Lounging on a bright yellow beach towel, surrounded by your best girl friends, while rocking your stunner shades and floppy hat, is only entertaining for so long. The tireless workouts you endured for bikini season have paid off, so why not skip the gym and sweat out some calories at your favorite sandy local? Inspire your girls to toss a frisbee in the shore break for some heart pumping shits n’ giggles. Besides, who said gaining a little extra attention from the hotties across the sand was a bad thing?

Here are 7 fantastic ways to utilize the beach as your calorie blasting playground:

1.) Build A Sand Castle: Between the digging, hauling, pushing, and shaping of your fantasy sand palace, you’ll activate muscles rarely used and burn between 210-315 calories an hour.

2.) Volleyball: Create a community vibe by gathering friends and fresh faces for a game of Volleyball. Bump and set your way through an hour of this calf burner and roast up to 475 calories!

3.) Frisbee: Toss a neon frisbee into your beach tote for a wet and wild game. Playing in ankle deep water presents it’s challenges and therefor more of a workout. Playing catch or twirling a frisbee burns about 200 calories an hour. Depending of course on how daring and competitive you get!

4.) Surf/Bodyboard: If you’ve got the cojones to brave the pumping sets, you’ll be rewarded with a major full body workout that can burn up to 250 calories an hour.

5.) Swim or Bodysurf: If you’re a fish like me, the water is where it’s at. Diving through and catching waves is by far my fave pastime at the beach. Thankfully it burns up to 420 calories an hour. Just treading water in place works wonders.

6.) Rock Jump: Get your heart pumping by climbing and ahhhhh jumping off cliffs/rocks into the ocean below. If you’ve got the landscape use it to your advantage. Fearlessness can work off up to 500 calories.

7.) Build a Bomb Fire: When the sun slides to the horizon and you cozy up in a thick sweatshirt the only thing left to do is chat around a blazing fire. Just fifteen minutes of carrying wood from the car to the pit burns upwards of 70 calories.

All calorie calculations above are based on a 130lb. person. Want to know how much you’ll burn? Use Glamour’s calories by activity calculator here.

Source
Photo by Ron310

In the words of Amy Whinehouse, sometimes you’ve got to “rock your f*&# me pumps.” While wedges and pumps might look jaw-dropping, ever wonder what damage they are doing? Slipping into heels everyday, over time, causes untold damage to our feet and backs. That small pinch of pain in your low back or slowly developing bunion might not bother you now, but a few years down the road you’ll be wishing you had switched to flats every once in a while.

The truth is you can have your cake and eat it too. You can click-clack down the street in your wooden wedges as long as you “do your homework” and take care of your body after you kick them off at the end of the day. With a few simple adjustments to your posture and what I like to call foot rehab you’ll be strutting your stuff without the negative side effects.

1.) Stretch Out: One of the reasons our legs and booty look so damn great when we wear heels is because the heel causes the calf and hamstring muscles on the back of the leg to work. The heel also jacks up the booty, causing more pressure on the low back. Overtime, tight hamstrings and an overextended low back can cause low back pain and tight hips putting undue stress on the spine. The simple solution is to stretch your hamstrings, low back, and calves with a fold over. Hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds and repeat every time you take off your heels.

2.) Swap For Flats: If you currently wear heels everyday, swap them for a cute pair of flats every other day. Or better yet, save the heels for going out at night only. If you have to wear them at work, slip on more comfortable and supportive shoes to and from the office.

3.) Strengthen Your Core: Part of healthy heel wearing has to do with how you hold your posture while they are on. The tendency is to sit or rest in the low back with hyperextended knees, a swayed back look. Combat this while you stand and walk in heels by pulling in the low abdominals. Stand as straight and tall as you can and watch what your belly does. Does it just hang out over you jeans or are you actively trying to stand up tall and support the low back with your core? Strengthen your abdominals with the plethora of ab exercises out there. To target the low abs try this one:

4.) Massage Out The Arches: Use an old tennis ball to roll out the arches of your feet. After a long day on your feet, stand on a tennis ball under your heel and slowly roll the ball under the middle and both sides of your arch. Lean on the ball with more weight to increase the intensity. Spread out the toes and get those bones moving around. Over working the muscles and fascia of the arches can lead to plantar fascitis and other foot ailments.

5.) Watch Your Alignment: When you are walking in your favorite pumps do your ankles wobble or roll in? Take note of how your ankle and foot are aligned. Ideally your ankle is not rolling in or out of the shoe. You want your knee cap to line up with your ankle, which should line up with the middle of your foot. Check out how you weight bare as well. Are you carrying all your weight on the ball of the foot? Weight bearing on the ball of the foot will cause the bones of the foot to move/grow to carry the weight (a bunion). Try to even out the weight distribution to both sides of the foot.

6.) Find Shoes That Fit: If you’ve got a wide foot there’s no way your going to squeeze your feet into those cute Chinese Laundry pumps. Be realistic and find brands that fit the width and shape of your foot. When shoe shopping make sure you can feel the whole foot pad, ball of the foot, middle and pinky side. Avoid super pointed or flat toed shoes since they cramp your toes and force the bones into really unnatural shapes. Overly cramped toes can lead to hammer toes, stress fractures and black nails. Ever looked at a models feet?

As a life long dancer and current Pilates professional, who has tortured her feet in point shoes and now bare foot, I have seen and felt the woes of foot related pain. Take care of your feet now so can walk, run and dance into your 90’s. For more facts and information about the effects of high heels, click here.

Have you Floated today? And no I’m not talking about your typical float in a pool, the ocean, or even a bath tub. I’m referencing a brand new relaxation method called Floating.

Utilizing a revolutionary scientific approach to deep relaxation called R.E.S.T (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique), Flotation eliminates all sensory stress to the body allowing the mind and body to fall into the deepest state of relaxation on earth.

After hearing about this extraodinary method from a dancer friend of mine, I was intrigued, to say the least, and dug up some research. Here’s what I found!

If you’re looking to de-stress (and seriously who isn’t) then imagine falling into a calm state considered purer and more beneficial than sleep. This deep relaxation is created through the use of a sound and light proof floatation pod in which you float effortlessly on the surface of 10 inches of water that is saturated with 800lbs of medical grade Epsom salt and 100 million year old Himalayan salt. It is set to your skin temperature to give the sensation of floating “out of body”.

Apparently, “Scientists estimate that up to 90% of the brain’s normal workload is caused by the effects of gravity on muscles and the nervous system as well as sensory stimuli that needs to be processed.

The float tank screens out these external physical stimuli, creating a pure state of “sensory” relaxation. Under these unique conditions your body has a chance to restore its natural powers of self regulation, while you simply lie back and rediscover the latent abilities of a deeply relaxed mind.”

Sounds fantastic right?! Like I have mentioned before, there is a vast connection between the mind, body and spirit. Reducing tension in the body inevitably relaxes the mind and visa versa. While meditation and mindfulness calm the mind and in turn relax the body, floating creates an environment that reduces all stressors on the body, allowing you to fall into deep levels of consciousness. Floating actually activates parts of the brain and consciousness that only Zen monks and other yogi’s can access through deep meditation.

I have already scheduled my appointment at the Float Matrix here in San Francisco to give it a whirl. I’ll be sure to follow up and let you know how it goes! Check into it and see if any spa’s or holistic centers near you offer Floating. For only $75 dollars an hour (cheaper than a massage) I’m considering scheduling several appointments.

Spring is officially here and while some of you can’t wait to get outside for a morning jog in the sun, gyms are unrolling innovative fusion classes to keep you indoors. It’s well known that the body becomes accustomed to your usual workout over time. To lose those last few pounds or to take your personal fitness to the next level you’ve got to challenge your muscles in new ways. Here are a few of the spanken’ new fusion classes that will have you burning calories, shaking your groove thang, and most importantly, creating your most epic self. 

Available From Crunch Fitness:
Club Cirque: Ever fantasize about running away and joining the circus? Here’s your chance! Based on movements from Static Trapeze and other Circus disciplines, this class focuses on agility, flexibility, acrobatics and strength to give you the ultimate performers body. From the flying trapeze to climbing the Spanish web, it will bring out the daredevil in everyone.

Buff Girl Workout: Come on, let’s be fabulous! Combine pilates, ballet, bootcamp and vintage aerobic moves for one great workout. Create a long lean sexy body. Even your psyche gets in shape through empowering words. Alright guys can come too!

Blading w/ Gliding™ Discs: No helmet or kneepads required in this fun, fat-burning class inspired by rollerblading. Simulate the street stride with Gliding™ Discs and Body Bars while cruising your way through cool cardio and strength training exercises.

Kangoo: Kangoo is the exercise boot with bounce. Strap on a pair of Kangoos, equipped with springs on the bottom and hop, jog, and jump your way through this low impact workout.

BodyWeb with TRX System®: Hang from the durable TRX system ropes to push, pull, lift and lower your body through Spiderman moves for a total body suspension workout that also super-strengthens your core.

Surfboarding w/ Gliding Discs: Get ready to hit the waves! Using the unique and fabulous Gliding Discs, and the balance challenge of the half foam roller, a multitude of surfing skills will be introduced, practiced, and perfected leaving your body toned and ready for the athlete in you to spring into action.

Available From Equinox:

Buff Ballet Barre Workout: Work on and off the barre to sculpt and define a long, lean dancer’s physique. Intense and fun for dancers and non-dancers alike.

Candlelight Yoga: Incorporating a gentler and more healing approach, and to relieve stress and relax from the inside out. Set to a candlelit room.

Video Dance Jam: Shake your booty like Beyonce. Bring down house and break a sweat with fun and hip dance video choreography!

This is just a sample of all the wonderful classes available from only a handful of nationwide gyms. Now there is definitely no reason working out can’t be super fun! I’m sure there are tons of creative classes near you. Have any favorites you want to share? Let me know in the comments.

Though it might sound a little obvious, if you are looking to lose weight all you have to do is eat for your health. It’s not all about looks! How you feel is just as important. Do you feel full of energy, with glowing skin and hair, or do you feel weighed down, and sluggish? If you focus only on losing weight to look good it will be extremely hard to stick to any healthy eating plan. Why continue eating veggies you hate when you can keep the weight off by drinking three lattes a day and binging on the weekend?(obviously horrible for epic health). Health and vitality has got to be the priority to make lasting change. Ask yourself what you think your body needs to function at it’s best and then run with it.

My Tip: Packaged “diet” food, across the board, is full of preservatives, salt, and is way over processed. Real food or whole foods like veggies, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds are packed with vital nutrients that are stripped away from heavy processing. That’s why no one will every be satiated by a Lean Cuisine or Slimfast smoothie! Read labels and stick to whole foods as much as possible.

As omnivores we have millions of options when it comes to food, learn what’s best for you with this helpful guide on what to eat.