Do you embrace all of the fun that triathlons offer? Credit: Danskin Triathalon Series

We seem to be a little triathlon crazy lately. First, we gave away a free entry to an upcoming 2012 Danskin Triathlon and then Kristen shared her super-touching thoughts on completing one herself. (Did you miss that post? Seriously, go read it. It will make you cry in a good way, too.) So we thought it only natural to ask how many of ya’ll are on the triathalon train—or want to be in the future. So do tell!

Can’t wait to see the results of this one! We know we have some tri-lovers out there, but wonder how many of you there actually are! Feel free to tell us about why you love ‘em (or don’t!) in the comments! —Jenn

New mom Jillian Michaels shares some top tips!

Been over to Fit Bottomed Mamas lately? Here’s some of the awesome stuff you might be missing!

You know how good the Mediterranean Diet is for you. Now make it a fave for your whole family!

Fitness dos and don’ts from one of our favorite trainers Jillian Michaels.

An honest post about what it’s like to be a first-time mom.

It’s funny because we’re sure it’s happened. Ew.

Of course we have thoughts on the controversial Time cover…

Sick of sandwiches? Here’s a fun twist—er, pocket—on the lunch-time staple!

More dirty secrets of childbirth that you need to know!

See? Good stuff! And a big congrats to Jillian Michaels who is a new mom to two bundles of joy! —Jenn

Get out those cellies, we have some top fitness apps that you're going to want to download! Credit: ilamont.com

In this awesomely social-mediafied world, readers are always asking us for our top fitness apps picks that will help them to eat better and work out smarter. While we’ve already shared a few of our favorite healthy apps here and here (and don’t forget about our very own FBG app!), today Melanie Gray, a writer for BBGeeks, a popular site that provides BlackBerry news, commentary, reviews and beginner BlackBerry tips for BB newbies, is sharing her top picks for fitness apps in 2012. Some free and some not, we’ll be checking them out and think you should, too! —Jenn

6 Top Fitness Apps to Download

If you’re tempted to ditch your workout or diet because you’re just too busy, then fitness apps might just be your saving grace. The following six applications for your iPhone, Android or any smartphone device make it simple, and dare I say it, even fun, to track eats, prepare healthy foods, try a new workout and share your progress with you social network. So busy gals on the go can stop and pump some iron or have a sweat-session mid-day, in the comfort of their living rooms, without feeling like their neglecting work or other responsibilities. It’s easy to let your iPhone or Android help keep you on track with your fitness goals thanks to the following top fitness apps for the ladies!

1. Look Better Naked ($1.99). If you dream of strutting around naked at home, glancing adoringly in mirrors, then the Look Better Naked app is for you! Based on the popular television series and the book Look Better Naked by editor-in-chief Michele Promaulayko, this app will help you live healthier and feel more confident—with clothes and without. Reshape and learn to appreciate the curves you cover up under all of those lose clothes with the help of a customizable diet, workout plan, plus a calendar that syncs with your iPhone calendar and sends you reminders that will get your butt to the gym and will help you follow a healthy diet plan.

Perhaps I should consider this picture my most embarrassing moment. Ten was a rough age. Credit: FBG Kristen's mom

For this edition of Question of the Week, each FBG is recounting her most embarrassing moment when it comes to working out. Buckle up…these should be fun!

I’m far from the most graceful person you’ve ever seen, but, like Tish, I have a very healthy sense of humor and can laugh off…well, pretty much anything. I’m a firm believer that the act of doing something good for yourself (like working out) makes you immune from non-constructive criticism. So, this assignment, to share my most embarrassing fitness moment? It’s a toughie. I just don’t get embarrassed. I’ve passed gas on the bike, had to stop to pee in the woods while running, tumbled down a hill rollerblading (and, like Jenn, had someone pull over to make sure I was alright), tripped while trail running, had dog poo fly off my shoe on the treadmill … and none of it fazes me.

That wasn’t always the case. You see, I’m a heavy sweater, especially on my head. This has been the case since I was a small child, and was definitely true the summer after sixth grade, when I was at one of those all-important boy-girl parties. While some of the girls were flirting with or even (gasp!) kissing boys, I was playing basketball with them.

Before I knew what was happening, my hair (which was already seriously on the thin side) was drenched with sweat. I broke away from the game, thinking I’d run inside to dry my hair off—it was the early ’90s, so every bathroom had a hair dryer, but before I could get there, a group of kids stopped me and asked when I’d gone swimming. I have no idea what I replied, but I can only imagine how red my face was.

I can’t tell you how much I hate that that 12-year-old Kristen was so embarrassed by something that was totally natural and entirely out of my control. However, I was also embarrassed that my leg muscles were bigger than all my friends and that you could see the muscle tone in my arms. Today, those are some of the things that make me, me.

I’m still a sweaty lady—I tend to skip right over “glow” and straight to “beaded with sweat.” But you know, that’s okay with me. It took me a while to make peace with it, but aside from the fact that I can’t wear much silk in the summer, it’s just not that big of a deal.

Now, if we ever have a chance to share some of our friends’ embarrassing fitness stories, oooh, do I have a couple of doozies for you! In the meantime, though, be sure to let me know about some of your embarrassing tales. Or, are you like me and nothing makes you blush while working out? —Kristen

A medal and a bib. Not pictured: My big, giant smile. Credit: kgseymour, Instagram

My first tri of the season is in the bag. A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the Danskin Triathlon Series near Orlando (thanks to The XXtra Mile for sponsoring my registration!), and while my performance wasn’t anything to write home about (1:47:20 for a 1/2-mile swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run), this was one race where my personal performance was just about as far from the front of my mind as it could get.

The Danskin Tri Series is an all-women event, and it’s very strongly geared toward women who might not otherwise do a triathlon, in part because of the distances offered (Sprint, which is the distance listed above, and Super Sprint, 1/4-mile swim, 8-mile bike and 2-mile run), and partly because, from the very beginning, we were all strongly encouraged to help each other out.

Which, truly, is something that happens a lot in triathlon anyway—during one race where I was suffering from dehydration on the run, I lost track of how many people stopped as they went by me to make sure I was alright and didn’t need help, and I’ve never competed in a tri where fellow participants didn’t cheer each other on at turnaround points and as they passed each other.

The Race Starts; So Do the Tears

Anyway, let me set the scene for you. It’s 7:20 a.m. I’ve been up since 3:30 (I drove down the morning of the race, and check-in can take a while), and while my wave doesn’t get in the water until sometime after 7:45, the first wave of physically challenged athletes began at 7:15. Following them are waves of women racing the Super Sprint distance, and suddenly, the lake is filled with women of all ages. Some of them have overcome breast cancer, divorce, the loss of a spouse, the loss of a child. Some are racing in honor of someone who cannot. And some are racing because, for the first time in their lives, they can.

I stood near the chute coming out of the water, ready to cheer loudly for these inspiring women as they left the water and headed toward transition. But I couldn’t. I was completely choked up; I couldn’t squeak out a sound. But I clapped. Oh, did I clap. I clapped until my hands hurt, and then, I clapped some more. And I tried not to cry.

As the clock ticked closer to my own start, I made my way down toward the water. I chatted with a couple of women who were newbies to the sport, and I did what I could to make them a little less nervous. And then, I saw the last woman in the Super Sprint leaving the water. She was surrounded by Swim Angels—women who had volunteered to swim with racers who were nervous in the water, offering swim noodles as needed. I don’t know her story, but I didn’t need to. She stood up, removed her goggles, and the tears just started flowing. Hers and mine, and most of the people around me.

The Emotions Don’t End With the Swim

Throughout the race, I was inspired over and over again. There was a woman with one leg on the bike, and considering how difficult I found the hills with two healthy legs, I can only imagine how tough she was to have completed the ride. I saw women my mother’s age, some wearing tutus, some surrounded by other women, some just plugging along.

While I’m always proud to be a triathlete, I was overcome with emotion at this particular race. There was pride at being involved in something that gave all these women a huge sense of accomplishment, but also an incredible amount of inspiration from all the women who had clearly overcome more than an early morning 90-minute drive to be there.

When people ask me why I do this, why I spend hours each week in the pool or on the bike or out running, I have a lot of answers, but if you really want to know why? Participate in or attend an event like this. You’ll get it. I promise. —Kristen

The full Ultimate Yogi set comes with a nutrition plan, workouts, training guide, calendar and more!

Move over P90X and make way for The Ultimate Yogi ($124.95). The 108-day transformation includes a daily yoga guide, program calendar and nutritional plan. Each practice is lead by Yogi instructor Travis Eliot (who sounds like Matthew McConaughey … ahhh, music to my ears!), who gives detailed instructions to allow you to reach a deeper level within the practice without having to look up at the TV. His direction and advice not only pertain to the yoga practice, but they are also daily words to live by.

Each DVD begins with everyone in the class conversing with one another. Travis starts each class with a 15- to 20-minute warm-up series that allows your body to create a foundation for each pose and stretch in the yoga flows ahead. Eliot ends with (my favorite pose) Savasanah. The practices are all approximately an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long except for the Hard-core disc, which features a quick yogi abdominal routine.

Like most sets of this nature, the DVD set also comes with a diet plan. But the Ultimate Yogi Diet should be referred to as “the common sense” diet. It suggests removing processed foods, refined sugars, flour, preservatives, bad fats and alcohol—to some of you, probably all the fun. That being said, the program also encourages a vegan lifestyle, and the occasional raw food detox and juice fast to become the Ultimate Yogi. After reading that, “the common sense” diet doesn’t sound too difficult now, does it? I’m not sure it is necessary to abide by a vegan diet, but I do believe that clean eating is a needed supplement to reach your health and fitness goals.

Regardless of your diet choice, the 12-disc practices are well worth the deep twists and long stretches. I always felt relaxed and renewed once I finished a yoga practice. Here are descriptions of each practice and DVD…

Get out there and enjoy your Memorial Day with some exercise! Credit: SIUE Campus Recreation

There are some holidays that are made for sitting on your butt, stuffing your face and not moving except to unbutton your pants. Sunny month holidays are opportunities for the opposite: put on your shortest shorts, head outside and don’t stop moving except to grab another beer.

Memorial Day is the kickoff holiday of outside BBQ fun, and full of ways to spend the day burning off the BBQ calories as fast as you consume them. So this Memorial Day, gather your friends and family, plan some of the below activities and together everyone can get in a great day of exercise while celebrating our nation’s finest. You’ll be surprised how many calories you burn because you are having so much fun!

5 Calorie Burners for Memorial Day

1. Swimming. Not only is swimming a great way to cool off on a hot day and show off your slammin’ bod, swimming is a great cardiovascular workout perfect for burning mass calories. Move the party to the pool and splash around to burn 273 calories per hour.

Make it harder: Up the intensity by swimming with your kids on your back. Get everyone involved with some relay races. Hold a contest to see who can tread water the longest; if you make it an hour you’ll burn up 680 calories. The more you kick and paddle, the more calories you will scorch.

Yep, this is pretty much how these links make us feel: happy! Credit: Lululemon

Hey, hey, hey! We think these links are worth smiling about. So check ‘em out!

How to make your own almond milk at home! —Green Lemonade

For those who like a little healthy competition… —Konkura

Our nation’s sweet addiction. Like whoa. —The Skinny on Obesity

One word: Ferrigno. —Online Schools

Our thoughts on why we’re all so into celebrity workouts. —SouthSource

Simply amazing. Imagine doing this the next time you go out for a jog. —The Endurables

Think you can’t do something? Watch this—so inspiring! —GodVine

Oooh, healthy goodies delivered straight to your door each month! —KLUTCH Club

Because everyone loves a good deal. —Lucky Chic

A killer 45-minute workout to try on the treadie. —FitSugar

What links made you happy this week? Share ‘em! —Jenn

Mangoes are as pretty as they are delicious! Credit By: joyosity

I’d just like to take a minute or two of your time to share with you my love of a fruit. Fruits get a bad rap in some circles. The high amount of sugar…blah, blah, blah. I say we skip the sugar-scare for a moment and consider the awesome, nutritional benefits of a food group that is oh-so-good for our bods.

I’ve always loved mangoes, so when I moved to Cali, I went a little ape shat over the darn fruit. Then, after reading this awesome article, I fell in love with the bulbous fruits even more! I love the darn fruits so much I’m willing to pay $1.69 a piece for ‘em. (That’s HUGE, considering I’m a cheapskate and then some.)

And according to one of my favorite apps, Locovore, I can enjoy cheaper mangoes for another month because they’re in season. In celebration of everything mango, here’s a little video where you can watch a little mango love in action…hehe.

Mangoes for Tishy! Mangoes for all! Do you love mangoes as much as I do? Let’s share our mango love in the comments! —Tish

Just one of the fun parts of the Fitness magazine bloggers' event in NYC. Photo by Steven Meyer and courtesy of Fitness.

This post is written by our NYC contributing writer Margo Donohue, who’s a fitness professional and blogger at Brooklyn Fit Chick. Since Margo lives in the Big Apple, she’ll be helping us cover events every now and again—just like this recent Fitness magazine event!

Fitness magazine hosted its inaugural “Fitness Blogger Meet & Tweet” (#FitBlogNYC) right here in New York City, and I was lucky enough to be there with so many interesting, fit-minded people. The energy was fantastic throughout the daylong proceedings, which started with a “Hello, bloggers!” and introduction by Fitness magazine Editor-in-Chief Betty Wong.

Betty greeted the 120+ crowd who was enthusiastic about all of the day’s presenters that included several of the top editors of Fitness—plus soccer star Mia Hamm (who was just named Fit Bottomed Girl of 2012!), author A.J. Jacobs, nutritionist Keri Gans, author Tanya Zuckerbrot, trainer Joe Dowdell, Pilates guru Alycea Ungaro and fit bloggers par excellence—Kelly Olexa (@KellyOlexa), Carla Birnberg (@mizfitonline), Tina Haupert (@carrotsncake) and Julie Fagen (@pbfingers).

Panel topics covered the gamut from eating to exercising to beauty to how to run a blogging empire of your own, and all the seats were filled with eager bloggers. In fact, The “Fitness Blogger Meet & Tweet” pulled off that nifty trick of being both fun and informative—which is not easy. So kudos to Fitness for keeping us all entertained while we got out collective learning on!