equinox

All the bits fit to print here, in our daily news roundup.

• i-D Magazine's Terry Jones curated the latest Taschen release, Vivienne Westwood, which reflects on the designer's influence on British fashion over the last 30 years. [Fashionologie Inbox]
  

• Today marks Carolina Herrera's 74th birthday. [InStyle]
  

• ShoeDazzle has named Rachel Zoe its chief stylist. [WWD]
  

• Meanwhile, Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes has tapped former Brioni artistic director Jason Basmajian to be its new creative director. [Vogue UK]
  

• Terry Richardson's latest campaign for Equinox was shot at the Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills. [Elle]
  

• Rugby Ralph Lauren, which is set to shutter by February, is offering 40 percent off all merchandise both in stores and online. [The Shophound]
  

• JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson says he isn't making ecommerce a priority. "You've got to focus on where they are shopping today, and that is the physical store." [Racked]
  

• This is what the debranded products offered by Selfridges' No Noise campaign look like. [Refinery29]
  

• Karlie Kloss may have spent last season beating up men on the beach, but you'd never know that from her ethereal commercial for Juicy Couture's new scent, Couture La La. [Fashion Copious]
  

With swimsuit season right around the corner, what better time to step up your fitness routine? If you need a little extra motivation, we want to help. PopSugar City and FitSugar are giving away a fabulous Spring Into Fitness package, which includes a one-year membership at Equinox and $500 worth of Zella athletic apparel.

Equinox's swanky digs and endless fitness options are sure to make trips to the gym all the more exciting. And a pair of Zella's Live-In leggings and a Radiance Racerback Tank make the perfect wardrobe for Equinox’s famed Yoga Power Hour class.

All you have to do to enter is sign up for PopSugar City — the ultimate source for the best places to eat, drink, shop, work out, and more in your neck of the woods — between now and March 31. Seriously, that's it. Good luck!

In what was a neck-and-neck race between Equinox and the YMCA, Life Time Fitness did some last-minute rallying via Twitter and managed to move from a fourth-place spot to take home the title of best gym of 2010, winning 25 percent of the votes. Equinox and the YMCA tied for second place, and each earned 17 percent of your votes. 

This is the second year in a row that Life Time Fitness has been the gym favorite, in part because of its state-of-the-art facilities, variety of classes that include yoga and Pilates, and being open 24 hours for late-night and early-morning workouts. Besides a fitness facility, Life Time offers spa services, family and kid programs, and sport programs, including rock climbing, a running club, and triathlon training.

Moms spend a lot of time in the car shuttling their kids around. Instead of sinking into the driver's seat, throw in a workout and improve your posture in the carpool lane! Our friends over at Equinox set me up with Amy Fiske, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, who is helping me get back in shape. Here is the routine she recommends:

When your car is parked, take a minute to do this workout. It may help relieve some tension in your spine!

Steering Wheel Shoulder Retraction (12 repetitions)
This exercise can relieve tension in the shoulders. Place your hands on the steering wheel and pull back through the shoulders as if you are cracking an egg between your shoulder blades. Hold for 10 seconds.

Seated Rotation (4 repetitions, right and left)
This exercise can release tension in the middle of the back. Sit up tall with your feet on the floor, directly below your knees. Place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh and reach back with your right hand. Sit tall as you turn (imagine a string pulling you up through the crown of your head). You can use your hands as levers to increase the stretch. Stretch to a comfortable position, hold for 10-15 seconds, and repeat on the other side.

Inner Thigh Squeeze (16 repetitions)
This exercise can encourage correct knee positioning and engage inner thigh muscles (abductors). Sit tall and place a tennis ball between your thighs and squeeze to engage the inner thighs. Hold for 10 seconds.

Hip Hike (8 repetitions, right and left)
This exercise can help strengthen the oblique abdominals and help stabilize the pelvis. Sit tall, draw the navel in, and extend through the spine. Focus on lifting one hip up toward the ribs, hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat on the other side.

Check out the rest of our Back in Shape series and enter a Mountain Buggy Terrain stroller!

The morning school run is a mad dash for mama! Throwing a workout in the mix helps her burn calories and the kids get to class on time. Our friends over at Equinox set me up with Amy Fiske, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, who is helping me get back in shape. Here is the routine she recommends for the walk to school.

Warm up: Start with a slow walk and work into a brisk walk for a light workout (5 to 10 minutes).

Main: Walk briskly or jog for 1 to 2 minutes, 1 to 2 blocks (or judge by landmarks like 3 light posts). Then slow down for 1 to 2 minutes or 1 to 2 blocks. Then repeat the rotation. This part of the workout should be physically challenging and make it hard to hold a conversation.

Cool down: Wind down your jog or brisk walk into a slow walk for a light workout (5 to 10 minutes).

Once you feel comfortable, try increasing the workout's intensity by:

• Adding a sprint finish in the last leg to make it to school before the bell
• Wear your child’s backpack to add more weight and increase resistance
• On the way home, add in some hill work. Pick a challenging hill and walk briskly up it and then slowly walk down it. Then, repeat. You can start with one repetition and build up depending on your fitness level.

If you are postpartum get your doctor's clearance before exercising. If you are "out of shape", take things at your own pace and build up your endurance slowly. Rest when necessary so you don't feel winded. Make sure to warm up for at least 5 to 10 minutes before you physically challenge yourself. Your cardio session can be 15 to 30 minutes depending on your commute to school! If you are pushing a stroller, keep good posture by lifting the chest and not rounding the shoulders. Make sure you spend time stretching at the end of your workout to prevent muscle soreness and injury.

Check out the rest of our Back in Shape series and enter a Mountain Buggy Terrain stroller!

Motherhood is a balancing act so a BOSU balance trainer ($130) is an appropriate device for moms to use when they are fighting the postpartum pounds! Our friends over at Equinox set me up with Amy Fiske, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, who is helping me get back in shape. Here are some of the BOSU exercises she recommends.

BOSU Hip Raise
(Targets the glutes and hamstrings)
Lie face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the BOSU. Raise your hips up toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes and pressing down through your heels. Try to imagine a straight line going from the top of your knees to your shoulders. Hold for a few seconds and then return to your starting position.

BOSU Plank
(This targets the core)
Lay flat on your stomach, position your elbows under the shoulders on top of the BOSU, then curl your toes under and push your body up by resting your weight on your elbows and tightening your torso. This can be done by pulling your navel in toward your spine so your hips don’t sag. Your body should be in a straight line from head to heels. The neck should be kept in-line with the rest of the spine. Keep breathing naturally throughout the exercise. Hold for about 30 seconds. Make the exercise less challenging by holding this position on your knees or by placing your forearms on an elevated surface. Make it more of a challenge by adding in a leg lift.

Keep reading for two more exercises.

Stretch it out! Before you burn the baby fat, you've got to prep by stretching your body. Our friends over at Equinox set me up with Amy Fiske, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, who is helping me get back in shape. She said, "Stretching is a vital part of an exercise program since it helps prevent injury and assists with increasing blood flow to the muscles, motor unit activation, muscle lengthening, and a person's range of motion." Here are six dynamic stretches she recommends and why. She said:

During postpartum training it is crucial to be conservative with your range for several months due to potential joint laxity, especially if a woman is breastfeeding. Dynamic stretches are done before a workout and are different from a post workout stretches because they are done more quickly and are held for a shorter time period. The dynamic warm up should take 5-10 minutes and moms should aim to do about 10 reps of each stretch holding each for no more than a few seconds.

Leg swings
(These target the hips.)
Hold onto a stable surface with one hand and pull the navel in towards the spine. Stand on one leg and swing the opposite leg forward and back continuously to comfortable range of motion. Keep the torso upright.

Walking High Kicks or Toy Soldiers
(These target the glutes, hamstrings and hips.)
These are similar to the leg swings, but this time you move forward. As you do so, bring one leg out in front and swing your arm to the opposite leg. Take a step forward as soon as the leg touches back down to the floor. Repeat the movement with the opposite side and then alternate.

To try the other four stretches, read more