FitSugar

Why Feel The "Y": Core Concepts

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:30:00 PDT

Do you work your "Y"? Well you should...it is an easy way to feel connected to your "core." The "Y" connects your armpits to your belly button, and then your pelvic floor (like a kagel) pulling up toward your navel. Feeling these points connected gets your external obliques to work so your rib cage stays aligned over your pelvis. Engaging the pelvic floor stabilizes the lower part of the pelvis. All the energy meets at your navel activating your deep abs. Your upper body is now all connected.

I find this "Y" visual helpful for quickly getting into my core and stabilizing my torso while doing a bunch of different activities, from hauling toddlers around to doing free weights I use the "Y" to keep my torso still when doing bi-cep curls. It totally helps get rid of the "sway back into the heels" that often accompanies the lift. Try the "Y" when you do your next set of push-ups - keeping your torso all trussed up really helps out your arms as they push your entire body weight away from the floor.

So use your "Y" - practice it while standing in line for your morning latte.

If you have some questions about your core read this post Core Questions and hopefully it will answer yours.

Samsung Galaxy Note Gets Price and Release Date

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:31:18 PST

The biggest smartphone (or tiniest tablet?) we've ever seen, the Samsung Galaxy Note has finally received a price and release date: it's headed to AT&T on Feb. 19 for $300. Whether you're looking for a powerful smartphone or portable tablet, the Galaxy Note has you covered. Coming with a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, 1.4GHz dual-core processor, HSPA＋ and LTE connectivity for fast upload and download speeds, an included stylus (called the S Pen), and dual cameras (8MP rear facing and 2MP forward facing), it's got everything you might need from either device.

The Galaxy Note could also be your BFF when it comes to organizing your life. Included software integrates with your calendars, to-do lists, and schedule, and the S Memo app allows you to use the stylus to write notes and draw pictures, then converts them into a memo for later use.

You can preorder the Galaxy Note starting on Feb. 5 in two colors - carbon blue and ceramic white.

How to Get Rihanna's Rock-Hard Abs

Shape — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:32:58 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Rihanna is one hot singing sensation. Having recently been named the best-selling digital artist of all time - thanks to a whopping 47.5 million downloads of her hits - the sexy songstress is also a top contender for album of the year at this year’s Grammy Awards.

But not only does the Barbadian beauty know how to rock a stage, she also rocks a bikini, too! No stranger to showin’ off some skin, getting that taut and tight tummy definitely takes work.

The Top 10 Best-Dressed Stars at the Golden Globes

That’s where inspirational fitness expert extraordinaire Ary Nuñez comes in; she’s been training the artist hard for almost four years. “We focus on the core muscles and we do a ton of repetitions,” Nuñez says.

See Rihanna's ab workout after the break.

Samsung Galaxy Note Coming Soon With Fancy Stylus

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:51:15 PST

Size may not matter to most, but according to Samsung's research, you're gonna love its new Galaxy Note. Packed with a massive 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen (the largest smartphone screen in the world, naturally), it's the perfect size for those who want a larger viewing experience but don't want to carry around a tablet in their bag. The 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 4G LTE connectivity ensure downloading and media viewing quickness, while the 16GB (expandable up to 32GB) of on-board memory lets you store more of those things.

Other features include an 8MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing camera suitable for video chatting, and a stylus called the S Pen. Not just any stylus, though, the S Pen features 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, which means a lighter stroke will get you thinner lines and more pressure means thicker lines.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is enterprise-safe, which will please business customers who could use a little more tablet-like stylus action in their lives. It's coming soon to AT&T so stay tuned for pricing and release date info.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Gets a Closeup at CES

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:16:22 PST

Looking for a super-sleek tablet in 2012? Get a load of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 that debuted today at CES. On the inside, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is coming with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, dual cameras (a 3MP rear-facing and 2MP forward-facing), and 16GB of on-board storage and supports up to a 32GB microSD card, 4G LTE connectivity, and a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, but it's the outside that really gets the attention here. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 boasts a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display and an incredibly slim profile - it's less than half an inch thick and weighs roughly 12 ounces. That's pretty impressive. Bonus - it comes with infrared technology so you can use it as a universal remote. How thoughtful.

If the price is right, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 could be the next hot tablet on the market. I know I'm interested!

Huawei Hopes to Break Into US Mobile Market With World's Slimmest Smartphone

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:43:15 PST

Huawei chairman Richard Yu knows that Americans don't associate mobile phones with its brand, but the company is hoping to change all that with the introduction of the "world's slimmest" smartphone, the Ascend P1 S.

Landing in North America in April, the Ascend P1 S is just 6.68 mm thick and comes with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass touchscreen, so not only is it big and bright, but it's strong, too. And more than strong, it's fast and powerful - the P1 S is stocked with a dual-core 1.5Ghz Cortext-A9 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (something a lot of new phones can't say), though you'll only get 3G connectivity with this device. There are two cameras onboard the P1 S (an 8MP rear-facing and 1.3MP forward-facing), a dual LED flash, and 1080p recording capabilities.

As for the design, you can get the Ascend P1 S in metallic black, ceramic white, and cherry blossom pink with more colors to come soon. Huawei also introduced the P1 smartphone, which is built in the same spirit as the P1 S, but is just a bit thicker at 7.69mm.

Check out more images of the P1 S in the gallery!

Source: Flickr user HuaweiDevice

Acer Introduces Aspire S5 - World's Thinnest Ultrabook

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:59:24 PST

Acer kicked off CES 2012 today with the introduction of the Aspire S5, billed as the world's thinnest ultrabook. With a 13.3-inch LCD display, the computer measures 15 mm at its biggest point and weighs less than 3 lbs.

Using the same Instant On technology as the Timeline, the S5 boots to full functionality in 1.5 seconds and boasts a battery life of "several weeks," according to a statement by Acer. The included Always Connect feature wakes the S5 from sleep mode via a separate device like a tablet or smartphone. AcerCloud, Acer's multiplatform compatible response to customer cloud storage, will come pre-installed on the S5.

Despite its size, the S5 does include external ports, hidden within what Acer calls a MagicFlip I/o port panel. A touch of the MagicFlip key reveals an HDMI, USB 3.0, and 20 Gbps Thunderbolt port. You heard it - Thunderbolt. The brushed black metallic cover is made of magnesium-aluminum alloy. An Intel CoreTM processor, SSD storage, and Dolby Home Theater v4 round out the S5's inner specs.

Look for the S5 to ship in the second quarter of 2012, when pricing will also be announced. Check out a first look at the new ultrabook in the gallery!

Websites That Offer Free (or Dirt Cheap) Yoga Classes

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:03:37 PST

Yoga may be blissful, but it isn't cheap! Depending on where you live, classes can run you an average of $15 to $20 a pop. Dropping $50 or more for yoga classes each week isn't an option for everyone, but we can all benefit from a regular practice. The internet is bursting with free full-length classes or shortened yoga routines. If you're willing to pay a little, you'll be able to view a greater variety of videos. Here are some sites to check out.

Yoga Today: This site offers one free class each week, and if you're itching for more, download other classes for $3.99 each. If you're really into it, pay $89.95 for a yearly membership, which includes unlimited classes. Store them on your computer and follow along anywhere you happen to be.
Yoga Journal: For beginners and advanced yogis, these videos, ranging in length from five to 35 minutes, are the high quality you'd expect from Yoga Journal. Some of my faves include hip opening sequence Bird by Bird and Heart Wide Open full of chest openers.
My Yoga Online: These videos may not be free, but they're dirt cheap. Pay $9.95 per month or $69.95 for a year, for unlimited access to the entire library. The site also offers popular yoga DVDs such as Body by Bethany and Transform Yourself With Jivamukti. Another plus, you can sample a clip before you buy.

Keep reading for more websites that offer inexpensive yoga classes.

5 Things to Know About the New Nook Tablet

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:38:37 PST

Barnes & Noble finally announced the Nook Tablet yesterday. First impressions from the specs and capabilities seem to be that it will be a worthy competitor to the Kindle Fire when it's released next week, so take a tour through a few of these buying points to consider before you click "purchase."

Affordable price - The Nook Tablet is priced at just $249, which is a fraction of the cost of other tablets on the market right now.
It's slim but stocked - The Nook Tablet got a boost in the specs department - now with a 1Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of memory, bright seven-inch VividView touchscreen display, and up to 11 hours of reading time - but remains super light and portable weighing in at just 14.1 ounces.
It's got content, baby - You'll be able to stream movies, TV shows, and music with preloaded apps from Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Pandora (all of which are offering free trails), but you can browse and download the over two million books in the Barnes & Noble online store.
In-store service - Ripping a page from Apple's Genius Bar playbook, you can take your Nook Tablet to any one of the Barnes and Noble locations across the country to get service and support for free.
It's a tablet, but not - The Nook Tablet runs a custom version of Android 2.3, but is lacking a few things that tablet owners might miss, including a 3G connection (the Nook Tablet is WiFi only) and there are no webcams for on the go video chatting.

Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet: Which Should You Choose?

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:11:33 PDT

Perfect timing for holiday shopping season, Barnes & Noble is set to announce its next version of the Nook on Monday with an expected release date of Nov. 16. Called the Nook Tablet, leaked documents indicate that the device will look and feel just like the Nook Color but with a few internal and external changes. But with the Kindle Fire also coming into the fold a day earlier on Nov. 15, which portable tablet/ereader combo should you choose? We'll look at the pros and cons of each and help you decide.

Price

The Kindle Fire will sell for $200, while the Nook Tablet will be priced at $249.

Specs

Both the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire will come with a seven-inch touchscreen display at 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, and WiFi connectivity, but the Nook pulls ahead in processing power. The Nook Tablet will come with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor compared to the Kindle Fire's dual-core 1GHz, but let's face it - they're both going to be plenty fast. The Nook will also come with more storage space with 16GB on on-board and expandable with a 32GB SD card, while the Kindle Fire is limited to 8GB of on-board storage space. The Kindle Fire is integrated with Amazon's free cloud storage, however, so data space becomes a nonissue with the Fire. As far as battery life goes, the Kindle Fire will last up to eight hours with the WiFi turned off, while the Nook Tablet is expected to run for a full 11.5 hours while reading, and nine hours while watching video with the WiFi off.

Content

Both the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire will be able to stream music, videos, and books, but where the content comes from is where these two differ. The Nook Tablet will be able to stream shows and movies from Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Pandora, while the Kindle Fire will be jacked into Amazon Prime, which offers free (as well as paid, and rental) streaming movies, TV shows, and music from its online store. Kindle Fire customers will get a free 30-day Amazon Prime membership to test out the benefits, but from there it comes with a $79 a year price tag. As far as books go, you'll obviously get the choice of choosing between Barnes & Noble's online selection and Amazon's. In addition, Amazon's app store is brimming with fun and familiar apps, which could woo customers to the Fire.

See our final thoughts and verdict after the break.