Author Archives: Kelly

About Kelly

Kelly Turner is a fitness writer, contributor and consultant. If she's not in the gym or behind her computer, she's missing, so please call the police.

3 Exercises to Improve Your Sex Life

improve-sex-life

Marathon sex sessions are a great way to spend your Valentine’s Day, or any day for that matter, but nothing will throw a bucket of ice water on your roll in the hay like needing to take a break to shake out a muscle cramp. Sex can be a great way to get your heart rate up, but if you’re sweating and trembling is due more to exhaustion and muscle fatigue rather than desire for your partner, consider working these exercises into your pre-Valentine, -anniversary, -vacation, -just because sweat sessions so you can go all night!

Squats. Deep Squats.

Squats are great for building strength and endurance in the legs, and the lower you go, the more they will come in handy in the bedroom. Not only will squats make you look great from behind, but they will allow you to take over when you’re on top. Be sure to drive through your heels on the upward motion and keep them in contact with the ground at all times — dropping below 90 degrees can be rough on the knees and this will take the pressure off. At the lowest point of each squat, add five pulses. While the ladies in the movies can drop it down low over and over, in high heels nonetheless, most women don’t have the quad strength it takes. Who can really do that in real life? You can, that’s who, so put on a show! (more…)

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Kelly

The 30 Minute Rule: How do You Know if You Are Doing Enough?

Every body is different, so to come up with fitness guidelines that work for everyone is tough. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the minimum recommended amount of exercise for a healthy adult is 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week and this 30 minute guideline is the one that fitness experts use as a baseline to ensure exercisers are working hard enough to see results, especially beginners who are new to exercise. But what does that actually mean, and how do you know if you are doing enough?

The 30 minute rule refers to cardiovascular exercise (running, walking, biking, etc.) as the guidelines for strength training are working your major muscle groups 2-3 times a week, on nonconsecutive days. Your strength training, however, can work into your 30 minute rule as long your intensity is high enough. (More on that later.)

The 30 minute rule sounds pretty cut and dry, but you actually have a lot of leeway. Most days of the week means 4-6, as everyone needs at least one rest day per week, but you can play with the 30 minute recommendation. Those 30 minutes can be done all in one shot, or you can break it up through out the day. Two 15 minute sessions, or three 10 minute sessions are shown to be just as effective, but it is not recommended to do anything shorter than 10 minutes for the full benefits.

Those minutes don’t mean much, however, if you aren’t making them count, which brings us to your intensity level. Intensity is a little more subjective, but the most important component to seeing results.

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Kelly

Mariah Carey Flaunts Taut Abs After Twins on Cover of SHAPE

After a string unsuccessful celebrity diet spokespeople, from Carnie Wilson getting fired from Fresh Diet to Kirstie Alley yo-yoing after Jenny Craig, popular diet plans are getting a boost from slimmed down celebs that are keeping the weight off.

Jennifer Hudson has kept her weight off for more than a year with Weight Watchers and Janet Jackson is sporting a slimmer frame with the help of NutriSystem. Now, Jenny Craig’s newest celeb endorser Mariah Carey is a prime example the diet can work, landing the cover of SHAPE magazine’s May issue just months after giving birth to twins.

Mariah Carey has used Jenny Craig to lose an amazing 30 pounds, and gain some amazing abs, to boot. Carey credits her new diet for most of her transformation.

“I realize that 90 percent of losing weight is my diet,” Mariah said. “Today my workout routine is more about getting and staying toned. And for me, that means either taking hour-long walks a few times a week or jumping in the pool three or four days a week to do 45 minutes of aquatic exercises.”

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Posted on April 20, 2026 by Kelly

School Breakfast Programs: Some Children Eating Twice is Better Than Some Not Eating at All

I have no children, but do have an adorable niece and nephew and love to hear stories about the sneaky little things they do to my sister to drive her insane. I remember not too long ago her telling me her son forgot his lunch, so she ran to school to drop it off a few minutes after the bell rang. Expecting to run it to his classroom, a teacher told her he was in the cafeteria. She walked in, found him at a table eating a doughnut off of a Styrofoam tray, and tapped him on the shoulder. She said when he turned around and saw her, he almost fell of his chair.

Turns out, for the past few months, he has been eating breakfast at home, then going to school and taking advantage of the free breakfast at school. Why? Because instead of a healthy well-balanced meal, they served maple bars and chocolate milk. Who could blame him?

This is just a cute story, one that we will tease him about for years to come, I’m sure, but my memory was jogged about it from a story I found in the New York Times.

According to the Times, there are many benefits to the free breakfast program. “The number of students in Newark who eat breakfast in school has tripled. Absenteeism has fallen in Los Angeles, and officials in Chicago say children from low-income families are eating healthier meals, more often.”

New York City, however, is wary to instill this program because they feel “double-dippers” will take advantage, and add to the obesity epidemic.

(more…)

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Kelly

Use Brooklyn Decker’s Fat-Burning Secrets to Get in Shape for Summer

Actress and former Sports Illustrated cover model Brooklyn Decker has to be in swimsuit shape year round, but most of us only start to think bikini when the weather starts heating up. You can use Decker’s fat-burning secrets to shape up fast and feel confident on the beach this summer.

Decker has always been very vocal about her health and fitness, admitting that while she is blessed with good genes, she really has to work to keep her body in top form. Busy just like any Hollywood actress, Decker fits in dancing, running, and kayaking as exercise. Married to tennis star Andy Roddick, Decker has an athlete’s mentality, focusing on how strong she feels as opposed to how thin she looks.

“She is very coordinated and likes to push,” says her trainer Jade Alexis, who also worked with Decker to produce a workout DVD for Elle Magazine. “Brooklyn works hard and has fun while she’s at it.”

How can we learn from Decker’s routine? Alexis reveals that the secret to a strong, lean and feminine physique starts with a balanced, healthy diet.

(more…)

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Kelly

Cameron Diaz’s Career Move to Nutrition Educator Shows Promise

Cameron Diaz has always been known for her amazingly toned physique she credits to her love of outdoor sports like surfing, but it’s not secret that a healthy diet has a huge part to play as well.

Diaz, on the cover of the May issue of InStyle magazine, opened up in an interview about her new career aspiration: becoming a nutrition educator. While the actress plans to continue acting and producing, she wants to share her love of proper nutrition with the world.

“Everyone needs to find a purpose, and I think mine is to help other people,” Diaz said in her InStyle interview. “This project is only in the blueprint stages, but I’m creating a space where I can teach healthy habits that girls can build on. I see women struggling with their bodies because they don’t know how they work on basic levels, starting with nutrition. The more I talk about this with people, the more I realize how much it’s needed. I’m really throwing all of my energy into it.”

Following in the foot steps of other eat-like-me celebs, Diaz may be setting herself up for a hard road ahead if she hopes to gain credibility. Like Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s GOOP newsletter has gained a cult like following as well as many critics, Diaz should prepare for eye rolls and “if I had a trainer and personal chef…” remarks.

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Posted on April 18, 2026 by Kelly

Jaleel White Already Drops 13 Pounds from Dancing With the Stars

A lot of celebrities sign up for Dancing With the Stars with the hopes of losing weight from the hours and hours of dance practice, but for some, it’s just a pleasant, unplanned side effect.

Jaleel White was one of those celebs that didn’t plan on losing weight while competing on Dancing With the Stars, but there just wasn’t any way around it. White, famous for his role as nerdy Erkel on Family Matters told Us Weekly after his Monday’s performace that he’s already lost 13 pounds since rehearsals began earlier this year. The actor, 35, proudly exclaimed, “I’m like a buck sixty-nine!”

At 5-foot-10, White was hardly overweight to begin with, but spending hours in the dance studio helped the actor kick up his fitness routine a notch. “You’re dripping in sweat. You keep doing intervals of 30 minutes or 40 minutes, and you grab a quick snack and go back at it,” he explained. “I can pop a sweat so quickly now. It’s new to me. It’s ridiculous!”

White has also noticed another positive change: his energy level is up. You would think dancing all day would leave him exhausted, but quite the contrary.

“I feel in better shape than I have been since I was in college,” he said. “It sucks because I want to go out and play basketball but I have no time. I want to see what my energy is like and what I can do on the basketball court now, because at 35, trust me, there is a difference between a 35-year-old and a 24-year-old on the basketball court.”

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Posted on April 18, 2026 by Kelly

Aerobics and Fitness Association of America Certification Profile

The AFAA is the world’s largest fitness and TeleFitness educator. Founded in 1983, the AFAA has issued over 300,000 certifications to fitness professionals. The AFAA prides itseld on delivering “comprehensive cognitive and practical education for fitness professionals, grounded in industry research, using both traditional and innovative modalities.”

The AFAA offers many fitness certifications, including Personal Training, Group Exercise, Kickboxing and Step. 

If you are looking to the AFAA to get your certification, you can find a variety of study materials and online courses that allow you to learn the necessary skills to be successful on your own time. Depending on how much help you think you need to pass the certification test, you can choose from textbooks, study manuals, practice tests, flash cards, DVDs and online courses to give you as much information and experience as you feel you need.

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Posted on April 16, 2026 by Kelly

Zac Efron Beefs Up to Play Soldier in The Lucky One

Disney heart throb Zac Efron is paving his way as leading man in Hollywood. His newest role as a soldier in the romantic movie The Lucky One required him to transform his body into combat shape, and it wasn’t easy. The Men’s Health cover model opened up to the magazine about exactly what it took to make a believable Marine, and what he learned from these real life heroes along the way.

Efron and his director went to the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to meet with real soldiers to prepare for his new role. The vibe on base was all business and Efron was inspired, and maybe a little intimidated, by the soldiers who had experienced two or three tours of duty already.

“They were my age. 23, 24, even younger,” said Efron. “And most of the staff sergeants were not huge guys. They were about my height, 5’9″, 5’10”, some shorter, but all very stocky. And I’m there in a backward hat and Vans, walking around like I’m still in college. It’s much different from the lifestyle I’m living over here. Where do you start the conversation? I didn’t know what to say, what questions were inaccurate.”

Efron trained for 4 months, 5 days to week to prepare for his role, eating around 3,500 calories a day spread out over 6 to 8 meals with a heavy emphasis on protein for muscle growth- and when I say heavy, I mean heavy. Breakfast alone consisted of “A shake and, you know, an eight-egg omelet. I got used to it at the time, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” Efron admitted. “It’s not practical to do for a long period of time.”

While the regimen was tough, Efron loved seeing the results of all his hard work.

(more…)

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Kelly

Fitness Icon Robert Kennedy Loses Battle with Lung Cancer

The fitness world lost an icon this April 12, 2026 with the passing of Robert Kennedy, publisher of Oxygen magazine and husband to Tosca Reno, fitness model and creator of the Eat-Clean diet.

Bob Kennedy lost his battle with lung cancer at the age 73 and is survived by wife, Tosca Reno and four adult daughters Chelsea Kennedy, Rachel Corradetti, Kiersten Corradetti, and Kelsey-Lynn Corradetti (he was preceded in death by his only son Braden Robert James Kennedy last year following complications with pneumonia).

On April 9th, Tosca announced on her blog that Bob’s treatments were unsuccessful and that the family was coming to terms with the time he had left:

“We will soon be losing a wonderful person, father, great leader and inspiration for both the Company and this industry at large. However Bob’s life’s work, dedication and impact on bodybuilding, fitness and health and the support and inspiration to 10’s of millions of people will continue through all of you.”

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Posted on April 13, 2026 by Kelly

The Easiest and Fastest Way to Fix a Trouble Zone

Everyone has a trouble zone, or a certain area of their body that want to change, fix, shrink or enhance. While “spot reducing” is impossible, focusing more energy on that particular area over time will of course head great results. You can’t drop the rest of your workout routine in favor of focusing all your energy on your saddlebags, abs, etc., a little extra effort is going to be needed. You can devote extra minutes in the gym to working out your trouble zone, but this may take time away from the rest of your body, or have you resenting that spot.

You gotta learn to love you trouble zone and give it a little more attention because you are excited to see it change, not because you want to beat it into submission. If you make a habit of working that spot in ways that take very little effort, but on a consistent basis, you will soon have to find a new trouble spot to focus on.

Now when I say habit, I really mean it. Think about it: External cues prompt you to do things every day that you barely think about. A red light turns green, you hit the gas.  Turn on the computer, you check your Facebook. Those are habits. You didn’t always have them, but you developed them over time and now they are second nature. Most experts say that a habit takes about 3 weeks of solid effort to develop, and after that, you barely have to think about it.

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Posted on April 12, 2026 by Kelly