Check out our Diet Reviews on AOL Health!

pro-related stories

Stress relief is just a breath away

Fitness, Motivation

If stress, tension and anxiety have been bugging you, yoga pro Stacy McCarthy will teach you a quick and simple technique for instant stress relief. Check out more great mini fitness videos at The Active Health Network.

Source

Celebrity Fitzness Report: Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin

Womens Health, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

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.

Nastia Liukin was the darling of the U.S. gymnastics team this year as she conquered Olympic Gold in the All Around competition and proudly added to her collection four more medals. That would be three silver and one bronze; I personally would kill to have just one in any color. She's Russian born, American bred and now working with the Secret Sport Challenge to help make other athletic dreams come true. I scored this interview this week while she was promoting the Challenge and bringing attention to the twenty $5,000 scholarships being given away to help others achieve their sporty goals. Nastia is ridiculously fit and has some great advice to help you look better, feel stronger and live longer.

Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?

Nastia: Before the Olympics I trained for about seven hours a day. It included about two hours of warming up and conditioning, and the rest of the time was spent practicing routines and skills on the events.

Fitz: If you weren't a professional athlete/gymnast how do you think you'd pursue fitness?

Source

Celebrity Fitzness Report: Former NFL Wide Receiver Travis McGriff

Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

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.

Travis McGriff is an elite athlete who broke records as a wide receiver at the University of Florida and then went on to play football in the NFL for both the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. He's trained with the best coaches and trainers one could wish for and has maintained his level of fitness since retiring from football several years ago. In fact, he says he's still "game ready." Fitness is, and always will be, part of his life. He has a bunch of neat NFL stories to share, and some fantastic suggestions to get you in great shape too.

Fitz: What is training like in the NFL?

Travis: It's a lot different than one would think! In the off-season, for example, players are basically left to do their own thing. The few programs offered are OK, but not the killer workouts one would imagine. And! In the fall, the training is nill. We were basically just playing ball.

Fitz: That is weird! Most people would expect pro football players to be challenged year round.

Source

Naked push-ups

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

How do naked push-ups sound to you? Well, let me tell you, I just got off the phone with a colleague and friend, Dr. Jose Antonio, Ph.D., FACSM, CSCS, Chief Executive Officer of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) and one of its co-founders. We were talking health and fitness when he brought up something a fellow fitness pro, Suzy Favor Hamilton does and recommends on a regular basis.

You got it. Naked push-ups.

Before showering each morning, Suzy -- an elite athlete, makes a habit of dropping and doing 20 push-ups. It's simple and it may sound silly, but getting down and earning a good shower each day seems like a great idea to me!

Naked push-ups are smart for two reasons. They create a habitual time and place for you to make push-ups happen. Second, it seems as they would force you to get in touch with your body at least once each day. Do you like the way your legs hold firm as you go through the motion? Could you work on trimming down your tummy so it doesn't touch the ground first? I imagine that naked push-ups would give most of us the motivation to choose the right foods and pursue even more exercise as the day progresses.

Source

Gary Player: Proving fitness and golf go hand in hand

Fitness

Golf professional Gary Player's schedule last week included traveling from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Hawaii back to West Palm then to Philly, on to L.A., then to Bangkok (for only five hours), to Beijing, then to London, Morocco, Casablanca, Germany, and finally back to West Palm Beach.

And, in case you didn't know, the man is 72 years old.

Early on in his career, Player devoted himself to fitness (which is what he credits with the fact that he's able to manage such a schedule). The golf world called him crazy for lifting weights and adhering to a strict exercise routine, and many believed he wouldn't last on the pro tour. Not only has he lasted, but he continues to be strong and healthy. Plus, he's set a fitness standard for guys like Tiger Woods, who Player ran into at the gym in Dubai.

Player is adamant that people, including those joining him on the PGA tour, realize that fitness isn't just important for your golf game or so you look better -- it's necessary for a long, healthy life. And he's some of the best proof of that I've seen.

Source

Anna Kournikova on sweat, weight loss

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

I love to sweat. So does Anna Kournikova.

"I feel great when I sweat and get all the negative energy out," says the tennis pro who spends much of her workout time using weights and machines so she can maintain her muscle mass. She doesn't devote much time to cardio but does do a little so she can relieve stress and sweat.

On the internet speculation about her weight loss, Kournikova says: "You know that you're a public person. You know what you're getting yourself into and you just have to be okay with yourself. It's just somebody's opinion and you just can't focus on that."

Source

Celebrity Fitzness Report: Professional Skater Sasha Cohen

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Vitamins and Supplements, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements

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.

I just got done chatting with myself....I think. No, it probably wasn't me. The person on the other end of my conversation is world famous and has a couple of of Olympic medals. Nope...it couldn't have been me. But! The other person sounded like me. I asked her questions about health and fitness, and she spat out the same stuff I've spent my professional life teaching. This person raved about the benefits of produce, lean meats and frequent challenging exercise. Yes. It could've been a brilliant fitness expert I was conversing with, but it wasn't. It was champion ice skater and Olympic Sliver Medalist, Sasha Cohen.

I chose Sasha to interview, because of her elite success in athletics. She's also touring with Smucker's Stars on Ice and puts on one heck of a show. She's one of the strongest, most flexible and entertaining athletes on earth. Beyond that...she turned out to be one of the best people I've ever talked fitness with. The girl gets it. I mean, she really gets it! She's a chic who seeks out highly nutritious, low fat, high fiber foods whenever she picks up a fork. She also pursues a well-rounded workout routine outside of skating. I loved what she had to say. I want you to pay close attention as well. She's physically small, but not just because of good genes. She works at it, and I believe she'll always be fit. It's a lifestyle for her, and that's what it should be for you.

Fitz: You're a brilliant skater and make a tremendously difficult sport look effortless. Do you remember when skating was hard?

Sasha: Oh Gosh! Skating is always hard. Sometimes it's a challenge to simply put one foot in front of the other. Every day requires effort just to get through it.

Source

Your trainer's 12 Days of Christmas

Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Cellulite, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Men's Health

Want to know what professional trainers like me wish for, for Christmas? Sing along!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, one water-based heavy bag.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two boxing gloves.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three ropes for jumping.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, four Body Buggs.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, five Versa Steps.

Source

HolidayBootCamp.com kicks you in the butt.

Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Products and Reviews, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

One of my favorite colleagues in the fitness industry, Tracy Benham, M.E.S.S. has just launched a spectacular program designed to keep you on track and maybe even get you fitter for the holidays. HolidayBootCamp.com offers a free e-course jam packed with the best information from degreed and experienced fitness professionals (including myself) who are dying to change your life.

You'll receive a daily Kick in the Butt via email to keep you on track, and train your brain to make the best of your body. Ready for real-deal gimmick free fitness advice? Sign up at HolidayBootCamp.com,

Source

Cardio and strength training face off: Which is better?

Fitness

If cardio and strenth training were to face off in a head-to-head battle for "who's the best overall" which one do you think would win? Is it that simple really? Well Women's Heath set out to find out, comparing the two with good old fashioned 'pros and cons' lists based on what your goals are. Weight loss? Strength training is best (really? I'm surprised). Stress relief? Cardio. To live longer? Cardio. To look sexy in front of a mirror? Strength training.

Surprised by any of these? It looks like overall they pretty much even out, so the best advice might be to mix it up and do some of both as part of a consistent routine -- why not get the best of both worlds?

Source

Recent Comments
Featured Writers
Bob GreeneReggie Casagrande
Bob Greene
Jonny BowdenJohn GanonJonny Bowden

Tanya ZuckerbrotFadil BerishaTanya Zuckerbrot
Liz Neporent Liz Neporent