Lexus

Don't text and drive, but do tech and drive. We got behind the wheel of the new 2014 Lexus IS, which showed us how technology is making cars safer than ever. The biggest takeaway? Blind spots and backing up are no longer a driver's worst enemy.

Radars and intelligent cameras scan the road all around the Lexus IS, giving road warriors an extra set of eyes in hard-to-see areas. The sports sedan, which arrives this Summer, comes with a lot of bells and whistles, including the most comfortable seats we've ever sat in, subscription-free traffic and weather information, and a crazy-looking spindle grill — but it was these advanced safety features that caught our eye:

• Blind Spot Monitor System — Vehicles in adjacent lanes are detected using what's called a "quasi-millimeter wave radar," which sends out electromagnetic wavelengths to see if an approaching car is getting too close for comfort. As we cruised along the highway, an icon in the left and right rearview mirrors lit up every time another vehicle zoomed by. When the turn signal is activated, the mirror indicator will blink to catch the driver's attention.
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert — The same "quasi-millimeter wave radar" technology is used to sense oncoming vehicles when backing out of a parking space. But in addition to seeing the blinking mirror icon, an approaching car will set off an audio alert.
• Lane Departure Alert — Getting behind the wheel when you're tired can be just as dangerous as texting while driving. While the Lexus IS can't wake a driver up if he or she is dozing off, the sedan does have a lane departure alert system, which uses a front-facing camera on the dashboard to recognize where the lane begins and ends. If the vehicle appears to be deviating from the lane, then an icon flashes on the dashboard right in front of the driver and sounds off an alert tone. That same camera can detect oncoming cars at night and dim the high beams if they are already activated.

You know to drive cautiously, but it's nice to know that when our own senses fail, technology will be there to step in. The 2014 Lexus IS, which is considered an "entry-level luxury vehicle," is available in three different models: the IS 250 (starts at $35,950), the IS 350 (starts at around $39,465), and the IS 350 F-Sport RWD (around $50,000). Let us know if you'll be behind the wheel of the new Lexus IS this Summer, and check out the sporty, all-seeing sedan after the break.

Sluggish days — we've all had them. The quick solution is often downing a cup of coffee — and then another — with the hope of making it through the day. According to dietitian Ashley Koff, this is exactly what we shouldn't be doing. At this year's espnW Women + Sports Summit (which I attended as a guest of Lexus), Koff put forth the idea of better energy vs. more energy: better meaning the energy is long-lasting and efficient, and more being a quick fix that forces the body to keep pushing even when tired. "Better energy is like rolling hills, and more energy is like spikes that cause the body to burn out," says Koff.
In order to achieve the right kind of energy to power through the day, Koff stresses how and what we eat plays a major role.

• Quantity: Portion control matters when it comes to maintaining energy throughout the day, but Koff warns against thinking that this means having less: "Once you know the right amounts you should be eating, you'll find that all food is still available to you." Koff has a simple way to figure out portion sizes when putting together a meal: use the fist as a way to measure carbs, the palm (no fingers) to measure protein, and the thumb should be the visual cue for fats (except for nuts, which should equal a small handful). Go ahead and eat all the veggies you want — no limits there!
• Quality: Koff says there's no right diet plan. "Forget the low-carb, no-carb, Paleo, and all that other stuff. Instead become a qualitarian." Choosing quality means striving to eat food that is found in nature, but it doesn't always have to be in its raw state, says Koff. For instance, wheat is OK. "Though processed, its foundation is natural." What you're looking to do is eliminate artificial foods, refined carbs and sugars, partially hydrogenated oil, and high-fructose corn syrup in favor of organic, sustainable, and whole food items.

See how what you're eating can affect energy levels and lead to weight gain after the break!

"Exercise is medicine, and you need it every day" was the message Dr. Jordan Metzl hammered in during a recent discussion at the annual espnW Women + Sports Summit. As a guest of Lexus, I was able to hear Dr. Metzl's advice on keeping the body conditioned, especially for endurance athletes. And he should know — not only is Dr. Metzl a sports medicine physician, he's also competed in 29 marathons and 10 Ironman Triathlons. For those individuals moving beyond one-hour sweat sessions and instead clocking serious miles in their fitness routines, Dr. Metzl shared these tips for keeping the body healthy.

1. Don't be one-dimensional: You may be training for a marathon, but running should not be the only part of your routine. "You need to do more than just your sport," said Dr. Metzl, and he recommends at least two strength training sessions per week. He advises patients to focus on total-body, functional fitness when putting the kind of physical duress on the body that a race will. Squats and lunges make up the cornerstone of his workouts, as does plyometrics. A workout session with Dr. Metzl is basically a boot camp, which we were all treated to on our first morning at the summit — talk about a sore backside the next day!
2. Get the kinks out: When the body trains hard, muscle use goes into overtime, which can cause a variety of ailments ranging from soreness to tightness. This is exactly why Dr. Metzl is a huge proponent of keeping the body flexible and limber. In addition to stretching after every workout, he also recommends foam rolling at least four times a week. Or if you can swing it, a sports massage once a week. This will help keep the muscles long and lean, but mostly, ready to take on all the miles you throw at it.
3. Cool things down: It may not sound like the most pleasant way to hang after a grueling workout, but Dr. Metzl recommends an ice bath after any period of prolonged (and intense) activity to "reduce inflammation, which will help decrease pain going forward." He also mentioned that ice baths are particularly helpful for endurance athletes because the cold temperature prevents the breakdown of tissue and helps increase blood flow, which speeds recovery time along. If an ice bath seems to intense, try a cold-plunge pool or even a shower.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.

Beautiful lines, charismatic colors, shiny accessories, and sophisticated style . . . sounds like the latest runway show, but in fact, it’s the new Lexus IS. The Lexus IS with new F-Sport package offers drivers sharper looks with the most desirable sports styling features, including exclusive 18-inch wheels, fabulously fashionable sports seats, and race- and runway-inspired paddle shifters, and the F-sport tuned suspension makes for incredible handling (for performance that lives up to its looks . . . sigh).

With Fashion Week Sept. 9-16, the new Lexus IS Ultrasonic Blue Mica just may be your perfect accessory. Lexus has again managed to marry the things that go straight to your heart: Fashion Week and fast cars (if only the rest of the would adopt the same principles).

Click here to peruse the new 2011 Lexus IS with F-Sport package.