I always have a few reusable ice packs in my freezer to help numb workout-related aches and dull my migraines (I actually sleep with one in my pillowcase when my head is really throbbing.) In my decade-long hunt for a great pack, I’ve discovered that the ones that stay cold the longest don’t mold to your body—they’re usually just stiff blocks of ice—and the comfy gel-filled ones warm up too quickly. So I was psyched to find Peas Cold Therapy (from $6; cvs.com), a plastic filled with hundreds of squishy plastic balls. (If you’ve ever used a bag of frozen veggies to soothe a bruise, you get the name.) I used it on my pounding head last night, and it was much comfier than the rock-hard ice pack I’d been using—and it stayed cold just about as long. Looks like my old ice packs have been demoted to picnic duty.

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

My iPod is just as essential to a cardio workout as a sports bra, and of course I push harder when it’s cranking out something with a quick pace like M.I.A.’s “Boyz” as opposed to Peter Frampton’s mellow “Baby I Love Your Way.”

Choosing the right music for a session is as easy as matching a song’s cadence—or its beats per minute (bpm)—to the pace you want to keep. When you handpick songs based on their tempos (instead of just listening to a hodgepodge of tunes you like) your music becomes a motivational tool.

When I put together a running mix, I start with a warm-up song that’s between 80 and 100 bpm. Then I add three or four songs that are 130 bpm—a pace where I’m pushing hard, but can still carry on a conversation—and slip in a few 160-bpm songs for fast-paced intervals. I cap off my playlist with another 80- to 100-bpm tune to cool down.

You can find the bpm for songs in your library by downloading the free software at mixmeister.com and potionfactory.com or searching for songs on bpmdatabase.com. To calculate a song’s bpm on your own, follow this formula: Count the number of beats during a 15- second segment, then multiply that value by four.

If your workout mixes aren’t helping you dig deep, use my ideas to create a new one. Lately I’ve been hooked on songs from Of Montreal and Okkervil River—check them out!

I was on my high-school gymnastics, track, and cheerleading teams, but I never felt more athletic as a teen than when I was working out in my parents’ living room. Sometimes I woke up early to catch exercise shows on TV, but often I did my Kathy Smith step workout tape. To me Kathy was a perfect combo of encouraging “friend” and task master coach—and well, I just really, really wanted to look like her!

So I had a pinch-me moment last week when I met Kathy at her home here in LA.  She was hosting a press event to celebrate the launch of her new DVD, Total Body Lift.  Over lunch, she chatted about everything from her website (kathysmith.com) to how she continues to stay at the top of the fitness game at the beautiful age of—wait for it—57.

It turns out Kathy’s workout philosophy is a lot like my own: everything in moderation. She still does high-intensity workouts like running, but she doesn’t do them every day. She stressed how a balanced fitness plan—one that includes cardio, strength, and flexibility—in your 20s and 30s will ensure you stay fit and injury free in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. (It’s something I wish my friends who are hooked on running marathons, and only running marathons, would take to heart.)
Thanks, Kathy, for a fun and inspiring afternoon!
Twenty years later, I still want to look like Kathy Smith!

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

Does mimicking Cirque du Soleil moves qualify as a workout? This week I found out. Three other Shape editors and I took an aerial dance class at the new Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. After a warm-up, our sweet-but-strict instructor, Ivo, led us through a series of mat stretches and had us practice handstands—a good prep, apparently for the moves we’d do later. Then it was stunt time: We took turns shimmying up two strips of thick fabric hanging from the 20-foot ceiling. (Shape’s assistant managing editor, Kristen Maxwell, was a pro at this—check her out in the photo below.) For the next trick, we wrapped the fabric around our wrists to support our bodies and then flipped upside down. (Shape’s copy editor, Juno DeMelo (she’s in green in the photo below), had this move nailed in no time.)
    My favorite part of the class was learning how to “fly.” Ivo wrapped the fabric around my shoulders and waist, then I held the ends and raised my arms out to my sides. I ran until I built up enough momentum to lift my feet and let the fabric support my weight. With my right leg extended in front of me and my left leg behind me, I circled the room about three feet off the floor. I was flying (sort of)!
    My taste of being an aerialist lasted only 90 minutes, but my upper body was sore for the next two days. So to those Vegas performers who do this for hours every day: I salute you.