FitSugar

Jessica Has Tickets to The Gun Show, Do You?

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:30:00 PDT

We've been watching Jessica transform into one hard body these days. Maybe it's from tugging around all that LV luggage, but I am pretty sure it has more to do with her new movie, workout regime, diet and trainer. The girl's definitely got curves; curves that I'd be willing to bet you could bounce a quarter off of. But seriously, I can't get over those arms!

So if, like me, you're totally inspired by Jessica's guns to get out and start pumping some iron, here are a few suggestions for toning up your own arms:

Push-ups. If you're new to push-ups, then stick with a basic push-up. If you're familiar with push-ups, try elevating your feet on an exercise ball.
Also, you can add the side push-up to your routine if you really want to spice it up.
Right now I am loving this Plank with Reverse Row.
Love planks? Then try the elbow and side planks.
Another great and fun workout for the arms is this boxing move.
One of my all time favorite arm exercises is the alternating hammer curl.
For a few arm moves in a row, be sure to check out the starter arms video.

So get to it ladies! With a little commitment, and healthy diet, you'll be well on your way to having arms like Jessica's. So, to see more pics of Jessica looking tone and trim, just

View 10 Photos ›

Bauer-Griffin

5-Factor Fitness: The Eva Mendes Story

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 07:30:00 PST

It looks like Eva Mendes has jumped on the 5-Factor Fitness bandwagon and is looking great for it. According to Life and Style Weekly, she's dropped 10 to15 pounds, she's toned, and she's changed her life style which really is the key to successful dieting. By successful I mean losing the weight and keeping it off.

Eva has joined ranks with other 5-Factor devotees and Hollywood lovelies like Halle Berry, Eve, Orlando Bloom and Benjamin Bratt. Uh huh - the 5 factors are not just for the ladies. To learn about 5-Factor

read more The 5-Factor Fitness is a fairly uncomplicated regimen of 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, consisting of: low-fat protein, fiber, healthy carbs and fats, and a sugar-free drink with every meal. The work out is an integral part of the plan to take the weight off and keep it off. But it is reasonable, combining both strength and cardio in each session of 25 minutes of daily exercise. The plan seems pretty sensible to me. Check out books by Harley Pasternak the physiologist behind 5-Factor Fitness here. His book the 5-Factor Diet comes out on 12/26/2006. Source

5 Health Reasons to Make Time For Cuddling

Shape — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:08:28 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Next time your guy gets on your case about cuddle time — he says he's too hot, needs his space, doesn't feel like relaxing — present the evidence. Research suggests that there's more to cuddling than meets the eye. Lovey-dovey'ness aside, the health benefits of cuddling will surely convince him to make time for it.

Reason 1: It Feels Good
Cuddling releases oxytocin, which is also known as the feel-good hormone. "It increases overall happiness," says psychologist, physical therapist, and author of bestseller A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness Elizabeth Lombardo.

"Cuddling, holding, and sexual play releases chemicals, like oxytocin, in the brain that create a sense of well-being and happiness," says Dr. Renee Horowitz, an ob-gyn who recently opened the Center for Sexual Wellness in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Cuddling can also release endorphins, which is the chemical released after a good workout or when you eat chocolate, Horowitz adds, which contributes to that great feeling.

Dr. Oz: 5 Tips for Lasting Love, Health, and Happiness

Reason 2: It Makes You Feel Sexy
The most obvious benefit to cuddling is getting close to your partner in the physical sense. Cuddling can lead to fun sexy time or relaxing and loving time post sexual intercourse, but there's also a chemical plus.

"There is also the release of dopamine, which is an excitatory hormone that increases sexual desire," Horowitz says. Plus, studies show that sex is healthy for fitness and mental reasons, too. So it's a win-win.

Keep reading for two more reason to snuggle up!

Little Daily Tricks to Wake Up Slimmer

Health — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:01:00 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Jessica Girdwain

We get it: you want to lose the jiggle but don’t want to blacklist your favorite eats, count every single calorie, or overdose on gym hours. The great news is, you can drop weight without dieting: experts say making small change-ups to your day is one of the best ways to lose.

We grilled health and fitness pros for the tweaks that will help your shape the most. Road test a few, and you could shed five (this week!), 10, or even 20-plus pounds without a whole lot of effort.

Health.com: Diet Tricks the Pros Tell Their Friends

Power up PB
"Buy natural varieties of peanut butter and pour off the oil sitting on top. Each serving will have 20 fewer calories and two to three fewer grams of fat. It’s a small difference that'll add up to a couple of pounds per year."
-Amelia Winslow, personal chef in Los Angeles and founder of the healthy food blog Eating Made Easy

Pop to It
"Skimping on fiber will make you gain weight. Forget the pretzels and go for a bag of low-fat popcorn. It has five times the fiber and only 90 calories for six cups, so it’s filling and satisfying.

A recent study found that when women doubled their daily fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams, their bodies absorbed 90 calories less per day. You could lose almost 10 pounds in a year!"
-Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss

Health.com: Fill Up on Fiber

Dance Your Butt Off
"Kick up your heels and go dancing with your girlfriends - or have a solo dance session at home. Fast-tempo dances are not only a blast to do, but in an hour you’ll torch 400 to 500 calories. That’s equivalent to light jogging on the treadmill, but it’s way more fun!"
-Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food: Lose the Fake Food and Kickstart Your Weight Loss

Keep on reading for great slimming tips!

How Can I Get Rid of Love Handles?

Shape — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:14:40 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell for some help!

Q: How can I get rid of love handles?

A: There isn't just one secret to losing love handles - it's a combination of factors. It's true that the typical answer of total-body strength training, high-intensity cardio intervals, proper nutrition, and sound recovery strategies are the keys to long-term success, but there are more secret strategies for burning belly fat.

You've probably heard that cortisol, the "stress hormone," is responsible for excess abdominal fat, but that's only part of the story. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress—physical, mental, or emotional. This may include extremely low-calorie diets (fasting or starvation), infection, lack of quality sleep, emotional trauma, or intense exercise, as well as daily stressors such as job pressure or relationship trouble.

Top 50 Fall Dit Foods for Weight Loss

Stress and cortisol alone do not make you fat, but research has linked high cortisol levels with storage of body fat, particularly visceral belly fat. Visceral fat is packed deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas "regular" fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. Therefore, the key to avoid storing excess fat around your middle is controlling your cortisol response, or the amount of stress on your body.

Learn the top tips for getting rid of love handles after the break!

5 Rumors About the iPhone 5 That Might Actually Be True

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:21:10 PDT

There are endless iPhone 5 rumors floating around the Internet on a given day, but how do you know which ones are based in reality? We've scoured through some of the most prominent rumors and rounded up a few that we think might actually be true. Check them out below.

It will be announced on Oct. 4 - Earlier this week media received invitations to an event at Apple's Cupertino headquarters on Oct. 4 with the message "Let's talk iPhone." Tuesday can't come soon enough.
It could have voice control - Reports of an "Assistant" feature indicate voice activation that will allow users to make appointments, get directions, and set reminders as well as send SMS and iMessage texts just by speaking commands.
It could be released on Oct. 15 - France Telecom's CEO announced to the press recently that he's been told the iPhone 5 will be released on Oct. 15. This seems to fit the other release date rumors we've heard, which pinpoint the iPhone 5 launch to be "sometime in early October." Additionally, an Apple employee who remained nameless says we're "just weeks away" from an iPhone 5 announcement. We're not sure why Apple would launch the iPhone on a Saturday, so we're betting on the 14th instead.
It could be available on Sprint - There are several rumors saying that Sprint won't just get the iPhone 5, but that it will offer unlimited data packages with the device and will also get its own iPad 2.
It could be slimmer, wider - Several leaked cases (and case images) seem to suggest that the iPhone 5 could come with a new form factor, similar to the iPad 2. A slimmer, wider body, tapered back, and rounded edges.
It could come with a better camera - Though a next-gen iPhone is almost guaranteed to come with a better camera, a photo that popped up on Flickr recently suggests the camera could be 8MP. Someone from inside Apple's cafeteria at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA, snapped a pic of his sushi lunch and uncovered image data says it has an original size of 3264 x 2448 - approximately 8MP. Fishy, indeed.

Are Sore Muscles a Sign of a Good Workout?

Shape — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:29:57 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

If your New Year's resolution to get in shape stalled out fast, you might be panicking right about now since bikini season is right around the bend. Making up for lost time with an aggressive workout routine will likely leave you sore, but begging for more once you see your thighs trim down and take form.

That burn you feel 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it's enough to make you want to put down the Kettlebell and pick up a cocktail. But press on! We talked to fitness and nutrition expert Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., author of The 5-Factor World Diet, and trainer to celebrities like Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, and Halle Berry, about why (some) pain is good.

"The idea behind resistance training is that you're basically tearing something and creating a micro trauma in the muscle," Pasternak says. "When the muscle recovers, it's going to recover stronger and denser than it was before." So that soreness you feel the day after an upper-body workout-when you're hauling groceries into your car and you can hardly lift your arms-is good.

See Harley's tips for reducing DOMS after the break!

Fit Over 40: Why Time Is Key (Even For Celebrities)

Self — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:22:42 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Halle Berry . . . these days, when a 40-something woman steps out in a bikini, it makes news.

Turns out, there's a scientific explanation for why we're so fascinated by these lean, toned, impossibly supple bodies. In some ways, these apparent genetic wonders are defying the aging process.

"Once a man or woman gets beyond their 30s, they're in a situation where unless they are really proactive about what they do from an exercise standpoint as well as eating sensibly, they are going to lose some muscle tissue," says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, Chief Science Officer for The American Council on Exercise.

Read the rest of this post after the break!

Foods That Send Metabolism Soaring

Prevention — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:21:01 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Power up your fat-burning engine with every bite!
Excerpted from The Active Calorie Diet book by Leslie Bonci, R.D.

A calorie is a calorie, and cutting them is the best way to lose weight, right? Not so fast. New research shows that eating certain types of foods can rev your metabolism, curb your appetite, and help you drop more pounds than others. The Active Calorie Diet, an eating plan based on this research, explains how some foods take more work to eat so you burn more calories during digestion. In fact, just the act of chewing foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 30 percent!

In this diet plan, foods are broken down into four types of "active calories" — chewy foods, hearty foods, energizing foods, and warming foods. Here's how each one encourages your body to burn more calories.

Burn More Calories By Eating

Chewy Foods (lean meats, nuts, whole fruits and vegetables)
These calories make your body work right off the fork. To maximize the chew factor, choose food in its most "whole" state — apples instead of applesauce, for instance. High-protein foods really are your best ally in the Active Calorie Diet because they take more work to chew and longer to leave your stomach so you take more time eating—and have more time to register that you're full.

Hearty Foods (fruits, vegetables, brown rice, whole grains and cereals)
In addition to being chewy, these active calories are packed with fiber, so they take up more room in your belly (compared to other foods with the same number of calories), and leave less room for second helpings. Foods that take more work to chew literally make your mouth work harder (ramping calorie burn by 10 percent!) and increase the thermic effect of food, the calorie-burn bump we get from eating and digesting any given type of food.

Tasty Ways to Get More Fiber

Energizing Foods (coffee, black and green tea, dark chocolate)
You can get metabolism-boosting caffeine in coffee and black tea; just be careful not to load them up with milk, cream, or sugar. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java or black tea can boost your metabolism by 5 to 8 percent - about 80 to 128 calories a day. Green tea doesn't have much caffeine but it does contain catechins, an antioxidant that raises resting metabolism by 4 percent (about 80 calories a day). Dark chocolate contains both catechins and caffeine, but stick to one ounce per day to limit fat and calories.

8 Secrets for All-Day Energy

More foodie tips to rev your metabolism after the break.

Lil Links: 5 Things to Tell Your Mother-in-Law Before Baby Arrives

LilSugar — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:16:05 PDT

5 things to tell your mother-in-law right now - The Stir
Jennifer Lopez's on-set visitors are too cute! - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Tori Spelling kicks back with her family over the weekend - Celebrity Baby Blog
Help earn money for needy classrooms through a new Yahoo! program - Yahoo! Shine
10 lesser-known risk factors for postpartum depression - FitPregnancy
How to make homework a positive experience - Parenting
7 signs it's time to have another child - Momformation
17 budget craft ideas from the dollar store - Babble
Disney and Ken Paves collaborate on Disney Fairies personal care product line - Child Mode