To prepare, Dutch 23-year-old beauty Kroes, who says she normally eats what she wants because she exercises often, goes on a strict sugar- and carb-free meal plan and spends many extra minutes a day jumping rope. “For other fashion shows you can be skinny, but for Victoria’s Secret, you need definition,” says Kroes, 23. - By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, AP

I’m impressed. Like most lingerie models they recognize that they have to be fit. Note that she says that she “exercises often”. Even for models it takes effort to look healthy and fit. Like she says, other fashion models are skinny. They simply don’t eat and they don’t have a shape. I find that look unattractive. The VS models are popular because they are fit, shapely and sexy.

Listen to what Kroes says. She has a fabulous body because she exercises a lot, she goes on a strict healthy diet and she does extra fitness work. If you want to be fit and healthy, there you go.

• Shiva Rea: Fluid Power - Vinyasa Flow Yoga DVD
• Bamboo Intention Pant
• Manduka Mat

These items aren’t necessary the cheapest things going. The DVD can be found for around $15 but the pants and the mat are pretty expensive. The pant is certainly a nice thing to have but I’m not certain spending $80 for a mat is the best bang for your buck.

“Our yoga classes are consistently full; our lunchtime classes have 25 or more people in them. Demand is definitely up,” said Teresa Wade, fitness director at the Sports Barn downtown.

Demand is so high now that the the first teacher training certificate program is going to be launched in the area by Clearspring. Students qualify to become resisted yoga teachers with the Yoga Alliance. This will be convenient for those interested in becoming instructors because training had to be found in cities like Atlanta or Nashville.

It’s just another anecdote of how popular yoga has become in recent years. The more popular it becomes the better it is for all who practice yoga.

A yoga ball is a special exercise ball made of elastic rubber having a diameter of about 22 to 34 inches.

Please visit my Yoga site to read more…

The good thing about yoga is that you don’t need anything in order to practice it, exept maybe the right attitude. Some loose fitting, non-restrictive clothing, and a quiet spot in your house is all you need to start, assuming you don’t go to the gym.

A mat of some description may be handy, together with a blanket and a pillow since they will help give some form of support and added comfort for the laying or sitting down positions. Yoga is normally practiced barefoot, so you don’t need any expensive shoes or trainers, though you may wish to wear some socks or soft shoes.

Try not to eat for at least two or three hours before doing any yoga exercises. You can eat some fruit or an energy bar or drink a glass of juice or water an hour before doing yoga though to avoid getting really hungry during practice.

It is suggested that you have a break of four hours between eating meals, as well as a having a balanced diet – this helps to aid in your overall health and well-being.

It is recommended to practice yoga first thing in the morning as this helps to revitalise the mind and body using the postures and breathing techniques, and again at night, using the meditation exercises, as this will help induce a deep restful sleep. As with regular exercise, you start with easy poses, building up to the more difficult poses. Never strain yourself, and pause when you feel pain or fatigue. Relaxing in between difficult exercises is also considered to be beneficial.

Yoga exercise is best done daily. You can do as little as 15 minutes of exercises and 15 minutes of breathing and meditation each day and you will start to reap the benefits.