Recently in Diet and Exercise Category

Whether losing weight was or wasn't one of your New Year resolution I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that it's the most common one.. My friend Andrea just finished doing a 10 day Master Cleanse (some people do it for as much as 45 days!). It involves drinking a concoction made from fresh lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, water and Cayenne pepper and THAT'S IT! After 5 days Andrea was already feeling too weak to leave her apartment though she said her mind was very sharp and she was getting a lot of work done. After 10 days she said she was so weak (she lost 8lbs), that she almost felt sick breaking the pseudo-fast with soup -- you eat soup for two days then the next day fruit/vegetables, slowly but surely adding more solid food each day. She also had trouble sleeping the last few days of her diet (sleeping only about 3-4 hours a night!). Sounds crazy to me! And with my weak stomach I could see myself getting sick from the concoction alone. Less severe is the BluePrint Cleanse. A number of my friends swear by this when they're looking to lose some lbs for a special event. You choose your cleanse based on your diet and exercise habits and they'll deliver juices for your fast for either 1, 3, 5 or 6 days. On average, based on my girlfriends, you loose about 5lbs with the 5 day cleanse and you'll see your skin clear up. The weight though -- you guessed it -- comes back when you're back to your regular diet (inevitable!). More after the Jump!

Heidi Dillon is the Founder of The Fashionistas.

Losing weight and keeping it off is a life-long battle for most women. For women over 50, it's not just a battle, it's all out war. After I had my baby, at the ripe old age of 44, I was, shall we say, a little zaftig. When I gave birth, I weighted a whopping 185 lbs. I was BIG. It took me a couple of years, but with a good diet (1200-1500 calories a day), hard exercise program (weight training, Muay Thai kickboxing, yoga) and a little plastic surgery (tummy tuck), I got the blubber off and ended up with a hard, lean body and was very proud of the fact that I had a 6-pack when I hit 50. Those were the days when we all wore low-rise jeans, midriff -baring tops and tight Gucci dresses, and, believe me, my abs butt being what they were, I worked those looks like crazy.

Fashions changed, as they always do, and our eyes adjusted to the new unstructured looks of Marni and Dries. I embraced these looks for their comfort and ease. When I donned a Marni dress to go out with my husband he would say, "that looks comfortable", which was not a compliment. He never did adjust to my attire going from hot to slop. Like most things that I embrace, I went off the deep end, buying up every sack dress I could get my hands on and I gained 10 lbs. Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not blaming Consuela Castiglioni for my weight gain, but, let's face it, when you put on something baggy, you never have those "oh-oh" moments that you get when pulling on your tight jeans that are a little too tight from stepping off your diet program. Nope. Everything is always roomy and comfy. (Jump for more!)

By Fit Diva Lara

Brushing our teeth for two minutes can seem like an eternity in this fast pace world, but if we incorporate some sliding lunges with it, we get a little more out of those two minutes.  Sliding lunges are great especially if you've been doing the same old lunges over and over again.  Beauty Snob Tina does this regularly with me and just LOVES them (YEA right!).

 

• First off you need to be standing straight on a slick surface such as a hardwood or tiled floor.
• Place a small towel under right foot.  Pull in your abdominals and with a slight bend in the right knee slide the leg back behind you ending in a lunge position with your left knee at a 90 degree angle.  Now here comes the hard part, slide the towel back to your starting position. 
• Do this for one minute while you brush the right side or your teeth and then switch to the left leg and left side of your teeth.

 

For more Fit Diva tips go to www.thefitdivas.com

Strike A Pose- VOGUE!

 

How much does Vogue magazine weigh?  It's got to be at least 10 pounds.  I know it takes me about two hours to go through and that time could be used to burn a few calories.  What a great resistance to do some crunches with.  Grab your Vogue, hit the floor, read the latest fashion trends, and get nice tight abs while you're at it.  Remember these tips while crunching.

 

• Lay on your back with your knees up and feet flat on the floor.  To make it more intense, raise your legs straight up in the air, but make sure this doesn't bother your back.
• Put one hand behind your head and the other holding the magazine straight out in front of you.  Using this resistance in this position, you're changing your center of gravity and putting more demand on your abdominals.
• Crunch up focusing on tightening your abdominals and reaching the magazine towards your knees or feet (if legs are straight in the air).  Read a few lines (holding the crunch) and then come down very slowly counting to five before reaching the floor again and don't release those abdominals.  Keep them tight even when you hit the floor.
• Repeat 15-30 times or whatever you can do.

 

Guest Blog by Fit Diva Lara For more great Fit Diva tips and information go to www.thefitdivas.com.

I don't think about my weight until I have to sit on a beach with my gorgeous 6' tall size 2 girlfriend. Not that I would ever consider myself heavy but like most women, I could use a few inches off here and there. I came home last week and swore I'd eat healthy and stop drinking so much wine (which puts on weight faster than you can open the cork). The problem is, it is so damn hot in Texas that all I want to do is eat Haagen Daaz all day, every day-- which I have been doing but today I bought a bag of organic frozen sweet cherries at Wholefoods. Packed with anti-oxidants and Vitamin A-- frozen cherries satisfy my sweet tooth and keep me cool! I have to confess, I didn't come up with this all by myself. One of my girlfriends told me about it and she has a great figure so I'm just going to go with it. Each one cup serving is only 90 calories and offer 3 grams of fiber. I am munching on a bowl right now and they are so delicious! At your local Wholefoods. Tell me, what is your favorite guilt free summer treat?