Meditate Your Stress Away

The economy’s not good. The weather’s making us sick. The holidays are creeping up on us before we’re ready. Do we need any more reasons to get away? And yet, sadly, we cannot take a break. (Not the kind we really want, anyway, which leaves us with a tan and a piña colada buzz.) But what we can do is learn to manage our stress through meditation. Exhale Spa is offering us complimentary meditation classes through the month of November. Every Monday from 1:30 pm to 2 pm, guided sessions will teach us to use acupressure, aromatherapy, and stretching to relieve our stress and worry. Call 214-370-5800 to schedule a reservation. Hotel Palomar. 5300 East Mockingbird Lane. http://www.exhalespa.com/locations/dallas/

Tuesday Night is Zumba Night at the Hilton Anatole

Shake your bon bon right off every Tuesday night at the hour-long Zumba class offered in the swanky Verandah Club at the Hilton Anatole. If you’ve missed the craze, Zumba is the high-energy Latin dance-inspired workout program that’ll boost your heart rate while inspiring saucy moves on the dance floor. It’s like a two-for. Two-for Tuesdays! The VC is normally a private fitness club, but non-members can drop in for $16 (plus tax). Tuesdays at 5:30.

Morning Workout Sans iPod Makes ShopTalker Grumpy

My pink iPod mini circa 2005 just doesn’t hold juice like it used to. So when it died this morning before I burned a single calorie, I may not have been shocked, but I was still saddened. I almost bailed on the workout altogether, but then I remembered that there was life before the iPod—and I lived it. In fact, I remember power walking with a Sony Discman, for goodness’ sake! Remember those? Pearl Jam never sounded so sweet. But that’s not the point. The point is I finished the workout with no music blaring in my ears. And it was miserable! The minutes creeped by. So what should I do? Buy one of these? Get over it? Bring back the Discman in case of emergency? Talkers, what do you think? Is it time to ditch the mini?

Pamper Your Fanny

Exhale Spa’s got it right with this event: “Get Your Rear In Gear.” I love breathing in Child’s Pose, stretching in the Downward Facing Dog, aligning my chakras, and all that jazz, but let’s get to the point. What I really need is a firmer tush to get me through the fall season’s best pants. On Wednesday, October 22, the spa is teaming up with experts from the Blues Jean Bar to provide us with a wealth of knowledge—and goodies. The class will teach techniques for shaping and toning the lower body. The Blues Jean Bar pros will tell us about the latest and greatest trends and styles. The spa will send us off with a gift bag full of Exhale Spa product samples and coupons to the Blues Jean Bar. And the whole thing’s FREE. Enjoy! The BJB trunk show starts at 9 am. The class begins at noon. To register, go to www.exhalespa.com/locations/dallas or call 214-370-5800.

Are You Ready For Prime Time?

Deion and Pilar Sanders, who have done all sorts of things during their respective careers but who stand out in my mind only for this shining example of reality television, are offering a free sample of their Prime Time Power Workout. On October 1 and 2 from 10-11:30 am, Deion and Pilar will be on hand at Integrated Athletic Development in Carrollton to lead a 60-minute workout that is said to feature the latest, most innovative training techniques for both men and women. There’s also a special workout from 11:30 am-12:30 pm designed for the over-50 set.

Gotta love yoga!

I started yoga a couple of weeks ago with my husband and my friend Susie. We have been attending Bishop Arts Yoga, and we love it! The studio is small and welcoming. Instructor Steven Grillo is knowledgeable and helpful. He doesn’t even get angry that I can’t do tree without falling over or that I have the attention span of a goldfish. Why should you be interested? He is offering a one-year unlimited plan for only $699 until Sept. 30th. That’s a pretty sweet deal! Don’t want to commit without trying out the studio? He offers a 10-day intro plan for just $10.

Hilton Anatole Gym Gets A Makeover

The Hilton Anatole Hotel today announced the grand reopening of its massive fitness center, the Verandah Club. The 80,000-square-foot private fitness club boasts $340,000 worth of new equipment, including treadmills, bikes, step machines, and elliptical trainers—all equipped with LCD TV monitors. (Get a glimpse of that workout room. I feel skinnier just looking at it!) Learn more about the club here. And look for a new spa opening later in the year.

Re: Get Fit, Lose Shirt With Terrell Owens

In conjunction with T.O.’s release of Finding Fitness, he’ll be making the rounds doing book signings and meeting fans. Jump for the full list of area events. (more…)

Get Fit, Lose Shirt With Terrell Owens

When Jennifer dropped by my desk the other day with a copy of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens’ new self-help book, I thought about reading it. I really did. But the unexpected pictorial I found inside T.O.’s Finding Fitness: Making the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection for Total Health distracted me a little. Apparently finding fitness includes going shirtless as much as possible. Here are some of my personal favorites:

• a shirtless T.O. running on the beach
• a shirtless T.O. reading a book at home
• a shirtless T.O. standing under some type of flowing water feature
• a shirtless T.O. doing tai chi by the pool
• a shirtless T.O. standing and smiling in said pool

And that, dear readers, is in addition to the shirtless T.O. on the front cover and the shirtless T.O. on the back cover. The man does have a hot bod, so I can’t say I blame him too much, but that’s a whole lot of shirtless. If you’re interested in actually reading the book, you’ll be able to do so on September 23 when Simon & Schuster releases T.O.’s Finding Fitness into the world. If you follow T.O.’s guidelines, maybe one day you, too, can feel so comfortable sans top.

How To Personalize Your Yoga Mat

You knew this was coming: a customizable yoga mat–and it’s sustainable too! Yogamatic mats are made from biodegradable TPE, or Thermo Plastic Elastima, which doesn’t contain latex, rubber, or toxic materials. Plus, they’re pretty. You can pick from a gallery of artwork or upload your own image. The compostable mats are printed with water-soluble ink, and 5% of profits from each mat sold benefit Global Green. Celebrity fans include Kate Bosworth, Molly Sims, and Kate Hudson–so you can improve your health and well-being, help save the planet, and act like a celeb doing it. Namaste.

Re: FitFlops Sound Like Something Someone Should Try And Tell Me How It Works

Hey, Sarah. I’ve tried the MBT shoes, and while I could definitely tell a difference in my legs while I walked–there is something about the rounded bottoms that makes you work a little harder to stay balanced, so you truly feel like you are getting a good workout–the sneakers tore up my ankles! I had the worst blisters! I kept thinking (praying?) I would break them in, but I never did, so I can’t say that my cellulite was reduced, although with enough exercise of any form, you’re going to reduce the cellulite on your legs. (Funny how that works.) I would definitely try those FitFlops, because without a back, they can’t give me blisters! I would really love a pair to wear while I hit the pavement in New York for Bridal Market in October.

CMT Brings Back Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Show

We’re a few days late with this news, but CMT has announced that the reality show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team will return for a third season beginning October 4. Also returning will be DCC fitness trainer Jay Johnson, who’s famous for his Boot Camp Fitness Program. In related news, according to this story, Making the Team will follow My Big Redneck Wedding, which will air Saturdays at 8 p.m. this fall. Jennifer, I don’t know about you, but I smell a D Weddings feature. Maybe with a sidebar on duct tape. No? Yeah, you’re probably right.

(Photo by Richie Humphreys)

Sweet Dreams (Not!)

Please pardon this random blog about nothing in particular (like a Seinfeld episode) but I just had to write/rant about my dream last night. And since the subject is beauty-related I thought it would be ok. So I wake up this morning (after a not so restful night sleeping on the couch with my husband because our a/c is broken and the living room is the coolest area in the house) and as I’m going through my normal pre-work routine my dream from last night starts to come back to me: We were going to have a party at our house and I was at the grocery store getting food for it. I remember I was checking the calorie content of all the snack foods to find the least-fattening ones, and I was also worrying about my carb intake.

That’s all I could recollect but it was enough! Can’t I even DREAM without worrying about my weight??? Sheesh! I mean, dreams are supposed to be about sugarplum fairies and winning the lottery, NOT whether or not I’ll fit into my jeans next week! And by the way, I’m not some waif thin stick with anorexic tendencies, or a work out addict. In fact, it takes every ounce of strength I have to get to the gym twice a week. I’m just a regular woman trying to keep my girlish figure. I think about my weight and food as much as the rest of you (which is probably more than any of us would like to admit). Regardless, I was just annoyed that my brain had an opportunity last night to make me a millionaire, or put me on a yacht in the Mediterranean with Brad Pitt, but instead it had me calculating how many Baked Lays I could eat before the butt of my jeans would split.

Oh and p.s. - The a/c repair people called this morning to say they can’t fix our system because it’s raining so we now have to wait until Monday. I wonder what kind of dreams three more restless nights on the couch will bring…probably giant Cheeto’s with legs chasing me through the gym. Stay tuned…

“Best Gym In America” To Open On Oak Lawn

Equinox Fitness, voted the Best Gym in America by Fitness magazine in 2007, is scheduled to open this spring just south of Highland Park. I must say, I was intrigued by what the best gym in America might have to offer, so I calls up the recently-opened membership presales office (214-443-9009, for interested parties) and I says, what have you got that all these other guys ain’t got? And he says, and I’m paraphrasing here, “everything.” Among its amenities, the 45,000-square-foot high-end club has a yoga studio, pilates studio (with pilates equipment), 18 x 25 yard pool, cycling room, 5,400-square-foot muscle endurance area, and 90 pieces of cardio equipment. To that I say, cue the music.

Go for Massage Gold

Texas Massage of Dallas, which you can read more about in an upcoming issue of D Beauty, is gearing up for the 2008 Olympics with a promotion that can make you a winner, too. If you can predict the country with the highest total medal count, you’ll get $15 off your next session. If your country finishes second, you’ll get $10 off, and it’s $5 off if your selection finishes in third place. But that’s not all. A free 60-minute massage goes to the person who can predict the top three countries, in order, for total medal count. The deadline for submissions is Thursday at midnight. E-mail info@texasmassagedallas.com. And be sure to tune in for opening ceremonies on Friday. Winners of the contest will be announced August 25.

Speaking of Exhale Spa’s Core Fusion

During the month of August, Exhale Spa Dallas is offering a new fitness class–Core Fusion Thighs + Gluteals–for free. The one-hour class, part of the popular Core Fusion series (we have friends who swear by it) focuses on shaping and toning the lower body–and who doesn’t need that? Space is limited, so book now for Wednesday afternoon (noon-1 pm) or Thursday evening (7:15-8:15 pm).

From Flabby To Firm

One too many frosty margaritas by the pool this summer, ladies? Yeah, me too. But not to worry, Exhale Spa’s got your back. Tighten and tone in any of the spa’s Core Fusion or Core Energy Flow classes for just $10 a pop every Friday. Those who prefer pilates-esque exercise, go with the former. Yogis, try the latter. Both will reap the benefits of a firmer, fitter physique. Or at least burn enough calories to neutralize Saturday’s vices.