Luckily, I sweat a lot!

My trainer Justin will be leading a $20 Workout in Central Park this Saturday, April 21 from 3-4 pm. You can sleep in a still get a good work out done on Saturday He specializes in lactic acid training, which is sure to make you burn!

Email me at leangirlsclub (at) gmail (dot) com for more info.

Hope to see you there!

Editor’s Note: Preethi’s blog is The Skinny On Manhattan, not Skinny in Manhattan. Our apologies!

For the last week I’ve been following the Bethenny Frankel Skinny Girl Workout – the stretching segment. You can download it on iTunes for free.

I find Bethenny herself quite annoying but I can’t deny that I’ve been sleeping better, waking up better, have been more alert during the day and have been slouching less. That’s a lot to give credit for, but I genuinely feel better after a week of stretching. Every night I’ve cracked something (not that cracking anything should be the point of stretching) and it feels, oh, so good! The best part is that it only takes ten minutes. That may sound like a lot for stretching but it goes by, oh, so quickly!

[spotted on: WeightLoss.org]

The Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp Spring Retreat - Three days in upstate NY fill with hiking, boot camp classes, yoga, healthy food, spa treatments and more. This is not your momma’s fat camp. It’s a weekend of rest and isolated focus on yourself. How often did you wish that you could escape to “the ranch” like in the Biggest Loser? This is the closest thing to reality.

When: April 6 – April 8

Cost: Varies

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The Poconos - there isn’t one particular resort that’s calling my name but rather the champagne tub at Cove Haven Resorts. LGC featured writer Emily dreams of going here more than I do. Maybe we should arrange a LGC retreat? What’s not to love? It’s a 10 ft tub in the shape of a champagne glass! And you can sip some champagne IN the champagne tub.

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Napa 2 Sonoma Half Marathon - While I may be saving my mileage for the NYC Marathon   this November, one race I have on my bucket list is the Napa 2 Sonoma Half Marathon. I’ve never been to Napa but the thought of running through wine country and then concluding with wine tours (yes, tourS with an “s”) and wine tastings is titilating. Now if only we can pair the wine and the chocolate…

When: July 15, 2012

Cost: $125 registration + travel

I’d love to hear about where you dream of vacationing or where you’re going this year. Leave a comment!

Lucy Race Me Capri - $69

Lucy Soul Yoga V Neck – $55

Nike Free Run+2 in Turquoise White-Pink – $89.97

ADIDAS by Stella McCartney Essentials Sweat Pants in Core Blue – $100

My husband and I are kind of like your weird grandparents who always are trying to get you to eat things like beets and sugar-free candies and prescribing homemade tonics and tinctures for what’s ailing you. (Except for the sugar-free candies part. That’s just what my Polish great-grandma always tried to force-feed me.)

When I branded my arm with a hot baking sheet the week before our wedding, Joel read online to smear honey over the burn and wrap it in plastic wrap. (It left a barely-visible scar on my arm and a sticky spot on our seating chart.) When, after catching every cold and flu I came in contact with this winter, my tonsils became infected, he mixed me salty lime water and hot, spicy milk. (My throat did indeed feel better after three nights boiling milk with turmeric, but that more likely had to do with the antibiotics the doctor prescribed at the same time.) I’m also pretty sure ginger ale cures most everything.

But my favorite home remedy has to be the hot toddy.

And, it turns out, the December/January issue of Taste of Home backs up our health claims for the drink. It prescribed the juice of a lemon, honey and two teaspoons of elderberry syrup stirred into a mugful of boiling water to ward of the cold and flu. According to the magazine…

The toddy’s hot steam and liquid help clear your head, the lemon clears mucus and gives you some vitamin C and the antiviral, antibacterial honey also soothes your throat. Elderberry syrup is a proven treatment for flu and colds: In studies, it shortens recovery time by up to four days.

Even adding alcohol to your toddy has some health benefits: It can help you sleep, so your body can recover, as well as sweat out a fever, according to Taste of Home.

Of course, Taste of Home is a little plebian for Joel’s tastes.

Here’s his take on the hot toddy, for all of you battling end-of-winter colds and flu. It can be made without the whiskey, with a teabag soaked in your mugful of toddy water instead.

Hot Toddy… FOR HEALTH

1 to 2 cups water
1 to 1 1/2 shots whiskey
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, mashed with with mortar and pestle or diced fine
2 cinnamon sticks
6 to 8 cloves
6 to 8 allspice berries
2 tablespoons honey
1 lemon, half sliced thin, half juiced

Simmer together on the stove for about 15 minutes, then strain into mugs. Makes enough for two.