FitSugar

At Home Spa Treatment: Piña Colada Body Exfoliant

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Sometimes you need a vacation and taking one is simply impossible. This is when you have to pamper yourself. If you can't sip a piña colada on the beach, why not have a piña colada exfoliating bath? Yep, you can make a great all body exfoliant with the same ingredients you use to make the very same tropical cocktail you would like to be sipping on some beach.

According to Lindisima this treatment will both moisturize your skin as well as act as a gentle exfoliant. The coconut milk moistens the skin and the fruit acid of the pineapple exfoliates dry skin.

Here's what you need:

2 cups of pineapple juice
1 cup of coconut milk (fresh or canned)
1 cup of milk (fat free is better and easier to clean)

Here's what you do:

Place all ingredients in a blender to mix or puree. Draw a bath with water at your favorite temperature.

Pour "piña colada" mixture into the bath water and soak for 10 or 15 minutes.

Sip some cold water with lime or lemon. Close your eyes and feel the Caribbean sea breeze.
Shower after the treatment and apply body lotion.

Just a reminder that if you are allergic to any of these ingredients, you should just give this treatment a pass. And since soaking in hot water can increase the effects of alcohol, you shouldn't drink a piña colada while taking your piña colada bath.

Source

Which Drink Has More Calories: A Margarita or Piña Colada?

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:32:39 -0800

Find the answer in the post below.

Cocktail Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:30:00 -0800

Holidays are a time to let loose and relax with friends. And with New Year's Eve coming up, most people are bound to be celebrating with a drink in their hand.

You may not know it, but many drinks can be a fattening fright. Calories from cocktails don't fill you up like calories from food. And after 1 or 2 drinks, you may be more likely to say yes to that chocolate fudge brownie sundae.

Here's the break down of some popular drinks:

Margarita: 740 cals, 56g carbs
Piña Colada: 644 cals, 90g carbs
Long Island Iced Tea: 780 cals, 44g carbs
White Russian: 425 cals, 26g carbs
Mai Tai: 350 cals, 30g carbs
Champagne Cocktail: 250 cals, 13g carbs
Fog Cutter: 225 cals, 13g carbs
Gin/Vodka and Tonic: 200 cals, 14g carbs
Mojito: 160 cals, 12g carbs
Cosmopolitan: 150 cals, 10g carbs

Fit's Tip: After every alcoholic drink, you should down 2 glasses of water to fill you up and keep you hydrated.

Want some ideas for smarter sips? Then read more

Champagne: At 100 calories, ringing in the New Year with this traditional fizzy drink won't wreak havoc on your waistline.

Wine Spritzer: With 3 ounces of wine and 3 ounces of club soda, these contain 60 calories and no fat.

Wine: Choose red wine for a healthier alternative - it's just 100 calories a glass.

Beer: Light or regular, a bottle of beer is a much better option than a cocktail. Regular beer has about 150 calories, while light beer has 100.

Vodka (or Gin) and Soda: 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits and diet or club soda will have less than 100 calories and no fat.

Another Fit's Tip: Whenever possible, make your cocktails yourself using healthier juices, lower calorie alcohol, and low-fat mixes.

How to Stay Healthy on Your Honeymoon

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Even for the most fitness-minded among us, honeymooning and exercising aren't necessarily a match made in heaven. It's hard to get motivated to exercise on vacation, especially after your wedding. But just because you're ditching your gym routine doesn't mean you can't balance your relaxation and indulgence with some sensible habits. Here are some tips for staying healthy even when you're over the moon.

Schedule active activities. Probably the most obvious tip, but not to be forgotten. When planning your itinerary, consider tourism that will get you moving, whether it's a scenic hike or a bike tour. Staying beach-bound? Bring along some props, such as a Frisbee or paddleball set, which will engage you and your new mate.
Explore on foot. If you're vacationing in a city, forgo taxis and transit for walking. As long as you make sure to stick to safe areas, walking is a calorie-burning way to feel good about your vacation indulgences, and it's a great way to see a city too.

To see five more ideas, read more.

Choose indulgences carefully. Just because it's your honeymoon doesn't mean you should throw all caution to the wind. Think about what you most want to indulge in, and allow yourself one or two a day rather than pigging out every meal. Try to keep things in balance: if you have an extra piña colada at lunch, skip dessert at dinner.
Walk it off. Even if you're not seeing a city on foot, consider taking a 45-minute walk after particularly indulgent meals. Research suggests that walking right after a high-fat meal can help reverse potential damage to your arteries.
Explore the local bounty. Whether you're staying on a tropical island or in a European city, do some shopping at the neighborhood food markets. Picking up local produce, seafood, and other fresh foods will help you snack sensibly while experiencing local flavor.
Share your suppers. It's tempting to eat everything on your plate while on vacation, since you can't take the leftovers home. So split an entrée with your newlywed to save both money and calories.
Dine al fresco. If you're vacationing in a hot climate, eating outside may help you eat less. As opposed to being in AC, dining al fresco can make you crave more liquids and less food.

Source

New Tastes Coming in Energy Bars: Luna and Lara

FitSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Both my favorite brands of energy bars are coming out with new tastes this Spring. Luna Bar has updated its recipe, and Larabar will be debuting three new flavors soon. For me, and the stash of energy bars I keep in my purse and gym bag, this is exciting news.

The Luna Bar recipe revamp includes a new vitamin blend to better address women's nutritional needs. One addition is vitamin D to support calcium absorption. The flavor and texture have both been tweaked, and I feel these changes are for the better. Look for the blue leaf tag that says "new recipe" to try Lara Bar's updated flavor. You should be able to find the "new recipe" bars everywhere by mid-June. Also check out the brand new bar, White Chocolate Macadamia - I found it tasty.

Learn what is happening on the flavor front at Larabar when you read more.

You should expect to see these three new Larabar flavors in stores soon:

Peanut Butter and Jelly - tastes just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, minus the crust, so my daughters love this flavor.
Tropical Fruit Tart - reminds me of a piña colada, but chewy with a bright refreshing flavor.
German Chocolate Cake Jocalat bar - tastes a bit like a brownie, but not as sweet.

Out of the three new flavors, the Tropical Fruit Tart is my favorite. Unfortunately the Jocalat bar did not remind me at all of German chocolate cake, but is was certainly chocolaty. Are you looking forward to trying these new tastes from Luna and Larabar?

Unhealthiest Cocktails of Summer

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Summer is a time to let loose, but don't let too loose says Newsweek. When the mercury rises, so do the calories in some of our favorite alcoholic beverages. Here are the top six cocktails that'll do a number on your diet:

Margarita. If you use a sugar-saturated Margarita mix, add tequila or Triple Sec, and then pour the drink into a salt-rimmed glass, the result could set you back 850 calories, Jackie Warner, a fitness trainer and the star of the Bravo network's Work Out says.
Mudslide. A 12-ounce frozen mudslide-made with vodka, Kahlua liqueur, Bailey's Irish Cream, and vanilla ice cream - tastes like an alcoholic milkshake and is just about as unhealthy. It has 820 calories and 27.2 grams of fat.
Piña Colada. If you like piña coladas, watch out: the rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut drink can contain up to 650 calories.

There's three more so read more.

Mint Julep. You don't need a straw hat or a horserace to drink a mint julep. But the concoction of bourbon and mint-and-sugar syrup might set your diet back. One glass contains about 472 calories.
Mojito. The classic mojito - a mixture of lime juice, sugar, mint leaves, rum, and soda - will run you about 242 calories.
Daiquiri. A frozen strawberry daiquiri, made from strawberry schnapps, rum, lime juice, sugar, and strawberries contains about 220 calories.

As fun as they are, especially a mudslide - yum! - I think I'll be sticking to my occasional glass of wine. What about you?

Source

Cocktails, Calories, and Carbs

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:00:00 -0800

Since New Year's Eve is only a few days away, I'm sure you're planning on celebrating with some drinks. Champagne might be a great drink to toast 2008 with, but I'm sure you'll be sipping other cocktails before and after ringing in the New Year. If you're concerned about calories and carbs, here's a little breakdown of some popular cocktails.

Want to see how they compare? Then read more!

These numbers are based on 4-oz. sized drinks.

Drink	Calories	Carbs in grams
Margarita	188	8.6
Piña Colada	153	10.5
Long Island Iced Tea	233	5.3
White Russian	288	35
Mai Tai	260	17
Mojito	174	6.8
Champagne	91	1.2
Gin/Vodka and Tonic	97	8.2
Cosmopolitan	213	13
Red Wine	104	4.4
White Wine	97	4.5
Jack and Ginger	80.7	8.9

Just a reminder: Please drink responsibly. Alcohol and driving do not mix!

Source