By Cindy Prosser

The summer season is upon us and you know what that means – days filled with sun, sand and good friends. But the beach can be for more than just lounging. We’ve put together our favorite beach-focused workouts to help you burn calories and tone your muscles – not to mention get that beach body you’ve always wanted to show off your hot, new one piece swimsuit.

Exercising on the beach can be quite a workout. The unevenness of the sand challenges your body and can help you get a great, full-body workout from your calves to your shoulders (and everything in between). Here are our top six choices for calorie torching workouts that can be done while hanging out on the shoreline in one piece swimwear, the ideal attire for these workouts.

#1: Jumping Rope
Jumping rope isn’t just for kids anymore! According to fitness experts, an adult jumping rope can burn up to 750 calories per hour, all while toning their muscles and strengthening their heart. And best of all, it’s one of the most inexpensive exercises you can do. All you need is a $10 jump rope.

A sandy beach provides a great place to jump rope, thanks to the sandy surface that will challenge your legs and help you improve your balance. Try jumping for 5 minutes, then take a short break. Aim for 15-20 minutes of total jumping.

#2: Land and Sea Drills
This exercise incorporates the sandy beach and beautiful waves all in one swoop. Start on the beach by doing 10 crunches, 10 pushups, and 10 squats. Then, hop up and run toward the water.

Wade into knee-deep water and run along the shoreline for 50 yards, then return to your starting point. Hop back up on the sand and start over with your crunches, pushups, and squats – followed by water running. Do five sets total.

#3: Jumping Planks
Strengthen your core and leg muscles with this great workout that will have you flaunting a six-pack in no time. Start with your hands by your sides, then jump down to a crouching position. Your hands should be holding most of your weight.

Jump your feet back into a plank position, hold for 10 seconds, then hop back to crouching. Jump up. Repeat the whole move 20 times.

#4: Pushup + Leg Lift Combo
All you’ll need for this move is a lawn chair to balance you. Kneel in front of the lawn chair and rest your palms shoulder-length apart on the front of the chair. Slowly straighten your arms and legs, then lift yourself so you’re in a plank pose.

Once you’re in a plank, push both feet up so you’re resting on your toes, then slowly lift your right leg up while pushing your arms down toward the chair. Repeat the pushup with your left leg back and finish as many reps as you can in two minutes.

#5: Triangle Pose
Target your tummy, shoulders, and inner thighs with this challenging pose. Trust us, once you master it, the benefits are ten-fold. Start in push-up pose while making sure your body is in a straight line from head to toe.

Move to a side plank by rotating your body to balance on your left hand and foot, and then extend your right arm straight up in the air. Pulse up and down 5 times, rest, and repeat.

#6: Warrior Tilt
This simple move targets your abs, shoulders, buns, obliques and legs. Start by standing straight up with your heels together (toes turned out) and placing your arms by your sides. Bend your right knee and rest the bottom of your right foot on your left knee. Raise your arms out to your sides at shoulder level.

Next, tilt 45 degrees left so your torso is diagonal and look toward your left hand. Straighten to your starting position and do 8 total reps, then switch sides.

Keep these six workouts in mind if you want a lean, toned body to hit the beach with this summer. Enjoy!

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About the Author:
Cindy Prosser is no stranger to the search for perfect one piece swimsuits, and now that she’s a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer, she is no stranger to needing to find perfect suits at a perfect price in a hurry. Want to make life easier? Pin Bare Necessities on Pinterest and snag the Bare Necessities coupon today!

Did you know that the more you run, the less calories you burn? Of course, you’re going to burn more calories if you run 6 miles versus 2, but per mile, it’s a different story. Running is an incredible workout, and can certainly help you burn tons of calories and lose weight, but the more miles you run, the more efficient your body becomes at running…and that means you’re burning fewer calories.

In other words, you’ll hit a plateau, and have to keep running further and faster to get the same results. The best thing you can do for your runs is to add intervals – short bursts of intense exercise followed by a recovery period. Instead of running at the same pace, for the same distance, you need to switch it up and get off of cruise control! That means jog for 2 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, and repeat. Or crank up the incline every 3 minutes if you’re running on a treadmill. Your body has to work harder to get through those intense bursts, burning more calories during the workout, and additional calories even after your sweat session.

Thats right, interval training helps you continue to burn calories long after your workout is over. A study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that women who ran intervals (running hard for two minutes followed by three minutes at a low intensity) burned more calories in the 24 hours following their workouts than those who did slow, steady mileage. AND they lost 4 percent of their body fat in the weeks that followed, while the continuous-pace group didn’t lose any.

Just remember to mix it up – you’re body will get used to the same intervals over time, too. Try longer intervals one day (1-2 minutes of hard running) and short intervals (30 seconds of sprinting) another day, or switch it up with the incline!

Contrary to those high-fructose corn syrup commercials, all sugar is not created equal! According to a new study published in the Journal of Physiology, high-fructose corn syrup causes changes in brain function. And don’t think just because you avoid candy and soda that you’re not affected – you need to read this, too! The processed sweetener is slipped in everything from ketchup and bread to “healthy foods,” too. In fact, the American consumes 40 pounds of it every year!

Researchers at UCLA found that ingesting foods and drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup for just six weeks caused some troubling changes in brain function. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and integrative biology and physiology at UCLA. “Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.”

According to Rodale, researchers studied two groups of rats: One group downed high-fructose corn syrup in water for six weeks; another dined on high-fructose corn syrup but also received doses of brain-protecting omega-3 fatty acids. Both groups of rats were trained to navigate a maze before given their new diets. After eating the sweetener for six weeks, they were given the maze test again, and the results are astounding.

The rats that didn’t receive the omega-3 brain protection were slower and experienced problems with brain signaling, disrupting critical skills like memory and thinking. Researchers also saw signs of insulin resistance in this group, which could hamper normal energy processing, impacting thoughts, emotions, memory, and learning, according to Gomez-Pinilla. “Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body,” he adds. “This is something new.”

Always read the label before you buy something that could be loaded with high-fructose corn syrup – you never know what it could be lurking in! Opt for organic products when you can; high-fructose corn syrup and other harmful food additives are banned in organic products. And don’t forget about your omega-3s!

Coffee drinkers, go ahead and pour yourself another cup of java! According to a new study – in fact, the largest analysis of the link between coffee consumption and mortality – there’s no need to worry about the amount of coffee you drink. The study published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that coffee drinkers actually had a lower risk of death during the 14-year study.

“I would say it offers some reassurance to coffee drinkers,” said Neal Freedman, a nutritional epidemiology researcher at the National Cancer Institute. “Other studies have suggested a higher risk of mortality with coffee drinking and we didn’t see that in our study.”

The study found that men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower chance of dying during the study period than non-coffee drinkers. For women, the risk was 15 percent lower.

Freedman and his team in NIC’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics reviewed the coffee habits of more than 402,000 healthy people (229,000 men and 173,000 women) between the ages of 50 and 71, including more than 52,000 who died.

And don’t worry if you don’t drink 6 cups of coffee a day; people who drank between two and five cups of coffee daily also appeared to have lower risk, Freedman says. He also admits that his study is an observational study, and cannot say whether or not coffee in itself is the cause of decreased risk of death. There could be something in the act of making, serving, or drinking coffee that protects people from death, or perhaps it’s the high level of antioxidants in coffee. This study doesn’t have the answer.

In the meantime, enjoy that cup (or two or three) of coffee!

Jane Fonda, is that you!? The 74-year-old looked half her age at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and that in itself wins the Hollywood actress the title of Best Dressed.

She wore an Atelier Versace bronze gown that hugged her slim frame in all the right places. Seriously…74??

She definitely stole the show, but, of course, there were a few other Hollywood starlets who didn’t look to shabby either.

Runner-up goes to Eva Longoria, who wore a beautiful backless mermaid-style gown with a long feathered train. She always gets it right!

Sketchers Shape-Ups won’t get you in shape after all. Surprising? NO! Especially because they were endorsed by Kim Kardashian.

According to TMZ, the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) has determined Skechers made unfounded claims about its sneakers, ruling that the company’s “clinical studies” that proved their sneakers helped people lose weight and tone their butt, leg, and abs were lies, and now Sketchers has to pay up!

In fact, if you were fooled into buying a pair of Shape-Ups, you may be able to get your money back. Skechers has agreed to pay $40 million in settlement costs, but is set on disputing the FTC’s decision. They plan on conducting more “studies” to prove their sneakers do, in fact, work.

Stop looking for the quick fix – it doesn’t work and it certainly isn’t worth it! Do your research and get the best pair of sneakers for your foot type; hit the pavement and put the hard work in. Nothing you wear is going to magically help you lose weight.

And get your money back if you bought a pair!

Molly says, “The shower was a gorgeous garden lunch hosted by some of my closest girlfriends and planned by the amazing Stephanie Cove and Yifat Oren.” The shower was held at Oren’s LA area home. Friends made special gifts for Molly and baby Sims-Stuber including a super-custom mixed essential oil made by all of the guests with their love and best wishes for the special delivery! Read more about the extraordinary “letters to baby boy” project that Molly, Scott and their son will remember for the next 50 or so years (literally) at MillySims.com.

Molly teases, “I’ve got some more shower surprises coming soon… Check back next week for a chance to win the amazing Layla Grayce goodie bag all of my guests received!”

Jeff Lamm designed this cover for the brand spanking new look of CLUTTER MAGAZINE and states, “This illustration was very fun for me to draw. I was excited to be asked to do it. I enjoy icons of mid-century modern architecture, in this case the London Postal Tower. Such a strange phallic symbol piercing the sky, covered in a weird array of antennae. I did the original in pencil first on marker paper, did a light box transfer for the inks and added colors digitally. I’m pretty sure I did not make monster noises out loud whilst drawing it. All three monsters in the illustration are also toys I have in production. Grease bat (on the left) M5 Bravo (hugging the tower) and Stee-Gar (on all fours). ”

Tyra Banks supports Vogue’s new Health Initiative for models, and has even gone a step further to show how important the new initiative is in an industry where “there’s no such thing as being too thin, as long as you don’t pass out.”

She’s written an open letter to all models, applauding Vogue’s new rules and regulations, and even talks about her own experience dealing with the pressures to be thin.

She writes:

“To models around the world, I want to celebrate Vogue’s recent groundbreaking announcement. The editors of Vogue’s 19 international editions have pledged to ban models from their pages who “appear to have an eating disorder,” to create healthy backstage working conditions, as well as several other revolutionary initiatives. This calls for a toast over some barbecue and burgers!

When I started modeling, I used to see models who seemed unhealthy backstage at fashion shows. They appeared to be abusing their bodies to maintain a certain weight. These girls were booked over and over again for countless fashion shows and photo shoots. I’m sure many of you today have witnessed this, or even live it. Now, real progress is finally on the horizon. Vogue is stepping up, doing the right thing, and protecting that girl. Perhaps that girl is you!

People get upset with you if you’re a very thin model. What many don’t know is that a certain sample size has been set by the industry, and you’re doing everything in your power to keep working. At times, I feel there’s an unspoken rule that says, ‘there’s no such thing as being too thin, as long as you don’t pass out.’

In my early 20s I was a size four. But then I started to get curvy. My agency gave my mom a list of designers that didn’t want to book me in their fashion shows anymore. In order to continue working, I would’ve had to fight Mother Nature and get used to depriving myself of nutrition. As my mom wiped the tears from my face, she said, ‘Tyra, you know what we’re going to do about this? We’re going to go eat pizza.’ We sat in a tiny pizzeria in Milan and strategized about how to turn my curves into a curveball. In a way, it was my decision not to starve myself that turned me into a supermodel, and later on, a businesswoman.

On America’s Next Top Model, I mentor girls on television. When that TV goes off, I actually mentor other girls in the modeling industry—girls that have not been on Top Model, but who appear in Vogue worldwide. On late night calls, I console them as they confide in me about their bodies maturing, and not being able to fit into sample sizes anymore. Now I know you all will still call me for advice, but I don’t think there will be as much of: ‘I’m hungry, Tyra, and I’m tired. But I still want to do runway and high-fashion work. I want to stay on top.” With Vogue’s new mandates, things, I hope, will now change for the better.’”

Read the rest of Tyra’s letter here!

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Heidi Klum is one of those women who just seems to look better with age; it’s easy to forget the supermodel is 38 years old, not to mention has had four children! So, who better than the ‘The Body’ to turn to for tips on getting in shape for bikini season!?

The star revealed how she gets ready for bikini season and more in an interview with Elle magazine. Here are a few highlights!

Her tips for getting in shape for bikini season:

“I actually exercise more in the summer, when I’m in New York, because my kids don’t have to go to school. When we’re in Los Angeles it’s harder to sneak away for an hour in the morning because I have to get them ready and feed them breakfast, and drive them to school. And then, after they go to school, I go to work. In the summer, though, I have an extra hour to myself. I usually run between 7 and 8 a.m.

Eating healthy helps too. For me, it’s definitely more about food than exercising because I don’t have enough to time to exercise—or maybe that’s just an excuse, I don’t know! If you don’t have a lot of time to exercise you have to be stricter about your diet. That’s what I do. I cut out a lot of carbs—you know, muffins, cakes, breads, toast, and spaghetti—and try to eat more vegetables, lean meats, and fish.”

The supermodel’s favorite healthy meal:

“I like crispy baked chicken, fennel salad, kale salad—it’s yummy. I also like chicken vegetable soup. I eat that a lot, but without noodles. I’ll cook the noodles separately and add them to the kids’ bowls, but I’ll only eat the soup.”

What she keeps in her purse for red carpet events:

“When I go to an event, I’ll take a little container of loose powder and blotting papers. I usually take blotting papers by Victoria’s Secret or Johnson & Johnson—they don’t have to be fancy ones. There are some out there with gold pieces in them and all this kind of stuff, but you really just need something to reduce shine. After I take the sweat and oil off my face with blotting paper, I’ll use this tiny Shu Uemura brush to apply powder. Oh, and I also bring snacks! Snacks are very important because sometimes you’ll sit somewhere at an awards show for hours. Chewing on a Power Bar can be good.”

Diets are confusing, frustrating, and certainly difficult to stick to sometimes! The problem is, there are so many different diet programs out there with contradicting rules, like “no carbs after four, eat every 3 hours, eat once a day, no fruit, no gluten,” – which makes it pretty difficult to know what’s actually true and what’s not!

That’s why it’s so important to avoid fad diets and stick to a healthy eating plan that you can stick to long-term. You’re less likely to fall victim to the many diet myths out there when you learn proper nutrition!

So what are these dieting myths?

Dr. Oz pinpoints a few of what he says are four of the most common dieting mistakes that hinder your progress. Do you fall victim to any of these dieting mistakes?!

Thinking Gluten-Free Means Low-Calorie
Contrary to popular belief, going on a gluten-free diet doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose weight. Processed gluten-free foods can be loaded with sugar and oil to replace the gluten, adding excess calories to your diet. Always read the nutrition label carefully, but to be safe, it’s best to just avoid the processed stuff all together and go gluten-free the natural way, instead. There are plenty of whole foods that are naturally gluten-free, like amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa and teff, says Dr. Oz.

You Go Overboard on Fruit
Not all fruit is created equal; in fact, it can do more harm than you think! Some fruits are low on the glycemic index because of their high fiber content, but others are much higher – causing spikes in blood sugar that can lead to insulin resistance and dysregulation of hunger hormones if consumed in large quantities over time, says Dr. Oz. In other words, it can cause you to gain weight! Stick to one or two pieces of low glycemic fruit a day (like pears and apples), and limit consumption of the fruits high on the index, like melons, pineapple and definitely dried fruit.

Relying Too Heavily on Protein Bars
Many protein bars are just glorified candied bars, with some packing 20-30 grams of sugar! Yikes! Look for bars that have less than 10 grams of sugar, and if it’s a snack, make sure it has less than 200 calories – ideally around 120-150.

Juice as a Go-To Drink
Sure, juice is a better choice than soda, but not by much. Juice is still packed with sugars, and more often than not, people will consume more than the suggested 8 –ounce servings, adding hundreds of calorie to their diet. Try drinking water with fruit slices in it for a little extra flavor without all the calories.

Want to look sexy while you’re working out? Sammi Sweetheart has your back! The Jersey Shore star is coming out with her very own line of workout clothes called Sexy Sweetheart. She describes the line as including the basics: “Sports bras, yoga pants, and jackets.” But with some rhinestones and a little cleavage, perhaps?

It may seem silly to try and look sexy while working out, and if you’re partaking in a particularly intense sweat-session you may want to avoid anything low-cut, but studies do show that people are more likely to exercise when they feel good about how they look and what they’re wearing. Think about it: Don’t you find that you’re just a little bit more excited to go for a run when you buy a new pair of sneakers or a new cute pair of yoga pants?

“I think if you look good, you feel good,” Sammi told OK magazine. So what kind of routine is Sammi following to look so good?

“I try to run outside as much as I can. I take my dog for walks all the time. I go to the gym, play indoor soccer [which she played growing up] with friends every week. I try and keep busy and lift some weights and do cardio as much as I can…but I’ll alternate doing legs one day, arms one day, doing my abs. I try and switch it up as much as I can.”

Sounds like she knows what she’s doing!

No word yet on when you’ll be able to do get your hands on her sexy line, but stay tuned!