Today’s blogger: Marissa Stephenson, Shape’s assistant fitness editor

Amid the deadline frenzy last week, our office got a special treat: a visit from five-time Olympic-medalist Nastia Luikin. She told us how she prepped for Bejing—and it took much more time than I had ever imagined. Nastia spent seven hours a day (six days a week) in the gym! Two hours were dedicated to strength training and cardio, and during the other five hours she perfected her balance beam, uneven bars, and floor routines.
When I asked her if performing for millions of viewers (especially during that nail-biting night of the women’s all-around gold) made her nervous, Nastia didn’t even blink. “I shut everything else out and just threw myself into my routines,” she said. “It was like I was in my own little world.”
Since topping the podium, Nastia’s spent four months on a whirlwind 37-city gymnastics tour. She took this month off from training (but she still runs and does the elliptical several times a week), and she’ll be back in the gym come January. And what does she like to do most during her precious minutes of downtime? “I’m reading the Twilight novels,” she says. Yep, even elite athletes are hooked on the vampire-love series.
     Thanks for stopping by, Nastia—and good luck in 2009!

(That's Shape's assistant managing editor Kristen Maxwell on the left, Nastia in the middle, and me on the right.)

 

Today's blogger: Janet Lee, Shape's deputy editor

I can’t decide if I like all the pressure that comes with January 1 and the whole resolution frenzy or not. Part of me looks forward to the clean-slate feeling of starting over with renewed energy and optimism. The other part of me doesn’t want to put so much importance on goals set at a certain time of year (you can make resolutions all year long!). So in 2009, I’ve decided to tackle a new resolution each month, instead of front-loading them all in January.

First up: Reinvigorate my workout routine. As an editor at Shape and a certified trainer, I realize there are dozens of ways to accomplish this. But I’m planning to do three things that I know will help me reach some ongoing, long-term goals, which are to keep my weight in check as I head into my 40s and fight stress. Here’s how I’ll jazz up my exercise program:

1. I’m going to commit to weight training two days a week (I’ve let myself slide with just one weekly session and that’s not enough for me). I need to keep my metabolism revved.
2. I’m going to do two or three interval cardio workouts a week (group cycling, my all-time favorite type of exercise, will help me notch those). More and more research points to the health and fitness benefits of high-intensity exercise.
3. I’m going to take a restorative yoga class once a week. This should deliver the knock-out punch to stress and it will help loosen up my desperately tight hips.

That seems like a reasonable list and it’s in line with what experts recommend when making resolutions: They’re attainable, specific, and tie into some very important life goals. To help ensure my success, I’m going to start ASAP so I don’t wake up on January 1 with this huge overblown expectation looming over me (“If you don’t go to yoga class you’ve failed!”

What are your exercise resolutions?

The temps are dropping (yes, even in L.A.) and I’m in need of a snow day. When I was a kid that meant two things: watching the Price is Right and sledding down the hill on First Street (which, 25 years later, looks pretty darn flat.)

But now cold temps make me think of snowboarding. I took my first lesson a few years ago and loved it, but I didn’t get on the snow again until last January—and it wasn’t as fun as I’d remembered. Learning a new sport in your thirties is frustrating, and there were bruises, burns, face-plants, and tears as I tumbled down the beginner slopes at The Canyons in Park City, Utah. But in February—when I took my third lesson at Stowe in Vermont—I did a successful S curve down an intermediate slope, and I was hooked. So this year I’m determined to master riding—or at the very least tackle those intermediate runs without a 19-year-old instructor cheering me on.

While I’m yapping about getting back on a board, I have to share my best gear find from last winter. Check out these waterproof Level Butter¬fly gloves ($85; levelgloves.com). They have removable wrist guards (when you fall as much as I do, they’re a must), goggle-cleaning fingertips, and cinch strings for a snug fit.
 
 

Today’s blogger: Marissa Stephenson, Shape’s assistant fitness editor

On Saturday I was lying on the couch, trying to get motivated to work out. I thought about my typical routine—a few free-weight exercises, a half-hour on the elliptical, and two sets of crunches—and nixed the trip to the gym altogether because it sounded so blah. I needed new ideas, stat! So I did some digging and found three nifty Web sites that can breathe some new life into my workout—and yours. Check them out, and let me know if you’ve found any cool ones lately.

ibootonthego.com For $30, you can download a 45-minute video bootcamp workout to your computer or MP3 player. Two trainers demonstrate the cardio and strength moves, while a voice-over tells you what to do. It’s just as effective as a live class, but you can do it anywhere.

UltimatePilatesWorkouts.com This site lets you download free photos and descriptions of mat Pilates moves. Choose a few, then mix up the order every time you work out.

Usatf.org/routes Use the “Running Route” feature to search for trails near you or map a run (or walk) you’ve already done to find out the distance. (On Sunday I strolled from 86th Street and Lexington Avenue to Union Square, and that’s 3.5 miles—not too shabby for window-shopping in Manhattan.)