Dina Ivas is a yoga instructor at Equinox Fitness gyms in NYC. Lucky for me, she teaches at the location I belong to. Her classes are popular for their cardio component and twisty ab work. Dina has an infectious laugh and a penchant for fitness fashion. All of this naturally led me to FOLLOW her on her way to work. She detoured down the Highline and told me a bit about herself. "I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire where the most exciting thing to do was go to the mall, or get scorpion bowls at Grand China.  I knew I needed more, so when I graduated BU and was offered a PR job in Times Square, I took it.  I'd never been to New York but the pull was magnetic.  I love the energy here, and, at least for now, I still love the grind." "Bold, bright, never boring. I truly feel that what you wear can have a direct effect on how you feel, so I try to dress happy." "I always thought you had to be edgy to attract people to your...

A lot changes as you get older. But mostly, you become a creature of habit. You get comfortable doing the same things because you've had good results from them in the past. Ha! Old people are craaaaaazy! It's OK, I can say that because according to most 20-year olds I am ancient. And frankly, I don't care how old you are but we need to put an end to this antiquated way of thinking. Let's take ME for example (it is my website afterall). I am in my 30's and my complacency usally results in one of two things: 1) tubby or 2) chubby. Last summer I had a 4-pack (abs not beer). A year later I have a no-pack. WTF! Okay...so maybe my bewilderment isn't 100% genuine. I just came down with a case of "old-person" thinking. I got too comfortable with my barre, yoga and running routine. I needed something different to spike my results. My no-pack is no-sexy. Enter Focus Integrated Fitness and their transformative class called PT6. It was exactly what I needed to introduce some change...

This is a giveaway for 2 tickets and an amazing gift bag to SELF Magazine's annual Workout in the Park event taking place this Saturday (May 10th, 2014) in New York City's famous Central Park. There's no catch. One lucky Mizzfit reader who's ready to sweat and watch some of the latest workout trends play out will win this giveaway. So if you'd like that to be YOU, follow the instructions in this post to enter my giveaway. Don't worry, it's cake. But first, let me tell you a 'lil about SELF's Workout in the Park. It's the ultimate outdoor fit event showcasing new group fitness classes, fit fuel innovations and fitness fashion for you to try out and shop. If you're a fitness fanatic living in or near Manhatan, you don't want to miss this action-packed day. You'll have the opportunity to try a variety of mini classes like Tabura, Rock Yoga, Beach Body and Absolution. Even Crossfiters can get their fix at the Reebok Fit Zone. Tickets run $30 and you'll definitely get your...

-- This is a guest post by Anna Bernstein --

When I was first introduced to PÜR Gum I thought, who needs “healthy” gum? I never thought of gum as being unhealthy, but seeing all the reasons PÜR Gum is a healthier chewing gum made me second guess my opinion. PÜR Gum is said to be healthy because it is gluten-free, non-gmo, nut-free, dairy-free, and most importantly aspartame free. Who even knew there were so many ingredients in gum?

Aspartame free gum is a big deal. The reason being that aspartame is a synthetic sweetener found in most sugar-free gums. It has been associated with cancer, diabetes, psychological disorders, and birth defects, just to name a few things I'd rather not subject myself to.

I know many people chew gum to stop their hunger, but does this really work?  While doing some research I found that chewing gum actually will make you more hungry. While chewing gum you produce a lot more saliva and any food that is in your system will be...

I've been a Coco fan for quite some time. She's famously known for being Ice-T's wife and for looking like this...

I adore Coco. She's in your face voluptious, booty-ful and eccentric but deep down she's just a sweet girl from New Mexico who grew up loving fitness. In pictures, Coco surely comes across as more vixen than sweetheart. I assure you she's 100% sweetheart. I wouldn't be writing this article unless I had an amazing heart-to-heart with her, which I did. What ensues are excerpts from a long conversation I had with Coco. Just like YOU, she's one-of-a-kind. And she wants more women to embrace their zaniness and get the hell outta their shell!

How did you get into fitness and bodybuilding?

"One of my 1st jobs from when I was 16 to 18 was at a sports and wellness center. I really liked being in a healthy atmosphere. Through working there I ended up entering a fitness contest at 18 in Mexico called the Miss Ujena fitness competition. It’s a week long...

It's been a while since I've gotten really personal. And the time for that is NOW. So here I go... Earlier this week I had an interesting thing happen to me. While meeting with a person (whose identity will remain unknown) that works in an aligned industry to my own, I was told--straight to my face with 100% eye contact--that I was "too pretty to be taken seriously".

Now I should probably give you the context of conversation so that you understand what it's in reference to. My goal for the last several years has been to become a wellness tv host or correspondent for fitness & health trends happening around the world. Basically I dream of doing what I do here on Mizzfit.com but through the medium of television. I'm passionate about what I do and I'd love to reach more women doing it! The person who threw this wild comment at me knows of my ambition and for some reason thinks I'm "too pretty" to earn people's trust and make it happen.

Deep breath.

This is where things...