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When celebrity trainer Jackie Warner recently dropped by the FITNESS offices — she’d dashed in between doing a TV segment and hitting some other morning meetings — she was fresh off the success of her latest book, 10 Pounds in 10 Days, and already on to the next big project. Fans who watched her Bravo TV reality series Thintervention With Jackie Warner will recall scenes where the fitness pro showed up in contestants’ kitchens and taught them to whip up healthy, don’t-blow-your-diet shakes. Turns out, Warner sensed a secret ingredient was missing. “I’d read a lot about protein powders and consumed them myself but I couldn't find anything with all the all-natural, organic components I thought they needed,” she says. “I wanted whey protein powder with more than protein isolate. So I spent two years developing some myself.”

The resulting product can be found in her just-launched Wellness Collection, which also includes a multivitamin, a combo Omega-3,-6 and –9 supplement, flavored H20 boosters and 150-calorie snack bars. “Plus it tastes great,” adds Warner.

Before her morning workouts, Warner whips up a healthy shake (click on the link below for the recipe) with the vanilla bean protein powder. “It has the perfect combination of carbohydrates, fat and protein to fuel your workout,” she says.

Read on to get the recipe to Warner's shake.

More from FITNESS Magazine:

Are Weight-Loss Reality TV Shows Really Effective?

8 Healthy and Refreshing Smoothie Recipes

10 Diet Tips from Olympic Nutritionists

Source: Flickr User ginnerobot

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Last Wednesday was officially the first day of the most belly-baring season: Summer! While we may be tempted to chill out by the pool with a tasty drink, it's not the time to slack off on staying fit and strong (but when is?). We asked Jill Miller, trainer and creator of the new Coregeous workout DVD, to share five of her favorite, unique moves that tone the midsection.

Add them to your routine this week and hit the beach with confidence all Summer long!

Magician's Assistant on a Ledge

1. Place your right hip on a brick and right elbow on the ground.
2. Engage your side-waist muscles to raise your legs to hover four to six inches above the ground. (Make sure that your shoulders, pelvis, and ankles line up with each other, and that the two legs remain glued together.)
3. Sustain the position while breathing deeply for one full minute, then switch sides and repeat.

WHY? "This exercise targets the internal and external oblique layers and a deep low back muscle," Miller explains. "You will feel this one tomorrow!"

Learn another crunch-free ab move after the break!

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

When the weather warms up, our tastes naturally veer toward lighter, oven-free fare. Whole Foods Market's Health Starts Here program has dozens of low-calorie, refreshing ideas to help you fit in your fruit and vegetable servings all Summer long. Here are two of our favorites, all of which will please a crowd!

Double Grape Slushies

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup concord grape juice
• 1 cup seedless red or green grapes
• 1 cup honeydew melon chunks
• 2 cups ice cubes

1. Pour juice into a blender. Drop in fruit and ice.
2. Put the lid on and blend until smooth.

Nutrition information per serving: 60 calories, 0 g fat

Banana Nice Cream

• 2 bananas, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter or peanut butter

1. Put bananas, soy milk, and nut butter into a blender.
2. Puree, turning off the motor and stirring the mixture two or three times, until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into two bowls and serve.

Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories, 13 g fat

Read on for two more DIY summer desserts.

More from Fitness:

Your Guide to Healthy Portion Sizes

The Dessert-a-Day Diet

8 Healthy and Refreshing Smoothie Recipes

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

How often do you get home too tired to cook, struggle with what to eat, and end up ordering takeout? We all know that when hunger hits it's convenience over health that ultimately wins, so make it easy next time and be prepared. Stock up on these 10 staples and nix the takeout. Just think of the money you'll save from not having to tip the pizza guy!

Hummus and Veggies

The Middle Eastern chickpea spread is an easy, protein-rich snack that fights hunger and balances blood sugar levels — and a little goes a long way. Baked pita chips aren't the worst thing you can eat, but substituting some veggies can make a bigger impact than you think. "Hummus boosts energy because it contains iron, and red bell pepper slices are high in vitamin C, which helps to utilize and absorb the iron from the hummus," says holistic nutritionist Peggy Kotsopoulos, author of Must Have Been Something I Ate. Follow her easy recipe for plain hummus by throwing 1 can of chickpeas in a blender with a dash of ground cumin, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of lemon juice. Keep a few batches in the freezer so all you have to do is thaw.

Salsa

When not paired with greasy fried tortilla chips and margaritas, salsa is surprisingly low in calories. Kotsopoulos suggests buying yours from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, where it's the freshest. Make an easy, low-cal substitute for nacho layer dip by putting hummus on the bottom of a dish, layering with salsa, then topping with olives or lettuce. Instead of chips, try Mary's Gone Crackers, which are made of brown rice, flax, and sesame seeds ($5.49, grocery stores nationwide).

See what other skinny foods you should be eating after the break!

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Earlier this month, new research was released that showed it really isn't more expensive to eat according to USDA guidelines than to maintain a steady diet of junk food. Still, one gripe that many have about fresh, nutritious food is how quickly it can go bad (especially compared to that boxed pastry on grocery store shelves). So we asked Coupons.com savings expert Jeanette Pavini to fill us in about the best ways to save dough while shopping in the produce aisle.

1. Keep onions, potatoes and garlic out of the refrigerator. Place them in a cool, dark and dry spot. And to try Pavini's top trick, grab an extra pair of nylon stockings next time you're at the drugstore. She swears that onions last longer if you store them in the legs of stockings!
2. Store apples in a separate crisper. Since the fruit emits ethylene which can increase the ripening speed of other produce in your fridge, keep them in the bag you carried them to the register in and pop them in a bin solo.
3. Ripen in a paper bag. Your supermarket may have some foods on special if they're not quite ripe. Stock up and save: Buy underripe pears, peaches and nectarines and get them ready to eat by putting them in a brown paper bag (at room temperature).
4. Prep greens for easy eating. Wash leafy greens and herbs under cold water, drain in a colander and store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with a few paper towels. They'll be more appealing to add to a meal when they're pre-washed, and the early cleaning of these items doesn't increase their spoilage speed.

More from FITNESS Magazine:

Fire Up the Grill: 8 Healthy Grilling Recipes

Easy Recipes with Summer's Freshest Ingredients

Go Green: Superfoods to Add to Your Diet

Source: Flickr User North Charleston

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Bionic and iconic, these game changers have inspired us over the years to perspire and put our best body forward. Take a cue from our 20 favorite masters of motivation as they share their secrets to getting better, fitter, stronger than ever.

The Rock (Hard) Star: Gwen Stefani

Before Gwen Stefani began strutting her stuff as the superfly front woman for the otherwise all-guy band No Doubt in 1995, the role of female lead singer tended more toward being a sexpot than having a six-pack. The blond bombshell, now 42, brought a new athleticism to the stage with a bod she credits to "lifting weights [and] a little boxing."

The Legend: Jane Fonda

She has played many roles — Oscar winner, political activist, billionaire's wife — but for millions of women, Jane Fonda's legacy is all about leg warmers. It was 1982, and fresh off her triumph in On Golden Pond, one of Hollywood's leading ladies, at the age of 44, decided her next act would be as a fitness guru. Workout: Starring Jane Fonda, originally on VHS and Beta, remains the best-selling fitness video of all time, having sold 17 million copies.

"It launched the home fitness video industry and made it okay for women to have muscles," Fonda reflects. Only years after its release did she reveal that the cover photo of her in a striped leotard and those maroon leg warmers, legs scissored skyward, was that of a woman who had embraced exercise as a way to save her­self from bulimia.

In 2010, despite hip and knee replacements, Fonda was back in the studio — wearing yoga pants now — to film her Prime Time DVD series targeted at inspiring older people to move. At 74, Fonda loves hiking up mountains, and she has a body most 30-year-olds would envy. Her secret? "It's one-third good genes and less than one-third diet, and all the rest is working out," she says. When asked what's next, Fonda demurs. "I don't know. And if I did, I wouldn't tell because I wouldn't want someone else to get there first."

Keep reading to learn about other important fitness icons.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Whether you're going by boat, plane, train, or automobile, travel bugs are bound to greet you. Here, some cringe-worthy stats on germs and traveling — and tips on how you can take a trip unscathed.

Stay Hydrated

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the air inside planes has anywhere from 10 to 20 percent humidity, which can dry out mucous membranes and make people more susceptible to germs. Staying hydrated throughout the trip can prevent nasal passages from being irritated, so load up on water and skip the carbonated beverages and booze. "Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks should be followed with water or fruit juice to rehydrate because they are diuretics and can cause water loss," advise Ray Fillmore Garman, MD, MPH, and Susan Spengler, MD, both associate professors with the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Sipping on water assists with immune function — and in some cases even helps with jet lag. For longer, international trips pack electrolyte-friendly snacks like GU Energy Chomps, a banana, nuts, or a small bag of fortified cereal to keep drowsiness at bay.

Keep reading for two more healthy travel tips after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

As the reporter of ESPN's College GameDay for football and basketball Jenn Brown travels almost 70 percent of the year. That might sound like a dream job, but when your dream wedding is coming up, all those late night drive-thru dinners and wonky work hours can take a toll on your shape! We caught up with Brown just days before her wedding, where she gave us her secrets to how she stayed slim on the road and prepped for her big day.

What have you been doing differently to get ready for your wedding?

I took a different approach to working out than I usually do. I am typically a cardio junkie; I’m always running on the treadmill and follow it with 45 minutes of lifting. For my wedding, I really wanted to focus on looking lean and toned. I had just come off of covering football, where I gained my usual footfall five [pounds] from eating on the road in all these towns with delicious food, so I had three months to get into shape. I started doing Pilates three to four times a week. It was weird to me that you could go and work out for an hour and not be dripping in sweat, but I’ve seen an amazing transformation because of it.

Learn how Jenn stays fit on the road after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Feeling a little lackluster in the kitchen lately? How about the bedroom? The two could be related. Food can be a very sensual prop that helps keep things spicy behind closed doors, but which ones should you be welcoming with open arms and which should you close your taste buds to? JJ Virgin, cohost of TLC’s Freaky Eaters, gave us some food for thought on how to kick things up a notch for supersizzling results!

The three main things to look for in an arousing appetite are a rise in blood flow, circulation, and dopamine levels, Virgin explains. Try adding these to your next candlelit dinner for a big bite of romance!

• Oysters and avocados both have a big dose of healthy fats, which are full of dopamine, a neurotransmitter triggering the part of our brain that recognizes reward and pleasure.
• Walnuts (or any nut except peanuts) have high levels of arginine, a natural amino acid that boosts blood flow.
• Fish not only have arginine, but an added bonus of omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve your cardiovascular health and increase dopamine. A triple threat!
• Spicy dishes, like this Roast Salmon With Thai Red Curry Sauce, stimulate your tongue and kick-start the nervous system — great for postdinner activities!

And if you don’t want to send your sweetheart flying out the door (OK, maybe that’s a little extreme), keep reading to see which foods to stay away from.

More from Fitness:

• Sex Positions That Double as Exercise
• Ten Health Benefits of Having Sex
• How the Scale Sabotages Your Sex Life

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

You carry your own water bottle, use a reusable shopping bag, and sort your recyclables from the trash. Here are more easy ways to green your daily routine without thinking about it.

Choose Wisely

Look for eco-friendly companies when shopping for workout clothes and gear. Gaiam, Patagonia, and GoLite are just a few of the companies that use organic fibers in their clothing and accessories. Green your yoga session by investing in a mat made from sustainable ingredients, like Manduka's eKO Mat.

Reuse Old Fitness Gear

If you've Downward Dogged your yoga mat into tatters or have equipment from your days of being in the neighborhood soccer league, blow off the dust bunnies for a cause. Bring new life to your old gear through these programs.

Recycle Your Mat: Send your old mat (or drop it off at a participating location), and this company will work with other organizations to find creative new uses for it.

Sports Gift: Organize a collection in your neighborhood, school, or office for old gear like soccer balls, tennis rackets, and athletic shoes, and this nonprofit will ship them to underprivileged children worldwide, so they can enjoy sports too.

Reuse-a-Shoe: Donate worn sneakers to Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program, and they'll turn your pair into material for playgrounds and other Nike products. Find a drop-off location or start your own shoe drive at Nikereuseashoe.com.

Keep reading for more green fitness tips.