SELF Magazine’s contributor, Mandy Ingber—celebrity yoga trainer (to Jennifer Aniston and more) and Yogalosophy creator—wants to help you achieve the “Eat Pray Love” lifestyle, but without booking a trip to Bali. She demonstrated some great yoga poses for SELF and discusses how you can use yoga to detox (after a big meal), meditate (aka pray) and open your heart (to love).

 

Chair twist: Twists are detoxifying. They both wring the organs of toxins and aid digestion. When I overdo it, I do a few twists. For an extra burst, try twisting and switching sides. Repeat 10 times. Sink down, as if into a chair, bring palms together, hook left elbow to the outside of right knee and use the leverage to extend and twist. Make sure the hips and knees are aligned.

 

Sitting in half lotus: This is one to work up to. What we are exploring is that there is a lot of movement in our bodies even when we are still.

 

 

Click here to continue reading

A couple of years ago, while walking into the lobby of his apartment building in downtown Manhattan, Nicholas Lin, overheard a conversation about duck fat that Chef Adhika Maxi was involved in with his friend. Nicholas couldn’t help but interject in an exciting discussion about the many uses of duck fat. At that time, neither Nick nor Adhika knew that they will publish an internationally-recognized cookbook some 18 months later.

Actually, the book has been a dream of Nicholas’ for quite some time. When he was only 11 years old, Nick began to experiment with a vegetable root in his mother’s kitchen, trying to make something tasty. By 13, he was already able to cook for himself, and he continued to enjoy cooking since. Living in multi-cultural Singapore society helped Nick develop a discerning palate and a keen appreciation of all types of cuisines. After moving to New York in 2004 to continue business degree studies in Rochester Institute of Technology, Nick continued his passion for cooking which led him to complete, in 2008, the Japanese Culinary Technique courses at the Gohan Society in New York and various courses at the French Culinary Institute.

Click here to continue reading

Supermodel Kate Moss is getting ready to strut her stuff launch her own line of homemade jams. A source reveals (via Celebutante Sisters):

Kate bought a load of expensive equipment because she’s always been keen on the idea of making jam. She has so much fruit on her land she wanted to put it to good use. It started as a hobby, but she’s taking it a lot more seriously after glowing feedback from friends and family. She’s hoping her plum conserve will be a hit with the public.

And Kate is already planning on making her brand of jam a family business -- her seven-year-old daughter, Lila Grace, learned how to make the jam from her mom. The name of the jam is Kate's Damson Jam.

She should launch it on the runway during Fashion Week - have the anorexic super slim models take a bite out of toast with her jam on it at the end of the runway! Or better yet, have it as a snack in the back for the girls after the show (because we know they won't be eating before or during!).

It's been an ongoing topic for years - the shrinking waists of women in the entertainment industry. The U.K.'s Daily Mail discussed the topic with former 'Dynasty' gal Joan Collins who dished on struggling with weight issues on television back in the 1980's.

‘When we did Dynasty we had to keep under a certain weight, but that limit was a lot higher than it is now,’ says Joan. ‘If you look at Dynasty – because it’s still on every day – and you look at Desperate Housewives, we are at least a stone heavier than those girls [on Wisteria Lane].’

In case you don't know what a stone is, it's a measurement of weight. One stone is equal to about 14 pounds (at least that's what myweigh.com says).

It was 'Dynasty' in the 80's, and now it's the 'Desperate Housewives' of today. But of course those aren't the only shows that added juicer conversations about the women on tv. There was Lara Flynn Boyle in 'Twin Peaks' (1990-1991), Pamela Anderson in 'Baywatch' (1992-1997), Calista Flockhart in 'Ally McBeal' (1997-2002), Sarah Michelle Gellar in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and, most recently, 'in Sex and the City (1998-2004).

Click here to continue reading

Sharon, my new weight-loss client, laughed when I asked her whether she had been on any other diets. "How much time do you have? My mother probably put me on a my first diet when I was around eleven. since I am now fifty, that means forty years of dieting."

I nodded. The story was a familiar one. The only clients who had never been on a diet were people who had gained weight from medication such as antidepressants. All the rest had bounced from one weight-loss program to another, often following whatever was fashionable. Some had even had bariatric surgery to reduce drastically the amount of food they could swallow. Yet they had managed to gain weight by constantly eating small amounts of extremely caloric foods.

Sharon talked about her inability to control her eating when she switched from liquid low-calorie beverages or calorie-controlled prepackaged meals to her own food. She related how much she overate when she went off of diets without carbohydrates or three-day fasts or a week of residential spa food. She was now considering surgery but she wasn't heavy enough to qualify.

She told me that she thought her weight gain was due to her love of food but when I pointed out that many thin people love food also, she grew quiet. Eventually she said that she suspected she ate out of emotional needs. "My needs keep changing but my response is always the same. When I eat, my problems disappear -- for the moment."

Click here to continue reading

Woman’s Day, the magazine that teaches women to live well everyday, is teaming up with contributing nutritionist Joy Bauer MS, RD, CDN on a cross-platform weight-loss challenge launching with the September 2010 issue. Together, Woman’s Day and Joy Bauer will lead America on a healthy slimdown journey, providing the tips and tools they need to lose weight and feel great.

Starting with Woman’s Day’s September issue, on newsstands August 3rd, the magazine will cover a different aspect of Joy’s weight-loss plan in each issue from September through December. In addition, WomansDay.com will feature 12 real women blogging about following the program on the site. The online community will share their experiences, offering insight, tips and photos along the way.

Starting with the September issue kickoff plan, Woman’s Day will feature a variety of weight-loss articles by Joy Bauer throughout the coming issues on topics including: how to feed your family when you’re on a diet, the best and worst Halloween candy, how to enjoy the holiday festivities without derailing your diet, how to eat out and still lose weight, and more.

Woman’s Day’s goal is to help women across America lose weight and feel great, and the brand will reveal before and after stats and photos of the real women following the plan online at WomansDay.com.

Click here to continue reading