FitSugar

Don't Let the Weekend Derail Your Health Plans

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Weekends are fabulous because they allow us time to step away from the office and relax (hopefully). Sometimes though, we go all out on the weekend, and it can be a big step backwards in terms of our health goals. If you've found that last weekend did a number on your diet, don't fret over it too much. Instead use these easy steps from Health.com on how to keep moving forward during the weekends rather than falling behind. Here are five of my favorite ideas:

Weigh yourself twice a week - either Friday and Monday a.m. or Thursday and Monday a.m. There’s nothing better to keep you on track than knowing that you have to face the scale come Monday morning.
“Bank” calories: If you know you are going out for dinner and will overeat, cut back even more the day before and after to compensate.
Limit your alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a diet double-whammy; it’s not only rich in calories itself, but it also reduces inhibitions and increases appetite.

There are other great tips so

Tips to Keep Your Weekend on Track

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:30:00 PDT

A lot of us do well keeping on our workout and eating routine during the week, but when it comes to the weekend, everything can go awry due to lack in structure and other weekend events.

It definitely happens to me, does it happen to you? Luckily SparkPeople has come up with these easy tips for keeping your weekend temptations under control:

Plan family activities like bike rides or outdoor games. This helps you spend time with your family and burn calories all at once!
Carry a water bottle with you to your weekend activities. This will help you get your water for the day and resist the temptation to reach for a soda or other caffeinated beverage.

There's more tips, so

Set some "weekend specific" goals for yourself based on the realities of what you’ll be doing. They may look very different than your weekday goals, and that’s okay.
If you are going to be out all day, pack some healthy snacks in case you get hungry. There is nothing worse than being hungry at the mall, and the only food options are ice cream or pizza.
Set Monday as your weigh-in day. You are more likely to resist temptation if you have to face the scale first thing Monday morning.
Plan ahead!! If you are going out to eat, find the restaurant's menu (and any available nutritional information) online. You’ll have plenty of time to make a healthy choice before you get there.
Don't save all of your splurging for the weekends. Allowing yourself a few treats throughout the week will help you avoid the mindset that the weekend is an excuse to go bonkers. And by spacing your treats evenly, you're less likely to get sudden, irresistible cravings.

Source

5 Ways to Make Moving a Habit

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:52:25 PST

We all should take time to relax, but sometimes we don't realize just exactly how sedentary our lives can be. Even if you devote an hour to exercise most days, if you're not moving a lot the rest of the time, you can be doing more harm than good. So start making moving a habit with these five tips.

Keep track: One of the best ways to encourage yourself to move is to get a fitness monitor that tracks your steps. You don't have to invest a lot - while more sophisticated trackers (like these five fitness monitors) track your steps as well as your exercise (some can also distinguish between walking on flat ground and when you're going up steps), you can buy a basic pedometer for just a few dollars.
Try a one-minute move: Whether you're folding laundry or watching TV, multitask by building muscle while you work. Take a one-minute break to dance around or do squats, lunges, or planks, and you'll raise your heartbeat as well as your energy levels.

Read on for three more ways to making moving a habit.

6 Strategies to Save More This Year

Kiplinger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:27:21 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Saving doesn't come easily for us young adults. Entry-level salaries don't give you a lot to work with. And, well, we also tend to spend what we make - and then some - on the latest gadgets and flashiest fashions.

But don’t worry. We’re not doomed to frivolity and the wreckage it can make of our finances. Here's how you can start saving smart throughout 2012:

Periodically calculate how much you spend. What better time to review your budget than at the start of a New Year? “It’s really hard to [track your spending] each month, so aim for just once or twice a year,” says Jill Boynton, a certified financial planner in Newington, New Hampshire.

Just be sure when you do it that you track everything. Boynton recommends filling out a spreadsheet with a month’s worth of spending. Or you can try an online budgeting tool such as Mint.com (See our slide show: Which Budgeting Site is Best for You?). But note: Mint works best for those who deal mostly in plastic as opposed to cash. When you make an ATM withdrawal, the site labels the transaction as “Cash & ATM.” Unless you diligently manage your cash transactions (you can manually edit Mint’s labels), you can easily lose track of where the money goes.

The drudgery of tracking spending can pay off when you find surprising expenses you could easily cut. At the end of 2011, I crunched my own numbers and found that I shelled out about $200 a month at Starbucks and other restaurants. I’m sure I could cut that by at least half. That’s like finding a $100 bill every month in my back pocket.

Read on for more strategies.

Ruth Reichl: "American Food Is the Best in the World Right Now"

Susannah Chen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:23:06 PST

This weekend, food artisans from around the country are being honored in the second annual Good Food Awards, which celebrate American food producers who enhance the country's agricultural landscape and help to build community. While the awards are relatively new to the gastronomic landscape, they're already backed by some of the country's biggest food influencers, such as Whole Foods, and seminal culinary figures, like Ruth Reichl.
Ruth is currently the editorial adviser at Gilt Taste, another cosponsor of this weekend's Good Food Awards. The author, former New York Times food critic, and final Gourmet editor sat down with me over dinner at Mission Chinese Food to talk more about good food and future projects.

YumSugar: Tell me about the partnership between Gilt Taste and the Good Food Awards. How did it come about?
Ruth Reichl: I've known Sarah [Weiner, the director] for a long time, and we've been talking about this for a long time. When I went to Gilt Taste, it just seemed like a seamless, natural partnership, finding and supporting food artisans in America.

YS: You're the keynote speaker at this year's Good Food Awards. What kind of a legacy do these awards create?
RR: It's hard for younger people to understand how bad things were in America, a time when all food was essentially industrial. There were no farmers markets. I have an interview with Wolfgang Puck that I did in 1982 where he goes, "Six years ago, there was no decent food in America." Now, there's this explosion of farmers markets, and while so much of the world is abandoning their food heritage, Americans are reclaiming theirs before it gets lost . . . We have these two completely parallel, simultaneous, and opposite tracks: on the one hand, people with money who eat organic, sustainable, handmade food. But if you're a poor person, you're stuck eating stuff that's cheaper than food and that will kill you. Food safety in this country becomes a worse and worse issue; we import more and more food; 80 percent of the antibiotics in this country go to perfectly healthy animals. We have a real crisis on the one hand - and on the other hand, we have, for the first time, an awareness of it. Which is quite stunning.

I really do think American food is the best in the world right now, because of the people making the kind of food that goes to the Good Food Awards. We have to nurture it, and make sure that it doesn't just stay with us in this little enclave.

YS: There's movement toward eating a plant-based diet. What do you think of that?

To find out her answer, keep reading.

Get a Good Night's Rest . . . Regardless of Who You Are Sleeping With

Heather Dale — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:32:09 PST

If improving your sleeping habits made the list of your 2012 resolutions, then let's get to it! There are simple things you should and shouldn't be doing to get some quality shut-eye, but what about the person who sleeps to your right (or left)? Do you ever look at your partner as a roadblock to your sleeping success? If your significant other is interfering with your sleepy time, here are some helpful tips to get you back on track . . . no separate rooms required!

Some like it hot, some like it cold: If your partner likes to keep the heat cranked throughout the night, while you prefer to keep it at a lower temperature, use scientific evidence to win this battle. Like it or not, room temperature has a significant impact on sleep. To get proper, quality sleep, the body needs to reach an internal temperature of 65 to 72 degrees F. If he (or she) is still set on sweating it out, load up the blankets on their side of the bed and have them wear socks and a sweatshirt to bed.

Keep reading for more tips.

Tech Trends to Watch Out For at CES 2012

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:13:07 PST

Our CES coverage kicks off this weekend (follow our coverage here, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, too!), and while there are over 20,000 products launching during the show, there is a common theme running through their veins. Take a look at four trends we'll be watching this year below.

Ultrabooks - Netbooks are so 2010. CES 2012 might just be the year of the ultrabook. Light, thin, and travel-friendly, look to companies like HP, Toshiba, and Lenovo to battle it out with Apple's MacBook Air for beauty and portability.
More tablets - There were hundreds of tablets announced at last year's show, but that doesn't mean there won't be more in 2012. Acer, Viewsonic, and others are expected to debut their offerings in Las Vegas.
Large, thin, and connected TVs - Your TV set learns to multitask with the addition of WiFi and specs like Google TV which are becoming more common in the list of specs. And while TVs are getting bigger (we're talking 84-inches and up), they're also getting thinner. LG will be demoing an OLED screen that comes in at just 0.16-inches thick. That's impressive.
Fitness gadgets - Staying healthy is a way of life, and tech companies will be showing off ways to keep track of your fitness, food intake, steps, workouts, and more with the help of gadgets. Many, many gadgets.

What trends are you most excited to hear about?

25 Easy Organizing Changes You Can Make Today

Wise Bread — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

I have a bad tendency to let things - paperwork, tasks, laundry - pile up. That's why I'm often not as organized as I should be. By the time I go to put things away, I feel like I'm dealing with clutter so powerful it could defeat Godzilla (I've already started on the screenplay for Godzilla vs. That Pile of Stuff I Still Haven't Put Away Since Moving).

Thus, I am a huge proponent of making little steps towards organization. Below are 25 ways to organize your home, your finances, and your life that are quick and easy enough to attempt today. Seriously, start making a dent in your disorganization before it turns into a movie-worthy monster.

Organize Your Stuff

From the fridge to the filing cabinet, here are some ideas for organizing your things.

1. Identify What You Want to Organize

Yes, I am telling you to organize your organizing. Make a specific list of what you want to organize - the bookshelf? Your closet? Your drawers? If you have time, start to formulate a plan. Now, when you have a couple of hours over the weekend, you're ready to attack.

2. Buy Masking Tape and a Marker

Masking tape is a great way to create temporary labels for everything from storage containers in the basement to Tupperware in the freezer. Buy a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie, and always keep them in the same place.

3. Buy Containers and Dividers

If you're planning an organizing project, buy any containers or other organizing tools you need now. Just as with making the list, you're now totally ready to tackle the project when you have a moment.

Read on for more organizing tips.

5 Expert Tips For Getting Your Arches in Shape

Guest Writer — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:05:45 PST

We are delighted to present this post from guest writer and celebrity makeup artist, Brett Freedman.

Coming from a fashion background, it was a given that the young models on a shoot would need their brows shaped. Models, unlike actresses, have little or no say in how they ultimately made up and styled. But actresses were so appreciative when I did their brows that I did find it odd. I never thought to ask if it was OK or even to test the interest level. It seemed nobody wanted to mess up a brow on a famous face, or, in this day and age, get sued! I didn't care; if I saw something and I could make it better, I dug in! I became so known for brows that I started my own line, Vanitymark. So I'm going to share a few of my best brow tips with you so your 2012 will be the year you finally get the gorgeous arches you deserve. See how when you read more.

What's Your Biggest Expense During the Holidays?

SavvySugar — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:35:49 PST

Do you know where your money goes this time of year? It can be tough to track spending during the holidays; amid shopping trips, weekend travel, and ugly sweater parties, following your cash flow is the last thing on your mind. Still, it's important to keep an eye on your accounts to learn how you can better manage your budget.