See video:  The Surprising Supplement You Need.

Suddenly, store shelves were empty of Astaxanthin and it was a product difficult to find.  And once stores finally restocked their shelves, some of them chose to raise their price on this sudden best-seller product.

So what’s the big deal with Astaxanthin?  Well, for starters, Astaxanthin has 10 times more the antioxidant powers of beta-carotene.  In addition …

1. Astaxanthin is way more potent than Vitamins C and E, making it a great product for your skin.  You may have heard that the best vitamins for your skin are Vitamins A, C, and E (”ACE your skin”).  Since Astaxanthin is more powerful than Vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, it is going to be a great choice to add to your skin care regimen.  Simply put, it helps reduce wrinkles and age spots and you will most likely age better if taking Astaxanthin regularly.
2. Astaxanthin helps protect our bodies against heart disease and cancer.
3. It assists in keeping the brain healthy.
4. It relaxes the eye muscles and helps prevent cataracts.
5. Astaxanthin is also believed to protect our skin against harmful rays from the sun.
6. It increases strength and endurance, making it a great supplement for athletes.
7. It boosts our immune system.
8. And recent studies show that Astaxanthin may even assist in preventing obesity.

But before buying Astaxanthin, there are some important things you shouId know.  Such as …

1. Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant that comes from marine algae.  It is also found in many types of seafood; however, the richest source for Astaxanthin is found in Haematococcus pluvialis algae (look for this on the label when purchasing Astaxanthin supplements).
2. Astaxanthin is fat soluable, which means it needs to be taken with a good fat supplement, such as fish oil, in order to provide good absorption.  Some companies add a fat supplement to their Astaxanthin capsules for this reason.  (Again, check the label.)  However, it is best to take Astaxanthin with food.
3. Because Astaxanthin is fat soluable, it should not be taken if you are using obesity products such as Orlistat or Ally.  These products block the absorption of fat in your body and, as a result, will prevent the Astaxanthin supplement from being absorbed as well.

To buy Astaxanthin, click here: 

Solgar Astaxanthin Complex 5 MG - 60 Softgels - Other Supplements

It was in 1968 that Peggy Fleming first won our hearts, as a gold medalist in the Olympics, with her beauty, gracefulness, and athleticism on the ice.

Now, over 40 years later, she aims to protect our hearts with her inspiration and her continual hard work and dedication to encourage women to take responsibility for their health.

Peggy Fleming … figure skater, author, and cancer survivor …  is also a health care advocate raising awareness of the benefits of CoQ10 in its most advanced form, Ubiquinol.

CoQ10 (Co-enzyme Q10) is a compound naturally produced by our body.   We need it in order to convert energy from fats and sugars into cellular energy.  In addition to providing our body with energy, it is known to:

• act as a powerful antioxidant
• be effective in slowing aging
• aid in heart attack prevention and recovery, and
• aid in weight loss

Before we can reap the benefits of CoQ10, our body must first convert it to another form so that our body can absorb it. As we age, though, our body makes less CoQ10 and the ability to convert it declines dramatically. Therefore, in order to receive any benefits from CoQ10, it may become necessary to take supplements.

However, there are some drugs, such as statins which are used to lower cholesterol, which block CoQ10 from converting to the proper form necessary for our body to absorb it.  Thereby the CoQ10 levels in the blood may become depleted.  People who take statins and CoQ10 supplements may not be receiving the benefits of CoQ10 which they are expecting.  However, Ubiquinol has a positive interaction with statin drugs.

Ubiquinol is a preconverted form of CoQ10 so that your body does not need to do the converting for you.  And this makes it easier for your body to absorb.

Listen to Peggy Fleming’s thoughts on the subject and please share your thoughts on CoQ10 as well.

Click here to buy Ubiquinol CoQ10 from The Vitamin Shoppe.

There have been times for me, while doing some killer workouts, that it seemed my results were going in the wrong direction.  Sometimes it was because I hit a plateau, but other times it was because of other things I was doing throughout the day that was making me sluggish and keeping me from putting in the full effort of which I knew I was capable.

If you are in such a situation and would like to step things up a bit, here are five simple things you can add to, or take from, your daily routine so that you can get the body you want even faster.

1. Drink coffee before your early morning workout. Drinking a cup of coffee (preferably with little to no cream and sugar) just one hour before your workout will help you burn more calories.  The caffeine will awaken and energize you so that you can exercise harder and faster.  It just may be the momentum you need to squeeze in an extra set of reps resulting in more calories burned.
2. Give up energy drinks, soda, and, yes, even Gatorade. With the exception of perhaps a couple brands of energy drinks, these drinks are loaded with empty calories.  Meaning, they have no health benefits whatsoever.  They may give you energy at first, but then you crash because of the high levels of sugar and are left feeling drained.  As for Gatorade, I cringe when I see my children’s coaches telling them to drink this so-called thirst quencher that is loaded with wasted calories.  Unfortunately Gatorade is also loaded with sodium which makes your body retain water and which makes you even more thirsty.  Therefore you want to drink what?  - More Gatorade!  Green tea or water with a lemon wedge, sugar free, would be a better choice as a thirst quencher.
3. Do interval training, such as Tabatas. Interval training consists of bursts of high intensity exercises with a short rest period in between.  While the words “high intensity” may scare away some people, the good news is that you get your workout done in a shorter amount of time (15 to 20 minutes).  For some reason, not quite understood, this type of workout burns more calories then would be burned in 40 minutes of cardio.
4. Do body weight strength training exercises. Not daily, but 2 or 3 times a week.  If you are limited on time and can only do one, push ups are an excellent choice.  Aim for three sets of 15 reps.  Though some may disagree as you can read here, I still believe weight training increases the amount of calories you burn.
5. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly. We hear this quite often these days, but we do burn lots of calories when we get an adequate amount of sleep.  This is by far the most important on this list, as lack of sleep results in stress, lack of motivation, and it ages us faster.  All of which hinder our weight loss progress.

Sandbags are probably the most odd object you could add to your fitness routine.  They are awkward to lift because of shifting sand which alters its form as you lift.  They are difficult to grip and even more difficult to keep in control.  And since the bag has movement, the lifter is forced to constantly adjust her/his body to accommodate the awkward weight of the bag. But because of all of this, sandbags will work your body differently, and more effectively, than any barbell.  Sandbags will cause your body to use more muscles, expend more energy, and burn more calories.  Sandbags will challenge the entire body.

There are so many exercises you can do with a sandbag too. You could do … squats, lunges, jumps, situps, and clean and jerks. You could hoist the bag over your head or give it a bear hug and run up a hill. Try jogging, climbing, dragging, and throwing. Or just try getting off the floor with the sandbag in your arms. Use it with your Gymboss Interval Timer (it’s an affiliate link) by setting your timer for several rounds of two intervals.  For instance, do 15 rounds of two intervals. The first interval could be 50 seconds of pushing as hard as you can, and the second interval could be a 10-second rest.

How To Make A Fitness Sandbag for $20

So now you are probably wondering where you can buy such a wonderful bag. You can purchase sandbags over the Internet, such as the Ultimate Sandbag. You will spend anywhere from $100 to $200, and you will have a pretty darn nice bag.  Or you can make your own, to suit your own needs, for as little as $20.

Pictured here is a sandbag I made using nothing more than a durable duffel bag, play sand, quart-sized Ziploc bags, and duct tape.  (The sand in the pictures is blue only because that is all my local Wal-mart had in stock.  Regular play sand will be cheaper.)

Make sure to use a good quality duffel bag which can hold the weight of the sand.  The Army Surplus Store is a good place to look for one.  Also, if the bag has straps or buckles that could hit you in the face as you lift, you should cut them off.  Some people prefer not to have any handles on the bag at all.  This will make gripping the bag even more difficult, resulting in greater grip strength for your hands.  Certainly something to keep in mind when making your sandbag.

Doubling the Ziploc bags, I filled the bags each with 3 cups of the play sand.  Removing most of the air from the bags, I sealed the inner bag and folded it inside the outer bag.  I then sealed the outer bag and reinforced the seal with duct tape.  Finally, I placed all bags inside the duffel bag.  (Be sure to use the strongest Ziploc bags you can find and reinforce them well with duct tape.  These bags will be thrown, dropped, and turned upside down.  They may break if not put together well.

Some people prefer to fill a single compactor trash bag with sand and place it inside the duffel bag, which is another good option.  I prefer to use Ziploc bags so I can easily, without mess, increase or lighten the weight whenever I want.  Be sure, though, not to pack your duffel bag (or compactor bag) too tight.  You want it to be loose to allow movement while you lift.

The end result … a sturdy 25-pound sandbag for under $20 that works just as well as any $100 bag.

You can make the bag how heavy you want.  It is recommended that women use a 15-45 pound bag.  Most men, however,  would prefer to have a  much heavier bag.

Update: After many months of use, the small sandbags inside the larger bag started tearing and/or leaking sand.  I had to switch over to using compactor bags, and so far it is working out well.  Also, I do find the lack of handles on my homemade bag does hinder some of my exercises.  For that reason alone, I think the Ultimate Sandbag would make a better choice.  However, if cost is a concern, then this homemade version is a nice alternative.

Tabata is a high-intensity interval workout which is said to dramatically burn fat, build muscle, and increase aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity (as much as 14% and 28%) in as little as four minutes a day.

Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it is not as simple as it sounds.  While Tabata can be done in a short amount of time and it does produce amazing results, it was originally created with Olympic athletes in mind and it is not easy … not even for the best athletes.  Tabata workouts may be brief, but they are also intense.  In fact Dr. Izumi Tabata (one of the creators of this burning workout) himself gave this important warning:

“High-intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise.”

A Tabata workout consists of 8 rounds of short 20-second bursts of intense exercise followed by a brief 10-second period of rest.  The exercise itself can be anything such as jumping rope, squats, burpees, sprints, pushups, situps, etc.  The key is to go all out for 20 seconds and then take a 10-second rest period (which only allows a partial recovery), and then repeat 7 more rounds.  In the video above by BodyRock.TV, Host Zuzana is demonstrating jumping rope using the Tabata protocol.  To keep track of your timing, you may want to invest in a Gymboss Interval Timer (using my affiliate link) such as the one Zuzana is using.

Studies have shown that this particular pattern of short, intense intervals can increase metabolic rate significantly for hours after you finish the workout.   Which means Tabata, when done correctly, is very effective for burning fat due to the effects on the metabolism.

Here’s how to perform a Tabata workout using a Gymboss interval timer:

1. Pick an exercise of your choice.
2. Set your Gymboss to 00:20 and 00:10 on auto mode for 8 rounds for any body weight exercise.
3. Do as many reps as possible in 20 seconds.
4. Repeat seven times.

If you would like to increase your workout even more, pick another exercise and do another 8 rounds.

A strong core will help your body age well, so it is crucial to start working on it now. So, give these a try and let me know what you think. Have you already been doing these or similar exercises, or are you still doing sit ups?

Roller Derby is a “going for the gold” type sport.  In this sport, the skater is moving at amazing speed putting up a fight to get through the Pack which may result in anything from bruises to pain and broken bones to the feeling of strong inner strength.

An American-invented contact sport, according to the Derby Dolls website (a roller derby league in L.A.), roller derby was created in 1935 by Leo Seltzer.  A match is composed of two teams with five players each … four Blockers and one Jammer … which face off against each other.  The Blockers skate together to form a Pack.  A Jammer from the opposing team fights her way through the Pack scoring points if she succeeds plus earning more points when she laps the team.

In the 70’s, roller derby was played to sold-out crowds across the U.S., and it has made a comeback in recent years.  But with the movie Whip It coming to theaters on October 2 with Ellen Page (Juno) playing the leading part, I expect the sport will take off even more so.  Director Drew Barrymore … yes, besides playing a role in the movie, she was also the director … has shared these motivational thoughts about the leading role in Whip It:

“I believe that girls can do it all.  . . . finding your inner strength, believing you can do what boys do, and figuring who you are along the way.”

In case you think this is the sport for you (remember it is extreme), Derby Dolls has provided on their site a list of roller derby leagues.  Hopefully, you can find one in your area.

I think it would be a blast to watch the Derby Dolls live in real action, but for the time being I’ll have to settle on YouTube.

Run by women for women of all skill levels, the Venus de Miles road ride offers three different bike courses from which you can choose from:

(1) a 35-mile jaunt through scenic countryside,
(2) a bit more challenging 50-mile course, or (3) a tough 65-mile climb through Jamestown.

If you miss the registration deadline, there is still a possibility you can get in as they are allowing late registration up until the day of the event (at a slightly higher fee of course).  But be aware that they are capping this year’s ride at 1500 riders.  Your registration fee also gets you a free T-shirt, lunch and beer after the race, a celebration in the park with prizes plus activities such as massages, mini-facials, yoga, and more.  But your registration not only benefits you, the rider.  This bike ride is in support of Greenhouse Scholars, an organization providing mentorship and scholarship to high-performing, under-resourced students.

If you want to attend, you can find more details for the Venus de Miles bike ride here.  Or you can find updates on the Venus de Miles blog.  Everyone is a winner on this ride, so get your Trek bike dusted off and loaded in the car.

What do pop singer Kelly Clarkson and I have in common?

No, I don’t have a beautiful voice from which I can establish a huge following of fans.  And I have never met Simon Cowell. But rather Kelly and I both do an intense boot camp-type workout regimen.

Yes, Kelly Clarkson recently told Self Magazine (September 2009 issue) that she attends Crossfit, a strength training and cardio program used by police academies and military special operations. Clarkson tells Self about her workout that increases her energy:

“I love it.  It’s like boot camp.  You never work out more than 35 minutes, but it’s so intense. It makes me feel like G.I. Jane. It’s very empowering. I feel like I can whup ass!” “I do it totally for my psyche,” she told Self. “I’m much better when those endorphins are going. It’s a release. And I also love food, so there’s a payoff!”

And don’t forget about the health benefits, Kelly!

With Kelly Clarkson doing Crossfit, she just might be a great example for any skeptics out there who think that women cannot do a serious strength training workout and still retain a feminine look.

While Crossfit trains elite athletes worldwide, people who train with Crossfit range anywhere from housewives to Olympic athletes.  You set your goals. Click here to find a Crossfit affiliate in your state or workout on your own by watching Crossfit’s videos or by following their Workout of the Day (WOD).

On a side note, there is a lot of controversy about Self retouching the cover photo to enhance Kelly Clarkson’s looks.  But while Kelly’s weight has fluctuated up and down in the past, there is no doubt that she always looks fabulous!  Take a look at the above recent video of Kelly Clarkson’s performance on Oprah.

If you are a fan of the show such as I am, you may recall that Bill won the grand prize of $250,000 and brother Jim took home the eliminated players “at home” prize of $100,000. Quite impressive!

While first the nation watched them fight obesity by losing an amazing amount of weight on national television, the famous twins can now watch their viewers do the same by applying to their lifestyle Bill and Jim’s advice. In June, Bill and Jim released their Rapid Action Metabolism Program, which is a healthy weight loss plan that teaches people how to reach their weight loss goals using the same system the twins used during the show to lose weight, and after the show to keep the weight off.

Being a big believer in eating healthy and exercising regularly for losing and maintaining weight, there are a couple of things I really like about Jim and Bill sharing this program with us. (1) First seeing them achieve their weight loss goals on TV provides us living proof that they know how to do it, and (2) they use a common sense change-of-lifestyle approach without any diet fad attached. And, I might add, they provide their knowledge at a reasonable price too!

Click here to go to Bill and Jim’s weight loss plan website.