Posts with tag fitness

Country crooner Faith Hill has been the subject of countless photo shoots, but until now, she's always worn clothes. However, for her 41st birthday, she stepped outside her comfort zone and posed in a little bitty bikini for the cover of Shape magazine.

First of all, let us just say that if you're going to the gym and working up a sweat, you have a right to look as bad as you want. If you run farther or lift better wearing your old basketball shorts, that's fine -- we are big believers in hitting the gym to work out, not to win a fashion contest.

However, maybe you're meeting an old friend there (or hoping to meet that cute boy in your spinning class), and you want to look your best. Or, perhaps you just like to look good no matter what you're doing -- there's nothing wrong with that, either, and we can help!

Check out our gallery for a few recent trends in fitnesswear along with a few tips for flattering your figure. Whether you've already achieved your ideal physique or you're hitting the gym for a reason (or 20 "reasons," if you know what we mean), we've got something to help you out!

There's no doubt that much of the advertising shown during the Olympic games targets women -- have you noticed all the commercials for osteoporosis meds, baby products, and women's razors? And there's reason -- research has shown that women tune in to the Olympics for many reasons. They enjoy the "occasion," and all the pomp and circumstance; they appreciate the dedication and commitment the athletes have to their sports; plus, it's great family programming.

However, we think many women have another reason for tuning it -- the male athletes.

Parke & Ronen make stylish swimwear for men that range from classic preppy to classic board short. Of their four basic types of suit, bikini, 4" swim, 8" swim and snap short, respectively, our favorite is the 8" swim. It's not that we don't care for the other options that they carry, we really do, but frankly, if we tried to wear any of the other styles onto the beach we'd most likely be arrested. Or at the very least ridiculed until we wound up under the pier in the fetal position.

They are for the fit. Daniel Craig fit, not second base on the Styledash softball/drinking team fit.

As we reminded you yesterday, shorts season is upon us. Ladies, this means your backside will be the focus of male attention even more frequently than normal. So if you care about that sort of thing, now is the time to whip those hindquarters into shape.

You could spend hours doing exercises to shape those buns of steel (yawn!), and rumor has it that these sandals will make your ass look fantastic (even if they are kind of ugly). But why bother putting any effort into toning your rump, when this Japanese butt pillow can do the work for you!

I am sort of a bag lady. Not like a homeless bag lady and not a girl who can't stop buying purses (I am a shoe gal myself) but I actually just carry a lot of bags. Every morning I wake up and head out the door with my gym bag (a huge duffel bag), my laptop/ workbag, and my purse (which is also huge). I teeter around in my 5-inch heels from the car, to the gym, to the office, back to my car and home. Everyday this happens and everyday someone comments on how much stuff I carry around.

The other day a co-worker who also goes from the gym to work asked me "why are you carrying so much?" She then proceeded to show me her awesome Lululemon gym bag that was a triples threat, as it not only had gym space but a laptop compartment and plenty of room for personal stuff too.

The bag was awesome so I had to tell her that I was going to run out and get the same bag but in a different color. The next day I trucked it on over to Lululemon and to my delight they had plenty of bags in different colors and different fabrics. I ended up going with a white bag that was covered in a black graffiti print with bright orange zippers. Talk about $78 well spent! I was able to consolidate my three bag habit into one bag while looking insanely stylish.

I am trying something new; it's called 'Don't look like a total mess at the gym.' I have been pretty serious about my workouts for close to 4 months now, however I have not been serious about my workout attire. You would think that a girl as fashionable as myself would be dressed to impress at the gym. Instead my gym attire is down right embarrassing. My typical outfit is either a tracksuit that is two sizes too big for me or my pajamas. For some reason I haven't been able to spend my money on workout clothes, I would rather spend that money on jeans or shoes.

This weekend I decided that I was going to buy workout clothes that flatter the body I have been working so hard to get. I didn't want to spend too much money so I went to Target to check out their C9 line by Champion.

The line is great, very stylish, comfortable and affordable. The color ways were not too flashy and the urban flair of the line made these clothes something would not be embarrassed to be seen in. I was still a bit weary about spending money on workout clothes so I ended up purchasing from the clearance rack. I did pretty well for myself and got a great pair of black cropped pants and a red top with a built in sports bra.

The comfort level and quality has inspired me to ditch my pj's for good! So I plan on heading back to Target soon to pick up some more goodies.

You want a better butt, don't you? And if it doesn't involve squats, even better, right? Well, then, I've got good news.

The butt-lifting shoes I mentioned in the title of this post are made by a company called Earth. What makes Earth shoes different is exactly what makes Earth shoes a perfect partner for those of you interested in lifting the junk in your trunk. Namely, it's all about the negative heel technology.

Negative heel technology was first developed by a Scandinavian yoga teacher by the name of Anne Kalsø. Kalsø noticed on a beach visit that standing in sand felt an awful lot like the sensation of holding the standing mountain yoga pose. Her shoulders rolled back, her breath eased, and her feet relaxed as her spine aligned to its natural position in the compressed sand.

What Kalsø had stumbled on was something she dubbed the "negative heel," meaning that the ball of your foot is kept on a slightly highly plane than your ankle. Because of the slight incline of Earth's negative heel shoes, you exert more effort than you otherwise would as you walk around. Like a strolling on a treadmill with a 3.7° incline, Earth's negative heel rocking motion tones your legs, butt and even your heart. The negative heel can also improve breathing and relieve back pain since these are often symptoms of chronic bad posture.

Earth shoes might sound (and look) a little odd at first, especially since most shoe styles go to great lengths to keep your heel higher than the ball of your foot (i.e. every shoe on the market, but especially those stilettos). High heels look good, I admit, by they come at a high cost.

Doctors have been warning us for years that towering shoes are as bad for your posture as they are for your feet. Not looking like you have mile-long legs is a trade-off, but it's not bad as you might think since these flats burn extra calories from the effort required to walk in the negative heels. Thus, Earth shoes actually make your legs healthier and better looking -- instead of just giving the appearance that your legs look better. (Come on, the thing itself is way better than the illusion, no?)

I actually have a pair of Earth shoes that I've been wearing for a few months now, and while they aren't my *most* chic flats, they certainly are my most comfortable. I can actually attest to a difference in my hips and butt whenever I either wear the shoes for a few days, or don't wear the shoes for a few days. Naturally, things seem smaller and tighter after sustained use, and similiarly looser when I don't.

I can't speak for all the bod-toning shoes out there, but I can say that if you are able to find a pair of Earth shoes that fit your feet*, you're well on your way to the better butt. Of course, doing a few squats here and there won't hurt either, but short of that, try a pair of Earths.

*I highly recommend getting a fitting for Earth shoes. Not all styles are suited to all feet, so it's worth asking a knowledgeable salesperson for help.

There's no escaping it now. The sun is shining and you're going to look pretty silly out on the patio covered up in heavy jeans and long-sleeve t-shirts. You're going to have to show off that body at some point.

Though I haven't swum a lap since I was on the San Antonio Swim Team in elementary school, I do know that swimming is great way to get into shape. Unfortunately, I've always associated fitness swimming wear with "ugly." Suits are one-piece, one color, and usually some weird shape.

ThisNext.com user Alyson is an avid swimmer, and has put together a list of products, Swimmingly, for swimmer that are still stylish. Gotta love those pink goggles!

Go to your local yoga studio, and you'll see that it's easy to separate the short-termers from the long-termers. Aside from physical differences, flexibility and stamina, you'll also notice that long-term yogis have the exact same mat.

Fitness companies may have recently stepped it up in terms of mat colors and design, but the best mat out there is still the original Fusion Harmony Mat, which only comes in one color and one size.

The Fusion Harmony Mat is made of open cell, natural rubber, which offers solid traction, even when your mat is drenched in sweat. Thicker, stronger and tougher than your average mat, the Harmony is perfect for sweaty, active yoga styles like Ashtanga, Bikram, or Vinyasa.

The Fusion Harmony may not be the most stylish thing out there, but it is the best.

"Running barefoot" and "wear running shoes" certainly don't seem to belong in the same sentence, but there's a whole new category of footwear designed to help runners feel like they're running barefoot. Olympic running athletes have trained by running barefoot because it forces the runner to make a soft landing on the front of the foot, reducing the possibility of knee and ankle injuries. With the exception of the shoe from Puma, they aren't all that pretty, but hey, sometimes bare feet aren't all that pretty either.

• Vibram Five Fingers, www.vibramfivefingers.com
  
• Nike Free 5.0, www.nike.com
  
• AEI, www.aeishoes.com
  
• Puma Cortlandt XC, www.puma.com
  

And we're not just talking about $100 running shoes and designer yoga pants. We are talking about fashionable fitness equipment: treadmills, all-in-one weight machines and rowing machines.

Apparently, with women in charge of the purchase of 80% of fitness equipment, the demand is for products that not only make you look good, but look good themselves. The Los Angeles Times found four machines that fit the style bill, but be ye warned, just like clothing, shoes, and accessories, high-style comes at a price.

• Woodway Desmo S: $10,330 for a treadmill? Apparently it has a "one-of-a-kind design," but with that pricetag, it better come with a very hot trainer. 800-WOODWAY; www.woodway.com.
• Torque Fitness F5: $3,495 for a weight machine that you can hideaway. If it costs that much, I'm displaying it in my living room. (763) 754-7533; www.torquefitness.com.
• LeMond G-Force RT: $2,495 aerobic machine. (425) 482-6773; www.lemondfitness.com.
• Octane 37ce: $2,899 for a "club-quality" elliptical machine. 888-OCTANE4; www.octanefitness.com.