Latest Hair Trends and Summer Hair Care

I was able to break away today for some much needed hair maintenance. I drove to my friend Cindy Cochran's Salon and Day Spa in New Castle, PA (an absolutely beautiful converted Victorian house) to freshen up my color and cut.
Cindy is just back from a business trip to New York where she got caught up on the latest looks. She shared a trend with me that makes it easy for anyone to pull off an updated style. I did what I could to keep the camera steady (I was trying to shoot both of us in the mirror and be her hair model for you...give me a little break, please! ha!) ...

I also asked Cindy about how to protect your hair from the summer sun, pool chemicals, etc. :

You can find more tips from Cindy in the Jen's Friends area of jenniferTVshow.com.
j.

Thoughts on Swimming Pool Safety From a Lifeguard

The kids had been counting down the days until the opening of the swimming pool that we go to; so I pushed aside my swimming suit insecurities, packed up the suntan lotion, put a smile on my face, and got everybody in the car.
I'm not a strong swimmer, and I get a little nervous at the pool, trying to keep constant watch over my no-fear children. I had my little Flip video camera with me and I asked an experienced lifeguard, Lauren, what she would want parents to know about making their children comfortable and keeping them safe at the pool.
j.

Fast Firming for the Arms

On my continuing quest to firm up mostly all areas of my body (!!), I love how a little tool called the Firming Band can quickly and easily help. I featured it on the TV show recently, and I show it to groups when I do presentations on How To Take Care of Yourself While You're Taking Care of Others. In ten minutes or less, you really can get a great strengthening and toning workout with the Firming Band. I've had some questions about how to use it, so I went out in my back yard and shot this little demo of some basic moves:

There are many other exercises that you can do with the Firming Band to target different areas of your body. You can print out the arm exercises and get more information about the Firming Band in the Take Ten with Jen area of our main web site.
j.

Do You Zumba? It's fast fitness!

When we had Zumba people in the audience for a show taping recently, I jokingly called them "Zumba Freaks". Turns out I was mocking what I didn't understand...now I'm a Zumba Freak! It's addictive!
Zumba is an aerobic form of exercise that uses Latin music and dance moves. It's high energy, it's definitely a workout (people in my classes who wear calorie monitors burn between 600 and 800 calories in one one hour class!)... but I love it most for the stress relief!
If you're looking for a fun way to get fit fast, give it a try. I go to classes with Maria at Club One, (You can see a class on our show this Sunday at 11. Watch a clip here). Connie at
Keystone Health Club, and Dani at Latin RhythmZ. Zumba's creator, Beto, will be in Pittsburgh to host a Master Class this summer. I will have the opportunity to introduce him and to interview him (watch for clips here). In the meantime though, we took a road trip to a studio in Wintersville Ohio to see Beto in action. Watch the clip below to see what it's all about and to hear a special hello from Beto. Please try to ignore the finger wiping the camera lens from time to time---the studio was steamy!



I went to Connie's early Zumba class this morning...such a great way to start the day...and before she ran off to do a Zumba demonstration at the Monroeville Expo Mart, I asked her some questions I though you might want to hear the answers to. Watch!
j.

Easy Family Reunion

The unofficial start of summer is officially this weekend!
Are you planning on gathering the family for a reunion this year? If so, I know of something that could help a lot with your planning and your budget...a FREE, fully-catered Family Reunion for 50 people at Idlewild Park & Soak Zone!
Growing up here, I have many fond memories of Idlewild Park and Storybook Forest. I have pictures of me and my sisters with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe; and now I have pictures of my children with her! (wow)
Idlewild's Great Family Reunion Contest Contest runs through July 7, 2008. To enter, you have to create and submit a :30 video commercial to YouTube that shows what Idlewild means to you and your family. There will be one grand-prize winning famliy, and others will win season passes to the park.
You can get all the details and the rules here, but I wanted to make sure you knew about it!
j.

Girls Run to Build Self-Esteem

I was with hundreds of girls and their families in the rain early this morning for the 6th annual WonderGirls 5K at Sandcastle waterpark. The event goes on in other cities across the country as part of a national program called Girls On The Run, which helps pre-teen girls to develop courage and a commitment to stay true to their own ideals and values, and develop a strong sense of self; so that they can keep on a healthy, positive track as they grow.
I asked local Girls on the Run Coordinator Meredith Colaizzi what she would want to say to girls to and their parents to encourage them:

j.

Steelers Talk About Importance of Activity and Sportsmanship

My family and I went to the American Respiratory Alliance of Western Pennsylvania's Asthma Fair and Healthy Lung Village at the Coca Cola Great Hall at Heinz Field today. The ARA (healthylungs.org) joins with the Pittsburgh Steelers several times throughout the year to promote a healthy lifestyle... and this was one of those times!
I got to talk with #92, Linebacker James Harrison; and #3, Kicker Jeff Reed about the importance of activity for kids, and how to foster good sportsmanship. I love their thoughts, and I wanted to share them with you.
j.