AmazingMFitness.com

I worked in a two-story building my first job out of college. Im embarrassed to admit that I took the elevator 99% of the time both up and down to get to my desk on the 2^nd floor. (1% = taking the stairs due to fire alarms, elevator being serviced)

Fast forward 15 years: Different two-story building and my numbers are reversed. I take the stairs 99% of the time and have for 10 years. (1% = using the elevator to move large boxes & carts)

However, as my desk faces the elevator I have a perfect view as coworkers walk past the stairs and stand waiting for the doors to open actually waiting longer for than elevator then it would to walk down the stairs.

Im sure there are some folks that have difficulty with stairs and need the elevator. But there are many others, like myself 15 years ago, that use the elevator because they are lazy or just havent thought about the benefits of taking the stairs. OK, you dont burn a ton of calories per flight (up to 10 calories a minute) but the benefits quickly add up. Taking the stairs as part of your normal routine helps build stamina, improve cardio and reduce stress.

Taking this active role in your wellbeing may be a baby step to taking on more exercise.

A few weeks ago I was working at our sister newspaper in Fort Lauderdale. The Sun Sentinels newsroom is on the 9^th floor. I thought briefly about taking the stairs one morning, but instantly dismissed the idea as crazy.

How many flights are you willing to walk? And when do you give in and go for the elevator?

Image by Betabrand

Forget the phrase “You are what you eat.” Now it’s “You are how much you eat.”

At least that’s the message given by the new Gluttony Pants, designed (with a sick sense of humor) by San Francisco-based chef and former Iron Chef contestant Chris Cosentino for Betabrand. Gluttony Pants are made with three buttons on the waist to allow for more, how shall I say, wiggle room in your eating experience.

In other words: How piggy are you feeling today?

Each button has an embroidered label for the level of how much “pigging out” you’re in the mood for.

If you’re just planning a minor binge, use the “Piglet” button. Wanting to reject any sense of a diet? Go for the “Sow” button, or worse, the “Boar.” The trousers come with a coordinating burgundy napkin in case things get messy.

As a gag gift or a good conversation piece, these adjustable-waist pants can’t go wrong (though the $100 price tag makes them a bit pricey for white elephant gift exchanges).

But if you’re contemplating the practicality of the one-size-fits-all-appetites pants, you may want to stay far away from this gluttonous garb — and consider your state of mind before next stepping up to the feeding trough.

One thing I love about summer is the freedom I feel to take weekend trips.

I traveled to Juno Beach with friends last week for a quick two-day jaunt and returned feeling rejuvinated. I didnt stick to a normal workout schedule, or even my typical eating plan, while I was there. But dropping my routine for a few days was a welcome change.

After an afternoon at the beach, where we spent more than two hours swimming in the ocean, catching waves and walking the shore, we stopped at a grocery store for a late lunch. I always crave fresh food after time at the beach, so I got a big watermelon to share and half a whole-wheat sub packed with veggies and lean turkey. Nothing particularly special, but it was satisfying and refreshing.

In the two days I was away, I didnt stray so far from the usual healthy that I came back regretting the trip.

Instead, it felt good to break away from life, from the gym and from my so-called diet.

I used to look forward to the days I run- Monday, Wednesday and Saturday- because I could sleep in until 7 a.m. (Tuesday and Thursday I wake up at 5 a.m. to take a spinning class. I know it’s crazy, but I love it!)

However, I have been waking up earlier and earlier in an attempt to beat the heat. I started out hitting the road at 7:30, then 7:00, then 6:30. As summer kicks into high gear, I notice there isn’t that much of a difference between my 6:30 and 7:30 run. It’s just plain hot no matter how early I get up.

I have nothing against sweating. In fact, I love it. I often measure how good a workout I have based on how much I sweat, but there are limits.

I got back from a 3-mile run today and looked like I had spent the morning swimming. I was drenched. I kept a steady pace with an 81/2-minute mile, but felt like I was pushing through a dense fog. My legs were heavy. My shirt was so wet that it did no good to use it to wipe the sweat off my face.

I usually love starting my day exercising outdoors, but I’m starting to think it may be getting too hot. Moving my runs to a treadmill indoors is an option I’m considering.

However, there are several reasons why I won’t give up my outdoor runs just yet:

1. I would miss the ease of rolling out of bed and being outside stretching in less than 5 minutes.

2. I would miss listening to U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ as my first song and thinking, “It is a beautiful day.” (This works better on a cool spring day when jasmine are blooming and birds are chirping -but sometimes I can get this thought in before the wall of heat smacks me in the face)

3. I would miss the comfort of my “usual” route, mixed in with the unknown: Will a train slow me down today? Will that crazy squirrel run in front of me AGAIN? Will my timing be in sync with the traffic lights?

And, most importantly:

4. Going to a air-conditioned gym to use a treadmill would add drive time to my morning exercise routine, which means having to get up even earlier.

If you are like me and refuse to give up your morning runs, click here for tips for staying safe in the heat.

Tennis star Serena Williams poses for Harper's Bazaar magazine.

Tennis champ Serena Williams, who just won her fourth Wimbledon title and holds the No. 1 world ranking, appears in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar sporting a sexy, white bathing suit.

With a toned, muscular body, you’d think Serena wouldn’t have any qualms with the way she looks. But the athlete admits that it wasn’t until she was 23 years old that she finally was happy with her frame — and stopped wanting to look like her older sister, Venus.

“She’s totally different. I’m super curvy,” Serena, now 28, tells the magazine. “I have big boobs and this massive butt. She’s tall and she’s like a model and she fits everything.”

Serena tells Harper’s Bazaar that growing up, she always envied her leggy sister.

Serena Williams (left) tells Harper's Bazaar that she used to envy sister Venus' (right) leggy body.

“I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn’t,” Serena says. “But it’s fine. Now I’m obviously good, but it’s a weird thing.

“Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.”

Though she’s learned to accept her body, there is still one thing that she would change if she could: her arms.

“People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit,” she says. “But I’m not complaining. They pay my bills.”

To keep her muscular body looking more lean, Serena says she does Pilates two or three times a week and yoga. To round out her daily exercise routine and get tournament-ready, she’ll do “a couple of hours of hitting, then an hour or two of cardio and strengthening in the gym.”

While she’s committed to exercise, Serena shies away from diets.

“I don’t even know the D word,” she tells Harper’s Bazaar.

Instead, she keeps an eye on her portions, eating “a lot of grilled or baked chicken or fish, and steamed veggies.”

Put a piece of cherry pie in front of her, though, and the deal’s off.

“I can never turn down a good piece of cherry pie,” Serena admits. “But all I know is that in 10 years, I don’t want to be as wide as this couch.”