With Spring almost here and the days getting longer, I can't wait to hit the courts for some after-work tennis action. Tennis is definitely one of those sports (like golf) that you can play for years and still learn new things every time you take a lesson. In fact, veteran tennis players continue to take lessons to maximize their games and perfect their form.

I've already given you some tips for novices, but even experts can use reminders from time to time about some of the basic fundamentals of tennis form. To see my five tennis essentials, read more

Have you ever noticed that even after washing your workout gear in hot water, after a few sweaty workouts, a musty odor can inevitably develop. This odor is caused by bacteria attracted to sweat soaked fabric. A new sport detergent, Win ($13.99 for two 21 oz. bottles), which claims to take care of smelly gym clothes, works like this:

This powerful oxy cleaning technology eliminates the embedded sweat molecules and odors that overwhelm the fabric. Simultaneously, these same ingredients also react with soil and organic materials causing them to either decolorize or disintegrate. Once in a soluble form after oxidization, dirt and odors easily wash away.

Interesting, right? I tried it out recently so to see what I thought, just read more

Weight/body issues and Hollywood unfortunately seem to go hand in hand. I heard that two time Oscar winning actor Emma Thompson threw some of her star weight around (pun intended) with producers at Miramax, where she is working on an upcoming version of Brideshead Revisited. It seems that Miramax was demanding her costar, Hayley Atwell, drop a few pounds. It happens all the time; a studio asks an already fit actress to slim down for a role, but Emma provided a little reality check to the situation and took matters into her own hands.

Hayley explained the situation to the First Post like this:

I went round to Emma's one night and she was getting very angry that I wasn't eating all the food she was giving me. I told her why and she hit the roof.

The next day, Emma called the producers and threatened to quit her role if they forced Haley to lose weight. The studio quickly relented. Look for the two actresses in the upcoming film version of Brideshead Revisited. As an Anglophile, I can't wait.

I echo my pal Leslie at the Weighting Game when I ask, "Emma Thompson, will you adopt me?"

To see a photo of the perfectly lovely Hayley on the red carpet in Venice then read more

Since the majority of you said that you prefer to exercise outdoors, I thought that this week's Get It Up (cardio workout) should take you outside and get you running.

Gym goers can also use this program on the treadmill, just adjust the speed accordingly. Also, if you liked this workout then be sure to check out all my great cardio workouts.

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It's certainly no secret that I'm a big fan of taking the stairs. And more and more, it seems that architects are becoming fans too. First, I heard about skip-stop elevators, which stop at every other floor with stairs filling in the gaps. Now, the latest issue of Metropolis magazine has a cool profile of designer Bruce Fowle, who focuses on
new ways to encourage stair-climbing through architecture.

Fowle believes that if you make stairways accessible and inviting — as opposed to gray, dark, and closed-off — people will be more apt to take them. For the new New York Times building, Fowle included centrally located fire stairs and bright-red open stairwells on the building's windowed corners.

For more on how Fowle makes buildings stair-friendly, read more