Fit Tip of the Day

Being healthy is a million times more important than being thin. Check with your doctor for your proper weight range and work to get and stay within it.

Beauty Tip of the Day

Don't get too stressed over your looks. Remember that love for yourself is more important than anything else, because it's what moves you to achieve things.

Fit Tip of the Day

An Exercise You Can't Do Without: Squats! They strengthen all of the major muscles of the lower body, including the gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves.

Beauty Tip of the Day

Remember: Clothes don't make you, they complement you.

Billy Blanks Boot Camp

So Friday's are usually "leg days" but w/o my brother there's no way I would honestly do 75 squats. So I decided to throw in my new Billy Blanks Boot Camp dvd. I'd tried to do this workout the other day. But once I saw how intense it was I decided to stick w/Hip Hop Abs.

But I've always been a fan of Billy Blanks' TAE BO and today I felt adventurous and decided to give it a shot. My bestest friend is visiting from St. Louis so we did it together. OMG that work out is crazy! I'm fully convinced I won't be able to walk tomorrow.

Billy Blanks is a little hyper and his fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired. But if you want a great workout in a short amount of time you can't pass up Billy's BootCamp..

Beauty Tip of the Day

Smile, and do it like you mean it. To smile genuinely, you have to be genuinely happy with yourself. Don't hide behind your smile all the time. If you are unhappy about something, express your opinion.

Rehab: Does a Body Good

Unless you live in a cave or are one of those strange people that don't own a TV, radio or computer, you know that Lindsay Dee Lohan was arrested yesterday for driving under the influence, being in possession of a controlled substance i.e. cocaine and some other stuff. But I don't wanna talk about that stuff. I wanna talk about her body. Even after a 6 week stint in rehab, which obviously didn't work, and an abuse of alcohol and narcotics, Lindsay Lohan looks pretty darn good!

We saw all those pictures of her working out and rollerblading on the beach. But I have to give it to her for a "Hollywood actress" she actually looks pretty normal as far as weight goes. She's not all skinny and gross. She doesn't have huge fake boobs. And no one else can rock a SCRAM anklet like LiLo!

The New Spice Girl: Scary Arms

So these pictures of Madonna are going around the net showing how really gross and scary her arms look these days.
Now I know I've only been doing weight training for a few months and I'm no yogi like Madge. But goodness gracious! I don't even think I have that scary forearm muscle. Body fat can be a good thing sometimes.

The Walking Game

So since I've been back in L.A. I've been trying to come up with workouts that keep me from getting bored. I've started walking in the evening. Bu that's boring too. Since I love listing to books on tape I've started listening when I walk. I've put about 10 books on my Zune (way better than an iPod). The cool thing is I get so into the book that I keep walking to get to the end of a track or to see what's going to happen next.

Right now I'm listening to Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic and Baby. These books are hillarious!

For a great place for downloads check out

Summer Listening. Audiobooks for your iPod. Download now on iTunes.

Beauty Tip of the Day

Rid yourself of any insecurities. If your shoulders are slouching and you have a scared look on your face you will look bad even in a Gucci & Manolo shoes.

Jim Neely Interstate Bar-B-Q & Restaurant

If you are ever in Memphis and you aren't watching your weight you've got to go to Jim Neely Interstate Bar-B-Q & Restaurant. OMG! This was almost the best bbq that I've ever had.


Obviously I wasn't on any kind of diet while I shoving those rib tips in my mouth.

Stone Mountain Pics

I finally got my pictures back from my trip to the top of Stone Mountain.

Can you tell that I was near death!

L.A. Update

Ok, its been a whole week since I've been back in the City of Angels. So far, I'm not winning this battle. Although I haven't completely gone off the deep end I've only worked out once. I've eaten out about 4 times and I can't count the sodas that I've had.

BUT I've committed to making this work. I worked out yesterday. I went to West LA and walked 1.25 miles. I was all ready to do a full 2 miles but my knee was KILLING me. I don't know what that was about. Afterward, I came home, did my weights and sit ups. As soon as I hit the publish button I'm going to do some Hip Hop Abs. You know I love Sean T!

So my new dilemma is what am I going to do....ok so its not new but I've really been thinking about what gym to join if any. Or should I do a boot camp thing or what? I'm not a fan of the BIG gym. I can't stand Bally's and I'm really not trying to pay $100/wk for a personal trainer.

There are just too many decisions to be made! Oh yeah...and I need a job!

Beauty Tip of the Day

Mind your style, from top to bottom. There are two things that can make or break your look: your hair and your shoes.

Keep Your Mind Young

Exercise may help keep your mind young. Studies with mice showed that mice that ran on a wheel daily had more newly formed neurons and memory enhancing connections in their brains than sedentary mice. Human studies on aging and exercise have found an association between physical activity and maintenance of cognitive ability in older people.

Dance Workouts

Switch it up! Take a cue from square dancing caller and do-si-do and switch partners when it comes to your body building workout routines.

Varying your routines and programs will make your workout routine more exciting and will keep you from reaching a plateau. Try these tips on how to spice up your workout:

• Vary your pumping iron workout plan and target different areas of your body on different days
• Sign up for some swing or salsa dancing lessons
• Try alternating your dance and dumbbell workout with stretching (such as yoga or Pilates)
• Mix in a little tai chi for grace and swimming for cardiorespiratory fitness

Who says workout routines have to be routine?

I wanna be Posh when I grow up

Ok, I know she's too skinny. I know she's British. I know its unrealistic. But I totally have a crush on Posh Spice! I watched "Victoria Beckham Coming to America" the other night. And I just adore her! I have a much better view of her now. Some times reality shows can kill a career, Paul Abdul, but I think this may help Posh.

I loved it when she told Perez Hilton that she can't be seen eating in public.

Ok, that was just my little side note for the day.

Fit Tip of the Day

Get a check-up. To stay fit in the long run, you should perform regular maintenance on your body, just as you would with a car.

Home Again

Well, I've been on the road for a few days. My brother and I left Atlanta on Tuesday and arrived in Los Angeles yesterday. Let me just say that it wasn't a bad experience. We stopped in Memphis, TN (Awesome!), Fort Smith, Arkansas, Amarillo, Texas, Albuquerque, NM and Laughlin, Nevada.

And of course, my brother the fitness buff made me work out (once) along the way. I will say that my eating was not the best. But its really hard to think about healthy eating when you're trapped in a car of 6 hours/day.

Now that I'm back in L.A. - living w/my parents. I'm going to have to put forth even more effort than I even imagined. There is candy in every room of this house! And even though today is Monday - a workout day, I honestly have NO desire. But I'm going to do it. I've come to far to go back to the way I was or to not see what the future holds.

Stay Tuned!

Fit Tip of the Day

Do Cardio. The overall best way to shed fat fast is to do cardio (30 min minimum) right when you wake up. Your body will search for energy to use, when it finds nothing in your stomach, it will go directly to your fat storage for energy and the fat will burn up so fast!

On Top of the World

Last Friday Casey and I decided to do the 1.3 mile hike up Stone Mountain. I was not prepared. It was hot. It was humid and it is literally 825 feet from the bottom of the mountain to the top. Notice I keep saying MOUNTAIN.

Last week I made it about half way. There was no way I was ever going to see the top of that thing. Casey, my cheerleader, decided that I could make it to the top and today was the day. And you know what? He was right! Trust me, it wasn't an easy trip. That hike is HARD and anyone that tells you that it isn't is a LIAR.

Stone Mountain is 1,683 feet above sea level. That's kinda high. The main attraction at this park is the Confederate Memorial Carving that depicts Confederate heroes of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Its the largest High-Relief Sculpture in the World. The South really is a different kind of place.

Any way. It was a huge accomplishment. Each day I just keep pushing myself further and further. As Martha Stewart says, "its a good thing."

SiCKO

My brother and went to Michael Moore’s new movie SiCKO today. It just reminded me how living outside of the US might be worth looking into. But I don’t even know where to start. How do I move and leave my family, boyfriend (who will never move) and life as I know it? And where will I go? I’ve been thinking about Canada for a while. I don’t even how to find a job or a place to live. Sicko

See more progress on: Live in another country

Fit Tip of the Day

Avoid Empty Calories - junk food - won't fill you up & will waste your allotted calories.

BlackJack 21!

Well readers, today was the day that made all the sweat, tears and muscle aches worth it. Today was the day I officially lost

21 pounds!

My goal for this week was to hit the 20lb mark. I never thought I would actually exceed it! I had my brother come look at the scale to make sure I wasn't trippin. I know I've still got a long way to go but this is a huge milestone. A true accomplishment. And dare I say it, "I'm proud of myself."

49% of the credit goes to my little brother, my cheerleader, who has helped me acheive something that I've never, ever even been close to.

The scariest part for me is that I'm leaving Atlanta next week. I'm leaving my support system and going back to L.A. This is where the true challenge lies. To be at home, with my parents, my mother's constant grocery shopping and no one in my life who works out. That's going to be the real challenge.

For my next goal I really want to be under 200lbs by my birthday. That means losing what its taken me 7 months to lose in about 3 months. But I think that I've got a really good foundation now and I'm willing to give it a serious try!

21 down, 79 to go!

Fit Tip of the Day

In addition to a good aerobic exercise, you should add weight training in, which will help balance out the fitness routine and provide you with the best results. If you are not sure where to start, a professional trainer can help get you started on a healthy program.

Sports Drinks - the healthy way

Gatorade is thirst-aid! Many people prefer sports drinks to water because they taste better and it´s easier to drink them more often in a sports nutrition diet. If the sports drink contains a small amount of carbohydrate, sodium, and potassium, the drink will effectively hydrate the person.

The following facts are important to consider when using a sports drink for sports nutrition:

• Sports drinks should contain between 14 and 19 grams of carbohydrate per eight-ounce serving (six to eight percent). A drink with more than ten percent carbohydrate may cause slow absorption, nausea, cramps, or diarrhea. A drink with five percent or less sugar solution may not provide enough additional sports nutrition energy to increase exercise length.
• Carbonation causes stomach bloating. Dilute carbonated drinks to half-strength.
• The correct sodium level for sports nutrition supplement drinks is 100-110 milligrams per eight ounces. Sodium content in sports drinks can range from eight to 116 milligrams.
• Fruit juices have 10-15 percent carbohydrate and need to be diluted. Mix one part juice to seven parts water.
• You do not sweat out vitamins; there´s no need to buy sports nutrition drinks that include vitamins.
• Water is adequate for exercise under one hour. However, if the exercise is intense or lasts more than an hour, a sports drink will be beneficial.
• If you´re participating in a sports event lasting four hours or more, you need a sports nutrition drink that contains from 110 to 120 milligrams of sodium.

Glamour Muscles

Ah-nold knows that the glamour muscles for men--abs, pecs, and biceps--are all on the front of the upper body, and many men spend most of their strength training time on them. But the Governator didn't get a healthy physique by just focusing on glamour. Balance your weight training routine like Ah-nold balances the budget. For a nice, symmetrical look, as well as to prevent potential problems caused by postural imbalance, it´s necessary to train your back as well. And set aside some time to do strength training exercise for your legs, too.

The one thing that I have noticed is that although my upper body is shrinking my hips and thighs are disappearing as quickly. I've found that The FIRM. Sculpts your entire body. Usually the women in excercise dvd's really get on my nerves. They're too perky and just so annoying. But the women in The FIRM series are actually quite bearable.

Women´s Muscles

Strong women really do stay young...with strength training. Women build up their muscles in response to weight training, but it is usually seen in the form of firmness and muscle definition. Very few women can build huge, bulging muscles through a weight training routine, even if they want to. They don´t have the right hormones. But they'll increase their health and fitness levels, and look younger!

Fit Tip of the Day

If you have bathroom scales, you should either get rid of them or put them away for a while. Weight does not accurately reflect the level of your fitness. If you should be measuring anything, it should be body fat, not the weight.