FitSugar

Burn Calories on the Dance Floor With Your Husband-to-Be

Heather Dale — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:05:13 PDT

Dancing is a great way to let loose, work up a sweat, and have some fun with friends on a Friday night. And if you've got an upcoming wedding in the works, you may already be choreographing a grand wedding entrance or taking lessons to perfect your first dance as a married couple.

The good news is, one hour of dancing can burn around 266 calories, so whether you're enrolled in a class or out social dancing, dancing can be a great way to keep the pounds off before the wedding day. Pair dancing with weekend hiking dates and you'll be getting in shape without even knowing it!

Here's a full list of how many calories you will burn with various dances.

City Walking Tours: The Perfect Fitness Staycation

FitSugar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:30:06 PDT

The office building that houses Sugar HQ is a bit of a historical and architectural landmark. Built in 1926, it's an example of French Romanesque architecture and is also the location of Sam Spade's fictional office in the Maltese Falcon. About once every few weeks, it's a stop along a San Francisco architecture walking tour. A group of tourists squeeze into the building's lobby to learn about its history and take pictures of its painted ceiling and marbled floors. In total, the tour takes two hours and keeps everyone moving up and down San Francisco's famed hills.

Inspired by what I saw happening in my office building, I decided to sign up for Gold Rush City, one of 90 free walking tours offered by San Francisco City Guides. It was nothing short of amazing - an engaging mini history lesson that also kept me outside and active. I've since gone on three more, with plans to keep going until I mark all the tours off of the list.

This weekend, grab a friend, partner, or go alone on a walking tour of your own city. Most urban areas host them for free, which you can find by doing a simple Internet search. Or you can design your own - start by picking a theme or neighborhood and go from there. Research buildings and events that might be points of interest, or check online to see if there are any guides that you can download. If your city has a historical society, they may also be able to help when it comes to designing a fun walking tour for you. Walking tours are a really great way to keep active on the weekend, and it's always fun to be a tourist in your own city!

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Get Physical: Pick Your Own Berries

FitSugar — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:30:07 PDT

Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries - fresh-picked berries are one of my favorite things about Summer.

For a weekend adventure that's fun for the entire family, I like to go berry picking. Not only do I feel that it's important for my girls to see where food actually comes from, it is also a fun and physical activity. In fact, according to Fitness magazine, you can burn over 600 calories with two hours picking berries. Plus, it tires out the kids, ensuring long weekend naps - every parent's dream.

To find a farm near you that lets you harvest your own fruit, visit the Pick Your Own website. The easiest search method is to click on your state and scroll down the page to the state map. Then just click on the county you live in to find a local farm.

For a few tips on berry picking,

Get Physical: Garden

FitSugar — Sat, 01 May 2010 03:00:14 PDT

I love gardening! It's a great way to spend quality time in the great outdoors and to play in the dirt, plus you can burn some serious calories. Gardening solo can be quite meditative, but getting the entire family involved in yard work is not only more fun, but it's way more productive- my girls love weeding and relocating the worms they find in the process.

Here are a few similarities I see in gardening and gym time:

Digging holes and turning compost feels like lifting weights.
Raking feels an awful lot like a rowing machine with some added oblique work with that twisting.
Pushing a lawnmower is similar to walking on a treadmill but with added upper body work.
Pruning with loppers is a serious arm workout, especially when working overhead.
Weeding and squats seem like a match made in heaven - remember to bend at your hips and not round your low back!

Vigorous gardening for an hour burns about 300 calories (depending on your weight and how intensely you dig).

Do you garden? Tell me what you're planting. I just put in two raspberry bushes and am hoping for some sweet berries in Autumn.

Anna Paquin Makes Like a Gymnast

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:00:42 PDT

After biking along the Santa Monica beach boardwalk, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer stopped at Muscle Beach for a little gymnastics action. Seeing Anna fly through the air on the swing-a-ring set makes us think that her obsession with Pilates is paying off; that girl has some serious core and upper body strength!

If you live in Los Angeles and haven't taken advantage of the public gymnastics training area along the Santa Monica beach, now is the time. It's sort of like a big jungle gym for adults filled with climbing ropes, rings, pull-up bars, and more. Throw in a bike ride or a surfing session, and you've got an entire day ahead of you.

If you don't live by a public fitness center like the one in Muscle Beach, work out at a playground instead. Monkey bars are great for pull-ups and hanging knee lifts, and the balance beam is a challenging way to practice standing yoga poses. I often use a slide to do tricep dips, or a small jungle gym ladder to do standing push-ups. What's your playground fitness routine?

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Gabby Reece on Getting Physical With Laird Hamilton

FitSugar — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:30:00 PDT

When it comes to fit couples, like former pro beach volleyball fitness guru Gabby Reece and her hunk of a husband pro surfer Laird Hamilton, you have to wonder if they work out together.

When posed with Sugar user Spectra's question, "What kind of activities do you do with Laird to stay fit?" Gabby quickly responded, with an almost inaudible chuckle, "Oh my gosh, I try not to train with Laird. We've been together for almost 14 years and always joke that we are both too bossy to train together trying to tell each other what to do, and he always wins. I would say Laird is far more advanced in some of the things he is able to do. I use him as an inspiration."

To learn how Laird inspired her to start biking,

read more. Laird urged Gabby to start biking suggesting that it was a great way to explore the beauty Hawaii has to offer. She also occasionally works out with the "boys" when she misses her own workout group due to scheduling conflicts. She explains that the workout,

"is really hard. I am there just barely silent holding on for dear life. But I am learning. . . You can always learn more, because it gets boring. Part of it is being around people . . . that give ideas and inspiration on how to do different things to keep it fresh."

Gabby did go on to say they do stuff in the water together as a couple and as a family, but training together happens "only once in a blue moon" and that might be what keeps them together. My husband and I cycle together, but we had to hash out the parameters since we have different approaches to attacking hills and speeding down descents. What about you? Do work out with your husband, partner, boyfriend?

Get Physical: Rearrange the Furniture

FitSugar — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:00:00 PST

It is dreary and cold outside. You want new furniture but are saving up for your dream vacation, a down payment or an addition to your house, next month's rent, or college tuition. A new living room is not in your cards. So why not rearrange it and get some strength training in too.

Moving the furniture around with your hubby, your housemates, or by yourself can give your home a little face-lift and make you feel strong to boot. I like to use a little graph paper to sketch plans of the room before I start lifting and moving. Sometimes though I like to do it on the fly.

If this is how you decide to spend your Saturday: remember to lift from your legs and not your back, and to check out CasaSugar's tips on how to make the most of your room.

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Get Physical: Go Sledding

FitSugar — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:30:00 PST

When it comes to enjoying the snow, sledding is the way to go. You don't need an expensive lift ticket, and kids of all ages can enjoy the snowy terrain. Durable sleds are easy to find in the Winter months and they're cheap too - generally under $20.

Sledding might seem like it's all fun, but there is work involved; you need to walk up the hill to ride it. Uphill walking works your backside nicely, and since snow can be tricky to navigate, you will be working even harder than usual. Now, if you add dragging a sled containing your 35-pound 3-year-old behind you, your workout will be even more intense.

Looking for a hill in your area? Visit Sledriding.com and scroll down to the map, midway down the page. Click on your state to find fun places to sled.

Get Physical: Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:00:50 PST

This year, instead of buying a tree that's already chopped down, why not make an outing to a Christmas tree farm to cut down your own tree? Not only will you be supporting a local family-owned business, but you'll get some exercise hiking through the rows of trees to find the perfect one. Then once you find it, you'll burn some calories sawing it down by hand. Even if the whole process only takes 30 minutes, you'll still burn at least 100 calories. If you're not sure where to go in your area, check out this Christmas Tree Farm Directory. Happy decorating!

Get Physical: Pick Your Own Apples

FitSugar — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT

When I was little, my family went apple picking every Fall. The crisp autumn weather reminds me of the inclement weather that is just around the corner, so now is the time to soak in the blue sky and sunlight and get physical outside.

Walking through the orchard, searching for trees to pick, is not unlike hiking. Climbing trees in search of the perfect apples is great work for your arms and legs. Plus it's fun! Carrying bags of apples out of the orchard works your arms. Picking your own apples is a workout with a tangible reward at the end - apples and lots of them.

Pack a lunch and you can have a romantic picnic with your honey. Picnicking and picking apples is also a great activity for children of all ages. My nimble 5-year-old is an expert at climbing trees and loves the challenge.

Check out this listing by state of orchards and farms where you can pick your own apples, fruits and veggies.

At a loss of what to do with all your apples? Check out all the apple recipes over at YumSugar.

Bonus points if you tell me in the comments section below what movie the following quote comes from: "How do you like them apples?"

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