FitSugar

What Is Your Number One Health Concern?

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:00:51 PDT

We are all similar in that most of us have health on the brain, but we differ in our reasons for striving to be healthy. A lot of us are concerned about our weight, but for many of us, getting healthy is far more deep-rooted. For example, someone who has a history of cancer in the family may be more concerned about preventing it, while others are living with diseases themselves. I'm curious: What's your main health concern?

Source

Are Your Birth Control Pills Safe?

Shape — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:06:17 PST

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

Last year during my annual exam, when I complained to my doctor about my terrible PMS, she was quick to pull out her pad and give me a prescription for the birth control pill Yaz. "You're going to love this," she said. "All of my patients that are on it think it's the best. It's even helped some of them lose weight!"

Less PMS and not having to worry about my weight? I was sold, even though I'd only intended to talk to her about lifestyle and/or diet modifications since my birth control needs were already taken care of. Before I stopped into the pharmacy, however, I looked up the pill online (Paging Dr. Google!). The results were anything but the lovefest I'd been promised. In fact, the information I found scared me so badly that I never filled that prescription.

Am I Normal? Your Top Six Sex Questions Answered

It quickly became evident that I wasn't the only woman concerned when Yaz and it's sister pill Yazmin, two of the most popular pills on the market, came up for review by the FDA after reports that the manufacturer may have hid and minimized critical health risks. But is the hysteria warranted?

Find out how safe birth control pills are after the break!

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Yoga Mat

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:36:43 PST

Buying a yoga mat is like buying a new pair of running sneakers. It takes careful consideration and research to find the right fit. Since there are hundreds to ~~confuse you~~ choose from, narrow down your search by asking these important questions.

How Much Do I Want to Spend?
Your budget is a huge factor in the mat you end up with. Do you have the dough to lay down for the priciest one on the market or are you happy buying a cheaper mat? The upside of buying a more expensive mat, like the Manduka PRO Black Magic ($104), is durability, which will actually save you money over time.

How Thick Do I Want It?
If you're new to the mat-buying scene, you might not realize that mats come in different thicknesses. A quarter-inch is the standard mat thickness, probably like the one you've borrowed from your studio. Think about how your body feels on this mat in certain poses where your bones are pressing into the floor. If you've felt discomfort, splurge on a thicker mat, but make sure it's also dense. A thick squishy mat makes balancing postures more difficult.

Keep reading for more things to consider when purchasing a new yoga mat.

Liam Hemsworth to Star in Romantic Drama Timeless

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:39:18 PST

Find out about Liam Hemsworth's time travel romance - NextMovie

Check out True Blood's Joe Manganiello on White Collar - BuddyTV

How Demi Moore's health concerns are affecting her role in Lovelace - The Hollywood Reporter

See Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens in Journey 2 - Rotten Tomatoes

The guys of The Hangover want a big, big raise for the third film - Moviefone

Which trouble-making member of The View is coming back to the show? - HuffPost TV

The best and worst moments of One Tree Hill - Zap2It

11 misquoted movie lines - Newser

Get decor inspiration from the Oscar-nominated films - CasaSugar

The Essential Habits of a Healthy Home Cook

Michele Foley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

Unless you know what you're doing, cooking at home can be as detrimental to your health as eating out. As far as your body is concerned, cooking with processed ingredients high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium might as well be like eating McDonald's. But becoming a healthy cook isn't as hard as you think. Here are some essential habits for healthy home cooks, starting from the moment you set foot in the grocery store to the second you put dinner on the table.

Shop the Right Way
Healthy cooking starts with strategic grocery shopping. Create a meal plan for the week and stock your cart with whole, fresh, and organic foods, lean proteins, and unrefined grains: an easy way to do this is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. When you do have to buy prepared foods, choose products with the fewest and simplest ingredients. Healthy grocery options can be expensive, but here are six ways to save money when shopping organic.

Fill Your Toolbox
If cooking from scratch seems daunting, arm yourself with a few healthy kitchen gadgets. From steamers to kitchen scales, these tools will help cut back on prep and cook time, reduce the amount of fat in your dishes, and even make calorie counting and portion control easier. Here are a few of our favorite healthy cooking gadgets.

Learn how to cook healthy at home after the break!

The Fuss Over Paula Deen's Diabetes - and What We Can Learn From It

Susannah Chen — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:53:28 PST

Today, the food world's gone into hyper-discussion mode over the fact that Paula Deen reportedly has diabetes. This isn't a first - we've been hearing rumors of her diabetes for a while now - but she's also reportedly signed on to be the spokesperson for a diabetes drug from pharmaceutical company Novartis.

Paula Deen, who's been dubbed the Queen of Southern Cuisine, is known for her decadent Southern dishes and her liberal use of butter without pause to any concerns about health. "I really don't worry about it," she told a reporter in one interview. Yet with increasing concern over America's obesity epidemic, her push for exceedingly rich foods has faced more than a few tough questions.

"You know, we don't eat this [stuff] every day," she said, defending herself to an unconvinced Barbara Walters in 2009. Her mantra of licking the bacon grease spoon - in moderation, of course! - has faltered. Even the Cooking Channel's admitting to that, with the debut of Not My Mama's Meals, with a lighter, healthier bent on Paula Deen dishes.

And so it comes full circle. The expected announcement is bleak, yet clear: nobody, even a personality with rock-star status like Paula Deen, is immune to health consequences. It's time to face the reality that we can't routinely succumb to indulgences, even if they're "in moderation." With almond milk and quinoa flying off shelves, we're finally starting to realize that you can't have red velvet cake every day. Maybe once a week - if you eat a bit of kale on the side, too.

Get Heart Healthy With Just 30 Minutes of Exercise a Week

Heather Dale — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:37:26 PST

Don't just sit there! A little exercise goes a long way. A recent study led by the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Canada found that just 30 minutes of exercise a week can lower the risk of a heart attack by about 30 percent. Fighting heart disease might not be your biggest concern, but the power of even a bit of physical activity is certainly motivating.

The study followed over 24,000 men and women of all ages, from 52 countries, and compared the work and exercise habits of the participants, 10,043 of which had already experienced a heart attack and the other 14,217 had no history of cardiovascular disease. The research found that any level of physical activity can lower the risk. The data, which made its way into the European Heart Journal this week, notes how the risk drops 13 percent for mild activity like yoga or slow walking, 24 percent for moderate activity like biking, and 30 percent for more strenuous physical activity like running. Surprisingly, the percentage didn't increase if the duration of physical activity went up - although 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a week was the sweet spot - which can be spread out over each day.

Now we all know how good exercise is for our overall health, which is why it's important to make sure you are exercising at least 60 minutes each week. And if you are looking to lose and maintain a certain weight, you'll want to engage in moderate exercise for five days a week. And by moderate, I mean "slightly breathless," making sure you get your heart rate up.

Group Therapy: My Friend Is in Abusive Relationship

Tres Community — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:05:08 PST

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I'm very concerned for the physical safety and mental health of my friend. She started seeing this guy about five months ago. Two months into their relationship, he cheated on her. She accepted this and justified this because she had moved away for school (only an hour away) and he was convinced she was cheating on him. Shortly after discovering his infidelity, she learned he had been in prison for five years for aggravated assault. He won't tell the exact details but on her own she has uncovered some very unsettling things. He raped a 58-year-old woman and put someone in a coma and yet, these things don't seem to scare her the way they scare me and my friends. Recently I was at her house and she was changing in front of me and I saw a big, mottled green bruise that looked suspiciously like fingerprints. When I asked her about it, she said she fell down the stairs. I'm not stupid, but I didn't pry. Yesterday, she was changing again and I saw bruising all down her arms and back. She finally admitted that he had started beating her. She said she asked him why he did it and he laughed and said, "Because you deserve it. You are worthless." I've known for some time he is verbally abusive; he calls her things like "dumb c**t" and "stupid b***h".

I've only met him three times and find him highly antisocial. He refuses to make eye contact or converse with anyone. On top of that, he has told my friend he hates me because the first time we met we were at a bar and I had been drinking. If she so much as has a sip of an alcoholic beverage, he freaks out on her and tells her she has no control.

She has talked about this situation in depth with myself and a few friends. We have all been frank and told her we're worried for her safety and that this relationship is abusive. She is aware of the perils she is putting herself in by staying with him but refuses to take any steps that might help her leave him. She says she is scared of being alone but she doesn't feel happy with him. We've pleaded with her to leave him but she won't. Today we finally told her we couldn't listen to this anymore because she knows how wrong this is and justifies his behavior and further instills his mantra of her worthlessness by staying with him. I feel like that was the wrong thing but I am so worried about her. I really feel like he is dangerous and honestly, I don't even feel safe with him in my life. Is there anything I can do?

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Who's to Blame For Childhood Obesity? Mom and Dad!

Natasha Dantzig — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:37:08 PST

Equal opportunity blame game! Moms tend to get disproportionately blamed when things with their children take a less than ideal turn. Whether it's trouble in school, difficulty making friends, or physical or mental health issues, it's the mamas who - according to most popular conceptions - bear the brunt of the responsibility. Which is why it's somewhat of a relief to see a study out this month declaring that fathers have a part to play in the childhood obesity epidemic. The study, recently published in the the International Journal of Obesity found that children living in households where the father works an irregular schedule - a phenomenon that's becoming more and more common - are more likely to become obese or overweight.

Lest the daddies get too nervous, there's another new study that places the blame right back on mama: based on data from a new study done by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, researchers from Ohio State University published an article in Pediatrics linking the quality of the early mother/child relationship with the child's risk of becoming obese as a teenager. The study claims that children who had a less than optimal relationship with their mother in early childhood were twice as likely to become obese; However, as researchers took into account other known factors related to the epidemic such as maternal education and household income, the findings were less conclusive, leaving parents with just as many questions and concerns as they had before.

Is one parent more to blame than the other?

Heidi Klum Dresses Up as a Sexy Mrs. Claus

Katie Henry — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:11:55 PST

Did Heidi Klum forget to put on her Mrs. Claus pants? - Amy Grindhouse
Blair Witch actress quit acting to grow pot - People
Rihanna's health is still a serious concern - Huffington Post
Miley Cyrus had an interesting run-in with some fans - D-Listed
Jake Gyllenhaal to serve on jury at this year's Berlin Film Festival - JustJared
Are Johnny and Vanessa planning to spend the holidays in LA? - Lainey Gossip
Real Housewife NeNe Leakes joins the cast of Glee - Pink Is the New Blog
Lindsay Lohan is ready to return to the big screen - The Superficial
Taylor Momsen still dressing inappropriately on stage - Hollywood Tuna
Will Kobe's breakup reveal ugly side of NBA marriages? - The Daily Beast
Check out Casper Smart's yearbook photo - TooFab
Find out what brings Gwyneth Paltrow and Seth MacFarlane together - Hollywood Reporter