[Exercise, health and fitness are an important part of every woman’s life. But how do you know if you’re doing it right? And what new findings, tips and advice will help you reach your health fitness goals? Kelly, our fitness guru, will keep you updated every Monday with the latest and most beneficial news and advice for your health and body. We’ve covered cardio fitness before, but this week we turn our attention to the often neglected workout of weight lifting.]

While most people tend to focus on the right types of cardio to get their most successful workout on, it’s not the only way to tone, shape and define our bodies into what we want them to be.

Lifting weights can often get a bad rap; lots of women think that weight lifting is designated for those big, steroid looking macho men that hang around the gyms. But, little do some know, weight lifting is perfect for all shapes and sizes; it’s just a matter of finding what works for you.

According to the lovely safe-weight-lifting-for-women.com, weight lifting can help women:
• Have easier weight loss or weight maintenance
• A leaner, stronger body
• Improved appearance
• Better posture
• Lower blood pressure
• Increased resting metabolism rate
• Improved balance and coordination
• Stronger bones, and protection against osteoporosis

Bet you didn’t know that, eh? Read More »

Don’t leave this bra at your boy’s house.

Nipple Covers: Every girl needs em.

Johnny Depp is kinda weird…

Brad Pitt. OMG. So. effing. hot.

The perfect going-out-look for a crisp night.

Did Family Guy go too far?

So, The Hills is fake. I mean, we knew it, but we didn’t want to know it

Seriously - does Tara Reid work?

Ellen and Portia might be the cutest couple ever.

Oooo. A JoBro was spotted doin’ a little smoochy, smoochy.

Is Will Arnett getting another show!?

How many calories are you burning during sex? Find out! 

Wal-Mart stabs the Spears’ in the back!

Mandy Moore runs to take care of DJ AM

This chick HATES Dane Cook

She’d rather date a 20-year-old and throw peace signs

Kaite Holmes uncensored

Oh J. Piven…we forever pledge our love

Would you get that back fat sucked off?

Da Govanator loved Mary Jane

George Michael…just say no to bathroom stalls!

Did Ashley FIRE Mary-Kate?

Buff up with Brad

This was a strange week. Really strange.

“First my mom (and a whole bunch of old people) joined Facebook. Then I find out that women don’t orgasm during sex, TRL decides to close its doors, dudes like having sex when their lady is on the rag and Hugh Hefner lost one of his ladies to a magician?

Sarah Palin’s email was hacked into.
I had some plastic thing shoved into my baby maker.
My friend got a man and I got jealous.

Is it a full moon or something?

I definitely need a drink, but do I go to a house party for free booze, or the bar for a better scene? Or maybe I shouldn’t even get dolled up and stay home to bake a pie with rum instead.

Hm. The pie isn’t a good idea, especially since I only pretend to work out and I want to make sure to fit into some awesome new runway inspired duds. And maybe the bar isn’t a good idea either, considering the future of my wallet is totally unknown.

I’ll just have my boys pick up a 30 pack. Pure bliss.

Water aerobics gets a bad rap. If it were a category on “Family Feud”, a survey of 100 people would probably tell you it’s for middle-aged women in gaudy glittering swimsuits, the elderly, those recovering from sports injuries or people who can’t do dry-land workouts. While water aerobics does fulfill a lot of those needs, it is also a great alternative to a traditional workout, especially in these warm summer months.

I’d tried out water aerobics before but it had been a few years. I was called back to the pool by a good friend of mine who insisted we try something different. This time, it was the deep stuff: AquaCardio in the diving well of one of the university pools.

We arrived early and exchanged nervous greetings with some other first time students while we waited for the instructor to arrive. She rolled in with 5 minutes to spare and looked like a woman on a mission. She wheeled in giant carts of buoyancy belts, Styrofoam weights and aqua noodles. At the same time, three middle aged women came out of the locker room. Fears of a future filled with floral-print, skirted swimsuits entered my thoughts. What had we gotten ourselves into?

We put on our belts, grabbed the noodles and a pair of weights and jumped into the pool. I sat on the edge of the deck before launching myself into the water. My belt kept me from going under and it was nice to be in the deep end without having to work so hard. I thought, “This is going to be a breeze. A little kicking, maybe some floating on my back and we’ll call it a day.” I really should’ve known better. Read More »

The New York Times did an article on fitness guru Jackie Warner and the return of her popular reality show,Work Out, on Bravo. Instead of focusing on the show itself the article addressed the girl-crushes some straight, middle-aged women have for Ms. Warner. Said one fan,

“I’m straight. Very straight, and even I would seriously consider batting for her team.”

Really? Jackie is obviously fit and she’s far from unattractive, but should the opportunity/inclination arise, she would not top my list. Which stars would? I’m glad you asked.

Top 5 Middle Aged Lesbian Celebrities I Would Go Gay For Before Jackie Warner

5. Jodie Foster

She’s still got it after 40+ years in the business. Biggest turn-off? Panic Room. Read More »

My first all-nighter at the end of my freshman year taught me some important lessons about what my mind and body is capable of when placed under the stress that is going without sleep for more than 24 hours.

1) Between 3 and 5 a.m. I am incapable of forming coherent sentences on paper and possibly aloud. I have some stellar thoughts, complex ideation that I am incapable of during normal waking hours. But when it comes to recording them, I have the language capability of a non-Einstein like fourth grader trying to write about quantum physics.

It’s funny in retrospect, but it makes me want to jab a pencil in my eye when I need that thought to get me through a paragraph or two at 6 a.m., when I’m able to write again.

2) Hot chocolate disappoints like no other, as it’s more of a distraction than an aide in concentration. Marshmallows - either their presence or the mere of idea of them melting sugary goodness in your cup - are the funnest thing ever when you’ve been studying pre-colonial African history for seven hours.

Coffee will never let me down, but hot chocolate is more of a party in my mouth kind of beverage and not quite the upper I wanted and needed it to be.

3) If I end the 24 hour no-sleep-athon with a 20 minute run, upon beginning my cool down, I will have an orgasm. Read More »

I had seen the little symbol before: some weird upside-down horseshoe in a circle. My yoga instructor had even referenced them in the middle of class.

“Grab your legs, ladies. And don’t worry about stretching out those lululemons.”

I just never made any sort of connection. Lululemon? Is that some new way to refer to the va-jay-jay?

And then my sister in law brought me up to speed. Lululemon was a brand of workout apparel. The “best workout clothes around,” according to her; not to mention “super cute.”

“Lauren, they are seriously amazing,” she told me. “They are totally worth the money.”

So, when I was shopping with my mom this weekend and came across a brand new lululemon store, I decided to pop in and see what all the fuss was about. I sat my mom down in a chair and began sifting through the infamous black pants stacked neatly in little bamboo cubes.

I pulled out a pair labeled “tall;” simple black with some cute black diamond stitching at the top. They looked nice. Felt nice too. And then I saw the price tag. Read More »