Susi May
Fitness Director
Susi May
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Bikini Beach Body Workout From Tone It Up
summer

Get a Total Beach-Babe Workout With the Tone It Up Girls!

We're about to turn the seasonal corner and head straight into Summer, so make the most of your beach time and hit the sand for a workout.
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We're about to turn the seasonal corner and head straight into Summer, so make the most of your beach time and hit the sand for a workout. And who better to help you get your sweat on in the sand than the quintessential beach babes Katrina and Karena of Tone It Up? With no props required, these gals have created a five-move workout perfect for the soft sand or your living room. The full-body exercises will work you from head to toe and provide a little fine toning with small pulses to finish up the moves.

Keep reading for a breakdown of the moves.

16 Detoxifying Foods
Link Time

Stock Up on These 16 Detoxing Foods

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5-Minute Core Workout
workouts

Take Our 5-Minute Core Challenge

Take five minutes out of your day to challenge your core.
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Take five minutes out of your day to challenge your core. Strengthening the center of your body does wonders for your posture and your athletic performance — hello increased endurance! You might be unfamiliar with two of the moves, so watch our video tutorials to help you master the up-down plank (aka push-up walks) and advanced bridge.

Cardio Workout For Home No Equipment Necessary
cardio workouts

Cardio Workout For Your Living Room

You can get your heart rate up in the comfort of your own home.
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You can get your heart rate up in the comfort of your own home. Skip the gym and the cardio machine for this short, fun, and hard cardio workout. We think you'll love it! And your arms and legs will feel worked too. Equipment wise you will need a step (for step-ups) and a jump rope. If there are no stairs in your home use a small bench, march in place with some vigor, or up the intensity by running in place doing high knees jog — this advanced variation works the abs too. If you don’t have a jump rope just imagine you do and hop over your imaginary rope.

The Warmup

Exercise Time / Reps
March in place 2 minutes
Step-ups 2 minutes
Jump rope 2 minutes
Stretch Hamstrings, quads, calves, inner thighs

That wraps up the warmup. To see the rest of the workout, keep reading.

Cold and Seasonal Allergy Symptoms Compared
healthy living

Allergy Symptoms vs. Cold Symptoms

As we transition from cold and flu season to allergy season, it can be challenging to determine why your nose is running — is it a cold or is it allergies?
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As we transition from cold and flu season to allergy season, it can be challenging to determine why your nose is running — is it a cold or is it allergies?

Sorting through symptoms to determine what is causing your runny nose, a virus or pollen, will help you better manage your symptoms. Here is the list comparing the symptoms of the common cold with those that accompany seasonal allergies that should help you figure out what is going on with your nose.

Itchy nose: Although allergies and colds both produce a runny nose and congestion, allergies create the uncomfortable and persistent itchy nose. The itch generally occurs in the back of the nose and is difficult to "scratch." Folks suffering from nasal pruritus (the fanciest way in the world to say "itchy nose") often scrunch up their faces, like a bunny, to try to alleviate the discomfort.

The sneeze: Sneezing frequently, and sometimes quietly, is common with allergies. Allergy sneezes are an attempt to remove allergens from the nose. Sneezes from colds tend to be loud, deep, and infrequent, attempting to clear the bronchial congestion down in the lungs.

Unfortunately, the list of symptoms is a bit longer, so keep reading.

10-Minute Bridal Body Workout to Tone Arms, Legs, and Abs
Wedding

Heidi Klum's Trainer Shows Us a 10-Minute Bridal Body Workout For Your Big Day!

Trainer Andrea Orbeck helps keep Heidi Klum and many other Victoria's Secret models in runway shape, and now she can help you get ready to walk the aisle.
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Trainer Andrea Orbeck helps keep Heidi Klum and many other Victoria's Secret models in runway shape, and now she can help you get ready to walk the aisle. Andrea created this 10-minute workout to target all the areas a bride-to-be wants to tone. Even if you're not prepping for your wedding, this workout will work your arms, legs, and abs. Grab a set of dumbbells, and get ready to sweat.

Cardio Dance Workout From Kelly Ripa's Trainer
workouts

Kelly Ripa's Trainer Leads Our Live Class FitSugar

Last night in NYC, we hosted a live Class FitSugar event with celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser of AKT InMotion.
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Last night in NYC, we hosted a live Class FitSugar event with celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser of AKT InMotion. Over 150 of our readers joined us in a lovely loft space in Manhattan for an intense workout and refreshing cocktails — made with antioxidant-rich ingredients, of course! We hope to host more of these live Class FitSugar events, so stay tuned!

We streamed the high-octane dance cardio workout live, so you all could join in at home. If you missed it, here's the 35-minute live workout for you to try. Get a taste of how Anna trains her celeb clients Kelly Ripa and Sarah Jessica Parker — it's full-on dance and beyond fun. The workout begins with an active warmup of plank jacks on the floor. Press play and get ready to sweat.

Motivational Quote For Fitness
workouts

Wise Words to Fuel Your Workout

In case you were thinking of skipping today's sweat session, here are some words to fuel your workout.
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In case you were thinking of skipping today's sweat session, here are some words to fuel your workout.

Sign Up For Our New POPSUGAR Fitness Email and Enter to Win a Trip to NYC!
giveaway

Sign Up For Our New POPSUGAR Fitness Email and Enter to Win a Trip to NYC!

You can now get your POPSUGAR Fitness fix delivered directly to your inbox!
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You can now get your POPSUGAR Fitness fix delivered directly to your inbox! Our new email newsletter will include all the things you love: quick video workouts, healthy eating tips, and reviews of our favorite gear. To celebrate our new newsletter, we're giving away a trip to New York City to attend our next Class FitSugar event featuring celeb trainer and cardio dance queen Anna Kaiser, founder of AKT INMOTION.

Entering for your chance to win this amazing trip is easy. Just sign up for the POPSUGAR Fitness newsletter, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to New York City, including airfare and hotel, tickets to our next Class FitSugar event with Anna Kaiser, and a $500 Nike gift card to outfit you for class!

Head over to the giveaway page and enter for your chance to win now!

Official Rules

Foods That Ease Muscle and Joint Pain
healthy living

Eat the Muscle Pain Away

You are what you eat.
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You are what you eat. At least, that's the old adage. It's also one I believe in — what you put into your body has a big effect on how you feel. There are foods that fight fat and detox foods. There are even foods that help you sleep better and look fresher. Adding to the list of foods that fuel with a purpose are foods that help ease pain. Whether it's a headache, post-workout soreness, or an injury, these foods will help ease the pain away in a totally natural way.

Cottage Cheese Turmeric Ginger Kale Wheat Germ Omega-3 Fatty Acids Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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6 Weight Loss Tips and Eating Habits
healthy living

6 Habits For Successful Weight Loss

If you're trying to lose weight, you may be confused by conflicting information about how diet and exercise affect dropping pounds.
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If you're trying to lose weight, you may be confused by conflicting information about how diet and exercise affect dropping pounds. To lose weight and keep it off, you need to create a healthy lifestyle and healthy habits. Put these six habits of successful dieters into practice and watch the pounds begin to melt away.

Eat Your Veggies Get Cooking Eat Whole Grains Get Active and Stay Active Practice Portion Control Keep Track of Your Eats
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Actress Wearing Bright Yellow Reebok Sneakers
celebrity fitness

Guess Which Actress Is Headed to the Gym?

Guess which actress is not ashamed (yes, that's a hint) of sporting bright sneakers?
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Guess which actress is not ashamed (yes, that's a hint) of sporting bright sneakers?

Look 10 Pounds Thinner With Good Posture
healthy living

The No-Diet Bikini Secret

Good posture not only makes you look confident, but it can also make you look up to 10 pounds thinner.
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Good posture not only makes you look confident, but it can also make you look up to 10 pounds thinner. No matter how toned those abs might be, slouching curves the spine forward, creating rolls on the belly. It can also make you appear inches shorter than you truly are. From my time in the Pilates studio, I can tell you the majority of my clients tuck the pelvis under and let the ribs fall behind their center, allowing the shoulders to round forward. This makes a giant C-cure out of the spine. And this is definitely not good posture.

The solution to the droopy spine and tucked pelvis is pretty simple:

  1. Stick out your booty: You need to correct the pelvis before you can affect the rest of the torso. To untuck your pelvis, you need the pubic bone and the two bones at the top of the pelvis (known as ASIS) to form a triangle perpendicular to the ground. To find your ASIS, put your hands on your hips just like the gal in the photo.
  2. Move ribs forward: Once the pelvis is aligned straight up and down, you need to place the ribcage on top of it. I like to think of the pelvis and the ribcage as the building blocks of the torso. Moving your ribcage forward over your pelvis, rather than having it hang back, lengthens the front of your torso, which naturally helps to pull the abs in. Think of the ribcage moving up and forward. With the ribs and pelvis in alignment, pulling the deep abs to the spine — without squeezing your butt or rounding the spine — will help maintain this neutral position of the back.
  3. Open your chest: Slouching allows the shoulders to roll forward and inward, closing down the chest. Simply think of expanding your shoulders wide to the sides. Your breast bone (aka sternum) is technically part of your ribcage, so continue the process by moving that forward-and-up feeling in your chest, too.

This postural tip works whether you're sporting a bikini or a one-piece, wearing a halter dress or short shorts. Not only will you look good, but your spine will appreciate your good posture too.

Yoga Tips From Jennifer Aniston's Trainer Mandy Ingber
celebrity trainers

Happiness Is a Yoga Class With Celeb Trainer Mandy Ingber

Yoga and fitness instructor Mandy Ingber helps keep Hollywood's elite, like Jennifer Aniston, toned and trim.
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Yoga and fitness instructor Mandy Ingber helps keep Hollywood's elite, like Jennifer Aniston, toned and trim. Earlier this week, we treated some of our POPSUGAR Fitness readers to a Class FitSugar taught by Mandy at LA's SmogShoppe and sponsored by St. Ives. Since we know you all can't hop down to Southern California for a yoga session, we are highlighting a few of our favorite moves from the class, along with Mandy's words of wisdom.

Stay tuned! Later this Spring we will have two new 10-minute Class FitSugar workouts featuring Mandy.

Source: Matt Sayles/AP
Yogalosphy For the Legs Happiness Can Be Yours Work Your Willpower Keep Looking Up Working Your Rear With Yoga Thank Your Body Mind-Body Makeover
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How to Do a Plank With a Kick
workouts

No Equipment Necessary: Elbow Plank With Donkey Kick

The next time you go to do an elbow plank, kick it into high gear — literally — with this elbow plank variation.
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The next time you go to do an elbow plank, kick it into high gear — literally — with this elbow plank variation. Adding a donkey kick to a basic plank requires extra strength, as it will challenge your core while toning your booty and hamstring. Here's how:

  • Begin in an elbow plank with elbows directly under shoulders, abs engaged toward the spine. Don't let the pelvis sag down or pop up.
  • Lift right leg off the ground, bending your knee so the sole of your foot is toward the ceiling. Keep pelvis square to the floor. Don't let your pelvis twist.
  • Press your right heel toward the ceiling as high as you can without moving your pelvis or lower back. The motion will not be huge but rather concentrated on the booty and hamstring.
  • Lower the bent leg slightly, and repeat for a total of eight to 10 repetitions. Then switch sides.
  • Do two sets on each leg.

Consider holding Downward Facing Dog for five long breaths between sets.

Source: Megan Wolfe Photography
How to Do a BOSU Burpee
workouts

Bump It Up a Notch With the BOSU Burpee

Just when you thought burpees couldn't get any better, we're here to show you a new variation using one of our favorite fitness tools, the BOSU.
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Just when you thought burpees couldn't get any better, we're here to show you a new variation using one of our favorite fitness tools, the BOSU. Check out this variation of the classic exercise from Equinox trainer Lauren Fairbanks. Adding a little instability to the push-up forces the core to work more, as does lifting the unwieldy BOSU overhead. To work the middle even more, Lauren adds in a twist after the push-up. Feel your heart rate rise as you challenge every body part with this move.

1. Come into a deep squat holding the BOSU at chest level.

2. Place the ball side of the BOSU on the ground, then jump or walk your legs back to a plank position.

Learn how to do the rest of the exercise.

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts
workouts

Get Lifted: Romanian Deadlifts

Looking for a new move to work your lower body?
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Looking for a new move to work your lower body? One exercise you may want to try are Romanian deadlifts. They're a great way to work your hamstrings while also working your quads and butt.

Here's how you do them:

  • Stand upright holding a pair of medium-weight dumbbells in each hand, arms at your sides, with your knees slightly bent.
  • Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly bend at the hips (not your waist) and lower the weights as far as possible without rounding your back, which should remain straight.
  • Now squeeze your glutes to slowly pull yourself up (don't use your back).
  • Do three sets of 12 reps.

New to this? Then use a lighter pair of dumbbells until you get stronger — you don't want to strain your back. Already a pro? Then try doing it on just one leg.

Full Body Circuit Workout to Strengthen Legs, Abs, and Arms
workouts

No Equipment Necessary: Fitness Full-Body Circuit Workout

Not only is an at-home workout excuse-proof, since it's free, it will only cost you calories!
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Not only is an at-home workout excuse-proof, since it's free, it will only cost you calories! Check out this full-body circuit workout that fits in your living room. It takes about 20 minutes to do, and other than a chair, it requires no props.

Instructions: After warming up with light cardio for five minutes, repeat each three-exercise circuit twice, resting for 60 seconds after completing one rep of an entire circuit.

Click here to download a PDF of the workout that you can print. It looks best printed in color and fits on one page. Hang the workout up on your fridge to remind yourself to work it.

Source: Megan Wolfe Photography
Circuit One: Step Ups Circuit One: Push-Ups Circuit One: Walking Lunges Circuit Two: Jumping Squats Circuit Two: Triceps Dips Circuit Two: Elbow Plank With Leg Lift Circuit Three: Wall Sit
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