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Bikini-Ready Workouts For Your Winter Getaway

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:42:57 PST

Even though it's well into December, these five celebrities have recently been seen wearing bikinis while vacationing in warmer climates. If you plan on going somewhere tropical for a quick Winter getaway, use these celeb-inspired workouts to tone up quick. Even though the holiday madness might be eating away at your schedule, try to hit the gym at least four or five times a week for the best and quickest results.

Chelsea Handler Shows Off Bikini Bod in Shape

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:00:22 PDT

Funny lady Chelsea Handler may love her cocktails, but that hasn't stopped her from looking positively smashing on the April cover of Shape. The comedian, 35, is candid about her long road to a fit lifestyle ("I was born with a French fry in my mouth"), but says today she is healthier than ever. After years of yo-yo dieting and jumping from workout to workout, Chelsea shares that she's finally found a fitness regimen that she can stick to. Here are the interview highlights:

On how she ate growing up: "My parents were not the healthiest eaters. My mom was a great cook, but her idea of a light after-school snack was mac and cheese and brownies. So of course I was like, 'Why am I 15 and struggling with my weight?' It took me a long time to deprogram myself after I moved to L.A."
On her favorite food splurge: "There's a diner in New Jersey that makes steak fries with melted mozzarella that you dip in gravy. Every time I eat there, I'm like, 'Can I move in here, please?' Seriously, why would I ever leave?"

To see what Chelsea has to say about exercise and drinking,

On trying different exercise regimens: "I've tried them all, but I'd usually end up quitting because I'd get bored. Or, as with yoga, after months of doing it, I'd still have belly flab. And doing cardio at the gym can be so annoying! I hate it when there are 50 treadmills and I’m the only one there, but then someone just hops on the machine right next to me! Hello!"
On finding the right exercise: "It's [Pilates] been the most gentle on my body," says Chelsea. "I'm longer and leaner and much more graceful. I can honestly say it's changed my body - and my life."
On her love of liquor: "I told my nutritionist, 'I'm not going to quit drinking. I love to hang out with my girlfriends and have cocktails and dinner; it's how I relax,'" she says. "He explained that calorie-wise, vodka isn't so bad, as long as you drink it with soda. Knowing I could have a drink made it easier to stick to the program."

Sign Up For Self Magazine's Challenge

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:50:00 PDT

Looking for a little fitness guidance as well as a pat on the back for a job well done? Then sign up today for the Self Challenge and get a free Aveda neck and shoulder massage.

Yeah, I meant a literal pat on the back, or rather a muscle rubdown. This is Self's 13th year offering its fitness challenge to help you get ready for bikini season. The three-month challenge is free and includes customized quickie cardio plans, sculpting workouts, a daily eating plan, and motivation. Signing up for the Self Challenge also enters you into a contest for a six-night vacation to Antigua to show off your toned beach body. Everyone that signs up today, March 11, is a winner: Aside from the neck and shoulder massage, you will also receive an Aveda coupon for other pampering treatments and product samples. Why wait? Summer is fast approaching and being fit never goes out of season.

Get It Up - Your Heart Rate, That is: Swimming

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Spring is here and it is getting warm!!! Why not swim outdoors to get your body bikini ready? Remember cardio will burn fat all over your body, helping to get you toned and buff for the revealing fashions of summer and swimsuits.

Here's a workout for you to try:

Warm up:
100 yrds Freestyle - easy
50 yrds kick Freestyle
50 yrds kick Backstroke
50 yrds kick Breaststroke
100 yrds pull Freestyle

The Main Event:
400 yrds Freestyle

Sprints
8 x 25 yrds alternating Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly
(rest :10)
Note: If you don't swim Butterfly, substitute Freestyle

100 yrds Backstroke
100 yrds Breaststroke

Cool Down:
50 kick Freestyle
50 kick Backstroke
100 Freestyle - easy

This workout is 1350 yards, or about .82 miles (a swimmer's mile is 1500 meters, or roughly 1650 yards - 66 laps in a 25 yard pool).

A Week In Review: FitSugar round up

FitSugar — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:00:00 PDT

5 things that affect the number on the scale.

Gwen Stefani is one healthy Diva. If we all used her "rider" as our shopping list, we would be eating super healthy.

Concerned with getting bikini ready? Check out how the celebs prepare for swimsuit season.

Curious to test your nutritional knowledge about restaurant menu items? Here are some quizzes on popular dining spots.

I want to know if you like to workout with a mirror or not.

Here are a couple of elbow planks for you to try.

It's the weekend, so now you have time to try Warrior 2. It really works your legs.

Suffering from allergies? Have you tried the rhino horn? It's a neti pot, not some crazy supplement.

Speak up and tell me are unhealthy eaters less attractive?

Here's another reason to eat organic.

Some foods make you feel good and others you should just avoid altogether.

Source

How the Stars Get Bikini Ready

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Life & Style is reporting on how our favorite stars are getting bikini ready this year. Looks like they are turning to Brazil. Brazilian trainer and author of The Brazilian Bikini Body Program, Regina Joseph, gives us the scoop.

Drew practices Pilates! Forget dieting! Drew Barrymore prefers to burn calories with a workout that includes Pilates, one of the most popular pastimes in Brazil. For a complete cardio session, fitness pro Joseph details a combo of core Pilates moves and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art that includes cartwheels, kicks and flips) in her book.
Cam eats early in the day! An always active Cameron Diaz gets going with a protein-packed breakfast of eggs and meat. "The beginning and middle of the day are when you need a big burst of energy," says Joseph. "In Brazil, evening meals are smaller and lighter." That leaves plenty of room for desert!
Denise's smart snack! "I need foods that energize me," says Denise Richards, who revs up on the Amazon-grown acai berry (now available in stores like Whole Foods Market. Says Joseph, "An Acai smoothie provides enough fiber and protein to last until lunch."
Kristen never feels hungry! "I stopped dieting because it made me binge," Kristen Cavallari tells Life & Style. The reality show alum solved her dieting dilemma by opting for smaller, more frequent meals (she snacks on almonds) to curb her cravings. Explains Joseph, "Meals and snacks spaced throughout the day help keep blood sugar up."
Gisele fills up on fruit! Brazilian-born Gisele Bundchen can thank her homeland for her supermodel bod. The Victoria's secret stunner says her fav foods are tropical fruits from her country - which she considers to be the "best place to live."

Source

Spinning for Spring Ready Legs

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 11:00:00 PST

Spring and summer are approaching really fast... which means skirt and bikini season and you may want to start toning those legs.

One great way to get killer legs is by taking a spinning (or cycling as some gyms may call it) class. The class consists of students, stationary bikes, an instructor and music. Basically what happens is the instructor takes the class on a ride, which can include sprints, hill climbs and other exercises like intervals and circuits -- Some gyms even have a video screen that simulates your ride. It depends on the class but they can run from 45 to 60 minutes long and are typically set to fast paced, pump-you-up music.

Biking on the stationary bike at the gym is not even close to being the same kind of workout. The spinning bikes have a weighted flywheel in the front that picks up speed as you pedal. Also, there's a knob below the handlebars that allows you to adjust the tension, making pedaling easier or harder, as you ride along according to your instructors guidance. It's much more like a real bike than the other stationary bikes you would find in the cardio room at a gym.

Unlike most group classes, spinning does not require major coordination -- There are no complicated moves to follow. However it's still an incredible workout and since you are able to control your own bike's tension, you can stay in an exercise zone that fits your fitness level (but don't go too easy on yourself, it's meant to be a good workout, not easy).

The best part about spinning? The calories burned can add up to 500 calories per class. Plus it is great leg shaper for toning your glutes, thighs and calves.

Ask your local gym what spinning (or cycling) classes they offer. You can also find classes near you and see if there are any free classes offered near you at Spinning.com.

Yogini Kristin McGee Dishes on Bethenny Frankel's Fave Pose and Getting Ready For Beach Season

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:36:21 PDT

I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Manhattan-based yoga teacher Kristin McGee right here in San Francisco! Although one busy lady, Kristin traveled across the country to teach Vinyasa Vibes (a new offering at The Sports Club/LA), a flow-based, powerful yoga sequence enhanced by music. The most musical part of the practice? During Savasana, the class culminated in a live sax solo by Grammy-nominated musician Dave Koz. After class, Kristin and I chatted about her yoga journey, getting ready for bikini season, and what it's like working with one of her famous clients, Bethenny Frankel.

FitSugar: Some of the moves in Vinyasa Vibes are Ashtanga-influenced. Is that what your yoga teacher training background was in?
Kristin McGee: My original background was really eclectic because I started in the early '90s. I started taking [yoga] at NYU; some of my very early teachers were Jivamukti teachers who did study Ashtanga. Then I did study with Richard Freedman for a while, who is pure Ashtanga, and Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga. I wanted to get deeper into Iyengar classes and get into the alignment and the detail. Now in my practice I want to get more into Pranayama, more of the breathing, and maybe take some more Kundalini classes. I just feel like it constantly evolves.

FS: The Vinyasa Vibes class has live music during final relaxation. Can you elaborate on the experience of live music and yoga combined?
KM: In yoga practice, it’s a very intimate, immediate place. It's almost like live theater or live music where it brings you right into the moment. Music is a universal language, just like our breath is a universal breath. I think the second we're in this surrounding, in this environment with that live music and the intimacy of a live class, it brings it all together in one beautiful experience.

FS: You’ve collaborated with Bethenny Frankel on some projects. What's her favorite pose?
KM: Bethenny’s all-time favorite pose is Straddle Forward Bend because she says it feels like the weight of the world is falling off of her shoulders. Someone like Bethenny Frankel has a million things going on, and I don’t know how she does it! But I think you also noticed it in the practice tonight. Right when we finally got to that Straddle Forward Hang, it was kind of just like, "Ugh! Such a release!" You feel like you could stay there for quite a while.

Keep reading for Kristin's favorite snack before class and how to get your body ready for Summer.

Sugar Shout Out: Get Bikini-Ready Abs in 10 Minutes

Lauren Turner — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:55:13 PDT

From the Community: 5 Nontraditional Abs Moves to Get Bikini-Ready

Fit Community — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:13:31 PDT

Looking to tighten up your core before Summer? FitSugar reader and certified trainer JessicaSmithTV created the following workout for just that! She shared it in our 10 Pounds DOWN! community group.

Don't just lie flat on the floor and do crunches to prep your abs for Summer! Target your abs and keep the rest of your body working too with these 5 non-traditional abs moves from fitness expert Jessica Smith that will help you get bikini body ready fast.

Want more help shaping up for summer? Check out our new 10 Pounds DOWN: Cardio Abs DVD and download your free Great Abs Guide on our website, 10 Pounds Down.

Have your own workout to share? Post it in our FitSugar Community - it might even be featured on the homepage!