Time Magazine just released an awesome article on the sexiest city in the entire country…. you’d probably think it would be someplace like Miami, LA, or New York, right?

But you’d be wrong because it is Charleston, SC! This just happens to be the city that I was born and raised and where I currently live. Pretty proud, and feeling pretty sexy!

Sullivan's Island... My Favorite Charleston Beach

We were also ranked #1 for the friendliest city!

I never knew that all those times I waved to complete strangers in the car, or when I said “Yes Ma’am” and “Yes Sir” that I was in a competition with the country but heck, I will take it! I did offer some tourist directions last weekend… go southern hospitality.

Here is the actual report published at Time Magazine’s Website: Where Do America’s Most Attractive People Live?

Time for a comeback! Brittany seems to be finally getting herself back on track… getting those 6-packs abs that we all hated her for back in the “I’m A Slave For You” days. I hate to admit it but I do love Brittany for her ability as a performer. The girl isn’t the greatest singer, but she can dance and put on a hell of a show.

I’m surprised her popularity has lasted and I hope she can pull out a good show!

Here’s the rumor for what she’s doing to get back to her tight and toned body:

First, I am going to assume no more drive through trips for shakes and burgers… but that’s just a guess.

According to People Magazine, Brittany is following a tight 1,500 calorie nutrition plan. Plus of course she’s rehearsing for the shows (burning tons of calories), and her trainer Derek DeGrazio is pushing her hard in the weight room!

Think we’ll see this body again?

Good Luck Brittany!!

I know that I have mentioned it before that I am a fan of Oxygen Magazine. Dan makes fun of me because every issue is pretty much the same (Tone Your Abs, Your Legs, Your Arms, and then start again), but I love reading the studies and stats that they post and often I get some great ideas for blog posts and help keep my head filled with useless fitness knowledge.

Anywho… this month I was chilling, reading my issue when this little calorie fact stuck out at me: “324… The number of calories burned by a 130 pound women during 30 minutes of butterfly stroke swimming.”

Ok seriously people, I consider myself in pretty damn good shape when it comes to endurance, and strength BUT I don’t even know if Summer Sanders or Amanda Beard can do 30 minutes straight of butterfly. Much less, how many women can actually do this stroke correctly? I have always loved swimming but I never mastered my dolphin kick so my butterfly looks more like a seizuring butterfly. And I think I can say that I can relate to most of you.

Think Summer Sanders Is Up For A Challenge?

Now, I think it was have been much wiser if they said how many calories you burn with freestyle… that I can handle. Or even doing alternating laps of the two… I bet you can zap serious calories then!

So no offense Oxygen, but this little exercise fact is a bit over the top. Definitely not for the average woman. To help you out, I wrote another post giving you more realistic ways to burn 300 calories fast! So read it!

But to be fair, if you want to take on the butterfly challenge, here is a video of me (just kidding!) showing how to do it correctly…

Sign up today for my Free Women’s Fitness Forum to get all your fitness questions answered and get in touch with lots of women like you with similar goals and a love for fitness! SIgn up today at: The Art Of Weight Lifting

There is a new free weight system for women and I can not pass up the chance to blog about it. These little weights are truly created for women’s workouts only! I can’t really say anything bad about them… after all you know how I am an advocate for free weights and these fall in that category…

They aren’t for your home gym collection though, they aren’t going to help sculpt your ass, or legs, or arms…. but they will help tone and tighten your vagina.

Yup… you read it right, free weights for your vagina! I can’t help but giggle a little but I have to say they look kind of promising.

Why would you want to give your vagina a workout?

For a couple of reasons actually. Several women suffer from urinary stress incontinence and poor pelvic floor function (which can make sex painful and not so enjoyable). So by

StepFree Weight System

strengthening your pelvic floor muscles (those that kegels are suppose to work) it is the best treatment option.

StepFree Weights are the names of these light weights that get inserted into your vagina like a tampon. Then it is up to you to squeeze your kegals tight, other wise you might be walking and have to explain why something just fell out from between your legs and landed on the ground (not really, I suggest only using them around the privacy of your home).

The set comes with different inserts weighing from 20-70 grams. Start out with the lightest, insert and get to where you can hold it in for around 15 minutes. As you get used to that one, move up to the next weight and so forth. Until you’re a vagina weight training pro!

Can’t help but wonder… do they make penis weights? I always thought that penis push-ups where a myth but if we can do vagina weight training the boys should have to do something too!

Runners are in a club all to themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I love to run and if my back didn’t yell at me every time I ran over three miles I would be doing it a lot more for pure love of the sport(but remember, Dan has pleaded with me that I hang up my running shoes).  It’s terrible on joints, it’s a high injury sport and if you don’t have good music on your I-pod it can be freaking boring… but most of all it’s not going to get you the overall body you want.

But I’m not writing about the joys of running or me wanting to be accepted into the “run club”, I found an article in Men’s Journal this week that I had to share…

Running Barefoot??

I mean completely barefoot, no shoes, no socks, nothing to stand between your feet and the pavement of the roads. Are these people crazy? That’s the first thing I thought… but I read the article and even if I have no desire to ever run barefoot, they do bring up some good points.

Um... No. I spend too much money on running shoes to not use them.

Running all-natural supposedly makes you more aware of your stride (well, duh), you’re able to feel the way your feet land and correct the stride to feel the best. Apparently, today’s fancy, expensive running shoes do nothing more than mess with our stride, making us pound heels first into the ground which is what is responsible for a slew of injuries from knee pain, shin splits, and more. The pressure that shoots up with each shoe-stride is huge because the force is localized to one specific area…

Then comes the barefoot stride… when you land you’re more likely to land gentler and on the balls of you feet instead of heels or toes. Yes you run slower but you run more efficiently and potentially you can be lowering your risk of injury.

Seriously… who lives out in a nice clean area where the idea of pounding pavement without your Nikes or Brookes is a good idea? Just yesterday Dan and I were downtown walking around and I was counting maxi-pads and condoms (and we were in a nice area!)

But if you happen to live in a place where being barefoot won’t give ring worm, tetanus, or any other issues then the biggest thing to keep in mind is slow and easy. Dip your toes into it first. You’re not used to being barefoot and your body can shock itself with the change… you’ll end up with throbbing shins!

So slow and easy, start off with just some intervals in grass, then increase it till you can go 1/4 of a mile… from here work your way up little by little. But they recommend that you carry shoes with your during the adaptation period so that at the first sign of pain those Asics go right back on!

Here are my next pair of running shoes!

I’m pretty sure you will ever see me running without my shoes, but I do have to admit that Men’s Journal made a good argument. Just keep in mind, running isn’t a workout program, it is simply a slice of the fitness pie and that to make an entire pie you need it balanced with healthy cardio and strength training!

Have you even checked out my strength training routines? Get everything from treadmill workouts to killer fat burning workouts!

Barefoot Running With Chris McDougall

• (who was what the article in Men’s Journal was written on), “expert runner”

Salt is necessary in small amounts, of course. It helps regulate our blood pressure and helps your body run properly. But too much and you could end up bloated, and with high blood pressure. Since heart disease is climbing in women, it’s important to do anything you can to keep your ticker healthy. And that means staying under around 2300 mg of sodium PER DAY.

On top of that… high sodium is linked to osteoporosis, stroke and exercise asthma!

Here are a few of the saltiest foods in America that I found at Eat This Not That

Saltiest Foods You Want To Avoid

• Romano’s Macaroni Grill Pasta Milano: 4,380 milligrams sodium… 1,530 calories… 98 g fat (44 g saturated)
• Arby’s Sausage and Gravy Biscuit: 4,699 mg sodium… 1,040 calories…60 g fat (22 g saturated, 2 g trans)
• Chili’s Fajita Quesadillas Beef With Rice and Beans, 4 flour tortillas, and condiments: 6,390 milligrams sodium… 2,240 calories… 92 g fat (43.5 g saturated)… 253 g carbohydrates
• PF CHang’s Hot and Sour Soup Bowl: 6,878 milligrams sodium… 534 calories… 20 g fat (4 g saturated)

And the winner of the saltiest food in America…

P.F. Chang’s Wok Charred Beef

Get your weeks worth of salt in one meal… the part that gets me is how concentrated it is! The calorie count isn’t outrageous (compared to others that made the list) but the sodium is WOW! As a matter of fact 244 saltine crackers still has LESS salt that this beef dish! So does 28 orders of McDonald’s fries!

10,045 milligrams sodium
850 calories
30 g fat (15 g saturated)

See all 30 saltiest foods

Champagne and Berries... a great dessert!

My weekend was spent sipping a glass of champagne each night while looking at a gorgeous view of the North Carolina mountains… it was great! I love champagne and now I love it even more after I read a recent study.

It may be helping, along with a proper fitness program (of course), to keep my heart healthy. According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, people who drank 2 glasses of champagne had a 50 percent increase in blood flow for up to 6 hours afterward. Of course you don’t want to indulge in more than that, who wants the headache?

Why Champagne Helps The Ticker

It’s because of the polyphenols that are found in the grapes of bubbly… Champagne creates an increase in blood flow that means a lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of blood clots. The highest levels are found in blanc de noirs which is just a specific type of champagne to give a try.

Remember though that one or two glasses can be good for you, but more than that and you will feel it the next day. Not to mention that each glass has around 100 calories so don’t use this as an excuse to drink every day and make sure to keep up your

Sadly this is no joke...

I was driving to work this morning listening to a local radio morning show when they started making fun of KFC’s most recent sandwich creation… the Double Down. At first I thought it was a joke, so as soon as I got to my computer I hopped on trusty Google to find out if this thing was for real.

It was…

Today I am not proud to introduce to you the KFC Double Down! This is a serious sandwich will serious implications. No bread… this protein packed sandwich is made up of two FRIED chicken breast acting as a bun with bacon and cheese lying in between.

Now of course some people would think the two pieces of chicken is a meal (though the idea of fast food fried chicken has not been on my menu since I was young and didn’t know better). But not for the Double Down lovers… you also get pepper jack cheese, a few slices of bacon and the “Colonel’s Special Sauce”.

Excuse my language… but who the hell thought this should be on the menu? I mean I thought with all the recent attention on food (thanks Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama) that they would stay clear of crap and want to come out with something a bit more figure friendly… guess I was a moron.

You will be surprised though, with 540 calories, this isn’t near as bad as I thought it would be but there are over 32 grams of fat and over 1300 mg of salt. Let’s face it, this does not embrace a clean eating plan!

Would you ever try this thing? What’s the most unhealthy fast food you have ever had in your life?

I will admit when I was a gymnast, and still under 100 lbs I could down a Big Mac no problem. But I am proud to say I have touched McDonald’s in over 10 years!

Oxygen magazine is my favorite women’s fitness magazines… I will admit I don’t often agree with the workouts they post (too isolated) but there are always some good statistics, some good recipes and overall it’s a good read. When I first got into figure competitions and really devoted myself to weight training and fitness I got the idea in my head that I would one day be on Oxygen!

Yay! That's me!

No, I haven’t hit that goal yet, but like my fitness goals I have a clear idea in my head of what I want, I have told people my goals and I workout with that magazine cover in my head to help one day make it happen…

Anyways, I am one step closer. I made it inside the magazine for my infamous ratatouille recipe. I even have a picture! This might be trivial to some but to me it represents my hard work, and my overall desire to hit my goal. Anyways… if nothing else pick up a copy of this month’s May Oxygen and try out my recipe!

Then just be ready when one day you see Taylor Ryan on that cover! SWEET!

That’s my goal… what are some of yours? Sharing goals and dreams helps to spark the motivation fire beneath you and helps to push you to take action!

I read this story yesterday and it made me sick to my stomach, annoyed and quite frankly p-offed. Sorry to be so blunt but you know that is the way I roll!

There was a recent article published on Fox News reporting on a women who not only wishes she were fatter but has a life goal of weighing 1000 pounds. Yea you read that right, this lady wants to weight 1/2 a ton. She sees her body and thinks it isn’t big enough… that the fatter she is the sexier she is.

I would call that fatorexia… she wants to be fat. In fact just to give some inside details on the life of Miss Donna Simpson, she eats 12,000 calories a day and can’t walk more than 20 feet without needing an electric wheelchair.

Donna Simpson

That sad part is that people are paying her to be grotesquely obese… Donna runs a website where men pay to watch her eat and see pictures of her in bikinis. I don’t give her full justice though… here’s what she has to say:

“I love eating and people love watching me eat,” she says. “It makes people happy, and I’m not harming anyone.”

Not only does it make me feel sad that she thinks like this but it makes me angry that men out there condone this activity and encourage her… basically they are supporting her to end her life early. Some may say they are encouraging her to commit suicide.

Strong words yes, but living a life like this isn’t living a life. It’s putting Donna Simpson’s life in danger.

Fatorexia… Is Wanting To Be Fat A Disease?

Do I think she is sick? You better believe it. I think she is just as bad off as someone who has anorexia. Donna claims she’s normal and healthy, and she has a right to eat what she wants and weigh what she wants… but with anorexics do they have the right to eat and weigh what they want? No, most have interference from family and legal matters happen where they are put into therapy and hospitalization even if they don’t want it…

So should Donna be made to take actions towards losing weight?

She isn’t hurting just herself by being morbidly obese afterall…

Her obese weight is hurting your wallet too, your taxes that is!

Donna’s crazy eating habits and desire to weight 1000 pounds lead to health issues such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, immobility (she’s practically there now), breathing issues, heart failre and inflammation of heart tissue…

Just to name a few.

“Obesity causes a minimum $1,429 increase, or 42 percent in medical costs,” Emmer said. “Research shows lifestyle choices and behaviors drive 87.5 percent of the cost for health care claims.”

Does she make money… unfortunately yes. By being fat! Donna runs a website based business that allows men to pay her to watch her eat. Talk about disgusting. I think this is worst than nasty porn!

What She Does To Get Fatter

If taking in 12,000 calories per day wasn’t enough, apparently Donna stays as sedentary as possible so she burns little calories during the day. As for her favorite foods? Well, I can promise you she isn’t living by my clean diet lifestyle.

Her favorite foods include:

1 roll of spicy tuna as 290 calories (=6 pieces)

• Sushi (she downs 70 pieces at a sitting easily)
• Cakes
• Donuts

Let me know your opinions! I want to hear what you think about her 1000 pound quest!

To read the entire article click:

New Jersey Woman Wants to Weigh 1,000 Pounds

Here is something you may not know, and I really haven’t talked about it in the past with many people… but I battle with anxiety. Not that this is something I am ashamed of, after all 40 million Americans have to battle with the disease. The older I get the more comfortable I get with it… I was diagnosed at 15 and of course as a teenager I thought I was rare and crazy.

Here is the thing though… I have not been on anxiety medicine in over 5 years. And my doctor is fine with it. My lifestyle is my medicine! I keep my anxiety under control (well, most of the time) with regular exercise and a healthy diet. Sure there are times when I have mini flair ups, for example this past week was crazy…

My soon to be in-laws were meeting my family for the first time, I was juggling wedding plans, planning for their visit, preparing a 4 course meal for six and working 3 jobs.. so you can see why I was a bit on edge this week and yes I did have a panic attack or two but this is normally rare.

The Big Exercise And Anxiety Report

The reason I am talking about this, is because a new report was just published that I loved to read!

Out of 3,000 patients with anxiety those that exercised regularly saw a 20% or more reduction in their anxiety symptoms. Now, I am not suggesting that you stop your meds tomorrow and go lift weights by any means but this has helped for me… it also helps to have a great support system like Dan who can see when I am on edge and helps to calm me down.

‘”Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious,” said lead author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology, part of the UGA College of Education.’

This is straight from the report which I will post below. The specific anxiety symptoms that were relieved with exercise were: feelings of worry, apprehension, and nervousness… pretty much every symptom! haha… I also have had less stomach issues… less butterflies!

So if you’re stressed… get to the gym! Just 30 minutes working out can help you out! If you need help with a workout, just use the one below! It’s great for getting the anxiety out.

Weight Training Anxiety Workout

Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps… This is a superset workout… do exercise 1 and then straight to exercise 2… rest 60 seconds this completes one set.

1. BB Cleans
2. Incline Bench Press

1. Cable High Rows
2. Cable Shoulder Press

1. BB Deadlift (straight leg)
2. Calf raises

Read the article: Regular Exercises Relieves Anxiety Symptoms