tight-related stories
Adidas Giveaway - Be the Face of the Adidas "Me, Myself" Campaign (and Win Some Clothes Here, Too)
Fashion and Beauty, Fitness, Reviews & Products
Adidas has joined forces with the WMBA's MVP and Rookie of the Year Candace Parker to launch a fantastic campaign to find the new face of Adidas.This distinctive and inspirational new women's marketing initiative celebrates individuality, confidence and motivation through a series of intimate portraits of women depicting key moments in their fitness routines and daily lives.
This is where you come in. Your job is to simply visit this link and proclaim your inspiration for being sporty and active. Easy enough, right? Adidas is so insistent on rewarding you for taking such great care of yourself that they've allowed us to giveaway a gorgeous outfit as well. Sweet!
Before venturing over to adidas.com/women for your shot at fame, just leave us a note in the comment section telling us what inspires you to participate in sports and fitness activities. Easy, right? Right! Entering is simple. See below for details!
- To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us what inspires you to participate in sports and fitness activities. (You're going to look stunning working out in your Pure Power clothes if you win!)
- The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, February 6, 2009.
- You may enter only once.
- One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
- One winner will receive one Pure Power Tank , one Pure Power Jacket and one Pure Power 3/4 Tight available in sizes S-XL from adidas (valued at up to approximately $175 total).
- 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're a winner!
3 Quickie Moves to Tighten Your Butt and Legs
If you're in search of sexy legs and a curvy can, squeeze these three moves into your workouts a few times each week. In fact, even if you aren't going to do a "full workout," just do these moves and your lower body will shine. I do these often myself and often incorporate them into the training sessions of my personal training clients. Each move works a variety of lower body muscles, and all of them will provide results quite quickly!
Squat Jumps: Squat down like a frog and explosively jump up as high as you can. This exercise will also crank up your heart rate, so begin with several sets of five jumps in a row with a short break in between. Increase your reps each workout.
Walking Lunges: Find a stretch of open space like a sidewalk or group fitness room. Alternating legs, take huge steps forward dropping your back knee close to the ground. Keep your back straight and avoid driving your front knee past your front ankle. Begin with 20 lunges and progress by adding steps or distance each time your train.
The Belly Buster
Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. Fitz, I'm sick of feeling sick at the end of Thanksgiving Day. I seem to eat all day, even when I'm not hungry. I literally feel like the clothes I put on that morning don't fit me anymore. I'm dreading it this week. What do I do? Alex
A. Gobble Gobble, Alex! I mean ... don't Gobble Gobble, Alex. (Bad joke, I know). Holidays, particularly Thanksgiving, often lead to really weird amounts of mindless eating. It doesn't help that this particular day is actually based on a feast. Darn Pilgrims! Why couldn't they show their gratitude with a running race? I can help you avoid this scenario, though. No one likes to unbutton their jeans to be able to sit down. It's uncomfortable, embarrassing and depressing. So let's get proactive, make a plan and stick with it.
5 Ways to Loosen Up After a Long Day at a Desk
Work/Home Balance, Fitness, Motivation
Tomorrow is the deadline for my book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook. I'm thrilled with Adams Media for hiring me to write it but on occasion, my body has been very angry at them for giving me such a tight deadline. This uber short deadline has caused little Miss Fitzness Trainer to sit for 12 hours at a time with my head buried in my laptop quite often. My brain is thrilled, but my back has been bummed.
The only reason I've survived is because I'm already really good at taking care of my body. I've never had to sit down for such long periods of time as a requirement of my job, but when the side effects of doing so set in ... I knew how to respond.
I imagine a lot of you are stuck at a desk for hours on a daily basis. I feel for you. I also have some ideas to help you survive it without all of the stiff, achy and strained body parts.
Unfit gym partners are best
Next time you head to the gym, plan to cozy up next to some unfit folks on the weight machines. Chances are you'll work harder and longer if your exercise partners are frumpier than you.When researchers from the University of California, San Diego, secretly timed women on a weight machine, they found than if a fit woman in tight gym clothes was on the next machine, the exercisers stopped in just under three minutes. But when their neighbor looked unfit and was sporting baggy sweat pants, the women kept going for more than five minutes. Questionnaires the participants later completed revealed the unfit folks didn't make them feel better about themselves, but the hot bods did make them feel worse than when no one was on the next machine.
This news brief, found in the June 2008 issue of Good Housekeeping, has me wondering where I'll place myself next time I hit the gym. How about you?
The biggest baddest VEGAN around: Tony Gonzalez
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Organic, Vegetarian, Vitamins and Supplements, Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Healthy Products and Reviews, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
I just returned from ESPN the Weekend, at Disney World's Hollywood Studios. One of the highlights for me was when I stumbled across an interesting conversation between football all-stars Donovan McNabb, Chris Carter, Tony Gonzalez and a few others. The men were on an open stage being interviewed my Mike Greenberg of the Mike and Mike Show. What caught my attention was the taunting of Tony Gonzalez with strange veggie jokes. Why were they poking fun at this "lettuce man"? Little Miss Fitzness had to stop and listen.
The taunting was followed by Kansas City Chief tight-end Tony defending his vegan lifestyle. I was both surprised and impressed. Tony was bragging about his ability to jump rope and hit the weight room while his teammates were stuck in the mud the day after a game. He's beaten lethargy, increased his energy, and found many more fascinating benefits since he changed his eating habits. The nearly 250 pound tight end is not someone anyone would guess to be a vegan, but I think that's why he's so neat.
Fast fitness: Blast those abs in a flash
One of the biggest physical issues people wish they could change about themselves is their midsection -- everybody wants a flatter and more toned stomach. But somehow even though it's one of the most desired physical changes it also seems to be one of the most elusive. Part of it is that even the slightest layer of fat can cover up a toned tummy and make it look flabby, and the other part is probably not having the time to work on it. But like anything, having the time is all about priorities and about how bad you want it, and if you're looking for a fast way to squeeze in some ab work these exercises may make it easier to get started. eDiets has tailored common moves like sit-ups, leg raises, and others into a fast and efficient ab routine. Happy crunching!
Ask Fitz! Your Fitness Questions Answered -- Ditching baby weight and foot numbness
Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, 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. Hi Fitz. I need some advice on how to best use my treadmill. I have a seven month old baby, and have lost a bunch of weight....but I've hit a plateau. I'm nursing, and am constantly hungry. Please don't suggest a gym, because I can't afford one. I'd just like to make the best of my treadmill. I'm desperate. Help! Melanie.
A. Plateaus suck, Melanie. Very frustrating. Fortunately though, it sounds like we can get you moving in the right direction. I nursed both of my children as well, and remember the feeling of constant thirst and hunger. In fact, the second I sat down to nurse, my husband went running to get me a drink. The urges are wild, aren't they?
You don't need a gym. Gyms are fantastic tools if you choose them, but they are no means the end-all when it comes to fitness. You can work wonders in the comforts of your own home, while junior can comfortably sleep or play as well. You didn't tell me what you're doing on the treadmill now, but I can give you this advice. Do more! Go further, faster or walk at an incline. Cranking up the intensity of your workout is a sure way to burn extra calories and develop the muscles in your legs as well. If you don't have specific health issues that prevent you from jogging.......do it! Many of my personal training clients shied away from jogging pre-me, because it seemed too hard. Now they're all running several miles a day.
Increase the level of your training gradually. Don't expect to double your efforts right away. Jog for two minutes, walk for two minutes. Jog for three minutes, walk for two. Jog for four, walk for two. Increase that way. Soon a complete jog will be possible. If you can't jog for some reason, use the incline. Increase the level by one percent each day you train.......and soon you'll be climbing mountains. Not only does that burn mega calories, but you'll earn the firmest fanny for miles. And if you can't jog or walk at an incline....walk further. Increasing mileage decreases you!
Add strength training daily as well. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn throughout the day. Push-ups, squats, lunges, dips, crunches, leg lifts, planks. All of those things are free, and will provide you with a great total body workout. You can use your baby as resistance. Do all of your strength training exercises while holding him. You'll both have fun!
Lastly, eat wisely. Since you're hungry quite often, be particular about what you put in your mouth. Look for low calorie, highly nutritious options. Fruit, veggies, lean meat and lean dairy in small portions will keep you satisfied and on the way to your fitter figure. Let me know how it goes Mommy! Fitz
Q. Hello! I have recently started working out again and have gradually worked my way up to using the elliptical machine for an hour. I do 30 minutes of elliptical, then ten minutes of walking, followed by another 30 minutes of elliptical. Unfortunately 20 minutes into my workout, my feet begin to go numb. It's like the tingling sensation you get when you're feet go to sleep. At first I thought it was the shoes I was wearing, but I changed them and it made no difference. Have you ever heard of this before? Do you know what causes it or what I can do to alleviate it? Thanks. Anna
Simple stretches to relieve tension and restore energy
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Maybe it's a bad day at work, combined with a frustrating commute home, followed by a burnt dinner, all resulting in a guilty binge on take-out and a couch potato session in front of the TV (or maybe it's something else altogether), but all-too-often tension and stress build up one small way at a time all throughout the day. You may not even realize just how tight and uncomfortable you are until you take the time to do some stretches and relax.So if this sounds like you take a look at these stretching exercises, some with fun names like "paint the ceiling" and "shoulder blade slide," and see if you don't feel happier and looser in minutes.
Painful Christmas gadgets under the tree?
Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products
Nobody wants to give pain for Christmas (well, unless you're the Grinch) but researchers and doctors say that that's exactly what might be sitting under the Christmas tree, this year more than others. High-tech games and fancy gadgets are more popular now than ever, but with them comes the risk of sore thumbs, inflamed elbows, stiff shoulders...and the list goes on.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) used to be fairly uncommon, affecting only people who had reason to perform the same movements over and over -- such as heavy computer users and jackhammer operators. But now that electronics are so popular, and getting smaller and smaller everyday, RSI's are making a much bigger appearance in the mainstream population. Some popular gifts, like the Nintendo Wii, now come with health warnings suggesting users take frequent breaks and pay attention to their posture while playing.
Good news is that RSI's are easy to avoid -- simply pay attention to your body and take a break if you start to feel tense or strained. Moderation (yep, that one again!), stretching, and proper posture are the keys for keeping those gadgets fun, and not painful!
























