Fitness

Not getting enough sleep does more damage than just leaving you with puffy eyes. It can cause fat to accumulate around your organs... (source)

Just don't overdo it. Too much sleep is equally bad for you. Aim for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. For more info on sleep and wellness, read Extremes of Sleep Related to Increased Fat Around Organs.

The Fitbit tracks the quality of your sleep (as well as the quantity of your daily activity, i.e. calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled).

As you fall in and out of sleep, the Fitbit tracks the movements that your body makes and can tell you how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up throughout the night and the actual time you were asleep vs the time you were in bed. (source)

You can also train yourself to sleep better by reading the Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance by James B. Maas (my college psychology professor who happens to be...

Spring is coming. Get whipped into shape and alignment with a new, more challenging level of yoga practice. Plus, I'm crushing on the instructors big time! Check them out below.

Inversion Immersion! with Jessica Stickler

Refine your alignment and take your inversions to the next level (because it sucks being the only one in class who can't do a headstand).

Sunday, March 14th  6 - 8.30PM

Jivamukti Yoga School - 841 Broadway, 2nd floor NYC

$35 Advanced Registration, $40 Same Day

Jessica Sage Yoga

I.AM.YOU. Yoga Retreat in Miami with Lauren Imparato

Deconstruct to Reconstruct (in the sun...by the ocean...to music...)

Friday - Sunday, March 19-21

The Standard Hotel on South Beach

Contact info@iamyoustudio.com for individual class times & weekend rates.

The Standard is sold out but Miami has lots of hotels and you can always couch surf with friends. Florida locals welcome!

I.AM.YOU. Studio

Cherie Lily is the Lady Gaga of fitness. She's a cheeky fitness diva...a true one-of-a-kind. She'll raise your eyebrows and heartrate with a brand of music that's truly her own, called Houserobics. Cherie defines Houserobics as "a high-energy, dance project blending house [music], fitness culture, and inspirational lyrics." Why house music? Because she grew up in Chicago and like most raging Chi-town hipsters, permeated the house music scene. She eventually moved to NYC as a fitness pro but her love of music never died. Cherie used her musical inspiration (Madonna), fitness hero (Richard Simmons) and life experiences (she fell deathly ill in India during yoga certification but pulled through) to create Houserobics and unleash her onstage alter ego. She puts on a hella good show. Watch the video below for a preview.

Off-stage and in class, Cherie Lily is an approachable and outgoing fitness pro who swears by Lululemon V Bras and Natural...

They train in the summer with a 7 story tall plastic ski jump ramp into a pool that's bubbled to soften the impact of landing. The highest ramp at the Utah Olympic Park training pool can launch skiers up to 70 feet in the air! Can you imagine how frightening and exhillerating is? I only wish I could try it. Would you take the plunge? Guess what? WE TOTALLY CAN.

Straight from Utah Olympic Park's website:

Freestyle aerials is a year-round sport at the Park. The Utah Olympic Park offers a variety of one-day, three-day, six-day and seasonal public freestyle camps. The Park staff offers coaching and programming for all levels of athlete development. (source)

Look how fun it looks. Oh boy...I think I have a challenge on my hands!

The video below shows how the pool bubbles right before impact.

 Photo credits: Paul Schneider (photographer), Jerry Grossi (aerialist); Video source: Youtube

Runners are insane motivators. That's why 9,423 runners and walkers crossed the Run for Haiti finish line last weekend in NYC, raising over $400,000 for the city's Haiti Relief Fund. It was cold, the sun was out and everyone was psyched to run. On race day, NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg announced:

People said we were crazy to try to put this race together so quickly, and we said, ‘You don’t know runners.’ With our partners at Parks, we found an open date, and we all worked together to make it happen. (source)

Run for Haiti isn't over yet! You have until Feb 24th (tomorrow!) to sign-up and race in your hometown -- CLICK THIS LINK TO GET INVOLVED -- it's only 4 miles and I know you can do it!

A few of my pics from the race:

If you're organizing a fitness event to help Haiti, reach out and I'll help spread the word.

PEDALING is an amazing new web series that cyclist and foodies will love!

Created by Iri Greco and Jim Fryer, PEDALING features unique characters, regional food and wine activities, special guests, and unexpected curves in the road. Watch for eclectic riding, professional cycling hosts, and tips on new restaurants and gourmet markets (which as a New Yorker you can never get enough of).

Right now, PEDALING covers NYC but they're taking their adventures national and California is next. It's a brilliant fusion of fitness and fuel. You've got to watch it!

Check out PEDALING NYC episodes here