Athletes take their chosen sports super seriously. I mean, that’s why I train year-round to be a competitive eater (I’ll get you yet, Kobayashi!). But as with anything, intense training can go to the extremes. According to The New York Times, some long-distance runners are getting their toenails surgically removed, rather than dealing with black and blue toenails or nails falling off slowly and causing pain. Seriously, some marathoners are having acid poured into their nail beds to do away with them permanently. One podiatrist said, “A lot of them look at their toenails as useless appendages, remnants of claws from evolutionary times long ago. I’ve heard them say, ‘Toenails are dead weight.’” Some of them even sport t-shirts that say “Toenails are for sissies.” [NY Times]

If you think that’s scary, there’s a slew of other tactics that athletes use to get ahead.

Woman’s got guns. And by guns, I mean a not-too-Madonna-esque but still muscle-y set of arms. I want them. Badly. Luckily, someone hunted down her trainer to get the how-to.
(Now, I’m not promising you results, just an exercise routine—we all don’t have a White House chef and organic garden at our disposal.) According to her trainer, Cornell McClellan: “At the end of a routine of cardiovascular workouts and weight training, Mrs. Obama finishes with the “arm-shaping super set” of tricep pushdowns and hammer curls to tone her biceps.” Say what? Basically, it’s one set of tricep pushdowns using a straight bar attached to the high pulley of a cable station and then, without resting, follow that up with a set of hammer curls using dumbbells. Then, you immediately repeat the entire process until two or three sets of both exercises have been completed. And, if you’re in need of a little video help on all those moves (like me, I’m weight-training challenged), the Women’s Health magazine ladyfolk demonstrate exactly how to get Mrs. Obama’s guns, after the jump.

Physique 57 is an exercise studio in New York City where people walk in with their too-many-donut butts and come out looking like Heidi Klum. No, seriously. Physique 57 has a reputation for giving their clients long, lean muscles through a challenging routine of isometric exercises, interval training, and stretching. The studio has just launched a DVD series, allowing you to take advantage of the luxury workout at home.

Getting yourself to exercise at home isn’t easy, but you won’t suffer from lack of motivation from Physique 57’s video choices because they’re cut down into short, specialized workouts. Choose from the Classic 57 Minute Full Body Workout, the Arm and Ab Booster 30 Minute Workout, or for the ADD-inclined, an “express” full body option that only lasts 30 minutes. [$24.95-49.95, Physique57.com via Stylecaster]

If your mom is anything like mine, she’s in better shape than you are. Instead of feeling bad about having a mother who is more fit than yourself, know that this isn’t uncommon these days, according to a U.K. study of 4,000 people. Researchers found that the average 25-year-old consumes more than 2,300 calories a day, exercises three times a week, and consumes 12 types of junk food each month. The average 50-year-old, on the other hand, takes in 1,990 calories a day, does at least four different types of exercise on a weekly basis, and eats just one piece of junk food each week. But these findings aren’t all that surprising to us. Aren’t you supposed to be reckless when you’re young? After the jump, why we think it’s OK to be unhealthy in your 20s. [Marie Claire U.K.]

We’re not sure if the Shake Weight, which is “designed specifically for women,” is supposed to teach a gal how to give a handy, or if it’s going to give her an upper body like Madonna‘s. Causing further confusion? The company claims that in “just six minutes a day, you can get arms you’ll be proud to show off!” Six minutes sounds about right ... So, ladies, would you shell out $19.95 for a vibrating hand weight?

Pole dance, chair dance, and striptease are fun ways to workout, but let’s be real, you aren’t going to use these moves to entice your guy no matter what Flirty Girl Fitness promises. I can just see my BF bursting into hysterics as I try to do the Cat Crawl Push-up or Goddess Rising ab routine while wearing lingerie. Instead, these fitness DVDs would go well with your girlfriends and some cocktails for a night of laughs and sex talk. And when it’s time to get your guy excited just be yourself and save the aerobics, spinning and twirling for a professional.

1. “Intermediate Pole” DVD in the Flirty Girl Fitness Pole Kit
2. “Just Teasing” DVD in the Flirty Girl Fitness Pole Kit
3. “Booty Beat” DVD in the Flirty Girl Preview Program
4. “Chair Dance” DVD in the Flirty Girl Deluxe DVD Kit

Exercise does a body good—literally.  Forget feeling the burn, a new workout move called the coregasm will give you sheer pleasure while you tone your abs! That’s right, you can get off and get fit all with one easy move. Find out how, after the jump…

Listen, I don’t know where they get this “research” or who they’re asking, but according to a new study, women who are a size four have sex more often than size eight women. Now, I think if they continued to do the math they’d find size 16’s like me do it even more than both of them combined, because we’ve got more cushion for the pushin’!  But you know, I’m really getting carried away because I’m sick of fat chicks getting accused of being unsexy or disinterested in doin’ it. Skinny or chubby, whatever, we’ve all got needs! In general, size-based statistics, like this one, seem like something a fitness “guru” would invent to get clients…oh wait, the study was conducted by a “weight loss specialist.”  Ugh, girl-on-girl crime strikes again!  Well, no matter how much you’re getting frisky, we all could always use some extra sexercise. That’s the only kind of personal trainer I’m going to work out for! [That’s Fit]

In case you missed the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” on CBS last night, the New York Post reports that at least one of the models was “fat.” Yes, fat. The Post was at the taping in Miami last month and knows for a “fact” that model Karolina Kurkova had put on the pounds, at least according to a woman at the show sitting next to reporter Raakhee Mirchandani. “‘She really porked out,’ the woman whispered. “‘It’s good she dropped a little bit of weight, but really ... ’” Just how did she drop that “little bit of weight”? Well, for starters, she cut out all carbs and wheat, drank a ton of “green juice,” and exercised three hours a day. Poor thing! All that work and still so ... “fat.” Life’s really unfair sometimes! At any rate, it’s too bad all that talk about the economy affecting beauty standards hasn’t had much impact on the fashion industry yet. If we’re going to live in a recession, we should at least have the benefit of big hips being in vogue. [NYPost]

Any physical activity is good activity is the message behind the federal guidelines for physical activity, which the Department of Health and Human Services released this month. The core guideline is that Americans should get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend that time in the gym. For the first time, a variety of activities, including daily chores and physically-demanding occupations, count toward physical activity, which can lower the risk of early death, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. But thankfully, the feds have realized that physical activity isn’t one-size-fits-all, so after the jump find recommendations for adults, seniors, children and teens. [New York Times]

After the nice long weekend of excess we just had, we’re feeling that end-of-summer pull to start fresh. Maybe because fall reminds us of blank notebooks, unsharpened pencils, and new clothes, this time of year seems like a better time than New Year’s to make resolutions and stick to them…at least until the holiday parties start. So, here are are few suggestions for what you should resolve to do now that September has begun.

Eat better Because eating hot dogs and barbecue chips might have left you deficient of certain nutrients.