FitSugar

Speak Up: How Do You Relax After a Workout?

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:00:44 PST

Alanis Morissette has turned into a serious running junkie, competing in not one, but two marathons this season. In the January issue of Runner's World, the Grammy-award winning singer shares that running has become a lifestyle and credits it for making her healthier and happier.

After running the singer says she takes an ice bath - yowza! The frigid baths help calm the inflammation that results from a long run: "They say for every mile you should be a minute in ice, so I've been doing that. It's not too pleasant, but you get used to it. It's quick. In and out."

Besides ice baths, Morissette is a big fan of napping after her workouts. She likes to load up on a high glycemic meal and spend an hour knocked out on one of her many futons.

What's your favorite way to relax after a long workout?

Runner's World Shoe Finder

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Looking for a new pair of sneakers can be overwhelming. There are so many different brands and styles, so how do you know which one is the best? Check out the Runner's World Shoe Finder for some help.

If you want to know how a specific sneaker rates, just type in the name. If you want to know which shoes they recommend for your type of foot, they'll give you a whole list of sneaks with a review of each one so you know what you're getting for your money. Speaking of money, if you don't want to spend more that $60 on your new sneaks, you can also get a list of shoes in your price range. Or maybe you're loyal to one brand of sneaker, so you can also check out how the different styles compare. I love this shoe finder - it's a great place to do some sneaker research.

5k's with 6 Kids: Ceci St. Geme Is One Fast Mother

FitSugar — Sun, 13 May 2007 02:00:00 PDT

I am always looking for inspiration and I found it recently in one fit and fast mom - Ceci St. Geme. Here's some interesting numbers on St. Geme:

17:30 - Her average 5k time, these days
6 - Number of kids she has - ages range from 8 to 19
44 - Her age
6 - Number of times she has appeared on the cover of Runner's World

Impressive, right?

Here's what she had to say in a recent interview with the folks at Runner's World:

"I run a 5-K, and I'm home by 10 a.m. A marathon and its training takes so much more time and energy."

"There's always the guilt factor when you take time for yourself, whether it's for running or photography or whatever. I definitely worry about dropping the ball with one of the kids, but I'd worry about that even if I didn't run. I'm more prone to think, I run, which makes me happy--and a happy mom equals happy kids."

"Cross-training doesn't really work for me. Running is really the only thing that prepares me for racing."

(on having had au pairs, baby-sitters, and housekeepers at various times)
"I realize I'm extremely lucky to be in the position I am," she says. "With six kids, I'd be doing laundry and cleaning all day if I didn't have some help."

So, my treat to myself this Mother's Day is going to be a nice long run. Just me, my iPod and the road. After I have digested my breakfast eaten in bed, of course!

Source

One Woman's Quest for the Best: The Fastest, Farthest Female Inline Skate

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:23:05 PDT

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

Over the next few months, families will travel across the U.S. via plane, train or car during summer road trips. Kacie Fischer will be covering the same distance (nearly 4,000 miles, on her route), but on inline skates. . . and in just 74 days. If she reaches her goal, Fischer will also be breaking five Guinness World Records in the process.

We caught up with Fischer, a Promax DOer, after a long day of skating to get the backstory about her fit trip which has been two years in the making.

How did you get started with inline skating?

I started skating when I was 7, but didn’t start skating longer distances until I was cross training as a college runner. I found that I could travel a lot farther and see a lot more, plus it was a lot more exhilarating-try flying down a hill at 40+ miles per hour! Inline skating is like running on steroids.

More of Kacie's interview after the break.

Play the 2012 PopSugar 100 Faceoff - And Win $2,500!

Lauren Turner — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:41:44 PDT

Who had the biggest year - Beyoncé? Kate Middleton? Robert Pattinson? Brad Pitt? Sexy stars Gisele Bundchen or Sofia Vergara? It's time for the sixth annual PopSugar 100, and we need your help putting together the list of the biggest stars in the world. Last year Johnny Depp was your champion, knocking reigning number one, Robert Pattinson, to the runner-up position.

So who will it be this year? To make the PopSugar 100 game even more fun, we are giving away $2,500 to one very lucky player! To enter for a chance to win and vote for your favorite celebrities, just log in to your PopSugar account and play our PopSugar 100 faceoff game!

Play the 2012 PopSugar 100 Faceoff - And Win $2,500!

Molly Goodson — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:09:42 PDT

Who had the biggest year - Beyoncé? Kate Middleton? Robert Pattinson? Brad Pitt? Rising stars Channing Tatum or Liam Hemsworth? It's time for the sixth annual PopSugar 100, and we need your help putting together the list of the biggest stars in the world. Last year Johnny Depp was your champion, knocking reigning number one, Robert Pattinson, to the runner-up position.

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Dark Shadows"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:44:57 PDT

It feels like just yesterday it was summertime in Mad Men world, but alas, we've already arrived at Thanksgiving. It's not exactly a celebratory episode: Betty's cranky about both her new diet and Don's new wife; Pete's still struggling to figure out his life; and Don and Ginsberg have a showdown at work.

Roger, on the other hand, is still using his money to get everything he wants, which includes using Jane for some help landing a new client and paying off Ginsberg. And Ginsberg's success is Peggy's lack thereof; with him cleaning up, she has less and less to show for her work. Ready to break down the big moments? Just

Carry that weight: Betty's already looking noticeably thinner than the fat suit episode, and it's because she's joined Weight Watchers. Her weekly meetings seem to be helping with her portion control, but despite measuring her sad little grapefruit dinners on the scale each night, she still can't resist sucking down a little whipped cream every now and then. As much as Betty irritates me, my heart went out to her at the end of the episode when she eats her tiny Thanksgiving dinner and seriously savors her one allotted bite of stuffing.
Green-eyed monster: While Betty's picking up the kids, she gets an eyeful of Don's swanky new apartment - and his new wife. Clearly shaken up by the incident, she retaliates by spilling the beans about Anna to Sally while Sally is in the midst of making a family tree. Betty easily manipulates Sally into thinking that Megan is a liar, but the joke's on Betty in the end. After a squabble, Don explains the Anna situation to sassy Sally and Sally reports back to her mother without even mentioning the argument. Betty proceeds to freak out. I've got to hand it to Megan for convincing Don not to call Betty in a rage; not only is Megan spot-on about giving Betty what she wants, but she also diffuses the argument pretty quickly.
Fantasy land: Pete is particularly smug because he's been chatting with a reporter from the New York Times Magazine who's doing a piece about ad agencies. Once he's done bragging about his connection with Roger and Don, he assures them that he'll be the only one contacted for the interview. Pete then proceeds to have gross sexual fantasies about how the article will help him win Beth back, but - surprise - he doesn't even make it into the article! He calls Don enraged, but it's clear that Pete's really just mad at the world since, once again, things are not going his way.
Wine time: Bert asks Roger to court a potential new client, and since it's Manischewitz wine, he suggests that Roger's Jewish wife could be of service. Though Bert is a bit behind on his interoffice gossip, Roger still takes the client and asks Jane for help. In return, she asks for a small favor, and by that I mean a brand-new apartment. Roger agrees, and then proceeds to um, christen the new apartment with Jane after dinner. She's angry that he's tainted her new place, but there's a much bigger concern at play here than Jane's whining: when is all the money that Roger's been throwing around going to catch up with him?
Still got it: While Don's putting in a little overtime at the office, he comes across Ginsberg's folder of sketches, and is inspired to get back to basics. His idea is a little dark (you know, because it's based in hell and all), and he puts it head to head against Ginsberg's childlike pitch for the same product, SnoBall. The rest of the team likes both ideas, and agrees that Ginsberg should be the front-runner. Too bad Don conveniently leaves Ginsberg's pitch in the taxi, and sells his snowball's chance in hell idea to the company. Ginsberg obviously isn't in a celebratory mood, but when he confronts Don about what happened, Don just shuts him down. Now that both Don and Peggy feel threatened by Ginsberg, might we see them teaming up against him?

There's also more death omens in this week's episode, including Megan teaching Sally how to fake cry by focusing on something sad, and of course, the mysterious toxic smog that invades Thanksgiving. How'd you feel about the episode overall?

Photo courtesy of AMC

How a Determined Desiree Davila Won a Spot on the US Olympic Marathon Team

espnW — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:25:02 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar! This week's is an inspiring story about marathoner Desiree Davila, who will be representing the US in the Olympics for her first time. The following is an excerpt; read the entire story here.

By Bonnie D. Ford

At last January's Olympic trials in Houston, Texas, four top women had distanced themselves from the field: Desiree Davila, fellow favorites Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, and Amy Hastings. Davila increased her tempo. Hastings dropped back. Davila forged on with Flanagan and Goucher, her five-foot-two, 98-pound frame dwarfed by her taller rivals. Then, with two miles to go, Flanagan kicked into a higher gear, and Davila was faced with another decision: should she try to match the surge and bid for the win, taking the chance that her cramping calves would betray her, or maintain her pace and protect her spot on the team?

Davila weighed the situation and decided not to risk it. Flanagan soloed to the line, and Davila secured her Olympic spot by finishing second, 17 seconds back, in 2:25:55. It was a tough, savvy race, and the latest evidence that Davila's gradual climb to the top is peaking at an ideal juncture.

After a largely anonymous high school and college career in the arid heat of Southern California and Arizona, she migrated to Michigan to join the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 2005. The elite training environment in a harsher climate helped her transform herself into "a contender, not just someone who's on the line and might have a good day," as she put it.

The Lesson Learned From Second Place

Davila debuted at the marathon distance in Boston in 2007 and ran 2:44.56 in a raging northeaster. A year later on the same course, Davila thought she had progressed enough to make the Olympic team. At mile 21, running fourth, it looked as if she'd been right. But Davila, who hadn't hydrated and eaten enough before the race, ran out of gas and faded to 13th.

She was devastated. Fellow marathoner and friend Amy Hastings was there to comfort her, and so was sister Natalie Davila. "If I'm investing my money in someone right now, it's you," the older sister said. "You're going in the right direction - you're going up."

Read on for more of Desiree Davila's road to the Olympics after the break.

How to Travel to a Destination Race With Success

Michele Foley — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:37:33 PDT

Competing in a race is already a challenge in itself; add to that a bit of travel, and you've got a new set of factors to consider. To find out how to achieve race-day success when traveling across the country - or world - we went straight to the expert, Thom Gilligan, founder of Marathon Tours, a specialized travel agency for runners that provides travel packages to destination marathons. Here are Thom's tips to ensure traveling won't prevent you from having a successful race day, whether you're doing a 10K or a marathon.

Pack race-day gear in your carry-on: Airlines lose luggage - it just happens. "Take precaution by packing all race gear in your carry-on," Thom says. The last thing you need is to be without your running shoes or outfit on the day of the race. Sure, you can buy new gear, but as any expert will tell you, running in new sneakers or clothing on the day of a race is bad all around. You don't want unexpected factors like chafing, pulling, or rubbing to prevent you from having a good day or causing bad form.
Arrive before the day of the race: Jet leg and tight muscles from a cramped airline seat are not a good look when it comes to race day. To feel alert on the day of the race, try to get there as far in advance as possible. Thom says the rule of thumb is to "arrive one day earlier for every hour you may be gaining or losing." But even he knows how impractical this sounds. Ideally give yourself two to three days to acclimate to your new surroundings, he says. The most important thing, Thom says, is adapting your sleep patterns to the current time zone. Fight urges to nap during the day or stay up late at night. Instead, go to sleep at the general bedtime hour of wherever you might be; this will help reset your circadian rhythm to the local sleep-wake cycle. Here are more tips on preventing jet lag.

See more tips for destination races after the break!

How to Pick the Right Race For You

Leta Shy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:38:10 PDT

Vowed to sign up for a race this year? Before you do, make sure you're picking the right one. Here are four things to do before committing to a race.

Poll your friends: Talk to your race-loving friends to see which courses they recommend, especially if you've never raced before. Your friends are a good place to start since they know what you like, can offer you their personal feedback based on their own experiences, and will be able to offer suggestions of races that gel with your personality and skill level.

Do your research: Every course is different, so it helps to get as much info on the what those miles actually look and feel like before you commit. Check out race review sites like My Favorite Marathon, Yelp entries, or the Runner's World Race Finder for reviews and runner feedback on anything from the pre- and postrace logistics to the sights you'll see while you run.

Give yourself time: You may have the enthusiasm, but if you're not used to long runs, you shouldn't pick a race that's too close on the calendar - you won't have enough time to properly train. A four-month training schedule is a good place start if you want to do a full marathon, so keep this time line in mind before you sign up.

Be prepared: Once you've picked a race and successfully registered, don't delay! It's time to start strong and stick to a training schedule. Your success on race day depends on how seriously you take your training, so don't procrastinate. For a one-stop resource on how and when to train, check out our race-training guide here.