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3 Tips For Germ-Free Travel

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:17:50 PDT

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

Whether you're going by boat, plane, train, or automobile, travel bugs are bound to greet you. Here, some cringe-worthy stats on germs and traveling - and tips on how you can take a trip unscathed.

Stay Hydrated

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the air inside planes has anywhere from 10 to 20 percent humidity, which can dry out mucous membranes and make people more susceptible to germs. Staying hydrated throughout the trip can prevent nasal passages from being irritated, so load up on water and skip the carbonated beverages and booze. "Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks should be followed with water or fruit juice to rehydrate because they are diuretics and can cause water loss," advise Ray Fillmore Garman, MD, MPH, and Susan Spengler, MD, both associate professors with the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Sipping on water assists with immune function - and in some cases even helps with jet lag. For longer, international trips pack electrolyte-friendly snacks like GU Energy Chomps, a banana, nuts, or a small bag of fortified cereal to keep drowsiness at bay.

Keep reading for two more healthy travel tips after the break.

How Far Would You Go to Prevent Getting Sick?

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:38:18 PST

Washing your hands often and coughing into your elbow are common ways to prevent the spread of germs, but here are some other ways that aren't as mainstream. Keep reading to find out what they are and tell me if you'd go this far to avoid getting sick.

Source: Flickr User Evil Erin and Flickr User KateJones2011

Germs and You: Seven Ways They Touch Your Life

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT

There is no way to be in denial that it's cold and flu season with so many co-workers, commuters, and gym-goers coughing and blowing their noses all around me. Other illnesses are lurking too, and prevention is all about knowing how to steer clear of germs in the first place. If you know how they spread, you can avoid getting sick. Here are seven ways you come into contact with germs:

Direct contact: This is when you touch someone who is sick. Shaking hands, hugging, kissing, and sexual activity with someone who has a cold or stomach bug is a great way to get yourself sick too.
Indirect contact: This is when you touch something that an infected person has touched. Door knobs, hand railings, counters, salt and pepper shakers, and gym equipment are all public items that hundreds have touched before you. If one of them was sick and you touch the object, you're at risk for illness.
Droplet spread: This one grosses me out. Germs can spread through the air in the form of droplets when someone talks, sneezes, or coughs. Don't worry about insulting a person who's sick. Stand back for your own health's sake.

How else can germs spread? To find out,

Fecal-to-oral route: Um, ew. If someone uses the bathroom and doesn't wash their hands properly (or at all), and that person shakes your hand or you touch the door to the bathroom they touched, then it's a great way to contract an illness such as Hepatitis A.
Common-vehicle spread: This is when something is infected, such as the town water supply or salmonella-tainted meat. There's not much you can do except avoid whatever is contaminated.
Airborne spread: You all heard about the anthrax scare. This is an example of an airborne spread. Germs can remain in tiny droplets in the air for hours or even days. Enclosed places and poor air circulation don't help the situation. So whenever possible open up windows, go outside and get fresh air, and avoid lengthy commutes in a train or plane.
Vector-borne spread: Malaria, Lyme disease, and rabies are examples of this. It occurs when a contaminated insect or animal transfers germs to you through a bite. Bug spray and avoiding strange dogs should keep you safe.

I think I will go wash my hands now. What about you?

Source

Health Tip: Microwave Your Toothbrush

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:20:07 PDT

If you're like most people, you get a new toothbrush every six months, but you really should be changing your toothbrush more often, like every three to four months. When the bristles get worn and lose their rigidity, they don't remove plaque as well. But you should also do some maintenance within that three months, when your toothbrush is just sitting out in the open. After all, think about all the germs and bacteria floating around that would love to attach themselves to your moist toothbrush.

So to prevent colds, flu, and other sicknesses, Reader's Digest recommends that once or twice a week you run your toothbrush through the microwave on high for 10 seconds immediately before brushing. If someone in your home is sick, you may want to sterilize it in the microwave each time you brush. If you're the one who's sick, after the illness passes, ditch your old toothbrush and replace it with a new one.

Source

6 Best Ways to Flatten Your Belly By Summer

Prevention — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:32 PDT

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

By the Editors of Prevention

A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us strive to achieve in time for bathing suit season, but endless crunches and ditching all your favorite foods until July 4th isn’t the right-or fun-way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. In our lean belly guide, you’ll get diet and exercise tips that will help you eliminate hard-to-reach ab flab and reveal a sculpted, sexy midsection. Here, learn 6 ways to flatten your belly by summer.

Make Time For Cardio
If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

Top 10 Reasons Your Abs Exercises Aren’t Working

Fight Fat With Fiber
For every 10 grams of fiber you eat daily, your belly will carry almost 4% less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fiber than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples, ½ cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grams of belly-flattening fiber.

More flat-belly tips after the break.

5 Fitness Myths That Mess With Results

Prevention — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:31:20 PDT

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

By Jenna Bergen, Prevention

With so many people offering advice on weight loss, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. All too often I’ve overheard a hardworking gym-goer sharing a well-meaning but ill-informed tip with another exerciser. And I’m not the only one who’s heard fitness folklore being swapped on the training room floor. I spoke to top experts in the field to find out the common fitness myths they hear from clients. From the pseudo miracles of the "fat-burning" zone to the misguided magic of working out on an empty stomach, these fitness falsehoods should never be followed.

Nine Exercise Moves You're Doing Wrong

Myth No. One: Keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone

If you've been exercising at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate in order to shed flab faster, you could be slowing your slim down. "The fat-burning zone is a complete myth," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, Prevention advisory board member and fitness research director at Quincy College. "While it's true that you burn a higher percentage of fat calories when exercising at a moderate pace, you burn fewer calories overall." For instance, if you get on a treadmill and walk at a 3.5 mph pace for 30 minutes, you might burn 250 calories. If you raise the speed to seven miles per hour, you’d burn 500. Bottom line? "It’s much better to go at the faster speed." Prefer the elliptical trainer? Make sure you're not making one of the top 10 elliptical trainer mistakes.

Myth No. Two: Boosting cardio is the best way to bypass a plateau

"The most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine," says Jari Love, star of the Get Extremely Ripped: 1000 Hardcore DVD. "One study found that when individuals cycled for 30 minutes a day, they lost three pounds of fat and gained a half pound of muscle in eight weeks. But individuals who cycled for 15 minutes and weight trained for 15 minutes a day lost 10 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of calorie-burning muscle."

Try This Workout to Drop Two Sizes by Summer!

Keep reading! We bust three more myths after the break.

A Reader Recipe: Asian Greens With Pan-Seared Scallops

Fit Community — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:38:07 PDT

FitSugar reader Connoisseur4TheCure shared this Asian-inspired recipe for pan-seared scallops in our Healthy Recipe group.

I try to get plenty of dark leafy greens into my diet. Dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help prevent cancer.

I love to have a poached egg in the morning over a bed of wilted greens. It’s a great way to start the day with a healthy meal. I have found that by adding vegetables to my breakfast meal, it makes it easier to get in plenty of vegetables every day. I’ll share that recipe sometime in the future.

Read on for more.

Buzz Blabber: The Verdict Is in For Don't Trust The B---- in Apartment 23

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 03:05:56 PDT

This week's TV got everyone talking on Buzz; it was another big week for Game of Thrones, with a few of you chiming in about the series' second episode of the season, while the premiere of Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 got the thumbs up. Meanwhile, the shocking non-elimination on American Idol also gave fans something to talk about.

We might actually trust the b---- in Apartment 23

"I loved it! I am not a fan of Happy Endings so I hope this stays." - hilberkl
"I thought it was pretty funny - I'll keep watching! Krysten Ritter has great comedic timing. And James Van Der Beek's version of himself is hilarious!" - DCBaxter
"Loved it! Can't wait to see where they go!" - Raelee

Game of Thrones is awesome, but a little creepy

"Gendry definitely is my favorite character of this season. I adore him in the books and I love, love, love that they chose Joe Dempsie for the role. He is perfect. Daenerys bores me to death, so no problem with her brief appearance. Same about Joffrey, but I am sad we didn't see a second of Sansa. And [I] can't wait to know what happens to Jon and what's coming on with the babies and the White Walkers!" - pss
"I think it's funny you say the Theon/Asha thing 'could have been avoided if Theon wasn't such a pervy horndog,' when she knew exactly who he was and how they're related. It's a sick, twisted lesson to her little brother . . . actually now that I say that out loud it would have been prevented had he not been such a horn dog. Talk about commitment to the lesson, Asha - I mean Yara." - demarco11
"The tagline for this series should be: If you like incest, you'll love Game of Thrones." - onlysourcherry

See what else was a hot topic after the jump.

From the Community: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Activity

Fit Community — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:39:22 PDT

Not sure what the difference between aerobic and anaerobic activity is? In our Get Fit For 2012 group, FitSugar reader meetcasey explains what each term means and why we should be doing both.

Aerobic exercise requires the body to utilize oxygen to create energy. With anaerobic exercise, the body creates energy without extra oxygen - your body relies on its natural chemicals to create energy.

Learn the benefits of each, after the break!

5 Things You Should Never Do During a Workout

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:27:58 PDT

There are many things you shouldn't do before a workout, such as cold stretching (learn more prewrokout no-nos here). To make the most of your actual workout, here are a handful of things to avoid while getting your sweat on.

Exercise on an empty stomach: Used as a common weight-loss technique, exercising on an empty stomach can actually prevent weight loss. Without fuel in your system, calories burned will come from muscle instead of fat. Eat before your sweat session and it'll provide energy for your workout, boost your metabolism, and studies show you'll consume fewer calories throughout the day.
Gulp water: Preventing dehydration is a must, so do drink water throughout your workout, especially in the heat. Sip between about one to six ounces every 15 to 20 minutes. Gulping down larger amounts of water at a time can not only cause stomach cramps, but could cause hyponatremia, also called water intoxication. Overhydrating can lead to low amounts of sodium in the body, causing dizziness, cramps, slurred speech, and nausea. Stick to drinking small amounts of water during regular workouts, and during intense workouts or those longer than an hour, sip on a sports drink to replace lost electrolytes.

Keep reading to find out three more things you shouldn't do during a workout.