hit-related stories
Monty Lane Allen - The Country Star Is Trading His Boots for Sneakers
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Country singer Monty Lane Allen has accomplished many things. He's recorded albums and has performed with Country greats like Alan Jackson and Brad Paisley, while on stages in front of big wigs like .... the President of the United States. But beyond his beautiful voice and great talent on the guitar, this country star is an amazing athlete!
Monty Lane Allen is half performer and half jock. Not to say that Country folks can't be athletic, because of course they can be and are. But this guy is serious. He runs marathons on a regular basis and doesn't even feel satisfied with that. He's branching out in to triathlons too.
Lo Bosworth - Which "Hills" Costar Would She Switch Bodies With?
Celebrity Fitzness Report, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.
The Hills season finale on December 22 is quickly approaching on MTV, and I was able to catch up with reality star Lo Bosworth for a quick interview. To find out how she stays in shape and what her "realities" are while starring on this hit show, read on.
Fitz: How'd you end up on The Hills? What goes in to that?
Lo: Well, I started out on Laguna Beach back in high school. Then I went away to college. I was at UCSB and I transferred to UCLA my junior year. That was when Lauren and I were able to spend more time together. So I started going out a little bit and sometimes they would be filming. And then at some point, the producers just asked me to re-join the show.
Fitz: You're on a reality show but not necessarily a "performer" in Hollywood. You're supposed to be "real," but do you feel tons of pressure to be thin, beautiful and well dressed all the time?
Will Lo launch her own fashion line? Read on!
HIT yourself with your best shot
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Men's Health
Distance runner Roger Bannister was the first person to run the 4-minute mile. He, like many athletes today, followed a training program designed by Eastern European trainers, referred to affectionately as HIT. High-intensity Interval Training (HIT) is designed to deliver high levels of fitness quickly, and doing so with short bouts of maximum intensity exercise.
Just recently, Canadian researchers discovered that a total of only 15 minutes of HIT over a two-week period produced greater changes in endurance capacity than performing months of moderate-intensity exercises.
The gist of how HIT works is as follows: You put forth maximum (and by maximum, I mean 100 percent) effort for a specific duration of time and then take a short period of rest. You then follow this same cycle for several more times. An example of of a HIT program (which, incidentally, can pretty much be worked into any exercise program) is as follows:
- 1 set of 100 percent effort for 30 seconds
- 4 minutes of rest (slow pace)
- 1 set of 100 percent effort for 30 seconds
- 4 minutes of rest (slow pace)
- 1 set of 100 percent effort for 30 seconds
- 4 minutes of rest (slow pace)
- 1 set of 100 percent effort for 30 seconds
- Cool down for 4 minutes at very slow pace
Interval training is not only a great way to incinerate fat quickly, but it also alleviates the "I don't have time to workout" dilemma so many people face (the workout above only takes 18 minutes to complete).
Rhythm Nation tops workout song list
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Ripa was thrilled to announce this fitness flash: Rhythm Nation, one of Jackson's smash hits, is reportedly the most listened-to song by those who rock while working out. This information comes courtesy of Fitness Magazine, said Ripa, who happens to have this very song on her iPod. When no one is watching her on the treadmill, she told her audience, she breaks into a total Rhythm Nation dance routine. On the treadmill? Yep, that's what she said.
What's your favorite workout song? And tell us -- do you bust a few moves when no one is looking?
Doctors say to treat smokers like drug addicts
Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products
According to this, smokers who are trying to kick the nicotine habit need to be treated like addicts hooked on a drug like heroin. Doctors say that those trying to quit smoking need to be given a product that provides a hit of nicotine as strong as one they'd get from a cigarette, much the same way that heroin addicts use methadone to quit that drug.
The article points out some scary statistics -- 100 million people died in the last century due to the negative effects of smoking cigarettes, 150 million will likely die over the next 20 years and a whopping 1 billion people are projected to die of smoking-related causes in the 21st century.
Unfortunately, those who want to quit only have access to products like nicotine gum or the patch, which deliver low doses of the drug, rather than the kind of fix a smoker would get from a cigarette. The solution? The piece mentions that better cigarette substitutes need to be developed to give smokers a better chance of kicking the habit.
Rugby's not just for boys
I never really thought that rugby would be an enticing sport for girls -- with no padding and some really rough hits, the sport seems a bit rough and tumble. But I recently realized that I actually know several women who play the sport and love it. One friend, who stands at a mere 5-feet tall, just started playing this past summer and despite a concussion or two raved about the game.
The sport offers a great work-out, can help with coordination and is a great way to make new friends with those on your team. I took a look for some resources and on the web and found this cool site that offers news and information for women thinking about trying out the sport.
If you're a girl looking to find a new way to get some exercise, want to play on a team and aren't afraid to take a hit, you should take a look at the site and then check out your local women's league.























