FitSugar

Olympian Natalie Coughlin Dives Into Beauty

BellaSugar — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:05:42 PST

Two-time Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin is legendary for her 100 meter backstroke, impossible to beat as part of the freestyle relay team, and one of Team USA's brightest hopes for this year's London games. We met up with her at a shoot for her new Pantene ad and discovered that Natalie's also quite the glamour puss when she's on dry land. "I'm a girlie girl when I have the chance," she said. "I love playing up my eyes, and after my Dancing With the Stars experience, I love doing false lashes."

When she's in a pool all day, however, there's no reason to wear makeup. "It’s just the last thing I want to think about," Natalie admits. "But I do use a lot of sunscreen." With so much chlorine exposure and time in the water, painfully dry skin is also an issue many swimmers face. "I have to moisturize every day," Natalie says, "and I dry brush at night, which I think is important."

As anyone who was ever on a neighborhood swim team can attest, though, a swimmer's biggest beauty challenge is always hair. Natalie is known for her long, healthy mane, and says she's avoided the chop by following a cardinal rule. "Always wet your hair before you get in the pool," Natalie advises. "If you can put conditioner in your hair before you get in that helps, too." Wetting your hair... so you can get it wet? Apparently not as weird as it sounds. "If you think about it, "Natalie explains, "your hair is very much like a sponge, so if it absorbs tap water, that’s much better than chlorinated water." Thanks to Natalie, next time we go for a dip, our strands will have taken the plunge beforehand.

5 Ways to Save Your Hair Pre- and Postswim Workout (Plus Products!)

Self — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:45:54 PDT

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

Once upon a time, many of us doused our hair with Sun-In and then spent the rest of the Summer with orange mops, euphemistically dubbed "strawberry blonde." But we knew the truth.

That may have been acceptable at 12 years old, but - as adults - we don't pay for high-end hair products, highlights, and conditioning treatments just to ruin them with chlorine, salt water, and sun. If your workout of choice involves swimming and water sports, or even just splashing in the waves, memorize these tips from celebrity colorist Sheri Roman, owner of LA hair Mecca Roman Salon, on how to keep your hair healthy and bright.

Source: Thinkstock

Ryan Lochte Beats Michael Phelps For Gold: Get to Know The Lochtenator

Tara Sharp — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:20:00 PDT

Michael who? OK, we haven't forgotten Phelps yet, but there's a new kid in town who's dazzling us with his ripped body, gold medals, and diamond-encrusted grill. Well, grill aside, Ryan Lochte aka "The Lochtenator" is looking mighty fine in his skimpy swimwear, and he's making waves in the competitive sporting world with his first-place win today over teammate Phelps at the FINA World Championships.

"New" may be a misnomer, as the 26-year-old American swimmer is already a six-time Olympic medalist and has carried both World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year titles. Besides his sparkly teeth, some other fun facts on the hottie include that his mother is Cuban, he majored in sport management in college, and he has a tattoo of the Olympic rings on the inside of his right bicep. Now onto the photo album! (And try not to drool.)

Picture It: Splish Splash

Tara Sharp — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:39:00 PDT

North Korea's synchronized swimming team competes in the free combination final at the 14th FINA World Championships, in which the Russian team took gold, China took silver, and Canada took bronze. FINA is an aquatic sports competition held every two years all over the world - this year it's in Shanghai, China - including diving, swimming, synchro, and water polo competitions. I love watching water sports in the Summer, but I've always been especially impressed with the strength and beauty of synchronized swimmers; they are like real-life mermaids, mixing gymnastics with dancing and doing it all while treading water. See more pictures of the water wonders in action now!

6 Reasons to Teach Your Tot to Swim This Summer

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:32:59 PDT

Take a dive! When it's scorching hot out, one sure way to cool off is a dip in the pool, lake, or ocean. Kids and parents alike love splashing around, but lil ones should learn to do more than that. Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics began encouraging children as young as 1 year old to participate in swim lessons, depending on how often they are exposed to water. While the youngest toddlers may not quite be ready for instructional swim, older ones are. Here are six reasons to get them started today!

Source: Flickr User heydrienne

3 Easy Ways to Spare Your Hair While Swimming

Jaime Richards — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:00:03 PDT

Swimming is fun, but the tangled, frizzed-out hair that can result is decidedly not. Chemicals in pool water can wreak havoc on your strands while salt water from the ocean has drying effects. There are a few things you can do to keep your summertime style from looking gnarly, dude. To find out more, just keep reading.

Stay Cool: Ways to Tone Up in the Pool

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:22:00 PDT

Just like running endlessly on a treadmill, swimming laps can be super ~~boring~~ repetitive. Exercising in a pool is so refreshing though, especially on Summer days that are too hot to jog or bike outside. If swimming laps isn't your cup of tea, here are some ways you can burn calories and strengthen your muscles while staying cool in the pool.

Do triceps dips: Use the pool stairs and place your hands on the top step and your feet two or three steps below. Tone the backs of your arms by doing three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Instead of chatting it up on a lounge chair with your best friend, talk while treading water. Just 10 minutes will burn 45 calories.
Swim over to the side of the pool or hold onto some pool noodles and do kicks, just like when you were a kid. Focus on keeping your legs straight and alternately fluttering them like a synchronized swimmer, or move them at the same time like a mermaid. You're sure to feel this in your quads and glutes.

Keep reading

Cardio Workout: Swimming

Susi May — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 01:41:17 PDT

I know many runners and cyclists, who though tempted by the lure of mixing it up in a triathlon, ultimately skip these races because they're intimidated by the swim. Not only is swimming in open water scary, unlike running, it is also considered a skill sport, similar to tennis or golf because technique is so important. If you feel less than confident in the pool, taking lessons to hone your stroke is helpful; I did it and learned so much. Do know that long sessions of laps might not necessarily be the best way to train. Many tri coaches recommend sprint interval training in the pool to challenge your speed, before tiring and losing your hard earned technique.

Here's a workout I have been doing lately. It is mostly freestyle, but I like to add a little backstroke to work the opposing muscles.

Check out the workout.

Swim Yourself Into Shape With This Quiz!

Heather Dale — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:06:11 PDT

If you're ready to take the plunge this Summer by stepping up your swimming game, here's a quiz to introduce you to the basics of swimming and get you motivated to take your breaststroke to a whole new level! How well do you know your swimming basics? It's time to find out!

Take the Quiz

Prevention Tips For Common Summer Health Risks

Heather Dale — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:07:00 PDT

Now that Summer is here, you probably want to throw caution to the wind and lap up the pleasures this season has to offer - not so fast. Before you go on your Summer joyride, keep in mind that you need to keep yourself protected from the elements. The last thing you want to be doing is spending your vacation days cooped up in a hotel room due to heat exhaustion. Here are five common health problems that tend to creep up on us during the Summer months and how to prevent and combat them!