rock-related stories
Duran Duran Star John Taylor is Now Du-Running
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Duran Duran ruled the 80's. In fact, they still kind of rule. Selling out arenas around the world isn't too shabby in anyone's book.
Even though he's still performing with his legendary band, John Taylor has reformed from his very typical rock star ways of the past, and is now a genuine fitness fiend. We spoke today, and I was delighted to hear about his new lifestyle. John told me that he gave up drinking and drugs years ago and pays a lot of attention to his health. He actually said he considers himself a runner! So cute, he called himself the "slackest runner in the world" but knows he needs that outlet because of the mental relief it provides. To quote John, he says it "suits my psychology."
When we see rock stars living the party life, it's easy to wonder what effects it will have on their futures. Some simply don't survive the lifestyle. But John did, and it's wonderful to see the man so many people adore as he lives a truly healthy life. He does struggle a bit with something, though.
The Wave - Get Off-Balance and Get Firm
I love The FIRM workouts. They're not easy, but they're effective. But now I'm jonesing for the newer workout called The Wave. Fitz told us how being off-balance can add to your workout. Tools like the BOSU are meant to make you wobble so your muscles get an extra workout just by responding to the imbalance. The Wave system uses that same idea. The Wave can sit on the anchored side, and it's essentially like a traditional step, but flip it over to the rocking side and you have a whole new type of workout.
I think some of my Christmas gift money is going toward The Wave. How about you? Any fitness purchases you want to make for the New Year?
Give a kid a rock to climb
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Joey took his first stab at indoor rock climbing the other day. He's seven. I tried the same feat when I was, oh, twenty-something, and I came barreling down from great heights (there was a rope involved, don't worry) as tears spilled from my eyes. It wasn't fear that started my water works. It was physical exhaustion and frustration. I kept trying to use my arms to pull me up, you see, unaware at the time that my legs harnessed the power to propel me upward. Joey figured this out in no time. I'm the slow one.I told Joey as he tackled the wall that he's stronger than me. "You're just saying that so I won't quit," he said. He's also smarter than me. He can detect psychological maneuvering in a second.
Really, Joey is stronger than me. I'm not so weak now, at the advanced age of 38, but it took me quite some time to believe I possess the physical know-how to master major challenges -- like ropes courses, whitewater rafting, snow-skiing, parasailing, a 5K, and yes, rock climbing. So it's such a pleasure to watch my growing boy excel in areas that will enrich both his mental and physical world.
We're off on a bike ride tonight, me and my guy. Something tells me I'll be trailing Joey the whole time.
Sexercise yourself fit
Not in the mood for exercise? How about sexercise? Redbook magazine offers tips on how to get sexually fit with a handful of easy moves that take only a few minutes each day and can (1) increase your lovemaking stamina and (2) burn off a few calories. Think you can work these sexercises into your routine, ladies?- Kegels. Get the lowdown here.
- Fire breathing. Read all about it.
- Pelvic exercises. More on The Sexual Lotus, The Cat, The Pelvic Rock, The Hip Swivel right here.
- The Butterfly Quiver. The secret is here.
Strong songs score strength training success
Motivational pop and rock music is the key to strength training success. Really. A 2006 U.K. study says so.A York St. John University study found that students could hold a 2.4-pound weight straight out in front of their bodies at shoulder height for up to 10 percent longer when strong lyrics were booming around them. All-music workouts beat out both a partial-music workout and a white noise workout but only when the tunes were powerful enough to pump up exercisers.
Pick a song you'd belt out recklessly in the shower or in your car and use it to power your next workout. Or borrow this Women's Health recommended playlist. Or this one, compliments of Divine Caroline. Or this one, offered by Fitness magazine.
Ask Fitz! Your Fitness Questions Answered -- Vacations without Weight Gain & Flat Smooshy Tushies
Healthy Habits, Stress Reduction, Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Ask Fitz!, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. Hey Fitz. I'm heading out for a week's vacation on a cruise ship next month, and worried that once again I'll gain almost ten pounds while gone. That's what I've done the last few times I've gone on a cruise. How can I get around it? There is awesome food everywhere! Susan.
A. Susan, Susan, Susan. I'm shaking my head. The deal with vacations, cruises especially, is that they're a time for you to relax, get away from the daily grind and have some fun. Pigging out and gorging are simply not what you should be focusing on...wherever you are! Yes, there is a lot of tasty food on cruise ships. There is also a lot of yummy things available at your local grocery store every single day! That doesn't' mean you should run through the aisles like a lunatic shoving everything you can get your hands on into your mouth. Just because food is THERE, just because food is FREE, doesn't mean you have to eat it.
Rock climbing essentials for the ladies
Womens Health, Healthy Products and Reviews, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health
If you plan on getting vertical any time soon, you may want do a bit of online shopping before you go. Women's Health magazine compiled a list of must-haves to keep you comfy, protected, and looking sharp while you increase your elevation.
Fitzness Fiend: Paul Watford
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Places, Stress Reduction, Womens Health, Cellulite, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!
Name: Paul Watford
Age: 61
Occupation: Retired
How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week
What type of exercise do you do? Two to three days a week I do stadium steps. Two to three days a week I do core body exercises: sit-ups, push-ups, varying plank exercises, and yoga stretches.
What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Its up to me. I am the only active person in my family.
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Fearless Planet Adventurer - Will Gadd
Healthy Habits, Healthy Places, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
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
My guest this week is the very excellent athlete and adventurer Will Gadd. Starring on Discovery Channel's Fearless Planet, Will guides us through the world's most spectacular natural wonders to teach us how these land formations were created. The show is really so gripping that as I lay sick and exhausted in bed a few weeks ago, I refused to fall asleep. I couldn't miss his journey through and lesson about the Sahara. (No.....I don't have TiVo.Yes, I know I'm a nerd.) I was wishing this show was around when I was back in school learning about geography. If it was.....I think I would have actually been interested in the subject and learned all of the things I was supposed to learn back then. Totally entertaining!
From Canmore, Alberta, Will has won every major ice-climbing competition in the world and holds the distance world record in paragliding. He's one of the most successful outdoor sports athletes in the world, as well as an award-winning film-maker and writer. He has flown his para-glider over the Grand Canyon, climbed icebergs in the North Atlantic, won the X Games, written a best-selling outdoor instructional book and regularly writes for the New York Times and other international magazines and newspapers.
As I interviewed Will, we giggled a lot as he was totally down to earth (when not hanging from it). He's a new Daddy and considers that his most exciting, yet rewarding adventure. He's also the real deal when it comes to healthy living. He has some especially unique insight on food, which I think we could all learn from.
Fitz: You're the ultimate outdoor sports guy....in amazing shape. You're world renowned for excellence in ice climbing, mountain climbing, paragliding, kayaking , caving and skiing; a bit of a lunatic. How did you get started with all of this?
Will: I actually began my escapades in utero. My Mom was hitting the mountains while pregnant with me. My Dad's a climber too. I grew up with it.
Fitz: What does your wife think about you dangling upside-down from ice all the time?
Will: She totally gets it. She's (Kim Csizmazia) also a champion ice climber.
Fitz: That would probably help! And now you have a daughter?
What's in a twinkie anyway? The answer may shock you
Let's play guess the item. This item has ingredients derived from rocks and natural gas among it's ingredients. What is it? You'd probably guess something that goes in the foundation of your house, or a part for your car. Not something edible ... like a twinkie. But according to this article, that's exactly what's in a twinkie, among other things. For a popular food item, it's surprising how little actual food is in a twinkie. What's not surprising is that the Twinkie is an edible item that was developed at the height of war, when food was scarce. Fair enough, but why are we still eating them? I can tell you that those chemicals aren't going into my body. What about you?























