Filed under: Fitness, Fit Fashion

We have a winner! Peter Benson, Commenter #2, was randomly chosen to win the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) Father's Day Gear Giveaway. Peter just scored a Men's Techwick short sleeve Crew valued at $30 -- congratulations! It's one sharp shirt.

In his thoughtful comment, Peter shared how his own father inspired his love of fitness when he was young, especially running. He'll be participating in his first half marathon shortly, and hopes to run a full marathon in the near future. Wishing Peter all the best as he tackles his upcoming race.

Thanks to everyone who shared how their dad motivated their own dedication to fitness. Parents possess enormous influence on their children's future habits and your stories proved it. My own father is a runner, which triggered my own love of the sport starting in my early teens. I'll never forget how proud I felt when my dad took me out to buy my very first set of running shoes -- I was 15 years old. I am certain I wouldn't be a runner today if it weren't for my dad. Happy Father's Day to all!

If you'd like to learn more about EMS outdoor gear, head on over to That's Fit In The Field, where we put a few Men's and Women's EMS shirts and shorts to the F.I.T. Challenge, testing Fit, Innovation and Toughness.

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Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media

Not only are Victoria's Secret FitFlops not likely to pump up your fitness level, they're actually prone to throwing you off your stride, causing pain in your lower legs and feet. This, according to a study released last week and presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis, comes after experts observed 39 college-age men and women walking on a special platform wearing flip-flops and then walking across the same platform wearing athletic shoes. The platform measured stride length and vertical force.

The bottom line: Flip-flops, unlike sneakers, cause shorter strides and require heels to hit the ground with less vertical force. This altered gait explains some lower leg and foot problems in people who often sport flip-flops, like college students.

If you're worried about pain in your own legs or feet, take this common-sense advice: Limit the use of flip-flops. Replace them every three to four months too, just like you'd do with athletic shoes. And perhaps rethink your trip to Victoria's Secret for those Fit, and albeit very cute, Flops.

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There's no hiding from it -- summer is here, whether you're ready for it or not. For many of us, the first week in June is a week of sheer panic over the thought of squeezing our pasty bodies into last year's beachwear. And as for bathing suits, how can something so small be so intimidating?

Don't fret -- we're here to help. Our awesome team of bloggers has banded together to bring you the That's Fit Summer Slimdown Guide. We've got plenty of tips that will help you look and feel your best in a hurry. From fitness moves that will give you instant results to foods that will help flush the water weight to slimming tips from our very own readers ... and more!

Follow our summer slimdown tips and you're sure to see results in no time. So go on -- go take a look. After all, summer is something you should enjoy, not dread.

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Filed under: Healthy Habits

In addition to coaxing our kids to eat their vegetables, it seems my husband and I are forever correcting our kids at the dinner table. "Sit up straight." "Don't play with your food." "Chew with your mouth closed." The coaching never ends. We keep at it because we want our boys to be polished when eating in public or dining at friends' houses. It's a tough job, though, as it should be.

For us, table manners are automatic -- as simple as chewing and swallowing, say the editors at Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. For a child, learning to behave at mealtime is big stuff. It takes a whole new set of skills to master manners. And it's our job to teach those skills, no matter how hard the job. Here are a few tactics we all might employ during our respective mealtime madness moments.

• Role play table manners during a tea party or while playing "restaurant." You'll have fun, while practicing and teaching lessons all at the same time.
  
  

• Keep rules simple and positive so your kids can remember them. "We sit." "We eat with our forks."
  
  
• Reinforce rules during mealtime. Hand your child a fork and napkin, and remind him to use them.
  
  
• Set a good example. Role model the manners you want to see your child display. Eventually, he will follow in your footsteps.
  
  
• Get silly. Practice bad manners and ask your child to identify what you're doing wrong.

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Filed under: Food and Nutrition

One elite athlete downs 12,000 calories per day just to keep from dropping weight, reported The Today Show's Matt Lauer the other day. Considering that the average man consumes 2,600 calories per day, this is big stuff. But hey, that's what it takes to keep some Olympic bodies in fighting shape.

What Olympic athletes eat can make the difference between a gold or a silver win. Food is fuel after all, and these folks require top-grade fuel (and lots of it) in order to compete -- and win.

It's up to U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Chef Jacque Hamilton to make sure the 600-athlete delegation gets tasty, healthy food free of butter, trans fats, and lots of sodium. Now that' a high-pressure job. But she's got it down to a science. Check out some of her favorite dishes, made with nutritious ingredients, fit for the finest athletes. Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Stir-Fry, and Baja Chicken Salad -- right here they are.

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Filed under: Emotional Health, Healthy Relationships, Women's Health, Ask Laura!

Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis!

Dear Laura,

I have been single for about five years. I am 43 and a single Mom. I recently started dating a"young man" who is 31. I usually date guys that are the same age or older than I am so you can imagine how shocked I was when I realized he was serious!

I am curious what your thoughts are on older women dating younger men. We have so much fun! We laugh together, have a great passion for each other, and he seems to admire me and my ambitions. I have never felt so good. Yet, there is an underlying feeling that I am doing something "wrong", but my skin, my energy level, my moods, my stress level have all improved dramatically. I can't help but think this must be good for my health!

Thoughts?

S.K., Atlanta, GA

Dear S.K.,

Times are "a changin" my dear. And thank goodness they are when it comes to the world of dating! Did you know, according to this article, that almost 1/3 of all women between the ages of forty and sixty-nine are dating younger men?

Women are finding that going against the "traditional" relationship of days gone by can really make a big difference in their lives. Are they doing it in order to have a soul mate for the rest of their life? Not necessarily! Kathryn Elliott, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette says many become... " victims of inner - critic constrictedness " .Women get caught up with the "shoulds" in life instead of letting go. Instead of living your "dating" life with hard and fast rules and you are still not happy, Elliott says to choose a person who has the same "voltage type". As long as you are in sync in a variety of ways, dating someone significantly younger than you, can actually be a lot of fun.

Continue reading Ask Laura: Dating Younger Men Good For Her Health?

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Filed under: Fitness, Food and Nutrition, General Health, Health in the Media, Women's Health, Men's Health, Healthy Events

What makes the Men's Health Urbanathon and Festival different from other marathons? What makes it so special?

It's special because it's awesome. And I don't care if I sound like a 13-year-old for describing that way, either.

Apart from its advanced level of awesomeness, the Urbanathon is also different in that it is more than just a run; it's a long-distance, urban obstacle course that's stationed over various parts of New York City (and also Chicago, which is its own separate event). Participants cover a total of 8.1 miles, starting from the Band Shell area in Central Park and -- after jumping over taxi cabs, navigating through a scaffolding maze, climbing the 52 stories of a skyscraper, and successfully overcoming a myriad of other obstacles -- eventually ends at a festival of live entertainment, health and wellness expos, interactive sports, and samplings and demos by a range of fitness-related vendors at Battery Park.

Continue reading Are you man (or woman) enough to run the Men's Health Urbanathon?

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Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health, Healthy Aging, Women's Health, Men's Health, HealthWatch

When you exercise, small tears occur in muscle fibers, ultimately leading to late-onset soreness a day or two later. This isn't a bad thing. Unlike the infamous and gravely mistaken fitness maxim "no pain, no gain," -- which used to stress pushing the body to near the point of injury -- soreness is one case when a little discomfort is normal.

Still, normal or not, feeling sore doesn't exactly brighten your day. Thankfully, research out of the University of Vermont suggests that reducing post-workout soreness is as easy as cherry pie.

I know the expression is "easy as apple pie, " but I'm trying to get to the point that tart cherries have pain reducing properties, so work with me here. OK? Cool. As I was saying, tart cherries, when eaten twice a day, can help ease you through discomfort. And, as an added bonus, the anti-inflammatory properties that help with soreness can also help lower your risk of cardiovascular complications.

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Filed under: Fitness, General Health, Women's Health, Men's Health

I have tremendous respect for runners. Mile after arduous mile, you push yourselves to the limits day in and day out. Personally, I can't stand running, which is probably why I admire people who do. While I do put in my fair share of of cardio, I greatly prefer days when I'm performing a resistance training workout.

There almost seem to be two types of people in life: Those who run and those who don't. Clearly, I fall into the second category. But this doesn't mean that a total dichotomy should exist between these two groups. For us non-runners, there are fantastic cardiovascular benefits to be gained from doing some roadwork, not to mention a nice bit of burn for our leg muscles. As for the runners, incorporating some resistance training into your workout -- providing you already don't -- is something worth considering.

Researchers from Finland found that explosive strength training can improve performance during endurance exercise. Specifically, research volunteers who replaced 20 percent of their normal distance running program with a single strength training session per week reported an average speed increase of three percent over their previous best time. While three percent may not seem like much, in terms of race results it can mean the difference between breaking the tape yourself or showing up later to watch the winner celebrate.

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