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How Many Glasses of Champagne Did You Drink Last Night?

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:30:00 -0800

The day after Halloween I asked you how many pieces of candy you had eaten. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I asked you how many pieces of pie you ate throughout that feasting day. So, in keeping with the tradition, there is a question I must ask: I want to know about your champagne consumption on New Year's Eve.

So tell me . . .

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Toast 2009 With Dry Champagne

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

We shall all be ringing in the New Year tomorrow, and for many of us that means a champagne toast, or two, or three. While the average glass of champagne contains 91 calories, I would like to suggest toasting with dry champagne, as sweet champagne is just dry champagne with added sugar. And you all know how I feel about added sugar.

Look for bubbly with the word brut on the label. Brut is champagne speak for "dry" and signifies a lower sugar content and a drier wine. Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut is popular with actresses and supermodels, famous for counting calories, because it contains only 65 calories per glass. Considered bone dry, a bottle of this ultra brut retails for $55 - low cal champagne doesn't run cheap. The drier the champagne, the better it tastes with salty and savory foods like low calorie oysters and caviar. What are you planning to sip on New Year's Eve?

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Mariah Carey Called Champagne Fattening - Is She Right?

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

When Mariah Carey tried to get out of a champagne toast with Ellen DeGeneres as a guest on Ellen, she initially reacted to the host's persistence by exclaiming that champagne is fattening. When Ellen proceeded to hand her a glass of bubbly to toast to Mariah "not being pregnant" (a trickster, that Ellen!), Mariah tried another route and said that it was too early in the day for alcohol.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of champagne isn't the word fattening, as it apparently is for Mariah, but the singer does have a point. When you're attending one holiday party after the next and clinking glasses with everyone you know, those fun servings of bubbly can add some serious calories to the other holiday fare. It's OK to toast the season with a little champagne, but control your calories by drinking this beverage in moderation. One 4.1 fl. oz. glass contains 91 calories (similar to a serving of white wine), while an entire 25.4 fl. oz. bottle has 495 calories.

To see a video of Ellen peer-pressuring Mariah, read more.

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Simple Champagne Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 02:30:00 -0800

New Year's Eve is here and most of us (me included) will be popping open a bottle of bubbly in celebration tonight. I'm not saying don't enjoy it, but before you drink the whole bottle check out this simple breakdown so you know how many calories you're consuming per glass.

1 Glass of Champagne (4.1 fl. oz)	91 calories
1 Bottle of Champagne (25.4 fl. oz)	495 calories

So what is to be learned from this simple breakdown? Everything in moderation is OK, just don't over do it. By drinking just one or two glasses of champagne you'll be saving yourself from unnecessary calories, and not to mention a horrible hangover.

Fit's Tip: Be safe tonight and if you do decide to have a glass (or three) of champagne, please do not drink and drive.

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Which Has Fewer Calories: Champagne or Gin & Tonic

FitSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:30:00 -0700

On nights out, when I am waiting for a table at my favorite restaurant, I like to have a cocktail. I often want a drink with a little bit of carbonation. The bubbles put me in a festive mood. So when trying to decide between my two favorites, Champagne or a Gin & Tonic, I like to factor in calories. So, do you know which drink has FEWER calories?

Engagement Party: How to Avoid (or Deal) with Your Champagne Hangover

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Parties are fun and no doubt if you are throwing one to celebrate the arrival of spring or your engagement, you might just over imbibe. Champagne the celebratory drink of the masses is just a devil. It is easy to drink, hard to say no to, and you can leave you with one hell of a hangover.

So in case you don't stick to drinking PartySugar's fruit juice mock champagne, you might end up a wee bit hungover. In fact, it is believed that women are more likely to experience hangovers than men. Here are a few tips on avoiding as well as dealing with them (hangovers - not men).

At the Party

Don't eat sweets, since champagne is already high in sugar. So the less sugar you eat, the less intense the hangover should be.
Once you have started drinking champagne, stick with champagne (or wine). Remember - Bubble before liquor, never sicker.
Eat!!!! Food in your stomach slows down the body's absorption of alcohol.
Take it slow. Try to drink one glass of champagne an hour.
Drink water throughout the party. Just fill that glass with "bubble" water and alternate with champagne.

To find out what you can do before going to bed read more

Before Bed

Drink water!!!! Dehydration is a major component of the hangover.
Take 2 ibuprofen tablets, to help diminish the headache and body aches that accompany a hangover.

The Morning After

Once again drink water and take some more pain relief.
Drink juice - fructose, such as honey or fruit juice, may help your body burn the alcohol faster.
Take a nap with your fiancé...your hangover just might be gone when you wake up (time is really the only true cure).
Physical activity (wink - wink, nudge nudge) can help your body burn through the excess alcohol by eliminating the toxins by sweating.

I sure do hope these help and I sure do hope you had some fun.

How Many Glasses of Champagne Did You Drink Last Night?

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:00:00 -0800

So, tell me . . .

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Rosemary Pear Sparkler

FitSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:30:06 -0800

Choosing champagne or sparkling wine to celebrate the holiday season is a nice low-calorie alternative to spirits or beer, but when I'm craving a cocktail, a plain glass of Prosecco doesn't always do the trick.

If you're looking for a nice cocktail to enjoy this holiday season, try my refreshing rosemary pear sparkler. It makes a great aperitif, and the flavors of pear and rosemary really tie together the feelings of Fall.

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Rosemary Pear Sparkler
original recipe

Depending on how many servings you need, make as little or as much of the rosemary-pear mixture as you like. Just keep the ratio of water, pear juice, and agave nectar consistent. The mixture also tastes great in soda water or lemonade.

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup agave nectar
1 cup pear juice
1 bunch fresh rosemary
2 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
Prosecco

Directions

Stir together water, agave nectar, four rosemary sprigs, and pear juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes or until liquid has a distinct rosemary flavor.
Strain rosemary from liquid.
Pour liquid into a jar with pears and store in refrigerator overnight (and up to a week).
Add one and a half tablespoons of the rosemary-pear mixture to a champagne glass and top off with chilled Prosecco.
Garnish each glass with a pear slice from the mixture and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

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Kara Goucher: Heartbroken but Happy and Ready For 2012

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

I had the pleasure of speaking with marathoner Kara Goucher, 30, yesterday, and she is one sweet runner. Kara placed third in the Boston Marathon on Monday, coming in just nine seconds behind the winner. Her frustration was visible as she crossed the finish line. When I asked her which part of her body hurt most the day after the marathon, Kara said, "Honestly, still my heart just hurts the most."

Although heartbroken, Kara explained that her body didn't feel that beat up from the race - explaining that this race was like an easy 20 miles followed by a really hard 10k - so just her hip flexors felt tight from the running downhill. Her disappointment with not winning combined with a lack of aches and pains led her to consider running the London Marathon next week. She wanted to put the tactical lessons learned in Boston to work immediately, but ultimately decided racing a marathon again that soon wouldn't help with her long-range goal: competing in the 2012 London Olympic marathon to win.

To learn Kara's favorite Pilates exercise, the last movie she saw in a theater, and what she did after finishing the marathon, read more.

Kara switched coaches about three years ago and began working with former marathon star Alberto Salazar, and with this change came regular cross training. Salazar, who also coaches her husband Adam Goucher, wanted the running couple to become better all-around athletes, and to do so, Kara started Pilates. Although she hates them while doing them, Kara loves the ab series of Pilates, including the 100s, as well as the back stretch saw off your toe. Her favorite core exercises: "I like plank and lunges. In the plank position lifting up one leg is good core work. I like basic stuff that you could do anywhere: in a hotel room, at the gym, on the sidewalk if you needed to."

After running the Boston marathon, Kara went out to dinner with a group of family and friends. Although the party drank many bottles of wine, they are waiting to pop the champagne cork when either she or Adam wins. She admitted that it was nice to "act like normal people" for the evening, not having to worry if the food might upset her stomach and interfere with running or if she should be getting to bed. Speaking of "normal," I also asked Kara the last movie she saw in a theater. "I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button around New Year's, but I have no idea of what I saw before that," she told me.

Kara is one busy runner. She trains hard, loves racing, and won't be giving up track events anytime soon. She and her husband have both publicly stated that they would like to start a family - just think how fast those little Gouchers could be. I for one am looking forward to seeing Kara run in London, be it next week or in three years!

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Get the Bod: Valerie Bertinelli's 48-Year-Old Bikini Body

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Valerie Bertinelli is on the cover of this week's People magazine, showing off her lean body in a bikini for the first time since she was 20 years old, just in time for her 48th birthday! Two years ago she was a larger version of herself, at 172 pounds, which she felt was more than 40 pounds over her ideal weight for a person who's 5'4".

So how did she lose the weight and get bikini-ready? To find out read more.

Valerie used the Jenny Craig plan and became a spokesperson for the diet as well. In nine months she was down to 132 pounds. She exercised on her own, primarily walking 10,000 steps a day. After keeping the weight off for more than a year, she decided to kick it up a notch and hired a personal trainer in December, with her goal of feeling gorgeous and confident in a bikini.

Her 60-minute bikini workout was completed four or five times a week. It included running on the treadmill 30 to 45 minutes, but sometimes she switched back and forth between five minute intervals of running and strength training. To get strong and defined muscles, Valerie used a resistance band in combination with dumbbells. She alternated between up to 25 triceps dips, 20 push-ups, up to 30 squats, step-ups, and over 100 sit-ups total. The last three weeks before her bikini shoot, she lowered her daily caloric intake from 1,700 calories to 1,200, and also gave up a treat - champagne. Now Valerie is in the best shape of her life and said "I never, ever, ever had deltoids! Oh my God, when I'm doing exercises and I see them pop out, I'm like, Yes!" She's a huge inspiration for those of us who may be afraid to sport our bikinis.

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