Congratulations to swim coach Rod McClave on winning his second open water swim of the season! Rod took first place at the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue Squad’s Open Water Swim on August 14.

Rod won the two-mile swim with a time of 43:33, which was well ahead of his 24 other competitors. He also stole first place at the East Hampton Open Water Swim in Montauk this past July.

According to The East Hampton Press, the Ocean Rescue Squad's Assistant Captain, Rich Kalbacher said, "That's fast!" He also noted that many swim the race as a personal challenge, but it's clear that Rod can race.

Congratulations to Rod and best of luck in his next open water challenge: a 19-island-hopping, 7-mile swim and 33-mile run in Sweden over Labor Day weekend.

Click here for the full article, titled "McClave Wins Another Open Swim."

A little food for thought! I recently came across an interesting study, from the American Heart Journal, on the direct impact fitness level and body mass index (BMI) have on blood pressure.

Click here to read and feel free to post comments.

"Want to look better in a bathing suit? Use your (pool) noodle. Turns out, the ubiquitous foam toy (you've probably had backyard "sword" fights with one!) is also an ultra-effective tone-up tool," writes Holly St. Lifer in her most recent article in Self magazine. Titled "Slim in a Splash," the article features a workout I created exclusively for Self utilizing the pool and a noodle.

With the variety of noodle moves featured, you'll look like a synchronized swimmer but feel like a hardcore athlete. The exercises will work your abs, obliques, legs, hips, arms, chest and butt, giving you a full-body workout perfect for the sizzling days of summer.

Click here for a great pool workout!

Eating properly isn't always easy, but, whatever you do, don't cave to my Top 5 Worst Fad Diets:

5) The Atkins Diet - The Atkins Diet may be the culprit that started the celebrity fad diet craze some years back.  It believes in cutting out carbohydrates entirely.  In doing so, your body will lose water weight, thus creating the illusion that you are losing weight.  You will burn some fat because your caloric intake is restricted, but in the meantime you will have no energy (due to lack of glucose in your bloodstream).  Your exercise regimen will suffer and your muscles will not have carbs which are essential to recovery.  Then, when you begin eating carbs again (which you have to do because carbs are essential to being healthy), all of the weight will be put back on and your body will be in worse shape.  This diet is unsustainable and downright unhealthy.

4) "Detox" Cleanses - Various types of "detox diets" have hit the market with the promise that they will flush out toxins and force the body into a hyper-metabolic state that will quickly burn fat.  In reality, these diets slow down the metabolism and deprive the body of the essential fuel it has needed to survive since Day One... Food!

3) The Cookie Diet - Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet is centered around the one thing that truly matters when it comes to weight loss... calorie-restriction.  People lose weight on the cookie diet not because they eat Dr. Siegal's magical amino-acid (protein) rich cookies all day, but instead because they are restricting their caloric intake.

2) The Beef Jerky Diet - Once again, people do not lose weight by eating beef jerky all day.  If this diet has worked for anyone, it has worked because of calorie restriction.

1) Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet - When I caught a commercial advertising the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet for the first time, I almost fell off of my couch I was laughing so hard.  You will not lose weight by eating Taco Bell all day.  If, somehow, this diet aids you in restricting calories, then you will lose weight.

In reality, weight loss is simple... when calories consumed=calories expended weight is maintained, when calories consumed>calories expended weight is gained, and when calories consumed<calories expended weight is lost.  About 70% of total caloric expenditure is due to Basal Metabolic Rate (life processes within the organs of the body), and each person's metabolism is different so we all burn calories at a different rate.  Some people can eat a ton and burn it all off; others need to be more careful in the amount they consume so that the excess food is not stored as fat.

A diet focused on moderation and variation that is rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, good carbs and plenty of water is the healthiest way to eat.  When you're hungry... eat.  As soon as you are full... stop eating.  Most overweight individuals do not understand the difference between being full and over-eating.

Also, people commonly justify over-eating with, "It's OK... I went to the gym today."  This is the worst thing someone trying to lose weight can do.  Yes, working out is a vital part of losing weight.  It revs up your metabolism and adds calorie-burning muscle to your body.  It does not, though, burn off the thousands of extra calories you can consume by over eating. So, be careful out there - there are a lot of diets that claim they will shed the pounds, but in reality, all you really need is a healthy diet (mentioned above) and a bit of moderation.

When I started high school (all girls school, Upper East Side.  Draw yourself a mental picture), I was HEAVY.  Five-foot three inches (though I grew 3 more inches by the end of high school), 167lbs, and incredibly unhappy because all the other were tall, beautiful, cheerful, and most importantly, thin.  Not just regular thin and beautiful, either.  Every girl had hair shiny like an oil slick, teeth whiter than a new iPod, a perfect little waist, and legs as long as the freaking Bible. For the duration of my freshman, sophomore, and junior years, I was consumed with grief and an overwhelming desire to be tiny and perfect.

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