FitSugar

Michael Phelps and the Dreaded Post-Olympic Weight Gain

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:00:00 PST

Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, has won 14 gold medals in his swimming career, and now he's taking a little break from his rigorous training. Before the Olympics, this athlete could easily suck down 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day and burn it all off because he was exercising so much, but now, he admits he's let himself go. Apparently he's big into junk food like chips, Rice Krispie Treats, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and he's only been in the pool a few times since wowing us in Beijing. He said, "I'm out of shape right now." Currently he weighs 205 pounds, and he said he's never gone past 200 before.

Is he worried? No way. He's enjoying the well-deserved time off, and has also been promoting his new book No Limits: The Will to Succeed ($20). In January, Michael plans on beginning his training for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Source

Share Your Wedding Style in Our New Community Group

Elka Karl — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:00:10 PDT

Whether you're recently engaged, in the final stages of wedding planning, or have already tied the knot, you'd probably agree that the design elements of a wedding play an essential role. With boundless resources for inspiration available, we're betting that CasaSugar readers are planning - or have implemented - some amazing decor for their weddings.

Share all of your planned or finished decor and DIYs in the Wedding Decor and DIYs group. We see it as a vehicle for swapping ideas, organizing visuals, and sharing details of your wedding with family, friends, and the rest of the Wedding Decor and DIYs community.

Posts can run the gamut of everything related to wedding design and decor. Subjects can include but aren't limited to:

DIY decor
Centerpieces
Tablescapes
Florals
Venues
Stationery suites
Signage
Furniture
Photo booths
Cake toppers

If you've just gotten hitched and would like your wedding to be featured on CasaSugar, let us know! We're looking forward to being a part of the creative process and seeing the vision of your wedding come to fruition. Share inspiration in the new Wedding Decor and DIYs group now!

Source: Flickr User andrewmalone

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Megan Fox Steps Out and Covers Up During a Lunch Date

Katie Henry — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:31:48 PDT

Brian Austin Green led the way for a rumored-to-be-pregnant Megan Fox in Los Feliz yesterday. The pair grabbed a bite and stuck close upon exiting the restaurant and heading back to their car. Neither Brian nor Megan have confirmed reports of her possible pregnancy, but her publicist was quick to cut an interview short when Steve Jones brought up the subject of babies. Baby talk may be off limits, but Brian is talking about their upcoming wedding anniversary. Megan and Brian are reportedly heading back to Hawaii, where they tied the knot two years ago, for a romantic June getaway. In other news, Brian's returning to TV this Fall in TBS's The Wedding Band.

Shop Minted's Amazing Custom Kids' Prints For a Cause!

Kate Stahl — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:27:02 PDT

Minted has been one of our favorite stops for party invitations and holiday cards for some time, but the company's new collection of limited-edition and customizable kids' art has us really flipping out. Minted sources the prints from artists around the world, and all are available in multiple colorways and sizes. Not only are they totally incredible and affordable (most start at $15 to $20), but also, if buy one before the end of May, then 50 percent of your purchase price will go to support for Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington's advocacy group that promotes global maternal health. Keep clicking to see 10 of our favorite Minted prints, but if they don't inspire you, then there are literally more than a hundred other options to choose from!

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

Top 50 Summer Diet Foods for Weight Loss

Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

Turtles Are Tortoise-ly Awesome!

Sara Yoo — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:00:00 PDT

The sight of a sea turtle gracefully gliding through the ocean or a tortoise contentedly munching on greens warms an animal lover's heart. But these visions may soon be distant memories. Today's World Turtle Day seeks to create awareness of the animal's vanishing habitats around the world and to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of turtles as pets and food sources.

Whether you're considering a turtle as a pet or simply encountering these shelled critters in day-to-day life, American Tortoise Rescue, the sponsor of World Turtle Day, hopes that we can all help in preserving and promoting our reptilian friends by observing a few easy guidelines.

Don't buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet store, as it increases demand for wild animals. Instead, contact a local animal shelter or turtle rescue to adopt a turtle in need.
Don't remove a turtle or tortoise from the wild unless it's sick or injured.
If you see a turtle or tortoise crossing a busy street, then pick it up to help it across, but point it in the same direction it was originally heading. Turtles are headstrong creatures: even if you point it in the opposite direction, it will eventually return to its previous course - and straight back into danger!

For a few more tips to celebrate World Turtle Day, just keep reading.

6 Beach Workouts For a Sunny Memorial Day Weekend

Leta Shy — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:52:50 PDT

Hopefully this weekend will involve some fun in the sun, but that doesn't have to be limited to sipping a frozen cocktail on a deck chair. To get you inspired for an outdoor sweat session, we've rounded up some fun fitness routines for the beach - check off your daily workout for the day while enjoying the sun!

Fit and fast: Got 12 minutes? Do this simple CrossFit circuit workout as hard as you can. Bonus: after the intense session, all you have to do is take a dip in the sea!
Leg up: Want to tone legs and thighs? This leg workout from a FitSugar reader helps save your knees from too many squats - and you can do the moves while laying out in the sun.
On the ball: If you happen to have an exercise ball handy, this Kerri Walsh-approved full-body workout will get you in pro-athlete shape.

More beach workouts to inspire you after the break!

The Questions You Must Answer to Get a Spousal Green Card

Annie Scudder — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:40:02 PDT

Each year, almost 80,000 foreign spouses are awarded US green cards. The American government has determined that these couples are in bona fide relationships with the help of the "Stokes interview." Stokes refers to a federal court decision that ordered New York's immigration services to be more fair in deciding marriage green card cases. When officials have any suspicion that they're dealing with a sham marriage, they will interview the spouses separately, asking them questions about their personal life and relationship. The answers to these questions can't be memorized ahead of time, and officials will compare each spouse's answers afterward for discrepancies.

The New York Daily News recently looked into the city's "Stokes unit" and reported on some example questions. They include:

What restaurant do you and your husband usually order takeout from? Where do you keep the menus?
How did you celebrate New Year's Eve last year?
How much is your rent? Who writes the check?

One man, the paper reports, reported sleeping in the same bed with his wife every night, but didn't know that she had an oxygen tank next to the bed. Whoops. If an immigrant can avoid something like that and beat the system, after 10 years of citizenship, you're off free, thanks to the statute of limitations. Would you ever consider getting married for a green card?

From the Fit Community: The Best Cardio Machine For Your Body

Fit Community — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:53:42 PDT

Which cardio machine is right for you? FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV asks an expert for the answers. She shared what she found in our 10 Pounds Down! community group.

The stair master, the stationary bike, and the elliptical - we all have our favorite cardio machine at the gym, but which one is the best one for your body? We asked Dr. Yoav Suprun, DPT, a McKenzie physical therapist at Canyon Ranch in Miami Beach to weigh in on the pros and cons of some of your favorite gym staples.

The Stationary Bike
Pros: Low impact, easy on the joints, offers a wide range of intensity options
Cons: The riding position can bring on back pain, or aggravate sciatica for some. “We flex our spine all day and sit for hours - why sit for a cardio session?” asks Dr. Suprun.

The Elliptical
Pros: Low impact, upright position of the body, also easy on the joints and offers a wide range of intensity options
Cons: If you have a small structure or small frame, using an elliptical with handles would be pulling your body out of alignment. “People suffer from holding the handles as it pulls on the lower back and neck once the handle is moved forward,” explains Dr. Suprun.

Keep reading for more pros and cons of your favorite cardio machines.