After a rather sports enthused week of cheering on our favorite futbol and  basketball teams, we’re ready to leave the gritty and get back to the pretty things in life. We enlisted the help of Celebrity Stylist and Fashion Guru Lauren Rae Levy to do just that. Looking back on our week of fan fare she picked out 9 sporty fashion pieces that can take you from the field to the fiesta.

1. Adidas by Stella McCartney Run Performance Woven Shorts, 49.00

The perfect black workout shorts. Why? When shorts are looser on the thigh, your legs look thinner.

2. Toggery Sammi Cropped Stretch Legging, 42.00

Loving mid calf length leggings for summer, but more importantly why a brand like Toggery specifically for leggings?  They are comfy, fit well, and ECO-FRIENDLY!

3. LNA Cropped Mesh Sides Tee, 90.00

Wear a black bra underneath and you are good-to-go in the cutest workout top (vents on side) ever!

4. Nation LTD Black Oversized Deep VNeck Tee, 94.00

Love that it is oversize and made of Model– the PERFECT fitting black tee on ANYONE.

5. VPL Breaker Tank, 122.50

You can get a lot of use out of a tank like this.  Great for layering all year round, great for jeans, or great for a nice walk!

6. American Apparel Striped Thigh High Sock, 15. 00

The red, white, and blue are my fav, patriotic and they remind me of that retro roller girl look!  Rock them with shorts and a tank. Keep it simple.

7. American Apparel Printed Nylon Legging, 42.00

How fun are these? They are “aztec” inspired patterns and the colors are vibrant for summer.

8. TOM’S Seaport Women’s Vegan Classic, 54.00

The most comfortable shoes EVER, but it gets better:  with every pair purchased, TOMS gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need!  I call them the “mitzvah shoe” and I live in mine.

9. Ron Herman Sparrow Fade Sweatpants, 135.00

I love all of the colors, they look adorable with a simple Hanes tank, and they are the most comfortable sweats I own.  Plus, they are handmade in USA and Free City always sends positive messages through their “signature” marking on all items.

As the Saints-Colts match up draws nearer, there’s just one question on everyone’s mind: are you in shape for the Superbowl?

OK, OK, so maybe you’re not quite ready to be put on a roster. That’s okay! The American Physical Therapy Association, tongue planted firmly in cheek, has outlined 6 exercises that will fit right in with your game viewing. What better way to get a workout without even realizing it?

1. Watch warm-ups while lying on your side and lifting your top leg up, keeping the knee extended. Hold for 5 or 10 seconds and wish for many touchdowns. Repeat on the other side.
2. When your team makes a completed pass, hold your arms out at shoulder length with palms up to the sky. Move your shoulder blades toward one another until the next snap!
3. During commercial breaks, make like a player in the locker room and do some quick wall sits. Press your back flat against the wall. Slightly bend your knees to slide down the wall and hold. Repeat until the game comes back.
4. Grab a couple cans of soda (or, you know, your game watching beverage of choice) and hold one in each hand. Stand with your feet about 6 inches apart. Bent at the waist towards one side and bring the can up under your opposing arm.
5. When the ref makes a bad call against your team, shake your head in disbelief, making sure to tuck your chin to your chest. You’ll stretch and exercise muscles on the back and sides of your neck.
6. If the game comes down to the last few minutes, relieve the tension by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Bend one knee toward your chest, grab the back of your thigh with both hands, and stretch your leg from the knee.

For more detailed instructions and diagrams, check out the “Couch Potato” pamphlet here!

When it comes to getting to the gym in the mornings, when I make it there I’m usually a broken record – I’ll run on the track or use the elliptical before rotating through a few weight stations. It works, but it’s far from thrilling.

I know I usually never cast a glance towards the other cardio equipment, but this Fitsugar article convinced me that I should give these lonely pieces of equipment a second chance. 

All this equipment blasts calories and mixes intense strength training with all the heart-healthy benefits of cardio, which means you can knock out boredom at the same time that you turbo-load your workout.

If you’re neglecting the following equipment, you might want to think again:

1. Rowing machine
2. Arc trainers (like a stair-stepper, elliptical, and treadmill all in one…my gym doesn’t have one or I think I would have given it a try! Who doesn’t love exercise machines that mimic that hamster-in-the-wheel feel?)
3. Stationary bikes
4. The Stairmaster or “StairMill”/endless staircase
5. VersaClimber (another one my gym doesn’t have – this machine mimics the effort required to mount a vertical incline.)

As an added bonus, most of these machines have all the benefits of running but are much more gentle on the joints. Thanks for the reminder that we can shake up our workouts even without taking classes, Fitsugar! 

What piece of gym equipment – traditional or not – is your favorite to work out on?

Since we’ve last convened on the topic of fitness… not including yesterday’s “Get Moving!” Little Luxury Gift Guide or, well, Fit Mom’s “how to find time for fitness” (okay, it’s an important topic), I’ve  had two workout sessions at Equinox on 19th street and Broadway in NYC with two very different yet equally awesome trainers, Tom and Rich. I left feeling fantastic both times and had just the right amount soreness the next day. Heyyy endorphins.

The #1 takeaway that has helped firmed up the NO EXCUSES attitude that’s so vital to success: You do NOT have to kill yourself to get an incredible workout! In fact, if your heart rate is too high and you’re pushing yourself too hard, you’re not going to be burning the right calories to get the results you desire. Take it from those grannies… they’re doing the best they can with what they’ve got, and so can you. I’ve had a few one-offs with trainers at different gyms in the past, and every single one of them (who hadn’t first assessed my condition) made me believe that the “I’m gonna pass out” sensation is they key to dropping a dress size. Not the case. It’s important to test your limits, but if you ever feel like you’re working with a bully, it’s time to find a new trainer.

On a similar note, I’d like to address another common gym problem that many, including myself, encounter (beyond “getting there”). If you’re not an avid exerciser, there’s a good chance you’ll get dizzy when you begin to test your limits. Dizziness is not to be confused with your limits in ability or physical endurance or, in my case, exercise-induced asthma.

The misconception was cleared up by both Tom and Rich: Dizziness occurs simply because not enough oxygen is getting into your bloodstream, a problem that will lessen as your heart opens up, literally and figuratively, to a regular exercise routine. If you feel lightheaded, BREAK for a minute. Sit, have some water, let the dizziness pass, and don’t pass out. Be excited knowing that your endurance will strengthen not only because your muscles will, but because your body will learn how to accept more oxygen and make you WANT to keep going.

Phew! Check back over the next few months as I get into more specifics, and please let me know your fitness questions and concerns so I can address them too. I have so many of my own so I could probably write for days, but if there’s something specific I can talk about that could help point you in the right direction, that’s my ultimate goal here! Well, that and looking SLAMMIN in a bikini in 13 days and then living until I’m 107.

But baby steps.

Alright kid, if you can do it I can do it.

The gym and I.

What a wacky 10 year relationship we’ve been in. On again off again, love to hate, hate to love, either rocking my body or weighing heavy in the back of my mind… and behind. He (yes, it’s a he for the sake of this stream of thought) has always been there for me, but so many times I’ve just abandoned him, never appreciating all the things he’s done and could potentially do for me.

As I sat in the Equifit assessment room yesterday trying to explain my lackluster gym routine to Tom, the big, burly, corn-husking half of my new two-man training team at Equinox Fitness Club on 19th street in New York City, he stopped me: “I know,” he offered. “Your lifestyle doesn’t allow for you to be a fitness nut.” It was the nicest and most truthful way anyone had every put it.

He’s absolutely right. I work a full-time job, I work voluntary overtime, I’m a sucker for dinner plans, I often have functions after work, and I barely sleep as it is. Coordinating my schedule, the need to shower, the impetus to tote sneakers and gym clothes somewhere for the sake of getting sweaty… it’s just much too much.

But as you may have noticed, our little blog got a little makeover, and Health + Fitness is not only a tremendously important part of Spa Week Daily, it’s a critical component of living a healthy spa lifestyle. If you’ve ever had trouble losing weight, getting in shape, making fitness a part of your everyday life, or just plain figuring out what to do with an ab ball… I’m right there with you! That’s why I’m taking you with me, so we can learn together about this wild world of working out, and how to make it work out for US.

As Tom pinched my fat, took my measurements, tested my balance and learned about my inability to do a single solitary push-up, there was a lot to be learned even before any formal workout. To start you off, I’m going to share with you my 2 favorite, highly important, simple-as-can-be take-home tips from Tom that can do wonders for your body without even sweating an ounce.

1.    Don’t get sitters disease.

Tom made up the name, but it’s a real problem that occurs when you sit too much. The 90 degree angle of your thighs and torso causes a tightening of your hip flexors—the group of muscles that flex your leg and pull it upwards. This tightening is what causes the strain in your lower back that you feel when you get up after sitting for too long, and over time it can lead to chronic lower back pain. This doesn’t mean you should trade in your accounting job and pursue your mother’s dreams of you becoming a figure skater. QUICK FIX: Ease the strain by making sure you stand up at least once an hour.

2.    The golden rule: Drink water!

Of course you know. But knowing and doing are two entirely different things. Water not only helps maintain a healthy appetite, it flushes unhealthy toxins that fill your body. Tom offers this IDEA:  Keep a big water bottle on your desk or in front of you at all times. Empty or full, just let it sit there and stare you in the face. You’re much more likely to remember and get closer to your 8 daily glasses.

Stick with me as I learn a wealth of fitness tips and how-to’s from Tom and Rich, the less-intimidating half of my training duo, over the next few months. Email or Tweet me any questions you have for them, or any demos you’d be interested in seeing on video. If you’re in the NY area and ever want to join me for a session… let me know that too. That’d be fun! Or… feel free to just watch and be amused as they kick my out-of-excuses butt into shape.

Training sessions sponsored by Equinox