FitSugar

Road Tripping Moves For T-Day Travel

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:55 PST

Considered the most travel saturated holiday in the US, many of us will be taking to the road or to the skies to see our family and friends this Thanksgiving. If you're flying try these stretches to keep yourself sane on the plane. And if you're driving I have a few moves to keep your body awake and make good use of your time stuck in traffic.

Steering wheel isometrics: Using simple isometric exercises, you can work your arms. Start with your hands at nine and three on the steering wheel (just like driver's ed class) and press inward with your arms. Hold for five counts, but keep the tension out of your neck. Repeat four times, and then move your hands to 10 and two and repeat. Changing positions of your hands will work different muscle groups.
Belly vacuums: This is a great way to work your abs at traffic lights or waiting out a traffic jam. On an exhale simply pull your abs toward your spine without letting your back round. Keep the abs engaged and focus on breathing into the back of your ribs for three to five breaths.
Glute winks: Your bum can get sore and numb from sitting for so long. This exercise not only works the glutes a bit, it also gets the circulation going once again and can relieve low back pain, too. Simply squeeze your right glute for three to five seconds, release it and switch sides. Repeat for a total of 10 times.

Feeling tense behind the wheel, I have a few remedies so

Shoulder shrugs: Keeping your hands on the steering wheel, inhale and raise your shoulders to your ears. Exhale allowing your shoulders to drop. Repeat a total of five to 10 times.
Deep breathing: Don't underestimate the power of breathing to calm yourself down in heavy traffic. Inhale and fill your lungs, then slowly exhale releasing the tension from your upper body.
Slow shimmy: Channel a slower version of Beyonce's shoulder shimmy to release tension in your upper body. Keep your hands on the wheel, bring your right shoulder forward, then alternate bringing your left one toward the wheel. This move will make your spine twist a bit, which feels great after staring at the road for hours on end.

I also suggest stopping every two hours to stretch your legs. Just walking about a bit can enliven the weary traveler and help you stay alert while driving. I like to stretch my hamstrings by propping my heel on the bumper of the car.

Travel Tips: 3 Car Exercises For Road Tripping

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 PST

For the most popular travel holiday of the year, Thanksgiving finds many of us stressed out in airports or on long road trips. But just because you're stuck in a car doesn't mean you should completely neglect your body. I have a few easy car exercises so you can work your body while still focusing on the road.

Steering wheel isometrics: Using simple isometric exercises, you can work your arms. Start with your hands at nine and three on the steering wheel (just like driver's ed class) and press inward with your arms. Hold for five counts, but keep the tension out of your neck. Repeat four times, and then move your hands to 10 and two and repeat. Changing positions of your hands will work different muscle groups.
Belly vacuums: This is a great way to work your abs at traffic lights or waiting out a traffic jam. On an exhale simply pull your abs toward your spine without letting your back round. Keep the abs engaged and focus on breathing into the back of your ribs for three to five breaths.
Glute winks: Your bum can get sore and numb from sitting for so long. This exercise not only works the glutes a bit, it also gets the circulation going once again and can relieve low back pain, too. Simply squeeze your right glute for three to five seconds, release it and switch sides. Repeat for a total of 10 times.

Happy, safe, and fit travels to you all.

Source

Exercise In Your Car: But Don't CRASH

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:14:17 PST

In honor of the Oscar winning Best Picture from last year, I created a mini-car workout. Now you must be careful so you don't Crash while doing these 3 exercises. Remember keep your eyes on the road, but you can make any car ride beneficial for your body.

Here's what you do:

Work your abdominals by holding in your belly for 30 to 60 seconds. This will work your deep abdominals and help you on your way to a flatter stomach. Focus on breathing in the back and sides of your lungs while keeping your belly pulled toward your spine.
Squeeze your glutes alternating sides. Left booty for 5 seconds, then right booty for 5 seconds. Keep alternating sides for 10 to 20 reps. This can be a little challenging at first, but it is a great way to create some circulation on your backside while sitting on it.
Put one arm, and one arm only, behind your headrest and push your hand toward your head. You should feel your bicep contract. Hold this for 10 seconds, then switch arms. This is a great exercise to try when you are at a stop light, rather than a curvy road or a crowded freeway.

Try these exercises on your evening commute.

Long Commutes Are Detrimental to Your Health, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:14:05 PDT

Working a nine-to-fiver is mandatory for most people, and unfortunately, a long commute often comes with the territory. According to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, those who travel 16 or more miles each way weigh more and have higher blood pressures than those with less than 10-mile commutes.

Of the almost 4,300 residents from Dallas and Austin involved in the study, researchers discovered that for every 10-mile increase in driving distance, the commuter's BMI (body mass index) rose .17 units. People with lengthy commutes are nine percent more likely to be obese, either because they didn't exercise as much, are eating fast food while driving, or they're not getting enough sleep because their long commute forces them to wake up early.

Weight isn't the only thing affected by a long drive to work. Spending that much time in the car, especially stuck in traffic, also makes a person tired, moody, and stressed out, which is one reason 52 percent of those in the study with a longer commute suffered from high blood pressure.

So what's a commuter to do? Quitting your job is obviously not an option, and if working at home part-time isn't feasible and neither is finding a job closer to where you live, keep reading to learn what commuters can do to avoid weight gain and other health issues.

Savvy Links: The Best and Worst Things to Buy in May

Emily Co — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:10:58 PDT

The best and worst things to buy in May - Wise Bread
Get rid of your stuff: make money, declutter your life, and help others - Free Money Finance
10 ways to fit exercise into your day - LearnVest
This 3-year-old girl is Mensa’s youngest member - The Jane Dough
7 far more sensible alternatives to conventional desk chairs - Tecca
The 13 most useless majors and why they don’t matter - College Candy
"I had to go through 12 interviews before I got the job" - The Grindstone
The pros and cons of diesel cars - Bankrate
Why it's a good time to be a working woman - HuffPost Women

5 Fitness Myths That Mess With Results

Prevention — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:31:20 PDT

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

By Jenna Bergen, Prevention

With so many people offering advice on weight loss, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. All too often I’ve overheard a hardworking gym-goer sharing a well-meaning but ill-informed tip with another exerciser. And I’m not the only one who’s heard fitness folklore being swapped on the training room floor. I spoke to top experts in the field to find out the common fitness myths they hear from clients. From the pseudo miracles of the "fat-burning" zone to the misguided magic of working out on an empty stomach, these fitness falsehoods should never be followed.

Nine Exercise Moves You're Doing Wrong

Myth No. One: Keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone

If you've been exercising at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate in order to shed flab faster, you could be slowing your slim down. "The fat-burning zone is a complete myth," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, Prevention advisory board member and fitness research director at Quincy College. "While it's true that you burn a higher percentage of fat calories when exercising at a moderate pace, you burn fewer calories overall." For instance, if you get on a treadmill and walk at a 3.5 mph pace for 30 minutes, you might burn 250 calories. If you raise the speed to seven miles per hour, you’d burn 500. Bottom line? "It’s much better to go at the faster speed." Prefer the elliptical trainer? Make sure you're not making one of the top 10 elliptical trainer mistakes.

Myth No. Two: Boosting cardio is the best way to bypass a plateau

"The most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine," says Jari Love, star of the Get Extremely Ripped: 1000 Hardcore DVD. "One study found that when individuals cycled for 30 minutes a day, they lost three pounds of fat and gained a half pound of muscle in eight weeks. But individuals who cycled for 15 minutes and weight trained for 15 minutes a day lost 10 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of calorie-burning muscle."

Try This Workout to Drop Two Sizes by Summer!

Keep reading! We bust three more myths after the break.

Everyday Activities That Make Your Allergies Worse

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:45:18 PDT

Most of us are psyched for warmer weather, but allergy sufferers are cursing runny noses, congestion, red eyes, and itchy throats. You may not realize it, but here are the everyday things that can aggravate your symptoms.

Exercising outside is a no-brainer when temps start going up, but not so for those allergic to pollen. If you can't bear to skip outdoor workouts, try to exercise early in the morning when pollen counts are lowest. If you decide to exercise outside, be sure to wash your clothes to get rid of pollen and take a shower to rinse allergens out of your hair. If your allergies are really bad, invest in a gym membership or equipment for your home gym - exercising in the AC will make you breathe much easier.
Opening the window to get some fresh air? Don't you dare. Pollen and other allergens blow in where they come in contact with your eyes and nose. Keep the windows in your home, office, and car closed, and definitely don't use a window fan. If you're hot, turn up the air-conditioning.

Keep reading to find out other common things you're doing that can worsen allergies.

Yoga No-Nos For Pregos

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:33:23 PDT

Fun issues like nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, and the need to hit the ladies' room - three different times during a workout! - makes it difficult to keep up with a regular exercise routine when pregnant. If you're expecting, taking up yoga (or continuing to go) is wonderful because not only does it alleviate some of these annoying discomforts, your body will stay strong and flexible. No prenatal yoga class offered in your area? Take a regular class, but be sure to avoid the following during your practice.

Deep forward bends: Folding forward can compress blood vessels and nerves that connect to your uterus. Keep things flowing by separating your legs like in this Wide-Legged Forward Bend to make space at the top of the thighs.
Deep twists: This can also decrease circulation, so always twist in an open position as in this pose, not deeply across the knee.
Lying on your back: Once you hit the second trimester, avoid lying on your back for extended periods of time (as in Savasana). The increased weight of your uterus interferes with the flow of blood and nutrients to your developing baby. It can also aggravate lower back pain, heartburn, and elevate blood pressure. Use blocks and bolsters to prop your torso up instead of lying flat, and whenever possible find ways to stretch the same muscles while you're standing, sitting, on your hands and knees, or when lying on your side.
Poses that work your abs: As your belly expands, it's difficult to support the weight with your rectus abdominus (the muscles you see when someone has a six-pack), so you use your obliques (ab muscles on the side of your belly). Overly-strong obliques can pull your abdominal muscles apart, causing a condition known as diastasis. Avoid risk by skipping poses that target your core, especially your obliques - worry about getting your abs back in shape after the baby arrives.

Keep reading for more prenatal yoga no-nos.

3 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Your Workout

Leta Shy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:05:46 PDT

Now that it's April, we're thinking about Earth Day, when we celebrate our continuing commitment to reduce waste and do our part for the planet. Calculating and reducing your carbon footprint, the amount of environment-unfriendly emissions it takes to make it through your day, is one important way to go eco. So how does your workout factor in? Here are three ways to reduce your carbon footprint while you exercise.

Commute as workout: The average commute takes about 15 miles each way, which can translate into over a ton of carbon dioxide emissions per year. If possible, try biking to work once or twice a week: it can help save you time, since you won't have to worry about fitting in a workout that day, and cutting out drive time just a few times a month will cut your carbon footprint. Never biked to work before? Here are some tips for how to bike to work safely.
Skip the gym: It's not just driving to work that can add up in emissions. Driving to the gym can also rack up carbon emissions, as can all the energy and resources it takes to keep you cool and comfortable once you get there. Running, biking, even strength training outside can be more convenient and more fun than trekking to the gym every day. Plus, working out at home can cut down on a lot on resources, like all those extra towels or the energy it takes to power a treadmill.
Heat up naturally: Hot temps may be on the horizon, but Spring days and nights can still be chilly. That can mean turning up the heat on the thermostat to stay comfortable or opting for a comfortable car ride over a walk to the store. Wherever you are, raising your heartbeat for just a few minutes can make things comfortably warm. If you're taking a walk, increase your pace or do a few minutes of lunges first. If you're cold at your desk, do these five discreet strength-training moves at your desk. You'll be burning calories and raising your body temperature without having to turn up the heat - keeping your thermostat down by two degrees can save you one ton in carbon emissions if you do it throughout the year (along with raising the temperature of your air conditioner in the Summer).

Turns out, your workout can really help your eco-friendly ventures! If you need more ideas to help offset your carbon footprint, here are more ways to green your fitness.

Céline Fall 2012

Hannah Weil — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:56:55 PST

Through her signature minimalist lens, Phoebe Philo brought forth a sportier chic with the season's call to volume on wide boxy coats and cropped leather jackets for Céline's Fall 2012 collection. There was a subtle departure here from Philo's typical stuff - though it may even be an exaggeration to suggest it's a deviation at all. Rather, Philo enhanced her usual minimalist-chic with a few bold pops of color and a little luxe texture. Shapes were wide and boxy in Céline's signature fashion, but we did get a taste of bold flavor on fuchsia-washed fur on a long coat and a puffed up sweatshirt-style top. The usual fare was a simplified, albeit volume-injected exercise in androgynous outerwear silhouettes, cropped pants, and slouchy track pants. In every pared-down piece, from the leather shells to the streamlined clutches each model had in hand, Philo honed her craft for an uncomplicated cool.

Trends: Boxy coats, leather, color-saturated fur, colorblocking, minimalism.
Colors: Blue, orange, black, white, pink.
Key Look: The boxy navy car coat with brown leather lapels.
Accessories: Wide oversize handheld clutches; white pointy-toe pumps.
Who Would Wear It: Fashion's unfussy types.

All photos courtesy of Céline