calculator

It comes in waves, but I'm definitely feeling the robot love this week. It all started out with the adorable kids parading around in robot costumes, then the timeless Robot Lamp Base and now — the Calcubot (or Robotulator, or Rocalculabotor) whatever you'd like to call him. This futuristic guy can calculate all your hard math equations and hold your pen for you with his squeezable hands. Pick one up for $20.

With all the mercury scares going around these days, are you curious how much tuna is too much? I am.

The Environmental Working Group has created a tuna calculator that uses the FDA's guidelines for what constitutes a safe dose of mercury. It will calculate the maximum amount of canned tuna that you can safely eat each week and not exceed what the FDA considers a safe exposure level. All you have to do is enter your weight and the calculator does the rest. Pretty cool, especially if you eat a good amount of tuna.

How many cans per week are safe for you?

Looking for a yummy snack? Or an easy breakfast?

Thank you to user Suzanne for sharing with us her snack idea for a healthy trifle recipe (and the beautiful picture of it too).

What could be better than all your “start the day” healthy foods assembled into the yummiest breakfast or snack you’ve ever tasted – and ready to just scoop into a bowl and enjoy before running out the door!

Breakfast/Snack Trifle:

• 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cup fresh Blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberries in bite sized pieces
• 6-8 (4 oz). packs Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Cream yogurt
• 3/4 cup muesli or granola or crumbled protein bar or any other whole grain thing you like to start your day with...
• 1/3 cup raw sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats

In a pretty bowl, sprinkle the cranberries on the bottom. Top with 1/3 of your yogurt to cover. Top that with the fresh fruits. Then 1/3 more of the yogurt – then sprinkle on your whole grain of choice, top with remainder of the yogurt and sprinkle the top with the sliced almonds and oats.

Why I like it: The base of this recipe is a calcium rich vanilla cream yogurt that has only 3 grams of carbs and an impressive 5 grams of protein with only 3 grams of fat. Add to that the red fruits, whole grains, nuts and the touch of vitamin C from the strawberries and you’re good to go. While you’re dishing out your morning portion, why not scoop up a bit to pack and go for a midday snack!

Have your own healthy snacks? Join the Snack Attack Group and share you ideas with everyone! You could be picked to be featured for an upcoming "Snack Attack!"

So I've been telling you to get your heart rate up a lot recently and maybe you understand why but maybe you don't.

Here is the rundown as to why you should care:
Knowing your target heart rate lets you measure your initial fitness level and monitor your progress in a fitness program. There is a mathematical equation that allows you to find your resting heart rate and then you multiply it by certain percentages to see where your heart rate should be depending on where you are in your workout. Knowing your THR is like having a free cardio personal trainer.

Luckily, FitSugar has taken the hard work out of it with SugarStats, a new calculator that will let you see what your personal target heart rate is. Check it out here!

That's not all! With the new SugarStats you can also evaluate your calories in a day, see if you're drinking enough water and find out your Body Mass Index.