Fashion

Look and Train Like an Olympian

August 30, 2012 at 1:23 pm
By Lauren Cardarelli

Although the Olympics are officially over, we can’t help but miss all of the excitement (and inspiration!) this year’s athletes brought to our televisions. We may not have the stroke of Missy Franklin or speed of Allyson Felix but we can still try to train and outfit ourselves like our favorite champions. If you’re still burning with Olympic fever, we have the best games gear that will encourage you to go for whatever “gold” you set.

Patriotic Pool Wear – Swede Arne Borg became the first Olympic Gold Medalist to win in a Speedo back in 1932. Since then, the world’s top-selling swimwear brand has been lapping competition with their innovations. This summer, Speedo outfitted the entire US swim team with the latest performance technology, the Fastskin3, which improves hydrodynamics and reduces drag. Not looking to make the $595 investment? The 2012 Team Speedo Collection commemorates the Olympic games utilizing their Endurance+ training suit fabric. This stretch technology and cut lasts 20% longer than traditional suits for a more affordable $82!

“Dimples,” a Good Thing – According to a recent British study, sneaks with “dimples,” or fabrics replicating the texture of a golf ball, resulted in an overall better aerodynamic performance. We think the Reebok DMXRide, Nike Zoom, Nike Free and Nike100km are all great examples of the running shoe design found to affect both energy consumption and finishing time. Looking to strut your stuff in kicks clad in stars and stripes? Check out the gold-worthy Saucony’s commemorative Women’s Jazz Low Pro Medal collection and ASICS Red, White & Blur Limited Edition Gel-Bur33!

Break PRs – Track events often come down to hundredths of a second and that means sprinters, especially, need lightweight spikes to help their traction. Puma’s Usain Bolt evoSPEED Sprint LTD Spikes are flexible, while offering optimum grip, stability and Jamaican pride. Tyson Gay, who took home silver in the Men’s 4x100m relay, preferred the adiZERO Prime SP by Adidas, which weighs in at just 3.5 ounces thanks to the seamless upper SpringWeb.

Have a Ball! – Arguably one of London’s biggest nail biting match-ups was when reigning champs Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor took on fellow Americans, Jennifer Kessy and April Ross, in the final women’s beach volleyball match. You, too, can bump, set and spike like the fab ab duo with Kerri’s favorite Oakley shades, the Commit SQ in Black, known for its lens clarity. The official Olympic Volleyball game ball is now also available by Mikasa.

 

More from FITNESS:

5 Olympic Moments with the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team

Keep Your Olympics Fire Burning with a Gold-Medal Workout!

London 2012 Olympics: Chatting with Mia Hamm About Team USA!

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Victoria Azarenka Talks That U.S. Open Talk

August 24, 2012 at 3:53 pm
By FITNESS Editors

Written by Lauren Cardarelli, Freelance Editorial Assistant

The U.S. Open begins on Monday and we were rally—really—excited to chat with the top seed for the women’s tournament, Victoria “Vika” Azarenka. Here’s what we learned about the 23-year-old reigning Australian Open champion, her pre-match rituals and more.

 

Ritual for Return Aces. Athletes have all kinds of crazy pre-game routines they follow to get the ball rolling for the competition. Although Vika isn’t nearly as superstitious as her rival Serena Williams, she does like to shake her hips and dance during warm-up with an amped playlist. Her go-to beat? “Talk That Talk” by Rihanna.

Beat the Sun. Sun exposure on the court can be rough on both your game and skin. Vika’s gym bag essentials include a hat and a bottle of SPF to keep her glowing complexion protected from any damage.

Read more

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Looking Forward to the Winter Olympics With Pro Snowboarder Torah Bright

August 10, 2012 at 8:33 am
By Marianne Magno

Summer may be Olympic Snowboarder Torah Bright’s downtime, but she already has the 2014 Winter Games on her mind. This summer, when she’s not on the beach, she’s doing something active like bike riding, tennis, yoga or doing some plyometric work on her own, then it’s off to New Zealand for training to qualify for the next winter Olympics. She talked to us about preparing for the Games, her favorite Olympic moments and designing her line of snowboarding gear for Roxy, the Roxy Bright Edition.

How do you gear up for a winter competition?

“I practice on the snow and ride a bike and do yoga to work off the lactic acid that builds up throughout the day. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but three hours of working on tricks and hiking up the pike is draining.”

What body parts are important for snowboarding?

“It’s whole body. You don’t use your upper body per se but it’s part of your motions. You can hurt your shoulders so it’s important to keep that strong. The main focus is on the legs, butt, abs for sure. But you can hurt your shoulders and arms easily, too. When you’re stronger overall, the less harmful your injuries are.” Read more

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Fashion Diaries: Street Chalk

July 13, 2012 at 11:30 am
By FITNESS Intern

Written by Ali Carlson, fashion intern

Memories of playing with sidewalk chalk as a child eventually fade, but with pastel shades making their mark on the runways and in stores, everyone gets a chance to bring the chalk back to the streets.

Pastel separates for the summer are great for both day and night. Pieces can be mixed, matched and layered to offer multiple looks. To get that easy, breezy summer look, stick with light and airy fabrics.

If you want to get more out of the versatile trend, pair with black and white for extra boldness. We also love adding gold jewelry and fun shoes!

Looks from left to right:

• 3.1 Phillip Lim top, Red Valentino pants, Charles Philip shoes, TopShop necklace
• Victoria Beckham Denim top, By Malene Birger pants, Belle Sigerson Morrison shoes, TopShop earrings, TopShop hand chain
• TopShop top, Marni pants, Matiko shoes, TopShop earrings
• Haute Hippie blazer, Malene Birger shorts, Rachel Zoe shoes, TopShop ring

 

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#140Wednesdays: What Do You Look For in a Swimsuit?

July 11, 2012 at 4:32 pm
By FITNESS Intern

Written by Lisa Turner, editorial intern

The heat waves this summer have definitely been kind of a bummer, but it does mean one thing–plenty of time to spend on the beach! You’ve worked your butt off (literally) all year long and now is the perfect time to show off your hard work. Check out our ultimate swimsuit guide to find the perfect piece for your body type, plus some tips to instantly slim down. In the meantime, see what our Twitter followers look for when they’re out shopping for a new suit.

@stuftmama: Good padding in the top!

@lov513: Fit and support.

@erinmoone: A really awesome cover-up.

Now tell us: What’s your favorite swimsuit style?

More from FITNESS Magazine: 12 Women’s Swimsuit Confidence Boosters

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Summer Style: 4th of July!

July 2, 2012 at 2:35 pm
By FITNESS Intern

Written by Andrea Alvarez, fashion intern

Summer’s officially in full gear, and we are super excited for salt water in our hair, sun-kissed skin and most importantly, summer fashions. With the 4th of July on our heels, we have two perfect patriotic looks to satisfy the mood you’re in, whether you’re headed to a barbecue or hanging poolside with your friends.

Feeling flirty? Slip on a sweetheart denim dress and throw on a cute pair of wedges. We love this dress from TopShop!

If feisty is more your style, nothing beats a pair of combat boots or Converse kicks and high-waisted shorts. Spice it up with a crop tank like this one, and you’ll be party ready in no time.

Now you tell us: What are you wearing this 4th of July?

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Fit Links: Top Health Habits For Bikini Season and How to Train Like an Olympian

June 22, 2012 at 1:26 pm
By Karla Walsh

This week’s fit links from around the web:

• Donning a swimsuit will be no sweat with these tips from Dr. Oz! — iVillage
• Go for gold! We can’t all compete at the Olympics, but we can train like we are on the team with exercises from some of the best U.S. athletes. — Refinery 29
• You know we love Bob Harper, so it was extra-fun to get to live vicariously through this blogger who hit the gym with him! — Fit Bottomed Girls
• Where’s the beef? Your barbecue guests won’t feel deprived one bit with these DIY meat-free burgers. — Iowa Girl Eats
• Match the weather to your (work and workout) wardrobe with the relaunched iPhone app, Cloth. Index your closet, then it automatically provides suggestions based on predicted temps. — N.Y. Times
• Cheesecake for 87 calories?! This is one treat too sweet to pass up. — Snack Girl

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Buy One Pair of Cute Flip-Flops, Give One Pair To Soles4Souls

May 24, 2012 at 11:08 am
By Karla Walsh

Did you know…

• One in four adults across the globe live on less than $1 a day, making even daily essentials hard to afford
• Feet with cuts can easily get infected by ground debris, and these infections can become life-threatening
• In 2011, Americans tossed more than 300 million pairs of shoes

For these reasons and more (including our need to replace our gym flip-flops and gear up for summer!), we were pumped to hear about a new partnership with the non-profit Soles4Souls and Planet Flops. For each pair of the $28 sandals sold online, Planet Flops will donate another pair to those in need here in the U.S. and in developing countries including Haiti, India and Sudan.

Another neat way to help the cause: Download the new all-star country song “The Choice” by artists including Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban and more. All proceeds from the song go directly to help put shoes on feet of those without. Click here for a sample and/or to download.

And for more about Souls4Soles and other organizations that will help your fitness gear find a new life, check out this recent recycling roundup from our friends at FitSugar!

More from FITNESS:

• The FITNESS 2012 Sneaker Guide
• Get Fit On a Budget: 10 Ways to Save Money While Staying Fit
• Injury-Proof Your Shoes

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Give Back With the K-Swiss Stand Up To Cancer Line

May 17, 2012 at 12:08 pm
By Karla Walsh

Many of us have been there: One of our family members or loved ones have been diagnosed with a chronic disease and given a grim prognosis. We feel an urgent desire to assist them, but can feel helpless against the powerful disease. Enter cause-based races, events and products, which offer an opportunity to support research and education so that future generations will hopefully experience fewer of these moments than we do.

One of our recent favorites? The K-Swiss/ Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) partnership. The new SU2C line from the brand is about more than cute gear (although that is surely included)—it focuses on accelerating research projects that hope to bring a cure. K-Swiss is donating $5 for each SU2C product purchased through the end of 2013. And if your spiffy sneakers have you ready for a new challenge, you can join Team SU2C, which helps individuals or groups raise money for the charity by participating in sporting events around the country, like Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathons and Ironman triathlon events.

To learn more, click here or watch the video below.

More from FITNESS:

• Run, Walk, Get Fit For a Cause
• Team NARS Completes Triathlon, Raising $100,000 For Charity
• 4 Charity Races On Our Bucket Lists

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Jennifer Lopez is HOT in Under Armour!

May 15, 2012 at 1:04 pm
By Jenna Autuori

One of my favorite celebrities, Jennifer Lopez, looks ridiculously fit, awesome and pretty darn sexy every week on American Idol. (I’m always a bit more excited to see what she’s wearing than the Idol performances themselves!) But even when this diva trades the designer clothes and fancy shoes for something more comfy, she manages to make it look good too. How could she not when Under Armour‘s super trendy and fashionable fall pieces—the StudioLux Noir Collection—are so spot on that not only will you be excited to get into your workout clothes for the gym, but maybe wear them for a night out too.

As a fitness editor, I see an endless array of apparel hit my desk, but nothing has combined the trends, style, fashion, fit and such coolness as this new line from the design masters over at Under Armour. I can’t wait to get my hands on the, not one, but FIVE, super sexy black spandex tights (each is slightly different with a twist of Jennifer Lopez-ism that she would highly approve of), and the chic tank and cropped mini jacket combo. This is the lust-worthy collection that has fitness editors drooling over (maybe Vogue gals too!), but I’m loving that my favorite fit gal, J.Lo, got her hands on this apparel first, making it that much cooler.

Check out Jennifer Lopez wearing Under Armour’s newest StudioLux Noir jacket and pants in her newest video for her single “Follow The Leader”. (The collection goes on sale in August!)

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