Fall Apparel Guide: Get the Layers You Need

Filed under: Fitness , Running It’s a fact of athletic life: As the temperatures dip lower, so do our standards when it comes to what we look like while running . Who among us hasn’t piled on a cotton tank, old race tee, sweatshirt and jacket on that first chilly morning of the year, only to end up carrying half those items on the return portion of a lengthy run ? Working out in cold weather is always going to create certain challenges — we can’t help that. But with a little planning (and, yes, just a bit of shopping), you can avoid the eight random layers look and exercise in comfort and style, regardless of where the mercury rests. Altrec.com Let’s start at the top, shall we? While it’s only a myth that you lose the majority of your body heat through your head , it’s a fact that keeping your head covered while exercising in cool weather will help keep you toasty warm. You can opt for a full hat, like this Vinyasa toque ($24, Lululemon Athletica), or keep just your ears nice and cozy in a headband like Columbia’s Glacial Fleece Headring ($19.95, Altrec). Under Armour A high neck and thumb holes give the Under Armour UA Evo ColdGear Convertible ($59.99, Under Armour) an edge on the competition. The slim fit and long length means it’ll layer nicely under a coat or jacket when it’s really cold out, but the double-sided fabric that pulls moisture away from the skin means it will work perfectly on its own in temperatures closer to 55 degrees F. (Plus, it comes in some really lovely colors. Hey, it matters!) Backwoods.com For less brisk weather, the Icebreaker Women’s Atlas short-sleeved shirt ($49.99, Backwoods) is a great choice. Like all Icebreakers products, it’s made of merino wool, which is soft and warm but natural and breathable. We can see this as a layer beneath a light track jacket for the first few cool fall days. Burton.com Vests are a terrific option for when it’s starting to get quite chilly but it’s not exactly frigid. We like that this Women’s Starr vest ($69.95, Burton) features low-bulk technical fleece, so you get all the benefits of quick-drying, breathable, super-warm fleece but in a streamlined profile — important both for your running form and for looking cute. thenorthface.com Sometimes, however, you need full coverage. This Women’s Flight Apex Climateblock jacket ($159, The North Face) is full of good features. The shell is windproof (and we all know how vital that can be) but still breathable, so you won’t end up stewing in your own sweat while the rest of you shivers. It’s treated with a water-durable repellent, so you can run through snow and light rain without worrying, and it has reflective tape all over — extra important as the days get shorter. thenorthface.com There’s little that’s more miserable than running with hands that feel like they’re about to freeze off, so be sure to grab yourself a pair of gloves. We like that the Etip glove ($40, The North Face) allows you to work your MP3 player or phone with ease. Plus, when your gloves aren’t overly bulky, it’s easier to cram them in your pockets if the sun decides to heat things up. cw-x.com Now for the bottom half. Running tights tend to be the most popular option, and the Insulator PerformX tights ($79.95, HDO Sport ) are certainly a quality option with auto-sensor nanotechnology fabric, which works to keep the surface temperature constant (and you comfortable), even in the coldest weather. www.injinji.com And, of course, there are your feet. Most runners would suggest you not layer socks for warmth while running as it can change the fit of your shoe and therefore the way you run. But you can trade your socks for a warmer version, like the Ex-Celerator Compression Toesock ($38, Injinji). The over-the-calf style provides extra warmth while the compression system amps up blood circulation. Trying to lose weight this fall? Our Fresh Start weight loss guide will help you reach your goals with meal plans and workouts . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fall Apparel Guide: Get the Layers You Need

Fit Buzz: How Do You Switch Up Your Seasonal Exercise Routine?

Filed under: Fitness Getty Here at Fit Buzz, we ask our users, fans and followers a different diet and fitness question each week. Stay tuned for weekly updates! How do you transition from summer to fall exercise? Enn V. Depends. It’s generally too hot to do the walking outside, so I’ve been inside or at the outdoor pool. Fall is a good time to walk outside if it’s not too stormy. I haven’t found a way to do weights outside though, unless you count picking up small children. Anna P. In the spring and summer I usually do a lot of running outside… which carries over into the fall weather permitting. When the weather gets too bad, I change it up by trying a new exercise class or two and I spend more time in the pool and in the weight room. Kevin D. In Minnesota I run outside 4 times a week all year long no matter the weather. No excuse. Jackie H. Head inside with my HOOP! Tracy L. Living in the deep south means its too hot to exercise outside, with fall around the corner, I’ll be able to get outside and walk! Linda W. We stay outside all through the winter, even walk in snow storms, LOL! Karen B. There is relatively no transition in So. California. Fall is beautiful and Winter is the Best But Summer…is way too hot! 108 today and staying inside to take care of my paperwork Tina B. More strength..less cardio Something that’s necessary all year round: water. Find out if this natural resource promotes weight loss. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fit Buzz: How Do You Switch Up Your Seasonal Exercise Routine?

An Easy Summer Treat: Mixed Berry Yogurt Popsicles

With only one month of berry season remaining, I’ve been buying strawberries and blueberries in flats. And while I do a pretty good job at finding ways to eat them all, sometimes there really is too much of a good thing. In the weeks that I have too many ripe berries, I freeze them to use later in the Fall and Winter, or make jam. Last week on an incredibly hot day, I experimented in the kitchen to make my own mixed berry yogurt frozen treats. This treat is sweet, creamy, and best of all, a healthy way to cool down this Summer. Disclaimer: this is a very loose recipe - so loose that I can’t even call it a recipe. I had a bunch of ripe berries that I blended with some nonfat Greek yogurt and sugar. The finished mixture was based strictly on personal taste. If you need a gauge, ask yourself if you’d enjoy drinking the mix on its own, much like a smoothie. If yes, freeze away! Pour the berry yogurt mixture into a clean ice cube tray, add some toothpicks and freeze. It doesn’t have to stop there either. Since the first batch, I’ve experimented with different berry combos, and thrown in fresh mint and lemon juice too. Whatever the combo, this treat is a big hit in my house!

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An Easy Summer Treat: Mixed Berry Yogurt Popsicles

Neil Patrick Harris is the Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze

Filed under: Celebs & Entertainment Kevin Winter, Getty Images Neil Patrick Harris has had a busy summer. Not only is he about to start production on the sixth season of the hit CBS show ” How I Met Your Mother ,” he’s currently directing a production of ” Rent ” at the Hollywood Bowl, starring High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger . Harris is also deeply involved in philanthropic efforts, including narrating the Listerine-produced documentary ” This Is Your Mouth ,” which donates $1 per view of thisisyourmouth.com to America’s Toothfairy , an organization that helps provide dental care to underprivileged kids. Keeping in shape is a challenge for everyone with a tight schedule, so That’s Fit asked Harris what his secret is to keeping his energy levels high and his body Emmy-worthy. He said, “I take circus classes now and again so I feel like I have some practical strength.” Harris works out at Cirque School in Los Angeles, a studio founded by former Cirque du Soleil aerialist Aloysia Gavre. Using trapeze and floor exercises, instructors create circus circuits. Imagine swinging from a single trapeze for one and a half minutes, doing core strength-training exercises for one and a half minutes, followed by one and a half minutes on the ring. The school offers a variety of ground and aerial classes, focusing on signature Cirque du Soleil moves mixed with Pilates , to increase strength and flexibility. In addition to flying through the air with the greatest of ease, Harris works out several times a week using the classic combination of strength training and cardio. Flexibility is key to keeping the former Doogie Howser in prime condition. “I try to concentrate on posture, keeping my body as long as it can be. I’ve been doing more Pilates and yoga and trying to get into a real cardiovascular routine to increase my flexibility.” Luckily, Harris has a high metabolism, but still has to watch what he eats. “Eating smallish meals more often is best for me,” he said. “If I eat a big breakfast, I suffer all day! I’m a grazer.” His weakness? He claims to not have much of a sweet tooth, except for one treat: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. “When you eat one you automatically have to eat seven, why is that?” And as for the upcoming sixth season of “How I Met Your Mother,” Harris hasn’t even seen a script yet, though production starts August 9. “I wish I knew more!” We’ll all just have to wait until the premiere on September 20 to find out. Neil Patrick Harris isn’t the only celebrity who works hard to keep their body in top shape. Find out how Valerie Bertinelli stays fit at 50. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Neil Patrick Harris is the Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze

The World Tri: 146 Miles Down, More Than 8,000 to Go

Filed under: Fitness , Interviews Andy Stoll To many of us, the idea of completing an Ironman triathlon (you know, 2.4-mile swim , 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run ) seems a little extreme. For Charlie Wittmack, an attorney from Iowa, it’s nothing but a warm-up. Wittmack has embarked on The World Tri, an event of his own creation that will take him through 13 countries and close to 10,000 miles in 11 months (275-mile swim, 9,000-mile bike ride, 950-mile run). As a teen, Wittmack was in love with the idea of adventure and being the first to attempt something, and as he became more interested in triathlons , he began to wonder what the world’s toughest triathlon would be. He decided that swimming the English Channel, biking from there to Mount Everest and climbing Mount Everest would be just about as tough as it gets. He wasn’t able to take on the challenge as a teenager, but he did graduate high school a year early and began his journey into the world of extreme endurance sports, beginning with a bike ride across America and moving into mountain climbing, which included scaling Mount Everest in 2003. After swimming the English Channel last summer, Witmack knew it was time to put his plan into action. With his wife, Cate, and young son, James, in tow, Wittmack began The World Tri on June 29, and as of Tuesday, he had logged 146 miles of swimming, meaning he’s past the halfway mark of the first leg. Despite his grueling schedule, he took a few moments to answer some of our questions. That’s Fit: Why do this? What prompted the decision to do it now? Charlie Wittmack: The World Tri is a childhood dream that I’ve spent my life pursuing. While I’ve been planning it for a long time, I didn’t seriously contemplate heading out until a little later in life. However, in 2008, my wife was diagnosed with cancer [which she beat], and we decided that we needed to start moving some of our dreams for the future into the present. We’re doing this expedition as a family, and Cate and James (our 2-year-old son) are along on the adventure as well. I spend my days swimming while they tour Europe! TF: Is there a part you’re most excited about? Is there a part that you find particularly intimidating or expect to be most difficult? CW: The swim is physiologically the most challenging. Physiologists estimate that swimming 2.5 miles is roughly equivalent to running a marathon. When you’re swimming 10-15 miles per day, it really takes a toll on your body and your mind. You have to stay positive and try to stay in the moment. If you start to think about how far you have left to go, you’ll fail. The cycling leg also presents a number of extraordinarily challenging days. We’ll cross the Taklimakan Desert in China, climb an 18,000-foot pass through the Himalayas and bicycle across the Tibetan Plateau. The longest day is 154 miles across a mountain pass that is 17,600 feet on a road that is covered in snow. TF: What will you do at the end of each day to prepare your body for the next day’s efforts? CW: Rest, rehydrate and try to get to a good, relaxed mental state. I also do yoga . TF: You’ve been preparing for this for the past 15 years, according to your website, but can you talk about the kind of physical training you employed in the months leading up to the beginning of the tri? How about the mental preparation? CW: I trained full-time for six months prior to the expedition. The training lasted 5-6 hours a day during the week and 8-10 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I generally don’t take rest days. Most of the training was focused around swimming, including the two long weekend swims, which were 8-10 hours along the Chicago skyline in Lake Michigan. My dietician believes that I burn between 8,000 and 10,000 calories per day. In my training, I’ve found that there are three legs — cardio , physical strength and mental . I always focus on improving the weakest leg. If my breathing is too heavy or heart rate too high, I’ll spend a couple of weeks on cardio. If I’m mentally weak and struggling to finish long workouts, I’ll schedule a couple workouts that are two or three times the longest distance to push myself mentally. If I’m feeling worn out, I may take some extra time for weights or kettlebells . While the basic workouts revolved around swimming, I do use kettlebells and yoga a lot. Those were both new additions to my regime, and I really felt a positive impact from them. Wittmack and his family, along with two journalists, will be documenting the adventure at The World Tri website , as well as on Twitter and Facebook . In addition to completing an endurance event unlike anything that’s been done before, the Wittmacks will be leading an educational initiative throughout the expedition and a global health program in Nepal . Check out others who are taking up extreme sports to make a difference, like Lisa Smith-Batchen, who is running 2,500 miles for AIDS orphans . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The World Tri: 146 Miles Down, More Than 8,000 to Go

Run on the Fourth of July

Celebrate Independence Day by participating in a fun run or road race. The Fourth is the biggest road racing day of the year . In fact, the day boasts the largest road race in the world - the Peach Tree Road Race in Atlanta, GA, where 55,000 runners will take to the streets. Some races feature picnic fare themes like the Watermelon 5k Run or Walk in Winter Park, FL, or the Fourth of July Pickle Run in Media, PA. But the Firecracker 10k in Santa Cruz, CA, celebrates the holiday with a postrace pancake breakfast. There are over 400 events on the Fourth, including some cooling open water swims, and they’re all listed at Active.com - so surely you should be able to find a run near you. Let freedom ring run!

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Run on the Fourth of July

BBQ Condiment Breakdown

When it comes to barbecue fare, ketchup mustard, and relish are necessary accessories for most grillables. If you like to dress up your dog with condiments take a few moments to learn how many calories those little dollops add to your meal. Learn the nutritional stats on all the fixings when you read more. 2 tbsp Calories Fat (g) Sodium (mg) Carbs (g) Fiber (g) Sugars (g) Protein (g) Heinz Ketchup 30 0 380 8 0 8 0 Heinz Organic Ketchup 40 0 380 10 0 8 0 Simply Heinz Ketchup 40 0 380 10 0 8 0 Heinz One Carb Ketchup 10 0 380 2 0 2 0 French’s Classic Yellow Mustard (2 tsp) 0 0 110 2 0 1 0 Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard and Country Mustard 28 0 680 0 0 0 0 French’s Honey Mustard (2 tsp) 20 0 60 1 0 0 0 Kraft Mayonnaise 180 20 140 0 0 0 0 Bread and Butter Pickles (1 slice) 6 0 54 1.5 .1 .7 .1 Sweet Pickle Relish 39 .1 243 10.5 .3 4.8 .1 Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (1 tsp) 0 0 200 0 0 0 0 Chili Sauce 20 2 70 10.5 0 0 .1 BBQ Sauce 21 .5 231 3.6 .3 1.1 .5

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BBQ Condiment Breakdown

Indoor Living

January is one of the most looked forward to months, perhaps simply because it is the start of the year. Yet it has some repercussions on our health. January is a time when it can be quite cold, forcing many people in temperate countries to spend much more time indoors than outdoors. Contrary to popular belief, staying indoors may be more harmful to your health than going out. This is because the air indoors may actually be more polluted than what is out there. How can this happen? In the winter, houses need to be warm and insulated. Windows are most often closed to keep the cold out and the heat in. As a result, there is usually poor ventilation within. The air is not naturally replenished inside. Molds can be a complication as well due to the dampness in the air. To make matters worse, if there is a smoker in the family and he smokes within the house, the air is definitely more polluted. As such, you should not take the matter of indoor health care lightly. At this time of the year when many people spend a lot of time inside the house, you should take care to ensure that the conditions inside the house contribute to your health and not the contrary. First thing you must consider are activities that pollute the air. Smoking was already mentioned. Avoid smoking within enclosed premises. Using air fresheners and deodorizers may seem like a good idea but if not used properly, you may contribute to adding allergens inside the house. If you do need to use such products, make sure that there is at least a short period of time wherein you can get fresh air inside.

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Indoor Living

Jillian Michaels Fears Pregnancy Weight Gain

I fell in love with Jillian Michaels way back when The Biggest Loser first aired. I don’t exactly enjoy having someone screaming at me , but I really respect her feisty, tough-love method of getting people to dig deep and give it their all. I also love her 30 Day Shred DVD, and whenever I’m running I always think of what she says: “This is your time.” Jillian totally motivates me to kick ass when I’m working out. In the Winter, Michaels graced the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal , and this month she tweeted “My Women’s Health cover is out. Yay!” and posted this cover shot on Facebook . Although the 5-foot-2 buff and tough 36-year-old is known for helping so many people drop pounds, she explains in her interview that her new mission is to become an all-around life coach. She told Women’s Health , “I want to empower people to find their happiness via a healthy lifestyle. And when I say healthy, I don’t just mean diet and exercise. Those are just tools.” Aside from her role on The Biggest Loser , her two books, workout DVDs, and her reality show, Losing It With Jillian , set to air this Summer, there’s talk of staring in her own daytime talk show in 2011, when Oprah goes off the air. This brunette has a huge desire to help people. To find out where it stems from, read more. Jillian didn’t have the happiest childhood. Growing up in the suburbs of LA, her parents divorced when she was 12, and she turned to food, eventually reaching 175 pounds. She says, “I was an only child at the time, so there was nowhere to go with any of it. I felt abandoned.” That’s how she found her calling to comfort people who are hurting and vulnerable. Michaels says, “It’s a desire to fix it.” In order to be strong enough mentally and physically to stand as a leading voice in health and wellness, Jillian needs to spend time taking care of herself. She exercises three or four times a week for 30 to 40 minutes, doing martial arts, jogging, and - get this - sessions with one of her personal trainers. Who knew a successful personal trainer needed her own trainer! I guess we all can benefit from someone motivating us. Jillian is also really conscious of what she eats and likes to buy organic at the nearby farmers market and through the website localharvest.org. Another thing Jillian shared candidly in her Women’s Health interview is that she wants to be a mother someday but that she’ll adopt. This health nut admits that she’s not too keen on getting pregnant because of her experience being an overweight child. “I can’t handle doing that to my body. Also, when you rescue something, it’s like rescuing a part of yourself.” I can definitely respect that, but I’m wondering: have any of you considered adoption for the same weight-related reason? Source: Jillian Michaels’s Facebook page

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Jillian Michaels Fears Pregnancy Weight Gain

Speak Up: What Keeps You Motivated During Long Runs?

The 114th Boston Marathon took place today, with throes of fans toting inspirational signs, shouting words of encouragement, and doing anything else they could to help motivate runners during their tough 26.2 miles. When training alone, those long runs can get a little boring . . . even if your mind does start to wander . While training for a race last year, I’d meet my friend/training partner for a “quick” eight or 10 miles after work. I loved the company because it gave me a little distraction and pushed me to work harder, but as we finished our first loop around the park, one of us would inevitably get a little lazy and start to think about bowing out early - especially after we started going out for a postrun beer and cheeseburger. It was on one such Summer night that I looked at him after mile six, my eyes saying “can we stop early?” when he suddenly yelled out “Beer! Cheeseburger!” and picked up the pace. And it turns out, we’re not the only ones who think a cold brew is a good idea after a tough workout . While it sounds a little silly (and other runners were definitely laughing at us), we kept the routine up every time we headed out for a long run. And when race day came, our friends even made us a huge sign that read, “Beer! Cheeseburgers!” You can bet we were both thinking about our postrace reward the entire time. So ‘fess up: what keeps you motivated during a long run? I’d love to hear your suggestions - the wackier the better!

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Speak Up: What Keeps You Motivated During Long Runs?

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