[Hey all. I am going to be starting a body blog each week, discussing one specific topic in the fitness category. Whether it be a new workout technique or a new way to eat healthy, I’m your guru for all things fitness related-ish. As an avid athlete, I have played various sports, tried new ways to stay fit and have found what works and what sure as hell doesn’t.]

Today, we’re going to discuss the difference between using an elliptical and a treadmill. Now, while I am partial to a treadmill, as I run on mine every day, I spent two years using an elliptical before I made the switch, so I’m a pro on both ends. Here’s the dish:

Elliptical:

Pros: It’s a great full body work out; while placing your feet in the holders and holding on to the handlebars, you’re body is secure, and the lack of actually lifting your feet makes this a good low impact workout for those of you with knee/leg problems. If you hold the handles and use your arms, you work your full body for the entire workout (which should be about 30 minutes at a time), and when you get off you will feel refreshed, invigorated and a bit winded (in a good way).

Cons: While you get a full body workout with the simultaneous arm and leg movements, you won’t feel exhausted when you get off in the sense that you had to push yourself to excel, like you would on other workout equipment. Also, because your feet are stationary, they can get numb over the course of the workout, which causes some discomfort. It is also very difficult to move your arms and legs at the same pace, so one part of your body may be working harder than the other (i.e., you move your arms faster to push your legs, making them do less work). Read More »

Class can be…well, for lack of a better word, intimidating. All those people you don’t know, the professor standing up, and the larger than life classrooms (if you went to a big school like mine!) are a huge step from the small, comforting, friend-filled high school classrooms you’re used to.

Lots of times, when you’re in a new class in college, you can feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, and hesitant to speak up and give your two cents.

Unfortunately, slinking into the last row doesn’t always work; lots of classes base a part of your grade on participation, so speaking up is necessary. But, everyone gets those butterflies - the fear of being wrong or of giving the wrong impression is scarring and, for lots of people, a risk not worth taking.

I had a Psychology class my freshman year of over 550 people. Seriously, seriously scary. I never said a word. Sat there with my nose in the books and kept quiet until one day when the professor polled the entire class. Simple enough, right? Well, when I shot my hand up, face down of course, I noticed the room got extremely quiet. I looked up and realized that, out of 550 people, I was the only person who had raised a hand. So the professor asked me to stand up and explain why. It was then or never, so I got up, legs a little wobbly, and grew the courage to speak up. Read More »

So, I was in NYC the other day to drop my boyfriend off at LaGuardia. During the 20 minutes we sat in the departures area waiting for a friend to show up, I saw flocks of girls traipse through the airport wearing leggings—ONLY leggings—on their lower halves.

Hello? Is this some infuriating trend I’m missing because I don’t live in the hotspots of NYC?

Thankfully, since I don’t live there, I can provide those girls with a clue. Leggings are NOT pants! Okay?! They are like tights—meant to be worn under something. Something such as PANTS!

Wearing leggings as pants is like painting your legs hoochie black and then walking around. If you think you have amazing legs, then fine. Walk around in a miniskirt or a pair of skinny jeans. But for the love of all that is proper, do not treat leggings and pants interchangeably!

If you still don’t get it, here’s a simple cheat sheet.

Leggings with a minidress? Okay, as long as the minidress is conceivably long enough so that you could wear it with only underwear. Read More »

We all know the obvious reasons to throw on those lululemons, lace up the Nikes and sweat it out at the gym: calories burned, harder abs, a flatter ass, a better shape, weight loss, etc. Those are all well and good, but there are many rarely-mentioned benefits to working out that are even more important to your body.

Daily exercise:

Improves Memory: Working out boosts blood flow to the brain, which improves your mental abilities. So, each trip to the gym is doing double duty: working your quads and your brain! Exercising is a sure-fire preventative measure to keep your brain working and sharp as you age.

Reduces Your Risk of Breast Cancer: By up to 60%! Exercise lowers the production of two ovarian hormones that are linked to the production of breast cancer tumors. Working out also delays ovulation until later in your menstrual cycle, which reduces the time women are most susceptible to these hormones.

Helps You Sleep Better: This seems like such an obvious one — working out makes you tired, so you sleep – but it’s deeper than that. Physical activity for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week has been proven to help you stay asleep longer and enjoy more of the deep sleep, which is the stuff we benefit most from. But, the workouts have to be in the morning or afternoon, because exercising at night will energize you too much to sleep. Read More »

The allure of the “tease” has long driven men shamefully crazy. The fishnets on the librarian. The black bra through the shirt. The lace underwear he can see when you bend over. This concept is the functioning force behind burlesque, perfume ads, and even your little black dress.

The tease, in my opinion, may very well be the purest form of foreplay.

So why not participate in some online foreplay? Everything else these days is online. You trust your bank account online. Your private emails. Your social security number. So why not your sexy legs?

I’m not saying that you need to go off and buy a “(your name)inherunderwear.com” domain. However, if you’ve got an appetite at all for building on sexual chemistry between yourself and someone else, why not restructure your approach to the traditional tease? Lets face it: nothing else is traditional anymore, so this doesn’t need to be, either.

Far too many girls, in my opinion, really need to sort out their bunched up panties over matters like this.

DEAR GIRLS WHO ARE AFRAID OF SENDING YOUR DESIRED OTHER SEXY PICTURES OVER THE INTERNET: Read More »

You pride yourself on your denim collection. Skinnies, bootcuts, trousers – they’re hanging in your closet ready to hug your lower half. But lately, you’ve been longing to tone up that tush and tighten those thighs so that you can really show off your assets.

Well, we found six awesome moves in a back issue of SELF that will make you a blue-jean babe in just one month. Just perform three sets of 12 reps of each exercise three days a week and on non-consecutive days:

Pigeon Toes

Stand with toes together, heels out, hands on hips. Contract abs as you slowly lift heels, rising onto balls of feet. Hold for two seconds. Lower to start and repeat.

Seated Leg Raise

Sit with right leg extended, foot flexed, and left knee bent, foot flat. Grasp the shin of left leg. Raise right leg a few inches off floor and sweep away from body. Hold for one count. Return leg to center. Switch legs.

Glute Sweeper

Start facedown, supported on forearms and right knee. Extend left leg behind you as high as you can, toes pointed. Contract abs and butt and slowly cross left leg behind left foot, reaching toes toward floor without touching down. Return leg to start and switch. Read More »

Like Nair, I’ve always been a little freaked out by my hair.

Being Italian, I’m blessed with lots of the stuff. It’s nice on my head, but anywhere else…a little less so. At least according to society.

The first time I realized nobody liked a hairy girl was in 6th grade. I was sitting in class in a t-shirt, trying to deal with early June heat and a new sensation I now know as “bra sweat”.

A kid, who I’m pretty sure was (and probably still is) named David, turned around and stared at me while the teaching wasn’t looking. “Yo, look at your arms!” he said as loudly as only a 12-year-old boy can, “who invited Harry and the Hendersons over?”

Harry and the Hendersons was a show based around Bigfoot.

That stinging comment has (obviously) stayed with me for years, and since then I have shaved everything—at least everything I could reach.

I often wish I could just chuck the razor in the drawer and never deal with balancing precariously in my shower again, but 6th grade David is always around, along with completely hairless movie stars, magazine models, and guys who continually obsess over girls being clean shaven “down there”.

This girl, on the other hand, is no slave to the razor. At least, she hasn’t been for a year. Read More »