Mini-Experiments

My Quest For Body Confidence [Belly Dancing Mini-Experiment!]

January 16, 2012

I never thought I’d say this but this is one Experiment that we definitely needed push-up bras for! Hard to “shimmy” when you’ve got a high-impact sports bra on! (Also: to the commenter who asked me several posts ago if I match my sports bra to my activity, here’s your answer!) You know those women who you just can’t take your eyes off when they move? They may not be the most beautiful person in the room nor the most talented – although sometimes they’re all that too – but there’s just something about the way they inhabit their skin [...]

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Jaw Clenching, Acupressure and One of the Strangest Experiences I’ve Ever Had

January 9, 2012

This is pretty much how I felt after an hour of having my head turned upside down, in more ways that one. Dr. Dan* was not at all what I expected. Like all good friendships and all bad screenplays, it started over polite chit-chat at a party. Somehow (probably because I am a chronic oversharer?) during the course of my conversation with a friend whom I see only twice a year at most but love twice as much when I do, the subject of bruxism or jaw clenching/grinding came up. I am an inveterate jaw clencher in my sleep. I’ve [...]

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What is the Big Deal About Tabata Training? (+ 10 options besides running)

December 13, 2011

I don’t know that cartwheels are a great sprinting technique but major props for style! Celebrities, weight loss gurus, the Biggest Loser trainers, the elderly folks at my gym (true story and good golly do I love them for it!) – it seems like everyone is talking about the magic of Tabata training these days. But what’s the big deal about this and why is it different than any other workout fad? Well, it’s as close to a fitness miracle as you can get short of an appearance from the Ghost of Granted New Year’s Resolutions.   The only trick [...]

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T-Tapp Experiment Results In: How did the claims stack up? [Giveaway!]

November 14, 2011

The Gym Buddies and I having a little fun with our first T-Tapp workout. Note: this is NOT supposed to be a demonstration of good form or whatever. It’s just us being silly. Skip to 1:50 if you want to see me get my sexy back;) Thanks to Allison for secretly taping us and editing this vid! I WILL get you back, girl. (If you can’t see the above video in your reader or email, click through to my site.) Between the butt-slapping, oil-welling and hoe-downing, you would think that these past few weeks of T-Tapp were all fun and [...]

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The Workout That Kicked Our Butts, Literally [Badly Illustrated]

November 9, 2011

I like strong butts and I cannot lie! You other squatters can’t deny! That when a girl lunges deep with a really heavy weight and a round thing in your face you get… jealous of her mad pistol squat skillz which are apparently much stronger than her rhyming ability. (Can’t have it all!) These past few days in the gym have been all about our butts: specifically how much we can make them hurt. It started out with this highly awkward gym moment. There I was doing my pistol squats when I hear a voice behind me… What do you [...]

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Neurokineseology and Fitness: 2 week mini-Experiment withT-Tapp (Giveaway!)

October 30, 2011

 See? Turtleneck leotards make her very happy. I want to be this happy. Except maybe with shoes on. That grass looks pokey.  Do you like calisthenics? Jazz hands? Turtleneck leotards?? Then you will definitely want to get in on this mini-Experiment! For the next two weeks the Gym Buddies and I are going to be trying out T-Tapp, a workout program designed by Teresa Tapp that focuses on specific sequences of (slightly strange) compound movements in order to achieve “better alignment, increased strength, a flexible spine, better lymphatic function, neuro-kinetic flow as well as a high metabolic rate.” Not gonna [...]

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The “Impossible Push-Up” – A Personal Challenge From Tony Horton [Plus: Lots & lots of gym shenanigans!]

October 10, 2011

As you may recall, I got to interview Tony Horton, founder of P90X and P90X 2 (due out in December). (How many times can I name-drop this before it just starts looking pathetic? I don’t care. I talked to Tony! And he said I could call him “Tony”! Or “Friend”! Whatever that means! Squeee!) Near the end of our interview he said, “Well you sound like you’re pretty strong.” Even though I’m well aware of the limitations of the telephone, I still gushed, “Thank yooouuuu!” To which he replied, “Do you want a real challenge?” He said the magic word! He [...]

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The Ultimate DIY Garage Gym [Plus: The Hot Sweaty Mess Workout]

July 19, 2011

This tire weighs 160 pounds. And this is the “small tire”. I’m trying to smile but see all the cords in my neck popping out? Hot! No, literally. It was 113 degrees today. Not everyone loves working out in a gym like I do – there’s the expense, the noise, the hassle, the crazy people and of course the having to share of the equipment. So what’s a non-gym rat to do to get their sweat on? The Garage Gym (or home gym but that’s not alliterative and therefore not as amusing to me) is a staple of exercisers everywhere. [...]

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New Research: Late Night Eating Leads to Weight Gain [But no one knows why]

May 19, 2011

Google “funny sleeping baby” – it will make your whole day, I promise! People have been talking about it for decades but it officially became A Thing when Oprah declared (Dear Oprah, I miss you already!) on her show that for her Best Life Diet she was no longer eating after 8 p.m. I scoffed. “Doesn’t she know that a calorie is a calorie no matter what time of day you eat it?” It turns out that Oprah was right and I was wrong. (She was also right about white jeans making a comeback.) As I got older and little [...]

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My First 24-Hour Relay: I’m funnier without sleep! [Your chance to do some good]]

May 11, 2011

Kevin and his baby boy – nothing like getting tongue kissed by a baby! Juggling a hula hoop, my toddler, my gym bag, my preschooler, an alarm clock/CD player*, an infant in her huge carseat (just babysitting Turbo Jennie’s baby, I did not pop out another one!) AND an umbrella, I cursed under my breath as I was forced to drop all my stuff to open the gym door because the person walking in in front of me didn’t look behind them and let it shut right in front of me. Granted, my pack-mule tendencies are my own darn fault [...]

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