Get This.

Burn Calories Baling Hay

Food & Bev.

I've found Act II's 100-calorie Kettle Corn popcorn to be the perfect midnight snack. The flavor is great and the portion size is just right for a quick before bed treat.

Food & Bev.

I'm a huge fan of Fuze, especially the Tropical Fruit flavor in the Slenderize series. Guzzle a volumious 16-ounce bottle for about 10 calories. Other flavors include Strawberry Melon, Tangerine Grapefruit, Cranberry Raspberry, Blueberry Raspberry, and Dragonfruit Lime (all 5 to 10 calories per serving).

Pulse Pumpin' Playlist

8 Minute (Insert Body Part Here): So 1994, So Good

There are approximately 428,392 fitness DVDs on the market today, and I often wonder if any of them live up to their somewhat lofty promises. I had a short-lived stint with Hip Hop Abs, but abruptly quit when I realized I had to have the dancing capacity of  Janet Jackson ("Miss Jackson if you're nasty") to actually get anything out of it. I've also wondered about the Yoga Booty Ballet DVD, but making such a purchase would go against my unwritten vow to never ever buy anything with the word "booty" in the title. One of the great classics of the cheesy workout genre is the 8 Minute* series. Lucky for us, most workouts in the series can be found on YouTube. I tested the Abs, Buns and Legs editions earlier today and concluded the following: If you can get past the super enthusiastic (and super spandex-y) host, these workouts actually work. Each workout is segmented into a series of simple, easy-to-do movements -- and they all go by pretty fast. The best part for me was that I actually felt them working the specific muscle groups. Try it out! I've provided the YouTube links below:

• 8 Minute Abs
• 8 Minute Buns
• 8 Minute Legs

Burnin' Rubber -- Quite Literally

So, my running shoes are officially shot. They are a lot like those lovely blue Asics above, except mine look like they've been through some form of trench warfare and/or run over by an 18-wheeler a few times. Most experts advise runners to change up their sneaks about every 350-400 miles, depending on the terrain. If you do a lot of trail running you can probably get away with 500, but push it too much further and you could risk injury. Shoe purchases can sure add up (especially when training for longer races), but I always look forward to picking out new kicks. In this sense, I am very anti-elitist. I rarely get the same shoes twice and I always buy them on clearance from Eastbay or FinishLine.com. One of the reasons I can do this is because I am lucky enough to have a "regular" arch and gait. New Balance explains gait as the "unique set of actions and reactions that your foot performs while in motion to support, cushion, and balance your body." Some runners tend to overpronate, which means their feet roll inward as they go. Under-pronaters roll less inward as they run. If you're not sure where you fall, a lot of running stores have specialized treadmills that will track your foot movements to determine which type of gait you have.


Anyway, these are my new shoes. I basically bought them because they were a) 50% off and b) obnoxiously pink. I'm really not sure how much they weigh or even if they are a good running shoe, but I'm rarely disappointed with such hasty purchases. I'd venture that about 90 percent of serious runners would be absolutely apalled at my method, or lack thereof, of selecting shoes. Even I would not recommend it to the masses, but it's hard to fight my affinity for all things neon pink. We'll see how it goes.

A Philosophical Detour of Sorts

How to Get Abs of the Stars.

Shape.com's Janet Lee shares an easy modification to the conventional crunch that will have your abs beach-ready in no time. Says Lee, "When you do regular crunches, you feel them mostly in the upper part of your midsection (near the bottom of your sternum), but you'll feel this whittler below your belly button."

• Lie on the floor, face up. Make sure there is some sort of an "anchor" nearby -- a pole, furniture leg, or other sturdy object, she says.
• Bring legs up directly over your hips at a 90-degree angle to the floor.
  
• Lift your hips slowly, bringing your toes toward the ceiling. Slowly lower your hips.
  
• For best results, Lee says, complete 3 sets of 15 reps. See Shape.com for in-depth instructions, including a diagram.

MYTH: All Iced Coffee is Created Equal.

With summer in full swing, you might be tempted to enjoy a refreshing java boost in the form of iced coffee -- but caffeine addicts beware: Iced coffee isn't always an innocuous, low-cal choice. In fact, many times these delicious drinks are chock-full of empty calories. Here's the nutritional information* for some of America's most popular brands:

• Dunkin Donuts Regular Iced Coffee with Cream and Sugar (24 oz.) -- 240 calories, 32g of carbs
  
• McDonald's Medium Caramel, Hazelnut, and Vanilla Iced Coffee (22 oz.) -- 190 calories, 29+g of carbs
• McDonald's Medium Regular Iced Coffee (22 oz.) -- 200 calories, 30g of carbs
• Burger King Mocha BK Joe Iced Coffee (16 oz.) -- 360 calories, 66g of carbs
• 7 Eleven Mocha Cafe Cooler (16 oz.) -- 467 calories, 84g of carbs
  
• 7 Eleven French Vanilla Cafe Cooler (16 oz.) -- 507 calories, 38g carbs
  

Get the Look.

You can tote your sweaty gym clothes in style with this swank bag by Mossimo (Target.com, $16.99). Not bad for under $20!

Get the Look.

Celebrate one of America's greatest running legends -- Steve Prefontaine -- with this classic T-shirt ($15.95, StevePre.com).

Get the Look.

Who says you can't add a little color to your workout? Spruce up your sneaks with these hot pink shoe laces ($1.49, Converse.com).