by Karen Shelhorse, STL Fitness Trainer and mizzFIT Fitness Over Forty blogger

Leggings and skinny jeans are “in” and so is having the legs to wear them. Anyone can throw on a pair of leggings but let’s be honest, the “skinny” fad looks best on toned and shapely legs. The Bar Method workout gives you just that. It’s your go-to for legging prep and studios are popping up everywhere because women love the results. Bar Method classes will whip your legs into shape and give you a workout that kept me, a trainer, sore for days in all the right spots!

The program is ballet and dance-oriented, taking inspiration from the workout of professional dancers. Form and posture are closely observed and modified by instructors. If you’ve never danced before, don’t worry! You don’t need prior dance experience and the class is easy to follow especially since many of the instructors are actual dancers who explain movements and transitions clearly. The exercises...

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Toby Tanser is my newfound hero.

Runners/racers/marathoners will appreciate this video he made.

If you don’t know who Toby Tanser, I’m about to tell you. He’s basically the raddest elite runner/philanthropist EVER. He started Shoe4Africa in the 90’s to collect used shoes for Africans to run. Since then, his organization has grown, bringing much more than shoes to Africa. He’s now working to build the largest children’s hospital in Africa. Seriously, you’ve gotta set your goals high to achieve great things.

Toby runs, coaches, writes best-selling books, inspires peoples’ lives and on top of all that, rocks a unique athletic style that makes him stand out from all the rest. Gotta love the locks. Did I mention he’s awesome? Nike thinks so. They put his book title on a t-shirt (see below). Wanna buy it? I do.

Get the t-shirt HERE.

It’s about time you read up on Toby Tanser because he's changing our world for the...

Kettlebells are your ticket to a hot body and Lorna Kleidman will show you how. Lorna Kleidman is a two-time kettlebell world champion and pioneer of kettlebell fitness for women. She leads classes and private training sessions in Manhattan and has even authored a guide to her kettlebell workout program called, “Body Sculpting with Kettlebells for Women”.

I popped into Lorna’s class to find out how women are shape-shifting to kettlebells. I found myself in good company, with a mix of women who attend class weekly to enhance their muscle tone and maintain a feminine physique. The class works with kettlebells ranging from 5 to 25 pounds and Lorna helped me select a kettlebell based on my fitness level. We stretched, warmed-up, and then engaged in 55 minutes of pure kettlebell exercise. Kettlebell moves include a lot of lifting and swinging motion that’s actually quite fun. C’mon, who doesn’t like to swing?

Initially, the lifting/swinging movement feels...