Blog Posts by ExerciseTV

By Laurel House

Gamers and hermits rejoice: you can now workout, all alone, with your game console as your trusty, informative, educational, motivational, inspirational sidekick… kind of like having a best friend, personal trainer, and support group all in one (but you never have to go to the gym, or leave your house)! You can even join virtual communities where you truly can be inspired and supported by a living human being, without ever having to bother with interacting with them in person! How? Video games! Yup, they're not just mind and time-sucking machines anymore. They are also fat-dropping, muscle-toning total-gyms!

Video games can play a major role in your exercise routine- and you don't even have to buy expensive fitness equipment or drop a grand on a gym membership. And here's the cool thing: there's a game to suit every fitness level, interest, and time constraint.

Here are a few of the best when it comes to weight loss:

1. Zumba Fitness: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii-

By Laurel House

Exercise, Muddle, Shake, Spank It...Make Your Own Fat-Burning Herbal Cocktails

You count your calories, exercise, and even take the stairs instead of the escalator. Then you go out, order a salad (dressing on the side) and a Margarita (550 cal), White Russian (715 cal), or a Cosmo (even that weighs in at 200 calories!). Whether you're watching your weight or not, is one measly drink really worth the potential calorie bomb? Instead of negating your entire exercise routine/workout (and that's just the beginning of the damage), infuse your booze with mixers that not only taste good, but have health benefits too. Herbs.

"Sex and the City" popularized the Cosmo. Bethenny Frankel brought the Skinnygirl Margarita. Now it's all about Herbal Cocktails. Though, according to Sang Yoon, Chef/Owner of the cult-favorite gastropub Father's Office in Los Angeles, and Lukshon- his new Southeast Asian restaurant known for its use of niche herbs and ingredients that

By Laurel House

I don't get why tabloid magazines continue to "expose" celebrities with cellulite when the fact is that 85% of women- both fat and thin, have it! Another little-known fact about cellulite: it's not fat's fault. Which is actually bad news because since it's not a fat problem, dieting and exercise is not the curative… but it can help minimize the appearance and fight it off before it attacks in the first place.

Cellulite is free-floating fat cells that have penetrated a weakened lattice of connective tissue bands separating the layer of normal fat from the dermis (the middle layer of skin), and have become trapped just below the surface of the skin. There are 3 causes of the sticky stuff:

-Hormones (which is why men infrequently get it)

-Genetics (Thanks a lot mom!)

-Lifestyle (that's all on you).

Similar to diabetes and hypertension, despite its prevalence, doctors have yet to find a definitive cure for cellulite. However, they

By Laurel House

Every time you fly, you are "supposed" to read the safety booklet that outlines "what to do if…" If you are with your child during an emergency situation and the oxygen masks are deployed, you're supposed to place the mask over your nose and mouth before reaching for your child's mask. Why? If you are focused on helping your child and you become unconscious, you are no longer any help to either you or your child.

On a daily basis, do you take time to take care of yourself? If you're sick, do you allow yourself time to heal? If you're tired, do you rest? When you're hungry, do you feed yourself with healthy, nutritious food? When your muscles ache, do you take a bath? Or do you go go go regardless of feeling sick, tired or hungry?

Now imagine that your muscles are so sore from running around all day doing errands that you can hardly walk, you're sniffling and your head is spinning from coming down with a sleep-deprivation ignited cold, and you are so hungry that you

By Laurel House

Is it lame that, at 33 years old, I can look back at my life and say that the 8th grade was the worst year of my life? It was in the 8th grade that I had to walk around holding my waist band to make sure that I wasn't "pants'd"- having my pants pulled down while walking across the school yard. I made sure that I wasn't alone when walking anywhere for fear of being "trashed"- being thrown in the trash can. I carried important books and anything private in my backpack at all times in case my locker being vandalized, its innards strewn throughout the halls. I didn't go out with friends on weekends- really because I didn't have any. And I never told my parents what was going on, but made excuses like "I don't feel well" or "I'm tired" when they wanted to take me to the movies or even shopping. To this day, when someone hangs up on me when I pick up the phone I am sure it's a "prank call" and I have flashbacks to back then. Yes, those playground pranks have long-term

by Laurel House


Something seems to be in the air. A cloud, a funk, a something that is making me, and so many others feel depressed lately. Last week I had a particularly bad day when that last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. I just lay there, blinds drawn, in the dark for hours. My dog patiently sat at the door watching me. I knew I needed to walk her. But I felt like I couldn't. Without listening to my inner voice, I decided that I just had to move my body.
I grabbed my dog's leash and the two of us started off on a power walk to brighten my mood. A few blocks into our walk a group of literally hundreds of women started streaming towards and past me. It was a walk to benefit breast cancer awareness. I turned my lips up into a smile as an offering for one glum looking woman, thinking she needed a little mood lifting. She smiled back. And then I smiled back- for real this time. And her smile broadened. By the end of my walk I had shaken my funk. My mind was clearer, my

By Laurel House


March Madness is typically a very manly man's main event (not that plenty of us chicks don't also get great thrill watching the games) accompanied by typical "guy's foods"- overflowing plastic cups of beer, mac n' cheese pizza, nachos, and buffalo wings. But this year we're taking a different approach- vegan. Believe me, it's not so crazy. It's something that celebrity chef, author of "Vegan Family Meals" and vegan restaurant owner Ann Gentry sees every day in her hot LA eater Real Food Daily. "Even tough guys can be vegan! I see them chow down on the RFD nachos. Who doesn't love foods that are crunchy with warm gooey cheese topped with hot and spicy?"

Watch Kendra Wilkinson show off her favorite sports moves on ExerciseTV.


When it comes to athletes, some naysayers, well, say nay to a vegan diet because they believe it lacks the nutrients to support such high-output activities. Not so, claims Brendan Brazier, Ironman athlete (finished twice in the top 15 at Ironman

By Laurel House

It's hard to just sit here and watch the news reports of the devastation in Japan without feeling the need to do something. But what? Here are 5 ways to help the victims and also do a thing or two for yourself to support your fit lifestyle. Do good for others and do good for your body, too.

1. Fitness Bank
This month, every time you do something good for yourself (like… workout, choose the lowfat over the whole fat ice cream, order the grilled chicken breast instead of the chicken alfredo, fulfill your 8 glasses of daily water intake, or do an extra Daily 100 to boost your calorie burn), drop a dollar into your Fitness Bank. $1 here, another $1 there might not seem like much at the time, but it adds up. At the end of the month, donate all of that cash to a charity that goes directly to help aid the relief efforts and support the victims. Encourage your friends to do it too! Challenge them to see who can stash the most Fitness Cash. Post the call to action on your