FitSugar

5 Reasons to Exercise in the Evening

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:30:00 PDT

If you tend to exercise in the early morning before work, more power to you. But if you're looking to mix things up, try working out in the evening. Here are some reasons why:

You'll have more time to devote to your workouts, since you won't feel rushed to have to make an appointment or get to work.
Other people are usually free at this time, so you'll be able to have a motivating workout buddy.
Dinner is over, so you'll be fueled up already and have energy to move. Plus, exercising after eating will curb your cravings so you're less likely to snack before bed.
If you work out at a gym, this time of day is usually less crowded, so you won't have to wait to use equipment.
It'll help you clear your mind so you can have a restful night of sleep.

Fit's Tips: Try to make your workouts end at least an hour before you plan on hitting the sheets, otherwise you may be too wound up to fall asleep.

Late Night Home Workout Ideas

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:00:00 PDT

I know I am not alone when I admit that when the season Premiere of the Biggest Loser ended, I wanted to workout. I find that show so motivating. Unless you belong to a 24 hour gym, chances are low you are going to head to the gym at 10pm. You can harness that motivation and workout in the convenience of your own home! Here are a few ways to make a home workout work even if it's late.

So what if it is 10 pm, the gym is closed and your downstairs neighbors are sleeping. There are plenty of exercises you can do at home.
Push ups, planks, side plank and elbow planks are quiet and will work your upper body and core!
Sit ups of all variations work wonders day or night. If noise is an issue, the slower you do them the less noise you will make. Looking for a new abs routine? Check out this Short, Sweet and Complete Abs video.
If you have hand weights you can do a wide variety of exercises that make absolutely no noise - except for your breath, of course!
Say you are in the mood for alternating reverse lunges, don't let sleeping folks around you keep you from lunging, just make your lunges as quiet and controlled as possible - this will make you work even harder and challenge your coordination.
If you can rock out, try an exercise DVD - here are some that I have reviewed. Pilates and yoga tend to make less noise than cardio if noise is a consideration.
Stretch! Flexibility training is an essential part of fitness that is quiet and easy to do. Plus it is a great way to calm down after a busy day. Chances are high a short stretching session will motivate you to workout the next day!

Fit's Tip: Contrary to popular belief, exercising before going to bed doesn't interfere with sleep. If you feel super awake after exercising, try a nice soothing bathe since they tend to promote sleep over invigorating showers.

Source

4 Time-Saving Tips For a Healthy Lifestyle

Leta Shy — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:18:40 PDT

Summers can be incredibly busy - between shuttling kids to and from activities to planning and going on vacation, all the activities that come along with the season can leave you pressed for time. Luckily, we've got a few suggestions for how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even if you've only got minutes to spare.

Total-body in 20: Breaking up your workout in just 10- or 20-minute increments ensures that you'll break a sweat and burn calories without having to devote too much time out of your day. Even more efficient is making sure that your workouts target all areas of your body. For short workouts that you can do anywhere, check out our fast full-body workouts.

Home cooking: It's easier to cook healthily if you've already done the legwork. Shop for produce and other groceries at the beginning of the week so you can plan every night's dinners - check out one of our healthy dinner plans for the week here. You can also store individual servings of smoothies or sauces (using an ice-cube tray!) in your freezer to have at hand while whipping up a meal.

Read on for more time-saving tips!

Gear Review: Lark Silent Alarm Clock

Leta Shy — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:48:00 PDT

You can count me as one of the 30 percent of people who don't get enough sleep every night, so when Lark sent me its silent alarm clock ($100) to test a couple months ago, I was all about it. Since then, I've been using it pretty regularly, here's what I think of the alarm clock.

First, here's what it is: The Lark is part app (compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad only at the moment, but an Android version seems imminent), part motion-sensing wristband that vibrates to wake you up and tracks your sleep quality throughout the night. It promises to both help you wake up more naturally and without disturbing your bedmate and change your personality from sleep-deprived night owl to well-rested morning lark. Included in the package is the Lark sensor, wristband, and charging dock where you plug your wristband into when you wake up - both to shut off the vibrating alarm and ensure that your wristband has enough juice to monitor your sleeping stats for the next night. The charging dock includes a USB port to connect your iPhone charger to it, so you don't have to use two sockets for each.

Who it's for: The Lark is useful if you have a partner and you both wake up at different times. Since it's a silent alarm clock, it rouses you with a series of vibrations through your wristband, so if your normal wake-up call is earlier than your bedmate's, your partner can snooze away without being disturbed. That may or may not be valuable enough for you to justify the $100 price tag, but it is an effective solution. Besides the alarm clock portion, the Lark app tracks several sleeping stats: how many hours you slept as well as how many times you woke up during the night and how long it took you to fall asleep (both based on your movements).

Keep reading for my thoughts on the Lark alarm clock.

For Better Sleep, Do These 3 Things 20 Minutes Before Bed

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:01:37 PDT

We spend about a third of our lives in slumberland, but many people complain of not sleeping well. If you have a tough time falling asleep or you toss and turn in the middle of the night, try exercising during the day and limiting alcohol and caffeine a few hours before bedtime. But if you are doing this already and still have troubles, here are three things to do immediately before hitting the hay to calm your body and mind and help you get the restful night of sleep you crave.

The Power of Water
Twenty minutes before bedtime, dim the lights in the bathroom, turn on some relaxing tunes on your iPhone and take a warm shower or bath. The heat soothes achy muscles, and the steam clears your sinuses, which is essential if allergy symptoms prevent you from sleeping well at night. It's also a great way to wash away germs and prevent you from getting sick, which can also make it difficult to sleep.

Bye-Bye Pains
After your 10-minute warm bath or shower, slip into your PJs and do five minutes of stretching to ease any pains that prevent you from sleeping. Lower back pain is common for many, so if yours bothers you, here's a yoga sequence to offer back pain relief. If a sore neck and shoulders are your woe, do these soothing stretches. A little self-massage can also ease muscle tension, or apply a heating pad or one of those rice pillows you warm up in the microwave to sore areas.

Get Bored
Now slip into bed, not with a riveting, can't-put-it-down book, but one that has a dull, monotonous, stale topic that's bound to have your eyelids drooping in minutes. Be sure to read from an actual book, not a laptop or iPad, as the lights cue your brain to wake up.

42 Percent of Americans Obese by 2030, 4 Easy Tips to Help You Steer Clear

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:14:35 PDT

At the second annual Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, we received word on the state of obesity among American adults. The good news? The growth of obesity of Americans has slowed from the record pace of the last 30 years. The not-so-good news? While 36 percent of today's adult population is obese, that number is expected to rise to a whopping 42 percent by 2030.

However, researchers are hopeful; study leader Eric Finkelstein believes that with continued anti-obesity efforts, this estimated percentage of the population can absolutely flatten out. If you want to steer clear of the 42 percent, keep reading for some straightforward lifestyle tips to help you stay fit.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Prom-asaurus"

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:30 PDT

It's prom time again on Glee, and this year's festivities contain just as much drama as last year's, plus infinitely more dinosaurs. That's right - Brittany decides to exercise her presidential rights in order to celebrate the peace that apparently once existed between cavemen and dinos. It doesn't make much sense, but it does give Brittany the opportunity to prance around in a Flintstones-esque getup to Ke$ha's "Dinosaur."

It wouldn't be prom without a heated race for king and queen, and the usual suspects have their eyes on the prize: Quinn, Santana, Kurt, and Brittany. Only Quinn uses questionable methods in hopes of winning the crown, but once again, there's a shocker when the envelopes are finally read. It really feels like we're inching closer to that bittersweet Glee graduation, so let's recap the episode when you

Can I just say how much I loved all of the performances this week? OK, "Dinosaur" isn't about to be added to my iPod, but the slate of pop songs is otherwise wonderful. Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine harmonize beautifully on "Big Girls Don't Cry," while "Love You Like a Love Song" and "What Makes You Beautiful" are perfect current choices for the prom. The clincher of course is "Take My Breath Away," which serves nicely as the prom king and queen dance. Overall, I was feeling it.
With NYADA no longer in the picture, Rachel decides to shift her focus away from her shattered dreams and on to her prom and her wedding. That is, until she learns that Finn and Quinn are campaigning together for prom. It's easy to see both sides of the equation: Rachel doesn't want her prom night ruined by another girl, but Finn wants to help his friend who's had a rough year. Rachel doesn't give in though, and decides to throw her very own anti-prom party. It might have been a good idea if anyone besides Kurt, Blaine, Puck, and Becky showed up.
Quinn starts making major strides at therapy with Joe's support, and decides to show off her walking skills at the prom. In the meantime, she shamelessly uses her condition to sway voters, much to Finn's chagrin. He's sent over the edge when he catches her on two legs during the prom, and is particularly mad at himself for putting Quinn's feelings first. Finn nearly gets into a brawl with Joe after aggressively demanding that Quinn come clean to all the people that voted for her, but ultimately storms off instead.
Finn sets out to bring Rachel and co. back to the prom, which is well timed since Rachel just so happens to be showing off her perfect prom dress at that very moment. It seems like everyone's happy, until Santana learns that Brittany won't win prom king and is bitter about the whole prom court situation. Quinn has earned the most votes anyway, but she takes no pleasure in the victory - and tells Principal Figgins that Rachel was a write-in winner. It's a very sappy, very Glee moment, but it's a refreshing change of pace after Kurt winning prom queen last year as a cruel joke. Rachel's genuinely shocked, and once she realizes she's not in her own version of Carrie, she enjoys her moment in the sun.
There are major strides for the rest of the kids as well: Becky finally gets her crown, Puck fulfills his lifelong dream of spiking the prom punch, and Blaine conquers his fear of going gel-free. Like I said, big accomplishments.

How did you feel about the second helping of prom - and which prom episode do you prefer?

Photo courtesy of Fox

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.

6 Best Ways to Flatten Your Belly By Summer

Prevention — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:32 PDT

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

By the Editors of Prevention

A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us strive to achieve in time for bathing suit season, but endless crunches and ditching all your favorite foods until July 4th isn’t the right-or fun-way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. In our lean belly guide, you’ll get diet and exercise tips that will help you eliminate hard-to-reach ab flab and reveal a sculpted, sexy midsection. Here, learn 6 ways to flatten your belly by summer.

Make Time For Cardio
If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

Top 10 Reasons Your Abs Exercises Aren’t Working

Fight Fat With Fiber
For every 10 grams of fiber you eat daily, your belly will carry almost 4% less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fiber than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples, ½ cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grams of belly-flattening fiber.

More flat-belly tips after the break.

Tracy Anderson's Weight-Loss Tips For Brides-to-Be

Leta Shy — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:39:22 PDT

It seems like Tracy Anderson has trained half of Hollywood, and one of her biggest fans, Nicole Richie, even enlisted her to help her get in shape for her 2010 wedding. "Nicole worked out six days a week, she learned dance aerobics, she did her muscular structure work, and she did it in such a healthy beautiful way," Tracy says of her client's devoted wedding prep. If you want to look like a starlet on your wedding day, here are a few tips Tracy Anderson shared with us for brides-to-be who want to get in shape.

First, start early: Don't wait until the last minute to try and lose weight and then expect miracles, Tracy warns. "The thing that is most unfortunate is when a bride comes to me and has never done anything before and is like 'Oh my god, I have to lose 30 pounds in a month,'" Tracy says. She recommends you figure out your diet and exercise plan as soon as you start looking for venue locations, at the beginning of your wedding planning, so you don't end up resorting to juice cleanses or feeding-tube diets to lose pounds weeks before your big day. (Tracy jokes, "If I were the husband-to-be, I can think of nothing less sexy than my fiance installing a feeding tube to look 120 pounds thinner on the wedding day. I'd probably call it off!")

Read on for Tracy's diet and exercise recommendations for brides!