Bored with your workout? Your body may be too. Here’s what’s hot in fitness trends for 2015.

If you are no longer seeing the same results from your workout, you’ve most likely plateaued. Performing the same exercise over and over means your body gets used to it and has to expend less energy. Muscles stop responding like they used to and you just aren’t feeling that same burn. Time to switch things up.

Variety is said to be the spice of life and that works with fitness too. Not only will revving up your routine be better for your bod, but doing something new is, let’s face it, a lot more fun.

So what’s it going to be? Following are the 7 Top Fitness Trends for 2015.

#1 // Bodyweight Training. Not just one of the top fitness trends, but forecast as the workout for 2015 by American College of Sports Medicine (the folks who accurately predicted Zumba would be the it workout of 2012). It’s no secret this type of exercise is good for you. Getting back to basics offers hot results with little to no equipment. You already have what you need…your body. Added bonus, you can do this stuff anywhere. We are talking the exercises you learned in gym class: squats, planks, pushups, crunches.

#2 // HIIT. Clocking in at number two is HIIT workouts, or high intensity interval training. This one isn’t for sissies but is definitely the most efficient. You have your cardio and strength training all wrapped into one workout. Scared? Me too. The good news, these workouts are so effective they can be done in mini sessions and still get results. Start with these 10 minutes workouts to burn calories and tone up.

#3 // Treadmill. If this is the machine you’ve been avoiding for years, take a new look. Fitness trends for the year include dusting off the good ol’ treadmill. And it’s getting social. Look for treadmill studios in your area. Like spinning for runners, these classes offer that running group feel but done in the comfort of a gym. And set to music. Actually sounds fun.

#4 // Cardio bars. Speaking of fun, you may be able to take your cardio to a different sort of group setting. Like, the bar. While the thought of cardio at the bar conjures a certain type of sweating, these locales are seriously healthy. Think juice-fueled dance parties, complete with DJ. Burn calories while shaking it with your friends.

#5 // Barre. This one has been creeping up on us for a while. Why hot now? Barre has become more mainstream. No longer the super exclusive, members only setting, Barre workouts are popping up in gyms everywhere. The benefits? Branded the “everywoman’s workout”, its ballet-inspired sculpting moves rival the best yoga practice.

#6 // Tech. Oh yes, workouts have gone digital too. There are tons of cool fitness apps that do everything from help you count calories or steps, to reminders to get moving. Like having a personal trainer in your pocket. Looking for a class but don’t have time to get to the gym? Search workouts online.

#7 // Recovery. Muscles need down time too. Recovery efforts are making a big splash in lots of gym workouts. Training hard is good, just be sure you aren’t setting yourself up for injury. Add in some stretching, massage, yoga, even complete days off from working out. It’s important to give days off to let your body recover, or take a down day when you are feeling under the weather or just worn out. The experts insist.

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ColumnWhy we really care whether or not Lindsay Lohan is sober.

It’s easy to say we care about Lindsay Lohan and her sobriety because we hate to see the cutie from “The Parent Trap” movie remake struggling. We say we care because she was so loveable in “Mean Girls.” A few of us may even admit to being drawn to the train wreck that appears to be her life.

Watching the Oprah reality show “Lindsay“(sorry, but it’s a reality show; respect to Lady O and its award-winning director for trying to class it up), many of us are rooting for her. I am.

Not because she’s famous, but because she’s a person who appears to be struggling. Also, I did love her in “Mean Girls.”

Others are rooting for her to fail. As a famous person, she can afford an addiction treatment center that reportedly costs upward of $80,000 a month, a life coach (who dumped her), a personal assistant, and a sober coach (who also seems to have dumped her) and still can’t make it.

That’s why we really care. If Lindsay Lohan fails it will give us an out.

If she can’t do it, how can we, mere mortals, be expected to get our shit together? To quit drinking? Make time for the gym? If she loses her battles, how can we be held accountable for losing our own?

This week alone I have read that she admitted to having a glass of wine and was seen drinking at Coachella.

As a culture, we’re great at putting women on pedestals and then celebrating when they can’t balance up there.

Kim K. Looks Fat at the Grocery Store! Miley Is a Skanky Mess! Tori is Painfully Thin! Gwyneth Does a Thing and We Hate Her!

Stars, they’re just like us—and we all suck.

It’s been a year since I quit drinking. I never careened out of control ala Lindsay Lohan;  I never entered a rehab program; but I did need to stop drinking.

And you know what, as great as I feel overall, there are moments—whole entire days sometimes—when it really doesn’t feel worth the effort.

While I work hard to not make a big deal out of it, and sometimes succeed in those attempts, it is effort. Every day, I remake my choice in a million little ways.

There are a lot of factors in why I have done well so far (and I say so far because who knows). Maybe my problem wasn’t as bad as the other LL’s. My family is definitely awesome (and not trying to cash in on my fame by writing a book about me like Lindsay’s mom Dina Lohan is). And, no one made this choice for me.

Perhaps most importantly, I never had to leave the bubble of rehab and experience the shock of re-entry into life under a microscope and flashbulbs.

I’m not criticizing people for watching “Lindsay.” I wouldn’t be writing this if I wasn’t watching myself—and feeling a little guilty about it. But, I know that my watching doesn’t impact her success getting sober. And that her success, in turn, doesn’t impact my own—or anyone’s.

Overall, watching “Lindsay” makes me sad. You can see her, in moments, really wanting more for herself. More that has nothing to do with vintage Yves St. Laurent. More than the chance to chain smoke in private. It seems like she wants to make it and be happy—whatever that means to her, and I hope she gets there.

Stars might be able to retreat to rehab centers that cost more for a month than many make in a year, but people like me have a much better chance at winning the war because there’s not a crowd of people watching me teeter on a pedestal, ready to pummel me with chants of, “I knew she couldn’t do it,” and then hand me a drink if I fall.

That Happened is Libby Lowe’s weekly column for EcoSalon analyzing media, news and pop culture through a feminist lens. Keep in touch with Libby @LibbyLowe.

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Therapeutic gardening has become a method of recovery, both physical and mental, for Alzheimer’s patients, the physically handicapped, injured or ill patients, and troubled or abused children. According to the Methodist Respite Care Center in Williamsburg, VA, “All [of their therapeutic] projects use gardening and horticultural activities to improve physical health, mental health, expand recreational options and generally improve one’s health and well-being.” This method of therapy is reported to reduce stress, stimulate the senses, and creates bonds with nature and other people.

Brightly colored annuals, such as marigolds, impatiens and cosmos, are a few flowers of choice in therapeutic gardening to provide a sensory experience for patients. Vegetable and herb gardens are also planted and tended to add taste and scent to the experience.

Participants have the pleasure of tasting the “fruits of their labor,” plucked straight off the vine, or can take home fresh, fragrant herbs to cook with.

All in all, this new form of therapy provides a cost-effective, relaxing, and sociable way to improve health for many people, while providing volunteer positions for gardening enthusiasts who desire to give back to their communities.

Article by Emily Wallace for DivineCaroline. First published March 2010.

Related DivineCaroline posts:

• Living a Sensual Life Through Farming
• The Taste of Summer: Tips for Growing Delicious Tomatoes
• Blades of Glory: Tips for Growing a Lusher Lawn

Image: Rich Legg

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The flu is already spreading like a Malibu wildfire in my Bay Area community with dozens of kids out the first few weeks of school and contaminated parents unable to play nurse.

It’s going to happen, no way of avoiding it all together, but there are some simple steps to build immunity and combat the spreading of germs at home.

Some people opt for the influenza vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says protects against the three main flu strains causing the most illness during the season. This year’s vaccine contains three new virus strains: A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus, A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus and B/Brisbane 60/2008-like antigens.

The government says it is believed the 2009-10 influenza vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses, or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different influenza virus strain.

For those choosing not to get the shot, most methods of fighting and containing the enemy involve keeping your hands and surroundings clean and lying low when you know you’re not well and can infect others. The good news for the planet is that none of the hygiene practices require harmful chemicals to kill the enemy.

1. Hand Washing

Discovered only 150 years ago, frequent hand washing is the most effective way to keep germs from making you sick and spreading to your pals. According to Every Day Health, it doesn’t matter what kind of soap is used as long as the water is warm and the soap lathers and spreads over the hands sufficiently to trap the germs. Soap and water works best (meaning you don’t have to use a chemical-doused sanitizer that can actually lead to worse viruses). Here are the steps recommended by the CDC:

– Wet your hands with clean water – warm, if available – and apply soap.
– Lather by rubbing hands together; be sure to cover all surfaces.
– Continue rubbing hands together for 15 to 20 seconds – sing “Happy Birthday” twice in your head.
– Thoroughly rinse hands under running water to ensure removal of residual germs.
– Use paper towels or an air dryer to dry hands and then, if possible, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet.

2. Sponge Duty

Sponges used to wash dishes and wipe down counters harbor massive amounts of bacteria, at times even salmonella.  While we are urged to replace them often to keep our kitchens clean, many sponges are made from plastics which means even more petroleum waste in our environment.

According to Living Green, the added environmental danger with many synthetic sponges is that they often contain Triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent banned by Canada in household products this past August. Even though it’s registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as being a pesticide, it is frequently used in many antibacterial soaps, deodorants, toothpastes and cosmetics. The chemical is linked to health problems and harms fragile aquatic ecosystems and waterways.

While replacing sponges regularly is a good hygienic practice, stick to buying ones made from cellulose fiber (cellulose is sourced from plantation forests or recycled). Read the label carefully as some cellulose sponges are impregnated with polyester, a form of plastic. Keep your green cellulose sponge as dry as possible between uses, to avoid bacteria.  Sterilize them by soaking for a few minutes in boiled water, or try a dilute bleach/hydrogen peroxide solution.

The U.S. Dept of Agriculture also recommends killing bacteria and mold by microwaving a damp sponge or dishwashing a sponge with a drying cycle (the method my family uses).

3. Stay Home When you are Sick

Take cover when you are sick (just like covering your cough) by keeping away from other students, workers and friends. State health departments urge employees to stay home when they are infected for good reason. It’s the right thing to do for you and your community. Ask a friend or a loved one to make a nice pot of organic chicken soup, crank up the vitamins and heal thyself. Work can added undue stress that undermines a quick recovery. Work can wait.

4. Resist Sharing Personal Items

You don’t share brushes to avoid lice. And you don’t share eating utensils, drinking glasses, towels or other personal items if you want to avoid flu and colds. While sharing is a good gesture, there is a big exception when it comes to hygiene.

5. Love Yourself More

An excellent reference guide by Our Home Remedies follows the non-nonsense Farmer’s Almanac approach of boosting your immune system with rest, healthy foods like fresh leafy veggies and organic fruit, Vitamin C, garlic and thyme, and beneficial teas. We know when we are not loving ourselves because we don’t sleep and become run down, dehydrated and tend to reach for high sugar foods to revive us, rather than what we really need.

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