
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation
What's your workout routine like these days? Have you upped your ab work?
Take a Big Step Towards a Small Swimsuit
A stadium is a great place to sit on your bum to watch a game and get off your bum and train it. Whether you live near a small or large stadium, I recommend utilizing it as a unique component of your training regimen to intensely target your lower body muscles and respiratory systems. There are so many activities you can do with the varying heights of steps, and the benefits are unreal.
For more innovative training videos, visit SportsHealthExercise.org.
For more from Fitz, visit Fitzness.com
Best Workouts for Spring - This Week on AOL Health
Enter AOL Health's Best Spring Workout, which pairs an ideal move to each body part you'll want to have in shape come summer time (bikini season).
'Fess up, have you been fully active with your weight lifting, stretching and overall body toning? What moves never fail to help you get back -- or help you stay -- in shape?
Flatter Abs - Best Bikini-Ready Body Advice
Here, Pagano, a certified health and fitness instructor and author of "15-Minute Abs Workout" and "15-Minute Total Body Workout," (each come with step-by-step companion DVDs) among other fitness titles, shares her best bikini-ready body advice. Remember, she cautions, like any muscle group, abs require 24 to 48 hours to recover between workouts, so you should train them on nonconsecutive days. Also, quantity is not more important that quality. Fifteen minutes is enough time to spend on your belly-flattening routine.
That's Fit: If people have taken vacation from ab exercises over the winter season and are just starting up an ab program, how quickly should they see results?
Pagano: Doing an abs routine three to four times a week for four to eight weeks will strengthen and firm the muscles. For the sculpting effect to show, you also need to reduce your body fat to reveal the contours of the muscles underneath. You can shed the fat by regularly expending more calories than you consume. Incorporate at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio activity most (at least five) days of the week, and monitor your dietary intake.
Valerie Bertinelli Rocks a String Bikini
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Talk about inspiration! Valerie Bertinelli, one of the most recent spokespeople for Jenny Craig, is one heck of a success story. She looks positively amazing, and is showing off her sleek new physique on the cover of "People" magazine by wearing a little bitty bikini.The actress, who will be turning 49 next month, had trouble sleeping the night before the big bikini photo shoot, thinking, "Am I really going to do this? Can I pull this off?" But then, she pulled herself together and decided there was nothing to be afraid of -- "It's just a bathing suit!"
Just two years ago, Bertinelli weighed in at 172, and at 5'4", that was more than 40 pounds heavier than she wanted to be. Nine months after she started Jenny Craig, she was down to 132 pounds.
Hottest Celebs Over 40
By AOL Health Editors
Lisa Rinna
Rinna turned heads and stole the headlines for posing for the May 2009 "Playboy" cover at age 45. In an interview with That's Fit, she explains how she stays in shape after having kids. While she's always been a fan of exercise, being on "Dancing With the Stars" has changed her entire workout philosophy. "Dance is such an overall workout...that also makes you really, really happy... what's more fun than dancing?"
PLAYBOY Magazine
Demi Moore
If you were a 46-year-old toting around 31-year-old arm candy, you might worry about looking young, or at least try to look your best. But we hear that this actress is willing to drop more than six figures a year to sustain her fit figure -- covering the cost of personal trainers, equipment and Pilates classes, among other things.
Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images
Valerie Bertinelli
After shedding 50 pounds, 48-year-old Bertinelli graced the cover of "People" magazine, clad in a bikini -- for the first time in 20 years. This former teen star and current Jenny Craig spokeswoman ditched the excess weight by cutting calories, running five days a week and doing strength-training exercises with her personal trainer.
Jean-Paul Aussenard, WireImage
Kathy Ireland
This 46-year-old former "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model and current CEO, author and mother, recently had a wake-up call that she was carrying some extra weight, from her son of all people. After he told her she looked pregnant, she stepped on the scales to find she'd gained 25 pounds. A friend, who's a personal trainer and nutritionist, helped her plan healthier meals, cut back on snacks and sweets and incorporate three exercise sessions a week. As a result she's lost nearly all of the added pounds.
Jonathan Exley / Kathy Ireland Worldwide
Sheryl Crow
This Grammy winner is nearly as famous for her albums as she is for her show-stopping body. When the 46-year-old recently stepped out on the red carpet looking more toned and fit than ever, she shared that her incredible figure was the result of a regimen of yoga, Pilates and P90X workouts.
The sweat-inducing system, created by trainer Tony Horton, is made up of 12 different workouts designed to create "muscle confusion" by introducing new moves to beat boredom and avoid plateaus. There's also a three-phase diet plan that focuses on lean protein, complex carbs and limiting fat.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Courteney Cox Arquette
Our favorite 'Friend' and soulless tabloid journalist has only gotten better looking with age. Cox Arquette's secret weapon for those cut arms and toned legs? Tennis and Budokon, an intense workout integrating yoga, martial arts and meditation. Cox Arquette has also been said to use the Blood Type Diet.
Starface, Retna
Kim Cattrall
Our pick for sexiest of the "Sex and the City" pack is also the oldest. And at 51, we think Kim Cattrall looks even more fabulous now than she did when the show first debuted. Cattrall has said that exercise is crucial for her and that without it she feels sluggish. When she can't make it to the gym for a 30-minute workout, she likes to walk.
MAP/Splash News
Daniel Craig
How does hottie Daniel Craig get Bond buff? It's no surprise that there's a lot of weight lifting in his fitness routine. Craig has said that a routine centered around weights was the only way to bulk up in the short time he had to prepare for "Casino Royale." But for his next Bond venture, the 40-year-old stunning star is mixing up his heavy lifting routine with boxing and running.
Splash News
Madonna
Madonna may be single-handedly responsible for helping yoga and Pilates go mainstream. With her enviable arms and taut abs, her body is a walking advertisement for the two fitness disciplines which she has long practiced. Her high water intake (three liters a day) and strict diet that bans processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and dairy also helps keep the 49-year-old slim. But we're sure the two-hour sessions of dancing and hitting the Hybrid Body Reformer (a pulley-system machine) that she does six times a week don't hurt.
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Jamie Foxx
The Jamie Foxx workout doesn't involve exclusive gyms or personal trainers. He keeps it simple. Every morning he does four sets of pushups, situps and crunches. But not all at once, mind you. He breaks up the workout with chores. A set of pushups. Brush teeth. One set of ab exercises. Take a shower. And so on. That way, he doesn't have to make time for exercise, it's just part of his morning routine.
Chris Gordon, WireImage.com
Sarah Chalke - Klutzy, Quick, and Really Hot
Sarah Chalke is on the cover of the March issue of Fitness magazine, wearing a bikini (which actually covers more than some of the get-ups the put her in on Scrubs), and she looks thin, but toned. Still, the actress swears she eats pie, ice cream, and "hot-chocolate soup, which is basically a thick bar of chocolate melted and topped with whipped cream." Oh, and she doesn't own a scale. So, wait -- how does that work?
For starters, she doesn't do those foods all the time -- she's a healthy eater, but doesn't deny herself dessert. And she stays active in a million different ways, including hiking with her chocolate lab, Lola, or hitting the treadmill while she learns her lines. Her current favorite way to work out is Xflowsion, "a combination of martial arts, yoga and power dance." She demonstrates a few of the moves in the magazine, and I can definitely see where it would burn a ton of calories.My question is, how does she do it and not get hurt? This is a girl who's torn the ligaments in her left ankle seven times, once while in a college lecture hall (her leg fell asleep, and when she tried to stand to ask a question, she toppled right over), and another time when she stepped on a pinecone when she was out for a walk. But you know, we've all had those moments, right? If so, show your Scrubs love and leave a comment about your most embarrassing fitness injury!
