Author Archives: heather

About heather

Heather's background in nutrition and wellness only strengthens her work as a certified Ashtanga yoga instructor. This dedicated yogi has studied in India twice, and loves a Madonna-inspired workout mix.

Pros and Cons of Learning Yoga from a DVD

It used to be that if you wanted to workout, you had to leave you house to hit the track, the gym or a nearby trail. Thanks to the surge in workout DVDs, getting an amazing workout can be done at home. The conveniences of working out at home are undeniable, but when it comes to certain forms of exercise, like yoga, there are also some drawbacks from simply slipping in a DVD and getting your “Om” on in the living room.

Here is a look at the pros and cons of learning yoga from a DVD. (more…)

Baby Yoga Video Should Not Be Tried at Home

Lena Fokina and baby yoga; Image via Dadwagon.com

As a yoga practitioner and instructor, I see some pretty wild things. Once while I was in India studying yoga, I witnessed a Westerner who consumed nothing but beets. Beets and yoga were his life and, yes, he did have a reddish hue to him.

It’s one thing to impart some extreme behavior onto yourself, but it’s a whole other issue to do it to someone else. So when I saw this baby yoga video of a yoga instructor who tosses, turns, and twists a two-week old baby in a series of yoga poses, I actually had to turn away. (more…)

Jennifer Aniston and Her Yogalosophy Workout

Yogalosophy's Mandy Ingber and Jennifer Aniston; Image via: JustJared.com

Whether it’s her current love interest, her famous ex-husband or her once trademark haircut, Jennifer Aniston always garners attention, but when it comes to her body, it seems as if the paparazzi light bulbs won’t stop flashing. With one of the most enviable physiques in Hollywood, Aniston always seems to perfectly rock a red string bikini or a pair of tight jeans.

While some actresses stay mum when it comes to their fitness and diet secrets, Aniston has been very vocal about her devotion to fitness and yoga instructor, Mandy Ingber and her hybrid style of yoga, Yogalosophy. In fact, Aniston credits Ingber and her amazing mind, body and spiritual yoga routines for transforming not just her already amazing body, but also her ability to see the world from a place of calm and lightheartedness.

“Mandy brought yoga into my life. I’m excited for you to get to experience her, too,” Aniston reported to Self magazine. “This workout will change your body and your mind. This is one of the most fun, challenging workouts I’ve ever had.”

So just exactly what is Yogalosophy? (more…)

The Four Hour Body on the Dr. Oz Show

Tune in this Monday, January 24 to the Dr. Oz Show to learn the truth about one of the most popular diets for 2024, The 4-Hour Body.

Created by self-professed madman and guinea pig, Timothy Ferriss, the book outlines a plan that shows you how to lose 20 pounds in 30 days by using Ferriss’s own 80/20 principle. The principle, which was originally coined in his other bestselling book, The 4-Hour Work Week, claims that you can get 80 percent results by exerting just 20 percent effort. (more…)

Suzanne Somers on the Rachael Ray Show

Tune in this Thursday, January 27 to the Rachael Ray Show when Suzanne Somers shares her secrets on how to stay sexy and beautiful as you age.

The 64-year-old beauty continues to turn heads with her amazing shape and her incredible zest for life and health. After beating breast cancer, Somers has been a passionate advocate for living a natural, holistic and balanced life. Now with her new Slim and Sexy Forever book and its complimentary online program, Sexy Forever, Somers is sharing her strategies, tips and plan for helping women over the age of 40 feel and look amazing. (more…)

Healthy Budget Eating with Rachael Ray on the Dr. Oz Show

Tune in this Thursday, January 27 to the Dr. Oz Show when superstar cook and talk-show host, Rachael Ray stops by to show you how to eat healthy on a budget.

On the show, Rachael gives you all the tools, tricks and recipes  you need to stretch your dollar but now your waistline. From the healthiest and cheapest foods to low calorie supermarket steals, even Dr. Oz will be blown away by Rachael’s savvy and economical healthy eating tips. (more…)

Knowing Your Omegas on the Dr. Oz Show

Tune in this Wednesday, January 26 to the Dr. Oz Show to learn all about the big O – Omega fatty acids.

By now, we all know that omega fatty acids, like those found in salmon, flaxseeds and walnuts are good for you, but do we really know the difference between an omega-3 fatty acid and an omega-6 fatty acid? (more…)

The 17 Day Diet Challenge Update on The Doctors

Tune in this Friday, January 28 to The Doctors for an update on The 17-Day Diet Challenge.

This weight loss plan created by Dr. Mike Moreno has taken the diet industry by storm. It’s unique program, which consists of four 17-day phases, promises to burn fat, curb your cravings and give you noticeable results within just a few days. (more…)

Interview with Gary Taubes, Author of Why We Get Fat

Gary Taubes, a professional writer and journalist is the author of the critically acclaimed Good Calories, Bad Calories. Now his newest release, Why We Get Fat takes the long-held idea that the reason we get fat is the calories in/calories out hypothesis and debunks it. In essence, Taubes, through scores of research-backed evidence, suggests that it is not the amount of calories per se, but rather the carbohydrates in our diet that are responsible for fat accumulation.

Taubes proposes that in order to lose weight, we need to consume a very low carbohydrate diet. Protein, naturally-occuring fat, like those found in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, avocados and oils as well as leafy green vegetables should comprise the mainstay of our diet. The typical American diet of starchy carbohydrates, grains, sugar, processed food and even high glycemic vegetables and fruit needs to be given the boot if we want to avoid being overweight or obese.

Listen to an excerpt of this interview here.

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Victoria Beckham’s Power Supplement is Sun Chlorella

Green is the new black. Especially when it comes to food. But as most of us know, eating your daily greens, whether it’s a salad or a vegetable-based smoothie, sometimes takes more time than our busy lives allow for. While we may not always heed the advice of health experts, when celebrities dish about their favorite health and diet secrets, we listen. When the makers of Sun Chlorella, an algae-based supplement, claimed that the newly-pregnant Victoria Beckham is a fan, the ears of many of us media-hungry and health-minded commoners were pricked.

Sun Chlorella is a green algae supplement that hails from a Japan-based company.

According to the company’s website, Chlorella is a single-cell green algae made up of 60 percent pure plant protein. Sun Chlorella possesses an astonishing quantity and variety of nutrients providing the body with the required daily dose of essential amino acids, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin D, folic acid, iron and fiber. In terms of iron content alone, it has the same amount of nutritional benefits as nine cups of spinach. (more…)

What is Hatha Yoga?

Hatha yoga is one of those commonly misunderstood and misused words in yoga. Unlike Ashtanga, Bikram or Iyengar, which are specific styles of yoga, Hatha yoga is the umbrella term for what Westerners consider to be yoga. In truth, Hatha yoga is the actual physical practice of yoga, or the postures. Therefore, all yoga that involves asana or postures is hatha yoga.

What it is

Hatha comes from two Sanskrit words: ha meaning sun and tha meaning moon. Implied in its meaning is the idea of uniting opposites, like the sun and moon or yoga’s specific meaning of yoking the mind, body and spirit together. (more…)