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Summer is the season to strip down and shed your inhibitions, dive in to new activities, and kick back and relax. And right now's the time to make sure that you're ready -- inside and out -- for the great outdoors, the physical challenges, the vacation planning and travel, and the bathing-suit beach days.
Whether you're looking to lose weight, tone up, gain confidence, or just feel healthier, we've got the tips and tricks you need to make it happen.
To begin your summer-ready transformation, print out your Best-Body Road Map: The road map, along with the resources on the following slides, can help you track your progress toward five major goals:
If you want to lose weight before bathing-suit season, concentrate on dropping no more than a pound or two a week. "Anything more than that usually means you're depriving yourself," says New York City-based nutritionist Sharon Richter, R.D. "And when you deprive yourself, sooner or later you're going to binge and gain it back."
Operate on a 500-calorie-a-day deficit. "A pound is 3,500 calories," explains Richter. "So if you cut 500 calories a day for seven days straight, you'll lose a pound a week right there."
Operating at a deficit of 500 calories a day should involve both eating less and moving more: For example, you could consume 300 fewer calories and burn 200 extra per day.
Include both healthy eating and exercise in your weight-loss plan, and break the 500-calorie goal into smaller chunks to make it more attainable. Here are some simple ways to get there.
To Cut 100 Calories:
Swap a soda for sparkling water.
Eat a chicken breast without the skin.
Have vegetable pizza instead of pepperoni.
To Burn 100 Calories:
Spend 15 minutes biking (slow to moderate speed).
Walk or run 1 mile.
Spend 20 minutes gardening.
(All calorie counts are approximate. Use the Calorie Burner Counter to see how your favorite activities measure up.)
First, use our Nutritional Needs Calculator to determine how many daily calories you should consume in order to lose, gain, or maintain your healthy goal weight.
(Not sure what number to aim for? Our Desirable Body Weight and Body Mass Index calculators can help you find a healthy range.)
If you need to lose weight, aim to shed 1 pound a week. Commit to exercising at least 30 minutes, three days a week. Reading food labels and counting calories -- or writing down what and when (and how much) you eat -- can give you more control, as well.
Once you've reached your goal, recalculate your nutritional needs for keeping excess weight off all summer long.
One of the best ways to cut calories from your diet is to find flavor in fresh, seasonal foods: Fruits and vegetables are at their best this time of year, says Richter, so they're likely to be more affordable, taste better, and contain more nutrients than packaged or processed foods.
Turn to fruit to satisfy sugar cravings, Richter advises. "I keep frozen grapes and blueberries on hand for when I want something cold and sweet."
Along with fresh produce, use fiber-rich whole grains and lean protein as staples in your pre-summer diet.
Summer wellness isn't just about looking good in a bathing suit: Chances are you'll be spending time outdoors, traveling, ramping up your fitness routine, learning new activities, and living it up on vacation.
These things can all do a body good, physically and emotionally -- but they may also leave you outside of your comfort zone, vulnerable to illness, injury, exhaustion, and anxiety. To protect yourself from these bumps in the road, check out our summer survival kit and stress-free travel tips.
When it comes to sculpting your best body, the right diet will only take you so far. A mix of cardio and strength training is your best bet for improving strength, flexibility, endurance, and muscle tone -- not to mention outward physical appearance.
Mixing up your routine will get you total-body results -- but if you have an area you want to focus on more, that's where our summer fitness section comes in: We've got targeted exercises to tone your core, shape your arms and legs, strengthen your back, and protect your bones -- plus, a no-sweat way to boost your heart health.
Once you've developed a diet and exercise routine, check out our summer beauty section for the best ways to highlight your new and improved self. From hair care to pedicure tips (plus makeup, sun protection, and DIY-spa treatments), these ideas will help you feel confident, relaxed, and rejuvenated all season long.
Looking for extra motivation? Visit our Whole Living Community to find other women also shaping up for summer -- and all kinds of people sharing wellness and healthy-living advice. Join the Best-Body Group, write a blog, or start a discussion about your progress.
Keep it going: The healthy habits you'll learn here aren't only applicable to summer, either. Incorporate them into your lifestyle now, and you'll be healthier and happier all year round.


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subset: commoncrawl


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by Buckley Jensen
Faithful readers are aware that I live in a home with a wife and the three cats she brought to our marriage. Said felines have been an integral part of our domestic tranquility since I said, "for better or for worse," back in 2004.
Prior to Marcia, furry critters had never been allowed inside my home. Nowadays Winkie, Frankie and Felicity never leave the house. They have their own heated room with a double bed and soft pillows, trees to climb, cat-walks and all manner of cat toys.
There are pictures of cougars and famous feline stars adorning their walls. The finest food and drink is available 24-7. Do they appreciate it? Have you ever owned a cat? Need I say more?
I am painfully aware of my place in the pecking order at our house. On the other hand, cats are undoubtedly less hassle than the baggage some women bring to a marriage, so I have bitten my tongue a few hundred times in the interest of preserving connubial bliss.
When I need an empathetic ear, I go out to the unheated garage, where my, intelligent, unselfish, loving little lady border collie (Hooch) resides. It has been below zero at night lately… there is no bed to sleep on, no trees to climb, no pictures on the walls. Her food consists mostly of bones and cereal and her water is frozen solid every morning. Does she complain? Ever owned a dog? Need I say more?
Yesterday, I peeked at our pets respective diaries for December 22, 2007:
Hoochy's journal entry:
Oh Boy! Dry dog food again! Yum!
Oh Boy! I get to ride in the back of the pickup! Hurray!
Oh Boy! I get to chase rabbits at the ranch! Wow!
Oh Boy! We are going to Blue Mountain Meats to buy me a box of frozen bones for my Christmas present. Double "Woof!"
Oh Boy! Oh goodie! I get to fetch the frisby again! Happy Days!
Oh Boy! I get to sleep in the cold, dark, lonely garage again! Am I not the most blessed Mutt in Monticello?
Winkie, Frankie and Felicities' journal entry:
Day 1047 of our Monticello captivity. That slug of a husband Marcia married hauled us away from the bright lights of the big city to this sorry town and taunts us with childish little dangling objects.
The only things that keep us going are the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction we get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow when they go to Church we are going to eat the poinsettia he got for Christmas.
In an attempt to disgust and repulse Marcia's honey, we take turns inducing ourselves to vomit on his favorite rug. Winkie suggested we do it in his bed…hmm.
Frankie decapitated a mouse and delivered the headless body in an attempt to show old Huckilybuck what we are capable of and strike fear into his heart.
He actually acted pleased and cooed and condescended about what good little hunters we are, and how he would have to buy mouse traps were it not for us. He piled the sweet talk on so thick Frankie puked right under his favorite chair.
When their friends come in we get tossed in our room. We hear things about allergies and other propaganda you wouldn't believe.
Felicity has been assigned to research this "allergy" business as we may be able to use it to our advantage.
We are convinced that half-wit dog in the garage is probably a snitch. Stupid smelly dog! She actually comes back when she is let out of her kennel.
If we ever doubted that Huckilybuck was a fool, we need only look at the company he keeps. If Hooch turns out to be a snitch we will get her. It is only a matter of time. Time is our friend. We will repay them both!


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Baghdad, Iraq – While success with one's microphones in the studio is certainly important—after all, this is what sells records—success on the road can be far more daunting. The rigors of pro touring often wreak havoc with sensitive electronic equipment. Now combine the usual drops and bumps with hot, 120-degree conditions and dust that can only be found in harsh desert locales such as Iraq, and you begin to gain an entirely new appreciation for the performance characteristics and build quality of one's microphones. Such is the case with the Seattle, WA-based band Candlebox and their experience with Earthworks microphones.
The band recently completed a grueling Middle East tour where they performed for U.S. troops in the State of Kuwait, Bagdad and Al-Basra, Iraq, plus a few other locations. In addition to searing heat and dust so thick that it permeates just about everything, the band even encountered some mortar fire that forced them to "move" a lot faster than they might have otherwise chosen to. Through it all, their arsenal of Earthworks microphones performed flawlessly, as Carlos Novais, FOH Engineer / Tour Manager for Candlebox described.
"On this tour, I used Earthworks' SR25 cardioid microphone with the accompanying KickPad™ optimization curve on Scott Mercado's kick drum," reports Novais. "This mic, combined with a P30/C Periscope cardioid microphone for the snare drum, four DP30/C Drum Periscope™ Cardioid TomMics for the toms, one SR25 for the hi hat, plus a pair of SR30 cardioid microphones for overheads created an incredible mic setup for the drums. I also used an SR25 as a vocal mic for Adam Kury."
"These microphones were terrific," Novais continued. "Iraq has a really brutal climate and not once did we encounter any issues with them. When I received the mics, I did an A-B comparison of with other live sound microphones. I was really impressed with the wider and more uniform frequency response of the Earthworks mics and I love the fact that I don't encounter phase cancellation issues when using multiple microphones together. These mics have excellent rear rejection characteristics, which eliminates unwanted sounds and they handle the fast attack transients of the drums beautifully. I was very impressed with their performance."
Novais has also used Earthworks' PM40 PianoMic™ on tour with pop/rock vocalist Vonda Sheppard. "I first worked with the PM40 back in February and March on Ms. Sheppard's European tour," said Novais. "The PM40 is fast and easy to use, and right from the start, it sounds great. There's not even a fraction of the adjustments typical of positioning conventional microphones required to get a natural piano sound. Between the PM40 and the mics that I used with Candlebox, I've become a real Earthworks fan."
Candlebox drummer Scott Mercado is equally enthusiastic about Earthworks microphones. For the band's latest studio endeavor, Mercado used the Earthworks DK25/R DrumKit™ recording system. "I used the DK25/R for our new album Into the Sun," Mercado confirmed. "For me, being a trained drummer/percussionist who transitioned into the rock genre, it's really important that grace notes such as flams and ruffs be picked up—regardless of the volume level I'm working at. The Earthworks DK25/R conveys all the subtle nuances of my snare work. Other mics just seem to get drowned out by ambient noise."
Mercado elaborated on his experience with the Earthworks DK25/R microphone system. "When I was looking for the best mics to use on my drums," he continued, "there were several factors I considered really important. I wanted mics that could accurately capture the deep resonance of the toms and had outstanding transient response across the entire sound spectrum. Equally important, I wanted the microphones to maintain a low profile on the drum. Most sound engineers are very surprised by the small size of the Earthworks microphones. They always assume they're listening to a large diaphragm mic. These are the best mics on the market for drummers of all styles. Until I discovered Earthworks, I was never able to use a single microphone brand for my recording work."
Both Novais and Mercado were equally impressed with Earthworks' customer/technical support services. Novais summed things up best by saying, "When I call Earthworks, I always get through to knowledgeable and helpful people. The company is really responsive and I'm honored to be part of the Earthworks family."
For more information about Candlebox, visit the band online at www.candleboxrocks.com.
About Earthworks, Inc.
Earthworks is a New Hampshire, U.S.A. based manufacturer of High Definition Microphones that is dedicated to quality and sonic excellence. Each Earthworks product is handmade with great care, meticulous attention to detail, and a strong emphasis on quality. Earthworks prides itself in making only the very best in professional audio equipment intended for mission critical sound applications. For additional information, visit the company online at www.earthworksaudio.com.