Even in the heat of summer, we remain a Bikram yoga devotee, encouraged by instructors who half-jokingly note that after the 100-plus temperatures in class, the steamy outside weather will feel milder. We love the way the heat enhances our flexibility and makes our muscles more pliable, so we decided to check out a hot Pilates class at Crunch — a mat class where the temperature is cranked to 95–100° F.
We love practicing yoga at home when we can’t make it to a class — but we still need a little instruction and motivation. So while attending a recent yoga event in New York City, we were happy to discover the Gaiam Yoga Club, a 12-week program with expert instructors Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman, designed to help create a home practice. Gaiam offers a 10-day free trial for the online club, which includes a printable pose guide, instructional videos, podcasts and access to community chats and blogs by Yee and Saidman.
When we heard about brain cancer survivor Anne Feeley’s 4,170-mile cycling trip across the U.S., we were inspired. After being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2006, doctors told Feeley that her chances of survival were slim. The median survival rate of a glioblastoma multiforme tumor, a diagnosis she shares with the late Ted Kennedy, is 15 months. “Brain cancer was a wake-up call for our whole family,” Feeley says. “The shock wasn’t that I was going to die, but that I had forgotten that I was going to die. We all are. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal.”
We recently attended a celeb-studded Hollywood shindig for Reebok’s latest shoe debut. While the camera crews were focused on Reebok-clad celebs such as Rosario Dawson, Emmy Rossum and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, we had our eyes on Reebok’s new RunTone. The RunTone promises similar benefits as cousin shoe EasyTone, the butt-boosting walking shoe we reported on last year. But it’s designed with enough stability to make running, jogging and lateral moves (as in low-impact aerobics) safe.
With summer here, we’ve got beaches, bikinis and swimming on our minds. And we’re especially stoked about the latter — no matter what your fitness level, going for a dip is one of the best ways to get in shape because water cushions stiff joints and provides far more resistance than air to help build long, lean muscles. Plus, as long as we’re wearing adequate sun protection, it gives us a delightful excuse to soak up a little sun! (Photo credit: Nadia Pandolfo)
At a recent lucy activewear event at Exhale Spa, we took a Vinyasa class led by yoga instructor Seane Corn, co-founder of Off the Mat Into the World, a grassroots group dedicated to social change. Corn noted that it can be difficult to quiet the mind in the fast-paced environment of New York City. So we were interested to hear that yogis will gather to celebrate Solstice in Times Square on June 21, with speakers and free yoga classes all day. For a slightly more serene urban setting — plus a free Gaiam yoga mat from JetBlue — check out Yoga at the Great Lawn the following day, June 22 at 6 p.m. in Central Park.
Watching personal trainer Jillian Michaels whip the overweight into shape on The Biggest Loser fills us with admiration — and a little fear. We’re not sure we’d want this drill sergeant of a fitness coach to train us, much less move in with us. But that’s exactly what she’s doing this summer on Losing It With Jillian, a new NBC series in which she plays houseguest to a different family each week.
We judge a celebrity trainer by the bodies of the women she whips into shape, and Ashley Borden (left) is the whip behind the lovely, feminine frames of Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Graham and Christina Aguilera. So when we were invited to participate in a 24-hour version of the three-day Balanced Wellness Retreats that Borden leads at the beautiful Resort at Pelican Hill on Southern California’s Newport Coast, we leapt at the opportunity.
We remember actor Jane Fonda leading the fitness revolution of the ’80s, starting with the release of Jane Fonda’s Workout Book (Simon & Schuster, 1981) and video. Now that one-third of adults in the United States are obese — putting them at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and other health issues — we can’t think of a better time for a national call to exercise, with Fonda’s World Fitness Day on May 1.
One of the things we love about yoga is that it doesn’t require much gear. You need comfortable clothes and a mat — and maybe water and a towel. Props, such as mats, straps and blocks, are usually available at the studio. After 3,000 years of evolution, the discipline would seem to have little room for improvement, but we think the following are three accessories that might very well make your practice a happier one.
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