A certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a bachelor's degree in health education, Nicole loves living a healthy and fit lifestyle and helping others do the same. Nicole was formerly SparkPeople's fitness expert and editor-in-chief, known on the site as “Coach Nicole.” Make sure to explore more of her articles and blog posts.
Read More of 's Blogs:
Habits of Fit People: Find Something Fun
You want to be a fit person, right? That's why I'm sharing my own habits for keeping fit and staying healthy in the ongoing Habits of Fit People series.
Here's one that works for me: Find something fun to do. So why does something like this matter?
Posted 9/2/2008 3:18:18 PM By: : 144 comments 36,348 views
Gear Up: C9 by Champion Sports Bras
The right gear goes a long way in not only motivating you to work out, but also keeping you comfortable enough to finish your exercise session. Women need extra support to work out, and not just from a workout buddy. A great sports bra is a must! These days, they're available in a variety of colors, styles, and materials. But a high price tag often comes with so much innovation.
Posted 8/29/2008 3:00:00 PM By: : 94 comments 22,534 views
Take a Fitness Tip from Alanis Morissette
In a recent interview for Women's Health magazine, Alanis Morissete talks not only about her emotional song-writing, but also her fitness routine. (Who knew that she's finished a few triathlons? Go her!) One of the tips she shares is great advice for any exerciser, whether you want to lose weight, prevent boredom, or just increase your overall fitness level.
Posted 8/28/2008 2:25:02 PM By: : 85 comments 13,565 views
Does It Really? We Test Win High Performance Sports Detergent
I only work out in the high-tech fabrics that wick sweat away and keep me dry. High performance fabrics, like Dri-Fit, Under Armour and Coolmax, are great for lots of reasons—they stand up to countless workouts, they fit well, and they don't get weighed down with sweat like cotton does. But performance fabrics aren't perfect. Over time, they can become stinky and soiled, reeking of sweat even long after the workout (and washing cycle) is over. That's where a new detergent claims to help. Win is a "High Performance Sport Detergent" that's specially formulated to clean, remove odors and fight stains on high performance fabrics. I'm generally skeptical, but I decided to try it out. So does it work?
Posted 8/26/2008 5:00:36 PM By: : 56 comments 53,520 views
Confession: I Gained the Freshman 40
Often, people assume that health and fitness professionals have never had to struggle with their weight. You may think that we love to exercise and must have a natural aversion to all decadent or "sinful" foods, too. But that couldn't be further from the truth—at least for me. I was fit as a child and teen, and I am now as an adult. But college was a different story...
Posted 8/24/2008 10:00:00 AM By: : 108 comments 80,286 views
You Asked: Does Lack of Soreness Mean You Aren't Exercising Hard Enough?
SparkPeople member WESTENDGIRL75 recently asked this fitness question: "If I'm not sore the next day after a workout, does that mean I'm not working out hard enough? I used to get sore often, but now I [work] until I'm too tired to complete the exercises with good form, and I still don't get 'sore' then next day? Should I be pushing myself harder, or be happy that my body can handle it?"
Want to hear what I had to say?
Posted 8/22/2008 4:00:44 PM By: : 81 comments 365,804 views
Habits of Fit People: Pack Your Bag
You want to be a fit person, right? That's why I'm sharing my own habits for keeping fit and staying healthy in the ongoing Habits of Fit People series.
Here's one that works for me: Packing my bag. So why does something like this matter?
Posted 8/21/2008 8:44:11 AM By: : 84 comments 35,539 views
Olympic-Themed Fast Food and Soda Commercials
There have been a lot of great commercials airing along with the 2008 Beijing Olympics…including a lot for fast food and soda.
Posted 8/20/2008 1:17:25 AM By: : 86 comments 13,791 views
Does It Really? We Test the Bender Ball
You may have seen late-night infomercials for the Bender Ball and its accompanying workout DVDs, which promise to deliver amazing results for your abs. In fact, one of their selling points is a big graph that says the Bender Ball is 408% more effective than crunches alone. So does it live up to its hype? Find out what I thought after putting it to the test this past weekend.
Posted 8/19/2008 5:57:59 AM By: : 322 comments 141,265 views
Learn to Love Vegetables: 8 Tips
When I became a vegetarian, I could have probably counted the number of fruits and vegetables that had crossed my lips the previous 18 years on two hands.
But things are different these days, and veggies are the highlight of my lunches and dinners. But it wasn't always that way. Like most people, I hated all things green and healthy.
I get questions about this a lot—people calling themselves picky eaters, saying they don't like a single vegetable out there. Take it from a person who was just like you. You CAN learn to like vegetables. And beyond that, you CAN meet your daily quota in a variety of tasty ways.
Here are 8 techniques and tips I used to like vegetables. Try them yourself—you just might be surprised.
Posted 8/17/2008 3:53:02 PM By: : 217 comments 105,852 views
Confession: I Don't Have a Six Pack
Last week, I was leading a group of my SparkPeople co-workers through a 10-minute core workout. Since I teach fitness classes (including Pilates) regularly, most of the exercises we do as a group are pretty easy for me since I’m used to doing them (and usually for much longer than 10 minutes).
The next day my co-worker Rachel, after telling me how she was sore from some of the moves, said, “Your core is so strong! I can’t believe you don’t have a 6 pack!”
Want to hear my reply?
Posted 8/15/2008 6:00:00 PM By: : 219 comments 40,327 views
7 Suggestions Before You Buy Another Fitness DVD
If you’re like me, you probably have a thing for workout DVDs (and if you're old school like me, the VHS tapes, too). Working out with fitness videos can be a nice way to add variety to your routine, try new types of exercise in the comfort and privacy of your own home, and fit in a workout at home when you’re short on time or trying to avoid bad weather.
Over the years, I've amassed quite the collection: yoga, Pilates, cardio dance, jump rope, step aerobics, kickboxing and more. I like to have a wide variety of choices depending on my mood and goals for the day.
But who hasn’t seen a shiny DVD box in the store or online, bought it, and been completely disappointed after trying it? (Raising my hand with you!) You’re not alone—even the best of us can be deceived into buying something that is: too easy, too hard, way too boring, unsafe, really weird or just plain bad.
So for those of you who love to use videos too, here are a few tips so that you don’t waste your money.
Posted 8/14/2008 6:26:51 PM By: : 191 comments 44,800 views
Habits of Fit People: Mark Your Calendar
I recently saw an article talking about the 10 habits of fit people. Sounds interesting, right? Well, some of them were okay, but it's a lot of the same things you hear all the time. Who needs to hear more about "making lasting lifestyle changes," or to "exercise in the morning"? Well, maybe some of us do. But it got me thinking—what are my habits for keeping fit and staying healthy?
Here's one that works for me: Marking my calendar. So why does something like this matter?
Posted 8/14/2008 8:36:30 AM By: : 185 comments 49,065 views
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