Dishwashers, power tools and fitness equipment at Sears? Sure! You may know them as the place for appliances, but now Sears has established themselves as the nation’s largest fitness retailer.

“Whether just starting a new workout routine or a longtime ftness enthusiast, customers want a complete solution,” said Hugo Malan, SVP and president, Fitness, Sporting Goods and Toys at Sears Holdings. “Sears sells more fitness equipment than anyone else and we believe in continually improving our offering, so we have built an online fitness community and developed new destinations that attract customers both in-store and online.”

Sears is continuing an initiative they began in 2011 to help consumers achieve their fitness goals by creating their “Fitness Flagship” store-within-a-store. Now in over 35 sites, the 6000 sq. ft. specialty stores feature polished hardwood floors, tall mirrors, expanded equipment layouts and resemble a modern, high end gym. The staff is trained on both fitness products and fitness trends.

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A new trend in bachelorette parties may lead to changes in the traditional way we celebrate other special events. Instead of dragging around a half a dozen bride’s maids from bar to bar to consume copious amounts of calorie laden alcoholic beverages only to wake up and feel like hell warmed over for the big wedding day, health minded women are choosing to bond with a special, private yoga and fitness class designed specifically around the bride-to-be.

For example, at Flywheel Sports studio in the Flatiron district of New York brides and their posse can find themselves in a Pilates class infused with some dance and light weights, sweating to songs like “Chapel of Love” before they head out to get their hair and nails done for the ceremony. Yoga for Weddings, a Los Angeles based company who’s slogan “Bringing the Deep Breath to the Big Day” caters to new brides by offering private 90-minute classes with a focus on heart opening poses in preparation for the life changing commitment ahead.

So, if health conscious brides are swapping a night of drunken debauchery to celebrate with exercise, why can’t we do the same for other grand celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas holiday parties or New Year’s Eve events? We can! Here is how you can get started with this new trend in your neighborhood.

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The holidays are officially here. Once those giant bags of candy hit the shelf, a war has been waged with our waistlines! Smoothie King wants to help you battle that war this season and has some great incentives to keep you fighting the good fight!

From now until December 18, 2011, Smoothie King is running its Fall Fit Campaign sweepstakes. The campaign is focused on motivating people to make better food choices and get moving this fall season.

For accountability, Smoothie King is challenging people to sign the “Oath of Oh Yes You Can” on their Facebook Fanpage. Signing the oath is a pledge to stay fit and it’s also an entry for their grand prize: two tickets to Super Bowl XLVI plus $1,000 for travel.

There’s more than just an oath and a prize entry, though. Additionally, Smoothie King has partnered with Journey Gym to provide health tips and motivation. Journey Gym, also known as the “laptop of fitness,” is a complete, lightweight, and compact universal gym. The health partners will also be giving away 10 Journey Gyms to lucky participants.

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For most, impact exercise is a good thing. The more force you apply to your bones, the stronger they become. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the population is physically falling apart due to being sedentary, overweight, and all around just plain horrible to ourselves.

To be fair, many have legitimate joint and bone injuries, or are recovering from surgeries that also require them to stick to low and no impact modes of exercises. There is no shame in that. Low or no impact doesn’t have to mean taking it easy- it just means working out differently. You can get just as intense of a workout while still being mindful of your limitations.

Low Impact Cardio

To determine if something is high impact, ask yourself if your feet leave the floor, and how hard they come back in contact with it. Your bones and joints are required to absorb the shock, and the impact of this can be too much for many.

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Henry Cavill is set to portray the Man of Steel in the next Superman movie, but first, he has to get into superhero-worthy physical state. How does he plan to do it?

“I’m on 5,000 calories a day… You’ve got to eat protein first, then a little bit of carbs…you’ve gotta keep your hunger levels going,” Cavill said. “I’m training two and a half hours a day, pushing my body beyond its normal limits, putting on a lot of muscle mass and just making myself look like Superman.”

Cavill is already a pro at transforming his body through exercise in order to play a role. Albeit in a completely different way, Cavill gained plenty of lean muscle mass for his upcoming movie “The Immortals” due out in theaters on November 11, 2011. However, he needs to really bulk up for his next role.

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