FitSugar

8 Habits of the Super Healthy

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:10 PST

If you are looking to keep colds and flu bugs at arm's length, I researched habits of healthy women. Here are eight habits that will help keep you well over the following months.

First, start by upping your vitamin C intake. While the vitamin won't prevent you from catching a cold, it will boost your immune system. And if you do happen to catch a cold, vitamin C will decrease the duration of runny nose time. Try to eat foods naturally high in the vitamin, like citrus fruits and red bell peppers.

To see the other seven habits, just start the slideshow.

Source: Getty

Another Reason to Exercise: Boost Your Immune System

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:00:00 PDT

We're nearing the end of flu season and heading into allergy season, but that doesn't mean we should get complacent about fighting off illness. Since I am always looking for new reasons to exercise and new ways to avoid getting sick, I was excited to find this research suggesting that consistent exercise can boost your immune system.

Moderate exercise temporarily increases your body's production of macrophages, the cells designed to fend off bacteria, and allows them to travel more efficiently through the body. Though these are temporary responses to working out, new research suggests that the more often you exercise, the more permanent the health benefits become. According to Dr. David Nieman of Appalachian State University, moderate exercise on a regular basis also strengthens your immune system in the long run.

But for super-serious athletes like marathoners, exercise can actually make the body more susceptible to illness, so be sure to give yourself plenty of recovery days if you're training for a big event.

Do you exercise daily? If so, do you think it helps you avoid getting sick?

Source

Savvy Links: The Ultimate Guide to Bank Loans

Emily Co — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:01:15 PDT

The ultimate guide to bank loans - Real Simple
Getting spending under control by differentiating needs and wants - Free Money Finance
The worst 18 states for working moms - The Jane Dough
Boost your immune system with these five spices - LearnVest
Ditch your home printer to save money and paper - Tecca
How I quit my job and rowed across three oceans - HuffPost Women
10 stressed employees share what it's like to have 100-hour workweeks - The Grindstone
Your guide to the summertime office dress code - The Daily Muse
Simple-living lessons I learned from Hoarders - Wise Bread

7 Ways to Ease Muscle Soreness After a Workout

Michele Foley — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:49:51 PDT

Whether you ran too hard, tried out your first TRX class, or woke up feeling unusually achy after a gym session, muscle soreness after working out is commonplace. While sore muscles are a sign that you're challenging your body, they can also put a damper on fitness goals. Here are seven ways to treat and prevent everyday soreness associated with working out.

Massage: If you're looking to relax and pamper your sore muscles, treat yourself to a massage. Besides relieving overworked muscles, a massage boosts the body's immunity system. If you went big this week and your muscles are feeling tighter than usual, skip the aromatherapy for a trigger-point or sports massage instead. It will feel a little more intense, but it's worth the payoff.
Foam Roller: Can't afford a massage? Go for the second best thing, and grab yourself a foam roller. The quick process of rolling out your body breaks up knots in muscles and is especially beneficial for trigger points like IT bands or shin-splint pain. Even better is that foam rolling helps to decrease future muscle pain and injury by keeping the body flexible and loose. Get started with these five stretches to do on a foam roller.
Active rest: Sometimes the best thing you can do for an overworked body is to give it a break - a rest day now will prevent a more serious (and sidelining) sports injury later. But that doesn't mean you have to lay in bed all day! Light to moderate activity helps the body recover by bringing oxygen and nutrients to damaged muscles. Just make sure to lay off the part of your body that is feeling the stress. Check out these active ways to take care of your body on a rest day.

Learn four more ways to treat sore muscles after the break!

Fit Tip: Add a Massage to Your Routine

Leta Shy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:54:31 PDT

Having a standing spa appointment may sound indulgent, but in reality it can be just as important as any other healthy habit in your wellness routine.

Why should you invest your time in a massage? Not only are massages good for your muscles, especially after a long week of arduous workouts, but getting a massage also helps the rest of your body and your mind. Getting a massage helps you relax, relieve tension, and de-stress, and it also helps boost your immune system by increasing white blood cell counts.

When you don't have the time, energy, or money for an hours-long trip to the spa, you can take a break for your own. Learn some techniques that will help you relax (check out our video on simple massage techniques here) or relieve workout-sore muscles with a few minutes with a massage stick or foam roller. If all else fails, relax with some music, since research has shown that taking a break and listening to your favorite music has been shown to give your the same stress-relieving benefits as a massage.

Foodie Friday Link Time: How Wheat Contributes to Weight Gain

Susi May — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:44:20 PST

Three ways wheat can make you pack on the pounds - HuffPost Healthy Living
Should you skip the Skippy? Learn if peanut butter is good for you - Prevention
So many recipes to rock Greek yogurt - Fitness
Give your burger a healthy upgrade - Blisstree
All you need to know before buying dietary supplements - Shape
It might be time to rethink the formula for cutting calories and weight loss - Self
Boost your immune systems with tasty foods - Yoga Journal

Flickr User traveleden

Cardio Comparison: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:37:38 PST

Cardio is a must for a whole slew of health reasons: it's good for your heart, increases energy, helps reduce your risk of certain conditions like osteoporosis and diabetes, helps you sleep better, and boosts your immune system, to name a few! Of course, cardio is also essential if you're trying to fit into the jeans you wore in college. If weight loss is your main reason for doing cardio, make your exercise count; check out the chart below to find out which type of cardio burns the most calories in 30 minutes.

*All calculations are based on a 130-pound woman.

Type of cardio	Calories burned in 30 min
Cardio class	189
Cross-country skiing	216
Cycling 14 mph	270
Cycling 18 mph	324
Dancing	162
Deep-water running	230
Hiking	194
Indoor cycling class	207
Jumping rope vigorously	330

Keep reading to see how many calories other types of cardio burn.

4 Lazy Moves That Boost Your Health

Prevention — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:05:16 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

You don’t have to go on a deprivation diet or spend hours exercising to ward off disease and be your healthiest self! Instead, try these supersimple tips
By the editors of Prevention

Staying healthy can feel like so much, well, work (think: logging hours at the gym and whipping up nutritious meals from scratch). However, there are plenty of small moves that you can make in your everyday life that will have big health benefits. We’ve rounded up 15 practically zero-effort ways to fight disease, whittle your waist, lower stress, and more. Bonus: many of these good-for-you moves feel good, too. So say sayonara to the old adage “no pain, no gain” and try these tips today.

Lazy Move No. 1: Protect Your Ticker by Snoozing
Need a good excuse to grab your comfiest set of pajamas and hit the sack? Skimping on shut-eye may do more than make you cranky or unproductive - it also boosts your risk of a heart attack. According to one Norwegian study, people who reported that they did not wake up feeling refreshed in the morning had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack, those who had trouble staying asleep almost every night in the last month had a 30 percent higher risk, and those who had trouble falling asleep almost every night in the last month had odds that jumped to 45 percent.

Twenty Ways to Sleep Better Every Night

Some researchers speculate that insomnia might trigger your body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked with high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Plus when you’re exhausted, you may be more likely to make unhealthy choices that up your heart disease risk, such as skipping your workout or reaching for fatty or sugary snacks for a quick energy fix.

Keep reading for three more lazy ways to improve your health.

Dr. Oz on How to Fight the Common Cold

Zelana Montminy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:31:18 PST

Cold and flu season is upon, but you can fight back with tips from Dr. Oz. The leading health expert shared his top tips for staying healthy this Winter and we've certainly put his advice into practice. Watch this video to get the low down on vitamin D for cold prevention, how sleep boosts your immune system, and if handshakes spread major germs.

The 5 Worst Habits That Damage Your Immune System

Prevention — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:19:31 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Kick these surprising habits to keep colds, flu and other bugs at bay.
By The Editors of Prevention.com

Staying healthy isn't just about using hand sanitizer and avoiding coughing co-workers. It turns out some pretty surprising daily habits - like how you fight with your husband or whether you stay up late for Letterman - can impact how well your body fends off colds, flu and other pesky bugs. Here's a list of science-backed tips to add to your stay-healthy arsenal today.

1. You Avoid the Water Cooler
Friendship may be Miracle-Gro for your immune system. Research shows that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the likelier we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and live shorter lives than our more sociable peers. In one study, researchers who monitored 276 people between the ages of 18 and 55 found that those who had six or more connections were four times better at fighting off the viruses that cause colds than those with fewer friends.

What to do: Don't let a jam-packed workday or hectic schedule get in the way of your friendships. Stop by a co-worker's office for a quick Monday morning catch-up, or e-mail/text your friends at night to stay in touch when you're too busy for phone calls.

7 Ways to Work Out at The Office

2. You Often Feel Tired
Scrimping on sleep has a powerfully detrimental effect on immunity. The perfect example: college students who get sick after pulling all-nighters cramming for exams. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight germs. In fact, University of Chicago researchers found that men who had slept only four hours a night for one week produced half the amount of flu-fighting antibodies in their blood (jump-started by a flu shot) compared with those who slept 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours.

Keep reading to learn how to keep your immune system strong after the break.