New Safety Rules For Fitness Freaks

"Dear Charlotte." I've always liked the sound of that. Moreover, I always like being asked for advice by perfect strangers. But even better is giving advice to people who don't even ask me for it! Which is why when Reader Chris Illuminati recently forwarded me this "Dear Abby" column, I had to write my own reply.

Cardio Carrie writes,

DEAR ABBY: I was the only person working out in the gym at my apartment complex the other evening when a man, presumably another resident, came to the front door. To enter, you must swipe your access card on the keypad.

He apparently did not have his access card with him and sat outside the door waiting for me to let him in. Because I was working on a cardio machine and trying to maintain my heart rate, I didn't want to interrupt my workout to open the door. He eventually tired of waiting and left.

Should I have stopped and let the person in the door? Or should he have gone back to get his access card? -- CARDIO CARRIE IN GEORGIA

Dear Cardio Crazy,

I have to say I like the way you think, girl! Your first thought was not fear for your personal safety (How many horror movies have started with the old "I forgot my gym card" excuse? None? I don't know, I hate horror movies. Anyhow.) but fear that you'd fall out of your heart rate zone. Now that's cardio dedication! Nothing ruins a good interval like having to hop off the 'mill and hobble across the room whilst getting your sea legs back. Plus, if you're anything like me, the second you stop running you'll break out into a crazy flop sweat that will sting your eyes and possibly make you throw up. Okay, so most people are not like me. Still though, whatever your reasons, they led you to the correct conclusion: Don't open that door.

In fact, I'd say that's good fitness advice to anyone in today's new-fangled technological workout world. New fitness paradigms require new safety rules.

Safety Rule #1: Don't Open That Door. Which door? Any door! If it's a door at a gym and it's closed then it's probably that way for a reason. Nothing sucks the fun out of a nice Vinyasa Yoga class when right in the middle of Final Resting Pose somebody opens the door "just to, you know, see what y'all are doing in here!" and lets in blasts of pounding rock music mixed with CNN from the cardio floor behind them. Your yoga-relaxed brain will explode. Other doors you probably don't want to open: the restroom (closed means it's in use), the manager's office (closed means they're softly banging their head on their desk in despair and you don't need to see that), the personal trainer's office (closed means they're picking through the lost and found looking for "losts" they can "found") and the supply closet (just... don't go there.) If you exercise outdoors, stay away from any door that doesn't belong to you. If perchance you do open someone else's door, just be sure to have practiced your Alzheimer's head shake and mumble. And - Cardio Girl? - there are scary people out there. If you are alone in a gym at night and someone you don't know pounds on the door, don't let them in. Same goes for when you're at home.

Safety Rule #2: Don't Push That Button. With all the new cardio and weight equipment out there, chances are pushing a button will either activate the rocket booster under your seat or drop an oxygen mask from the ceiling. You don't want to mess with that. Just press "quick start" on any machine you land on and then fiddle with the arrow keys until the resistance is where you want it. And those "program" buttons? Do you really want a fitness machine to have the power to program you? I thought not.

Safety Rule #3: Don't Open That Box. The box on the wall is either a fire extinguisher or an AED device (automatic electronic defibrillator). If it's the former, and there's a raging treadmill fire then you're a hero but if you caused that tready fire by dropping your cigarette butt while running then other gym patrons will use the extinguisher to club you to death first. If it's the latter, I know they say that the new AEDs are so easy a child could use them but that doesn't mean you get to rip off random people's shirts and yell "CLEAR!!!" before shocking them. Yes, I know it's fun and makes you feel close to George Clooney but you only get to do it if they're having a heart attack. People do not like it when you break this protocol. Trust me.

Safety Rule #4: Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously! Like MizFit always says, it shouldn't be a "workout" but a "playout." Look for the funny when you are working out - I'll guarantee you'll find something to make you giggle - and at the very least you'll work those deep abdominal muscles a little more.

What are some things about your workout or workout environment that make you grin? Got some funny Gym Buddies? The guy on the next treadmill over chanting "I think I can, I think I can"? A song stuck in your head that you KNOW you have the lyrics wrong but you can't figure out the right ones and besides yours are funnier anyhow?

Zola Juice Winner!

First, I have to clarify: in my original post, I wrote that the Zola juice drinks have 2.5 servings per bottle. They only have 1.5! So they have 150-200 calories per bottle rather than whatever silliness I wrote. Chalk it up to pregnancy brain. (I swear I used to be a math teacher.) Anyhow, we have a winner!

The Random Number Generator hath spoken and loveth:
Naomi/Dragonmama!!!

And it wasn't just the the random number generator that loved all over her, I do too! Check out her informative AND hilarious comment:

In the hot days of summer, nothing hits the spot like a tuna salad with a homemade fruit smoothie: 1-1/2 c. Arizona Diet Green Tea + 1 c. frozen fruit, usually a combo of banana, mango and strawberries. How could I possibly feel guilty about that?

Also love my three cups of coffee a day. No clear pee for me-more like light coffee.

E-mail me with your info, girl!

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Guest Posting at MizFit Today! Plus Yogurt Recipe!

I want this outfit. While I'm wishing for things, I'd also like my waist back to wear it with.

To know me in real life is to know one thing about me. No, not my spunky gym craziness (which has sadly diminished since becoming preggo) or my bad dance moves that I will willingly showcase in any public setting or even the fact that I always travel in a pack of wild boys. No, what most people remember about me is my singular ability to ruin any food I come into close contact with. I'm a bad cook. The best part about it though is that I married a man who loves to socialize - as do I - and so we often have people over for dinner. So this "talent" is not one that stays hidden. Generally when I show up to a potluck, the first question people ask is, "Did you make that or buy it?" Domino's pizza is by far the most popular dish of "mine" so far. To read more about my culinary adventures, check out my guest post over at the inimitable MizFit's today!!

However, we do not eat out much. One meal a week at most. Which means that despite being really bad at it, I end up doing a lot of cooking. And I prefer to cook from scratch thereby saving on money and preservatives. So I've decided to let you in my new favorite cooking pastime: making my own yogurt.

I've long had an expensive greek-yogurt-a-day habit. I LOVE the stuff. And I like the whole fat, organic kind - which is not cheap - but I considered it an indulgence and bought it anyhow. All that changed when I read this article about making your own basic foods. The recipe for yogurt was so simple and cost effective that I will summarize it for you here: Pour a quart of milk into a pan. Heat to 180-190 F. Cool to 115-120 F. Stir in 1/4 c of yogurt (either the kind you buy at the store or leftovers from your last batch, doesn't matter if it is flavored!). Remove the pan from the stove, swaddle it in a kitchen towel and let it sit for 4 hours. Scoop it into a container and refrigerate. Viola - YOGURT! That's it! You don't need a yogurt maker! It's the easiest thing ever! Not even I can screw it up!

And yes, since I know some of you are thinking "But plain yogurt tastes like crap" and I know you won't believe me when I tell you homemade plain yogurt tastes better than that grocery store junk, you can add stuff to it like jam, fruit or honey. I also use my yogurt to marinate chicken, make masala sauce for Indian dishes, and make savory dips by adding garlic, salt, and seasonings.

I did try all the other recipes listed in the article; it was a baking kind of weekend here. The granola was yummy but kinda time consuming to make and not really healthy. The bagels were delish but a total pain to make. And freezer jam is always a winner - can't go wrong with freezer jam!

You guys have any easy healthy recipes to give me so I can ruin, I mean, try them? What other things do you make your own of? Dryer sheets? Baby wipes?

PS> For all of you who suggested that I start my own organic veggie garden, I am happy to report that last night we planted the first of our cold-weather veggies! We've got brussels sprouts, spinach and peas going on. We'll add tomatoes, squash, onions and some other things when it's not butt-freezing cold anymore. Here's hoping they grow!

Boring Online Personal Training and Awesome Retro Workout Wear

April's Great Fitness Experiment was testing out the online personal training service from Women's Health Magazine. I did it for a month. It was lame. But not so bad that it would make an interesting post. Confession time: it's 10 o'clock at night and I've been dreading writing this post all day. And everyone knows that there is no point in dreading something all day that a) you're not getting paid to do and b) you have no contractual obligation to do. So I'm invoking blogger privilege and giving you the short version of April's Experiment results.

Does online personal training work? Sure, sorta. It works about as well as tearing workouts & food plans out of a magazine. Which is pretty much what I think Women's Health did for their program. It was boring. My workout NEVER changed except to add weight or intensity. The food plan was trendy and didn't allow for reuse of groceries and/or leftovers and that irked me. By the end I got punchy and started inputing all kinds of ridiculousness into their program. It didn't bat an eyelash when I typed in that I only ate 600 calories and exercised for 8 hours one day. That's a problem my friends. I cancelled my subscription and didn't look back. Don't waste your money.

But besides spotting potentially problematic behavior, there's another reason why an in-the-flesh trainer would be better than a computer. Behold:

I have a soft spot for anything with vintage fashion and this 1972 ad for "Sear's Beauty Spa" (yes, Sears, as in the department store) made my whole darn day. They're exercising while reclining! And getting jiggled! And all while wearing polyester ADULT FOOTIE PAJAMAS! This is why I blog at 10 o'clock at night, folks. I would pay good money to see this kind of personal training in action.

Again invoking blogger privilege, I will now hijack the rest of this post to show you other hilarious examples of vintage workouts and/or workout wear. Why? Because it amuses me in a way that only people who have bought a snuggie off TV can truly understand.

The 30's brought us this marvelous contraption that I believe is supposed to shake the fat off you - a practice still in vogue forty years later as evidenced by picture above and the fact that my grandma actually wrote about doing this in her journal. Plus - KNICKERS. And swim caps. And collars on swim suits. Love.

Heading back to the 40's, we get not only awesome beachwear but girl fights! Don't you love how "scared" the girl in the middle is? I love their not-a-hair-out-of-place rolled coif.

Nothing says fitness competitor like this shot of Marilyn Monroe in the '50s. Not only is she pressing like 20 whole pounds but she also has her sexyface going on. Don't forget, all you lady lifters - the tip toes make this a compound exercise! Bonus: high waisted shorts + pointy bra = best lifting outfit evah!

Nothing says "A-Train to Harlem" like this vintage 60's tracksuit, complete with Jackie Chan tee that probably eBays for $500 now. (Edited to add: apparently I don't know my 70's kung-fu stars. As musajen pointed out in the comments, this is Bruce Lee. Who knew??) Actually, now that I think about it, this whole outfit seems to be pretty trendy right now. Or maybe it just never went out of style. Darn men and their practicality! Although the stirrup pants might be just a wee bit over the top. But don't let that hold you back.

Ah, Olivia Newton John (shout-out to my peeps Jennie, Sunny & Wilson!) - how do I love thee? Only you can work Valentine's day spandex and a fem-mullet with such class! Plus the posing! I will practice every night in the mirror until I have perfected hamstring stretch/salute to Fame pose.

The 70's & 80's were pretty much dominated by one shiny, thong-wearing, how-on-earth-did-they-pee-with-tights-on woman: Jane Fonda. Look at all the awesomeness going on in this picture - belts! suspenders! purple leopard print! mock turtlenecks! halfsie zippers! scrunched matchy-matchy socks! baby dumbbells! And the fizz in this bag of pop rocks? THE HAIR.

This shot from the 80's demonstrates perfectly all the problems with leggings for men (meggings?). But when said leggings come as part of a suspendered unitard with stirrup bottoms (not to mention the sewn-in shirt)? Bring on the hotness! Please, please, please let someone wear this to my Y someday.

Which brings me to this unfortunate picture. There are no words except that some designer somewhere must have really hated this team.

Allentown boxing club

My friend & former training partner Luis Melendez, former professional fighter & current trainer, has opened the new Allentown boxing club.402 Ridge AVE. in Allentown, Pa 18103. The corner of Ridge and Gordon st.

Luis also has a fighter fighting in Atlantic city NJ on the under card of the Hector "Macho' Camacho vs Jory "Boy" Campas May the 9th at the Taj Mahal. Good luck Jorge. Contact lmelendez65@gmail.com for more info on the gym.

Can Kate Moss Make Fat Cool?

In case you missed it, "fat" is experiencing a resurgence in the beauty world as evidenced by recent photos of Kate Moss where she sports some extra weight in the form of actual breasts and hips - the latter only if caught in the right light. Of course everyone cried pregnancy first but Moss has denied all fertility rumors, instead saying she's just getting "fat." Has the famous model finally succumbed to critics' demands that she "eat a sammich already"? Or has she decided to lay off the smack and take a healthier approach? Or is this some kind of grand publicity stunt? Did she just tie a gym sock to her abdomen and stuff her bra?

Fashionistas are declaring Moss' unapologetic weight gain a coup for the healthy-girl crowd by stamping out skinny minnies everywhere. Of course anyone who has picked up a magazine, watched TV or surfed the Internet lately realizes how ludicrous that sounds. Almost as ludicrous as calling Kate Moss "fat." Consider the evidence:

Kate Moss in her heydey

Kate Moss last month

She gained maybe 10 pounds? Maybe? The UK Times exults over Moss' weight gain, "After 10 years of maple-syrup diets, ashtanga yoga, low-rise jeans and rib-counting, something utterly unexpected has happened. “Fat” is no longer the ultimate fashion insult." So basically they're calling a still-quite-thin woman "fat" and then saying "but, hey, take it as a compliment!" The Times adds that since Moss is such a trendsetter, her 10 pounds mean renewed acceptability of older but "curvier" models like Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford. Not famous women may have to just hope for the trickle down effect.

The Times article adds that the recession may be helping this "new trend" gain traction, concluding:

"[...]that wearying daily analysis of jutting celebrity pelvises and matchstick arms. Crazy as it seems, only a few months ago, Madonna’s sinewy calves or Victoria Beckham’s angular collarbones seemed like bona-fide dinner-party conversation-starters. Now that we have some actual problems, debating some neurotic x-ray’s eating habits seems pointless, to say nothing of panicking about our own bodies. Clearly we had too little to worry about if “Is it gluten-free?” or “Should I eat carbs after 6pm?” were troubling questions. Who cares? Malnourished women aren’t interesting any more. They’re depressing. And the six-pack, once evidence of having luxurious amounts of time and money to devote to self-sculpture, now looks like a feeble attempt at control in an uncertain world. Even worse, it implies a desperately high level of self-involvement. Fat people, meanwhile, look better every day. Why? Because they look carefree. So heave a sigh of relief and let your gut out. Kate Moss might be “fat”, but it turns out she’s bang on trend, as ever. "

The skeptical part of me wonders if this is somehow a great publicity stunt or perhaps a stealth pregnancy or even just hollywood hyperbole but the rest of my fragmented, media-eroded personality hopes this is for real. That maybe our society is coming to its senses. That maybe we can start worrying about how to talk to our daughters about Darfur instead of their thighs. That maybe men will start looking for a strong woman who can pull her own weight rather than a delicate/emaciated trophy wife. That maybe women will start realizing that if we put all the energy into solving world hunger that we previously channeled into our arm fat, we could change the world. And if Kate Moss is leading that revolution? Well, I suppose stranger things have happened.

Shirtless male model Chad White

Chad White is an American model and has appeared in the June 2006 issue of L'Uomo Vogue photographed by world-renown photographer Steven Klein.

On the runways, he is one of the favorites of Versace, D&G and Dsquared2. Chad is 6' foot 2 and he loves sports having played baseball in college (and was drafted for Major League Baseball but injured his hand) he turned to modeling.

Cad has also appeared on the cover of Tetu magazine on a number of occasions:

Chad White wallpapers

Are you ready for the future of fitness training?

The mission of AbFitt is to provide information & environment where athletes and individuals can learn to train and recover to achieve their dreams, not just their potential. I will assist you to maximize your health and guide you to reach beyond your ability in developing a life-long love for fitness and wellness.


My mission is to provide each individual/athlete with all of the necessary physical and mental tools they require to perform at peak levels, maintain a lean muscular body. To do this, I employ a comprehensive, unique and scientifically proven approach to developing success called ( H.I.G.T ) high intensity group training. Learning to train in this fashion starts with a thorough education, consisting of various insight into flexibility, functional movement, strength, power and performance all found here on the pages of Abfitt, because I know there is far more to developing and insuring continued whole body fitness & health success than just running and jumping.

Richard

Richard Seymour's......AbFitt

Get health and nutritional information on topics such as healthy eating and picking the right foods. Learn how to eat for your type of training or sport, also learn how to maintain a well balanced way of eating & supplementing. How you eat & train affects your health so why not use AbFitt to find a way to build balance into your eating and training programs. Look the days of old school lifting and nutritional strategies are just that, old school. The science behind human health and fitness training to achieve a body that is lean & muscular and functioning at peak condition is what I am after. Are you? It's all her at AbFitt.

A KNOCKOUT WORKOUT: High-intensity boxing training is becoming a popular way for women to keep in shape.

Mary-pier Gaudet (guest model)


The fitness community ( weight lifters, runners, cross trainers ) have finally come to realize that boxing for fitness and training like a pro fighter is an incredible workout, for cross-training and general fitness. It challenges the aerobic and anaerobic systems. It improves body strength, burns fat and increases muscle leanness. It develops speed reflexes & hand eye coordination.

Boxing can be done safely and without injury. It's challenging, exciting and helps with mental toughness. Boxing for Fitness with AbFitt and Richard Seymour's Fight/School can be the change your body & mind may need.


Why is Boxing for Fitness So Hot Right Now?

Get in the best mental and physical shape of your life
Learn the conditioning secrets of boxers, who are among the best conditioned athletes
Strengthen your "core" to cross-train for other sports
Learn self defense
Improve self-esteem and self-confidence!
Have fun and get away from generic workout programs
Do something different from the everyday
Train in the great atmosphere of a true boxing gym, the smells, the sounds & the people are the some of the toughest, friendliest well rounded bunch you will meet.

Richard

Myth Busting: Fitness in Pregnancy

"Pssst!" I looked over at the woman laying next to me on the hard gym floor, both of us in a cesspool of our sweat courtesy of the bootcamp class we were doing. At first I wasn't sure if her noise was just a loud exhale during a sit-up but then she continued. "Aren't you not supposed to do these?"
"Huh?" I grunted and kept on sitting up and laying back down. (sidenote: If aliens watch us they must be so confused.)
"I thought you couldn't do sit-ups when you're pregnant?"
Ah. And there it was. You think people have lots of opinions about your exercise routine now, just wait until your pregnant. (And then, if you think that's bad - wait until you have the kid. Perfect strangers will stop you in the grocery store on an 90 degree day to inform you haven't put a hat and socks on your baby.) The thing is, most of them are very well meaning. But there's a lot of confusion out there about what exactly is safe for us two-fer humans on the gym floor.

Prenatal Fitness is Good
A lot of the confusion stems from the fact that the guidelines given pregnant women by their doctors have changed a lot since our great-grandmothers were dropping babies in the fields between harvesting the turnips. I won't go through the back and forth of all that has transpired - except to say that really nobody eats turnips anymore, if they can help it - but will sum up the current medical conclusions. These days doctors acknowledge that a) exercise is good for all people and b) pregnant women are people. Ergo: Pregnant women benefit greatly from exercise just like all people do. Pregnancy is not illness or a "condition" - it's just part of life. So the trick lies in deciding how best to reap the numerous benefits of prenatal exercise while minimizing risk to Mommy and Jelly Bean. For a great in-depth and very research oriented look at prenatal fitness, I highly suggest reading Dr. James F. Clapp's book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy. Yeah, yeah, I know the cover has a crazy looking 80's woman in day-glo on the front cover but the research is solid.

Myth #1: Pregnant women must keep their heart rate under 140
I hear this myth more often than I hear any other. It has even earned me a very stern lecture by an older woman who stopped me mid-run to chastise me. And yet it's not true. This rule used to be the recommendation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists but as of 1994, it is no longer. Now, they recommend more sensibly to just listen to your body and don't exercise to exhaustion. "The changes in the 1994 guidelines largely are the removal of somewhat arbitrary restrictions on exercise session duration and maternal heart rate, as studies have demonstrated that earlier cautions were unwarranted, and that women tended to naturally adjust their exercise intensity with respect to the developing pregnancy." Aw, see? They trust us now! And, as Gym Buddy Megan put it, "I get my heart rate over 140 just carrying the laundry up the stairs."

Myth #2: Pregnant women must not lift anything over 20 pounds
Any pregnant woman with a toddler is now snorting her breakfast of pre-chewed cheerios and back-washed milk. Unless you are Mariah Carey, daily life routinely requires women to lift more than 20 pounds and that doesn't change just because the color of your urine does. (Side note: Did you know pregnancy changes your pee color? Now you do!) And yet I've even had doctors tell me this. However, according to the ACOG, unless you are under some kind of restriction like bed rest or pelvic rest (code for "no sex, sucka!") then there is no restriction on how much weight you can lift. This applies to both dumb bells and dumb groceries. Of course normal cautions apply here: use proper form when lifting, don't lift more than you know you can handle, always use a spotter and don't try to carry your 4-year-old, your two-year-old and a gallon of milk up a flight of stairs. (I dropped the milk and our stair well stank of rotten milk pretty much until we moved.) Also, if you feel like you're getting weaker, be sensible and just lower your weight. Blame your hormones and save the superhero antics for after the baby is born.

Myth #3: Pregnant women can't do ab exercises
This one actually has some truth to it. If pregnancy really changes one thing on your body, it's your abs. And so while you can still safely exercise them, you will have to make modifications. In the first tri, you can pretty much do whatever you've been doing. By the 4th month though, your jelly bean is large enough to be putting pressure on some of your major veins, especially when you lay on your back. You'll know if this is happening because you'll feel light headed and nauseous. This just means that you need to figure out a different way to do abs. There are lots of exercises you can do standing up or on an incline bench with your head higher than your feet. By about the third trimester, if you're like me, any ab work just hits your hip flexors. At this point, my abs usually have separated and so I quit ab work until they come back together at about 8 weeks post-partum. Fun test: sit up half way and then stick a finger in your belly about 2 inches below your belly button. If you can feel a ditch and fit two fingers in it, your abs have parted ways and you shouldn't work them anymore.

Obligatory disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, although I do play one with my kids on ocassion. Always ask your doctor before starting or modifying an exercise routine, especially when you are pregnant. Pregnancy changes everything. It really does. So if you feel like you can't work out - don't. Don't feel guilty about it. And if you still want to run marathons and you were a marathoner before you got pregnant? Then do it. And don't feel guilty about that either. The whole key here is to listen to your body and just do what feels good. You know the difference between good hurt and bad hurt. Always stop if there's bad hurt.

Here's the official position of the ACOG:

If you were physically active before pregnancy, you can remain active during pregnancy. If there are no complications, 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise every day is healthy. You should avoid activities with a risk of falling, such as basketball, gymnastics, or horseback riding. You also should avoid deep scuba diving because of the risk of decompression. If you were not active before getting pregnant or you have a medical condition, you should talk with your doctor to plan a safe exercise program.

Froch defeats Taylor with last second knockout

Carl Froch produced a comeback for the ages to retain his WBC Super-middleweight title with a last-round stoppage of former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in Connecticut on Saturday night.

Englishman Froch got off the canvas in the third round and looked to have been outpointed over the following rounds, trailing on two of the three judge's scorecards by 106-102 before launching a spectacular all-out assault on the American in the 12th round.

That was when he first knocked the former middleweight kingpin to the canvas with Taylor beating the count by the narrowest of margins and Froch then unleashed another barrage of furious punches that forced referee Michael Ortega to stop the fight with 14 seconds of the contest remaining.

Bring Sexy Back!!

Since the dawn of mankind, humans have needed the back muscles for bending, lifting and carrying objects. Whether a person is picking up a baby or a barbell, the back muscles are vital part of our existence.

The back has to be strong – so why not make it look good in the process?

Back Muscles
The back has three major muscle groups: the latissiumus dorsi, trapezius and the spinal erectors. Each muscle group gives the back certain aesthetically pleasing characteristics.

The latissiums dorsi, more commonly known as the lats, performs many functions. These triangle-shaped muscles begin along the spine and extend from the shoulder to the waist. The lats rotate and lower the arm, as well as pull the shoulder backwards.

The lats have the biggest surface area of any muscle in the body, providing width to the back. This aspect helps give the upper body the “V” shape from the shoulders to the waist. Lat pulldowns, pullups and upper back rows give the back muscles width, thickness and definition.

Richard Seymour's/Lean for life...

Plyometric Training For Leg Explosiveness

While plyometric training is also used for the upper body, the legs are where the real action is. By using plyometric training you are able to improve jumping ability, acceleration/deceleration, agility as well as decreasing the chances of injury resulting from explosive movements.

When designing a plyometric program for leg explosiveness there are a number of variables that need to be included.

Intensity - will depend on the level of experience with plyometric training. It is recommended that you gradually build up the intensity over time as you become more experienced. Plyometric training is very stressful on the legs and care should be taken not to go too hard too early

Frequency - recovery time is essential after plyometric training. 2 session per week would be the most recommended for the majority of people.

Volume - this is usually measured by the number of foot contacts with the ground e.g 10 depth jumps. Volume level will depend on previous training.

Progression - as with all other forms of training, the variables need to be adjusted regularly to ensure that the body is continually being worked harder so that gains are made.

Drinking Your Calories

Don't eat sugar. Spread peanut butter on an apple for a protein-carb snack. Always start dinner with a broth soup or undressed salad. Pack a protein bar in your purse. (Just don't mistakenly pull out a wrapped tampon on accident instead. Not that I've done that. You know, in public, or anything.) Chew gum after a meal. Brush your teeth after eating. There are some "diet tips" that are so ubiquitous that these days I just skim over them when I happen across them in articles or on websites. Which is pretty much daily. But my favorite of these oft-repeated tips is the "Don't drink your calories" one. I guarantee you that you will find it in some permutation in any health & fitness publication you pick up this month.

"I lost 78 pounds by eliminating soda from my diet!" (How much soda were you drinking, lady?!) "Have just one adult beverage when you go out with friends and stay away from sugar-bomb cocktails." (Plus it cuts your risk of getting roofied by, what, at least a third?) "Swap out sugary drinks for water. If you miss the taste of juice, just add a splash to your water!" (Anyone ever drank warm tap water with "just a splash" of fruit juice? That would be my daily toddler cocktail and I'm here to tell you it's nasty. Although it might help if I'd remember to rinse out their cups before using them myself. Yes, I am that gross.) In fact, I'd challenge you to make a drinking game out of it but then, well, that would ruin the point wouldn't it?

And my point is that, being the good little follower I am, I internalized these tips and it's been years - seriously - since I drank anything but water or unsweetened herbal teas. I'll add a lemon to my water if I'm dining out and am feeling extravagent with my enamel. It's gotten to the point where I'm so locked into my water-only habit that I have let homemade smoothies melt on the table in front of me rather than... wait for it... drink my calories.

I have, however, gone through phases of drinking various artificially flavored non-caloric beverages. I chalk this up to the fact that the tap water in Minnesota tastes like - and I am not making this up - raw garlic. It's awful stuff. Here's my dilemma: I'm too cheap to buy a filter and thanks to Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism, I'm now terrified of artificial sweeteners. (Plus, you've read all the research of late that shows you actually eat more calories when you use Splenda and the like, right?) Good thing I have a random research fairy godmother who serendipitously brought the following two things to my attention:

1. New research (FROM MINNESOTA!) shows that

"compared with non-consumers of juice, 100 percent juice consumers had lower mean body mass index, smaller waist circumference and lower insulin resistance.

Based on the analysis, risk for obesity was 22 percent lower among 100 percent juice drinkers, while risk for metabolic syndrome was 15 percent lower compared with non-consumers."

Now, I don't know if these so-called "non-consumers of juice" that were being analyzed were also people who don't consume fruit or vegetables in any form, as every mag tip will tell you to "swap fruit juice for the actual fruit - you get more fiber and less calories!" But I still like this research because - shhh, don't tell any nearby nutritionists or magazine editors - but I really really like juice. I'm a born sucker for all those organic green blends in the recycled bottles that boast such health claims that even Lindsay Lohan would sit up and string a coherent sentence together. (I won't add that they always sell for like $6 a pop.)

2. I discovered Zola juice. It's a juice-lover's dream come true. Not only is it all organic (a-HA Jillian!) but they are also packed with "Brazilian superfruits." They've got the ones you've already heard of and drooled over like acai but also a whole bunch of antioxidant-loaded nature goodies like acerola, caja, cupuacu (no, I don't know how to say that. took me 3 tries just to spell it.) and graviola. There is no added anythings. It's all 100% juice. So they meet even my stringent "health food" requirements. Plus they taste awesome. I even got my kids to drink the "superfood supergreens smoothie" (okay, after I told them it was Incredible Hulk juice to get them past the pea-soup coloring) and they drank it all up and begged for more.

So it's almost as if the universe bopped me on the head and said, "Charlotte, it's okay, drink juice! Just remember to recycle the bottles when you're done because heaven knows you've done enough damage to me with all the disposable diapers you use!" But then... I had to do it. You know I turned over the bottle and checked out the nutritional info. The Zola juices range from 100 to 130 calories a serving. And there's 2.5 servings in a bottle. Drink a whole bottle - and who wouldn't? - there's 325 calories right there. That's a whole meal. A yummy meal, yes. But seeing as there is no fat or protein in there to slow down the mad rush of simple carbs to your stomach, probably not a very satisfying meal. So here we are full circle. Calories - to drink or not drink, that is the question.

How do you feel about liquid calories? Are you so enamored of your H2O that your pee runs so clear that Bear Grylls would drink it without even being trapped in a desert? Do you imbibe but feel guilty about it? Or do you embrace juice with an open heart?

Give me all your juicy details in a comment and you'll be entered to win a Zola gift basket complete with 4 smoothies, 3 juices, project Zola bracelet made from acai seeds and a mini cooler!

The "You'd Be So Pretty If..." Contest Winner

Is Shellie! You know the drill, girl!

Putting The Art in Body Art

Cute, right? The owner thought it meant "courage." Apparently it literally says "big mistake." Somebody's got a sense of humor!

My first boyfriend had a pet name for me: Sweet Pea. As in the baby from the Popeye cartoons. Yeah, it's a little weird to nickname your girlfriend after an infant with no legs but honestly that was the least weird thing about our relationship. Two things you should know about my first boyfriend: a) He was functionally illiterate (I know, Mom!) and b) he was obsessed with body modifications (I KNOW, Mom! Seriously, you can unground me now.) In addition to several very prominent tattoos including a flesh-mutilating one that literally made me nauseous every time I looked at it, he also had a bull ring, a tongue stud, a lip stud, nipple bars, a home-done body brand (that still makes me shudder when I remember how he got it), those big hole thingies through his ears and several other things I'm probably forgetting. But by far his best bit of body art - and the reason I'm taking you on this little foray into my past - was a tat he got in the military. To remind him of me. According to eye witnesses, it read "Sweet Pee." Despite laughing over it for months, I never got a chance to see it myself as I dumped him when he returned on leave - not over the tattoo, or even the illiteracy, but over something else entirely legitimate that perhaps I'll share with you some other time.

Anyhow, I was reminded of this when today it was reported that one of David Beckham's many tattoos - a Sanskrit tranlation of his wife Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham's name - is actually mistranslated. Apparently part of it is mispelled - no word if it was the "Victoria" part or the "Posh" part. Although since Sanskrit is officially a dead language, this is not the most tragic example of body art gone bad.

Right after misspellings and romance-gone-awry fixits, mistranslating words from other languages seems to be a prime source of tattoo hilarity. One teen in Britain got her boyfriend's nickname "Roo" tatooed on her abdomen in Chinese only to discover later the characters actually mean "supermarket." Another woman asked for the Kanji character for "free" on her back. Apparently the tattoo artist found the symbol for "free of charge" rather than "freedom" which was what she intended. All these women need is to add a post-it note with "open 24 hours for your convenience" and I bet they get all the free dim sum in Chinatown they want.

Celebrities are also infamous for body art snafus. One website chronicles all the inking/lasering/retattooing drama of the Heather Locklear/Richie Sambora/Denise Richards/Charlie Sheen soap opera. Honestly, it's so twisted I can't even explain it but if you want the whole story, it's here - in pictures! And who can forget when Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder went splitsville leading Johnny to alter his "Winona Forever" tat to the darkly hilarious "Wino Forever"?

As for me, my tattoo sins run in the other direction. While I have no body art other than two ear piercings, I was, for a very short time, an illustration major in college. A neighbor asked me to draw him a picture of our University mascot - a minotaur - holding a throwing "hammer" because that's the event he competed in on our track team. Our particular version of the fierce minotaur was a very cartoonish permutation that looked like a random shirtless man wearing a Bessie the Cow mask with horns strapped on. Which I replicated with great accuracy. Much to my chagrin, he loved the finished design and decided to get it inked on his bicep permanently. He even let me do the first stroke of the tat, seeing as I was the artist and all. To this day I cringe for not talking him out of it.

So now I want to know if any of you bend it like Beckham, at least when it comes to permanent ink? What is it and why did you get it? Do you still like it? Any of you ever get an ill-advised tattoo or other body modification done? Come on, spill it! It can't be as bad as this guy:

Chad Dawson is confident he'll beat Antonio Tarver again in their rematch on May 9.

Top light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) hosted an open media workout at Johnny Tocco’s Gym in Las Vegas this afternoon for his May 9th rematch showdown with Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) televised on HBO.

Things That Make Me Go Barf

Fish, meatballs, strong cologne, my two-year-old's poopy diapers and even my beloved SweeTart jellybeans have all made me vomit this pregnancy. But would you like to know the number one thing guaranteed to bring on the waves of nausea? The smell of my own sweat. I know. For a girl who gets sweaty at least six times a week, that's a problem.

At first I couldn't figure out why the nausea is worse at the gym than other places - usually if anything it's the meat and seafood counter at the grocery store which sends me running... to the coffee aisle, which is strange because while I've never drank the stuff (I'm LDS so it's against my religion) I find the smell of coffee very soothing. But while I was lifting weights with the Gym Buddies on Monday (side note: as part of our weight routine, we did the Self mag "Get a Wow Booty Now!" routine. It sucked. While it was high on the entertainment factor - you have got to see these moves, they're hilarious - only one move out of the entire 8 actually caused any burn in our booties.) my shirt puckered and I got a whiff of eau du Charlotte. I don't know if pregnancy has changed my personal scent or if I'm just more aware of it now but holy crap do I smell bad. I apologized to Gym Buddy Allison who was spotting me. She gave me a funny look and said she couldn't smell me.

I wear deodorant. (And yes, I've tried clinical strength types. They might help - if I could smear them on my entire body.) I shower every day. Usually. I launder my clothing, including all my gym duds. And yet I reek to the point I make myself hurl. Scientists say that breaking a sweat easily and often, while irritating in our perfect-pits-obsessed culture, is actually a sign of good health. Which is good because I am one sweaty betty. Before, my ability to soak a t-shirt was more of a party trick but these days it has serious consequences. And not just at the gym. The other night I actually woke myself up because - oh yes - my pajamas smelled like B.O. My b.o. I had to change my shirt or risk midnight puke-age and nobody likes puking alone at midnight (a fact that has led to not one, not two, but three puke stains on the carpet right next to my side of the bed, courtesy of my wee ones). Upon recounting this episode to a good friend she consoled me with, "Oh it's not just you! My husband wakes up every morning smelling like he slept in a cocoon of farts. It's why I refuse to snuggle with him until he showers." I'm likened to a man wrapped in a fart cocoon. Awesome.

You know what else is awesome? Sarah Haskin's take on the deodorant industry:

(For those reading this post in readers or via e-mail, click thru to see the video - it's worth it, I promise!)

Hit me up in the comments with your sweat woes! Do you leave a puddle on the floor at the gym? Hate perfumed deodorant? Refuse to wear deodorant a la Mathew McConaughey? Wear perfume to cover up the fact you haven't showered? (Please, please say no to the last one!)