Links I'm loving today...

• OMG a Greek yogurt boutique? Adding this to my must-visit destinations list...
• My trainer, Amanda, sent me this Greatist article on the best way to build endurance. It's incredibly informative and useful!
• Fit Bottomed Girls has staples of a Paleo diet, but I'd say these should be staples of any good, healthy diet (personally I'd switch out meat for fish).
• Huffington Post answers the question, how long does it take for the food you eat to add weight to your body?
• Some useful tips on how to prevent workout injuries over at Fit Sugar.
• Healthy air travel tips from Mind Body Green.

links I'm loving today...

• I slept terribly last night (probably the fault of the two hour nap I took in the afternoon -- oops!). Yoga Journal has poses to help you get to sleep and wake up in the morning.
• A great guide to shopping for produce and storing fruits and veggies at Eat This Not That. 
• I feel like I can never get my side lunge form quite right (since it never feels as hard as a regular lunge). Thanks to Huffington Post for letting me know what I'm doing wrong -- apparently I don't sit back enough!
• I loooooove tea, regardless of its health benefits. But Self has a great slideshow on why tea is such a great drink option!
• MindBodyGreen has tips on green juicing when busy. Super helpful -- who has time to prep a green juice every day??
• On the subject of smoothies: Shape's "cheat sheet" for creating your own smoothies (I posted my current go-to post-workout smoothie on the bottom of this post).

links I'm loving today...

• This is so cute! Shape has a work out I can do with my dog!!
• Tips on sleeping well over at Health. Good to know for those of us who don't sleep well... I need to work on that Blackberry ban!
• Self lets you know what to spend money on when it comes to work out clothes. Since I'm relatively new to committed exercise, I feel like this is extra helpful as I slowly build my exercise wardrobe.
• In case sitting at a desk all day wasn't already unpleasant (I personally have to walk around a bit or I go crazy!), apparently it can lessen your life expectancy, too. Awesome. 
• Easy ways to pack salads over at Eating Bird Food.
• Greatist tells you how to know if you're dehydrated (it might not be as obvious as you think).
• If you love road trips as much as I do, you know how difficult it can be to find a road-friendly meal (and save calories for the good stuff at your destinations!). Prevention has some great suggestions for roadside, beach, or barbecue meals.

Links I'm loving today...

• Well + Good's list of the five best and worst nutrition bars. You might be surprised to learn Luna bars are on the worst list!
• A great set of plank variations over at Shape. Plank is an amazing core strengthener, and adding variations helps target all of your core muscles. 
• 10 ways to stay healthy while flying at MindBodyGreen. If it makes flying more pleasant, I'm down...
• Another awesome cardio playlist, this time from Huffington Post.
• I love my strength workouts. They make me feel so strong and capable of doing anything (even if I'm shaking at the end). Livestrong has 8 reasons why women should lift weights besides how awesome you'll feel.
• When is the best time to work out? Greatist has the answer (but I'll summarize: whenever you're most likely to go!)

links I'm loving today...

• Cardio versus strength? Break down of pros and cons at Women's Health Magazine.
• Guess what male celeb is into yoga? Robert Downey Jr!
• I get bored on the treadmill unless I'm doing an interval workout. Here's a good incline interval workout from FitSugar.
• Six healthy twists on granola (which is normally super high in calories).
• Great guide on how to pick a healthy cereal over at Self.
• LOVE this butt-firming yoga sequence on FitSugar.

Food for Thought

a word (or 30) on gluten-free...
I find this new trend so frustrating. There is nothing wrong with gluten! It's a normal, natural ingredient. Fitness Magazine does a great job breaking down the misconceptions about gluten in this article. In particular, the article notes that if you don't have an actual allergy or intolerance (and if you're over age 20 you'd probably have figured it out by now), going gluten free "won't make you lose weight and it won't enhance sports performance."

besides, who wants to give up bread forever?

some links...
Too many links in one day? I love seeing interesting links to browse through, and these are some great recipes:

• ginger-lime shrimp salad from Tasting Table
• scallops with gingered mango-tomato salsa from Dorie Greenspan
• roasted zucchini, black bean, and goat cheese enchiladas from Sprouted Kitchen
• string beans with garlic and ginger from the New York Times
• honey yogurt berry pops from Joylicious

these healthy pops need to be made this weekend

links I'm loving today...

• Beyond Sushi, a no-fish sushi place, looks so cool! I'll have to check it out and report back.
• Some delicious pre-work out snacks over at Self. (For the yogurt parfait, I'd swap non-fat for reduced fat. It's usually 20-50 calories more, but the fat enables your body to better process all the nutrients you're getting.)
• To those lucky enough to be spending time on the far reaches of Long Island: Hamptons biking guide.
• Does spinning bulk up your quads? The answer is at well+good. (Spoiler: no, not really)
• Want to get paid to work out? Interesting concept that rewards web-logged activity with points that you can redeem for prizes.
• Tips on how to get the most out of the core-killing boat pose.
• Themed running races! Including zombies, twinkies and hot dogs, and the Empire State Building.
• Harder ways to do push ups. Love the spider man one!

links I'm loving today...

• Berry cobblers are so delicious and summery, but most contain tons of butter and sugar in addition to the fiber and antioxidants that berries hold. This cobbler is a healthy take on the summer classic.
• A list of foods that help fight bloat. Need to stock up on some pre-beach day!
• These pancakes are happening this weekend. Blueberries AND coconut? With no flour? So intrigued...
• Speaking of the weekend, here are some delicious looking low calorie summer cocktail recipes.
• If only I had a pool where I could do this pool-based work out!
• Oooh calorie counts on Pinkberry and their toppings!
• Self's excellent guide to the different kinds of fats.