Fitness

Fire up the grills! Memorial Day weekend has officially begun, which means there's a good chance you'll be attending a barbecue. While the classic all-beef patty is the go-to burger of the season, it's nice to change things up - especially for the vegetarians and more health-conscious eaters of the group. If you're planning a barbecue this weekend, here are 10 burgers to add to your grilling repertoire that will satisfy even the healthiest of eaters. View Slideshow ›

Watch this video before you set out for your Memorial Day festivities. Three-day weekends can lead to too much sun, overindulging at too many barbecues, and letting your fitness goals fall by the wayside. We'll show you how to stay healthy without sacrificing the fun.

I wanted to give an update on how my new eating plan is going so far. It's been two weeks since I switched, and I like it a lot better. Basically the plan, which was recommended by Medifast dietitians and comes from their Diabetes Guide (no, I do not have diabetes), is the 4 & 2 & 1 Plan: 4 prepackaged Medifast meals, 2 Lean & Green meals that I prepare myself, and one snack (in my case, a serving of fruit). In 'real life' terms it just means I am cutting back from 5 to 4 Medifast meals, doubling my veggie servings from 3/day to 6/day, doubling my lean protein from 5-7 oz/day to 10-14 oz/day, and adding a serving of fruit. It feels like a *lot* more food. Some days I have trouble getting it all in, but I am doing pretty well. The timing is perfect, because the Farmer's Markets are just opening up with lots of fresh, local produce. I went to the market last week and got mixed baby lettuce, white Swiss chard, fresh dill, young onions, beets with greens attached, strawberries, and asparagus. From the grocery store I also purchased some blueberries, a mango, some bananas, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, cucumbers, garlic, broccoli, and peppers. Each morning I start with a cup of Matcha green tea or black decaf coffee. Breakfast is usually either Greek yogurt with berries, or free range eggs and steamed veggies, or a Medifast shake with Amazing Grass or spinach blended in. I have a snack at 10... usually a Medifast meal or some veggie sticks with protein (an egg, chicken, or turkey). Lunch is something simple like Medifast soup with a lot of vegetables added in, or leftover meat and veggies, or a salad with hard boiled eggs or tuna or chicken in it. I have another Medifast meal as a snack at 3. Dinner is the same as it has been for years: whatever lean protein we are having, and steamed, sauteed, or roasted vegetables with it. If I did not have my fruit yet I like to have it as "dessert." And finally I have a Medifast meal around 8 or 9 pm. I really do like the vegetables but wow, it takes a lot of time to prep. In the past I've used shortcuts like those Steamfresh bags of broccoli or just any frozen veggie that you can toss in a bowl in the microwave to steam, or canned vegetables or bags of pre-made salad... stuff like that. But buying fresh and local means I have to wash and prep all the produce myself. It's not hard, it just takes time. So I invested in my lifestyle (which I intend to be permanent) by getting a few gadgets to make it easier. Last week I got myself a Salad Spinner. I never thought I would buy one of these; I always thought they were silly. I would just wash my salad in the sink and let it dry on paper towels. But I really love this thing! I come home from the market, wash my lettuce under running water and then stick it in the spinner and push the button. The greens are nice and DRY very fast, and ready to eat. I use the spinner and its lid to store the salad in the fridge and it stays nice and fresh. Of course, that means I wash the salad *last* after I have used the spinner to wash and dry my other veggies. It works very well for kale (which has to be dry to make chips), herbs like dill and basil, and broccoli florets or anything else you want to roast or eat in a salad right away. I also got myself a lettuce knife (because I hate the way lettuce turns brown on the edges when cut with a regular knife) and a cute little steamer that I also love... it is just the right size to quickly steam a bunch of broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, anything! So when I got home from the market I just put it on to boil and start washing and cutting up all my veggies and steam everything in batches. Then I store the cooked veggies in Pyrex in the fridge. Getting all this prep done in one day has *really* helped me get the veggies in even when I am busy. I've found that I enjoy cold steamed plain cauliflower and asparagus quite well, and this way I can just grab them to go, or add them to soups or omelets or salads.

While the first official day of Summer is a few weeks away, Memorial Day weekend is so close we can taste it. If you're looking to inject a little Summer spirit into your workout music, this playlist is just the thing you need. This mix of classic rock and indie tunes will motivate you to move your bottom off your beach towel and start getting active in the sun. Subscribe to the Spotify playlist, then keep reading for the full list of songs.

Earning our weekend w/ the DailyBurn #Inferno challenge! What's your number? cc @AnjaGarcia

Loving our new cold brew coffee keg from @joyridecoffee! #wiredfortheweekend

With the Memorial Day weekend here, there is no better time to find out what light beer will taste the best. Knowing the calorie count, carbs, and alcohol content in each of these readily available light brews will help you make smart and informed choices at your holiday BBQ. We tasted all of these beers at POPSUGAR HQ, where our editors shared their thoughts. Check out how the light beers matched up after going head to head and which one was the crowd favorite. View Slideshow ›

Side lunges offer a new take on regular lunges. They allow you to work your hips, glutes and thighs a bit differently than traditional squats and lunges while still targeting the major muscles of the lower body. They offer a really good workout and are friendly on the knees, reducing the risk of injury. First, start with your body weight. Once you get the movement down, add dumbbells for more of a challenge. Here is how to do them: Holding a pair of dumbbells, stand with your feet and knees together. Take a large step with your right foot to the right side and lunge toward the floor. Make sure your right knee does not extend past your toes and keep your left leg relatively straight. Push off through your right foot to return to the start to complete one. Do three sets of 10 on each side.

Celebs like Jessica Alba and Cameron Diaz love it, and if you're a runner, you may love CrossFit, too. This workout is all about basic exercises involving body resistance, gymnastics, aerobics, weight lifting, and other high-intensity moves. Read on to learn why you might want to skip today's run and head to the nearest CrossFit gym. The Problem With Running "The challenge is that runners think that their legs are strong, and they are strong at that one movement pattern. But life is more than just that one movement pattern," says Reebok CrossFit ambassador Yumi Lee, who trains Jessica Alba. Since running is a linear, repetitive movement that involves mostly your legs, it can cause an imbalance in the rest of the body, which can lead to injury now or down the road. Solely running also leads to workout plateaus, so when the muscles become used to the demands placed on it, a runner needs to run further or faster in order to keep up her level of fitness. Why CrossFit Is a Good Complement to Running "CrossFit exercises involve your whole body rather than isolated muscle groups," which strengthens your overall body and makes you a better runner, explains marathoner and CrossFit instructor Shirley Brown of CrossFit LA. Yumi explains that specifically, CrossFit combines power lifting, strength training, and gymnastic training, all of which benefit your fast twitch muscles used for sprinting and your slow twitch muscles used for long distance. Working your entire body in CrossFit will also help you lose overall body fat, which will increase both endurance and speed, and also helps you maintain proper form during your runs, which is one way to avoid a running injury. Another benefit? CrossFit helps prevent those dreaded workout plateaus so you'll actually be excited to work out. "CrossFit forces you to do things you would have never done before. It forces you to push yourself in a way that you thought you had pushed yourself . . . and it makes you better at overall life," Yumi says. Tips For Getting Started Shirley and Yumi recommend finding a reputable facility and signing up for the on-ramp (sometimes called foundations or fundamentals) program so you can learn the basic exercises. "It's a comfortable and safe way to learn the movement patterns so you can stay injury-free," Yumi says. You'll also learn beginner versions of certain moves - if you've never done a pull-up, they'll show you how you can do one using a box and a band. Then you can jump right into regular classes, modifying exercises as you need to. Some gyms offer endurance programs or private instruction, so if you have a specific running goal, they can help you achieve it. Don't just jump into a new CrossFit program, however. Meghan and Tyler Barnes, owners of CrossFit TT, warn that "you'll be super, super sore when you start," so it's probably not a great idea to sign up when you're training for a race. Definitely listen to your body, but stick with it - don't miss a class on account of being too sore. Good programs will go easy on the muscle groups that were worked hard the day before, and getting your heart rate up can ease soreness. Keep reading to learn how to prevent a CrossFit injury and whether runners should eat strictly Paleo.

Not quite a cookie, but not yet a cake, there's something completely satisfying about a brownie. Whether you like them dense and fudgy, or light and cakey, there's a healthy recipe for you here. And we've thought of everything; look for recipes that are vegan, raw, gluten-free, and absent of refined sugars, too. View Slideshow ›