FitSugar

Shape Up! Alarm Clock: Cool or Not

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:00:00 PDT

This hilarious Shape Up! Alarm Clock (price unavailable) has you hit the weights instead of hitting snooze. The dumbbell-shaped alarm buzzes until you've done 30 reps of bicep curls. I'm all for sneaking in strength training and morning workouts, but I don't think I'd enjoying exercising amid the incessant buzzing. What do you think?

Review: FitFlops – Functional Fashion?

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:45:00 PDT

The fitness fashion fad of muscle sculpting footwear continues. Last Spring, FitFlops ($49.99) were all the rage, but due to unforeseen popularity they were hard to find since many stores couldn't keep them in stock.

This thong styled sandal from the UK is designed to make the muscles of your legs and bum work more than usual with each and every step. Essentially, as the makers say, they turn your average afternoon of running errands into something a little more akin to actual running. The shoes themselves are comfy, but unlike MBTs, I didn't really feel them working my legs or my bum; I couldn't sense the "wobble board" in the FitFlops that is supposed to increase muscle activity. If a body doesn't feel the work, does that mean the muscles aren't doing anything? Anyway, I haven't noticed any improvement on the backside either, although studies found increased muscle activity in the glutes and thighs in people wearing FitFlops.

The engineered FitFlops are considerably more foot friendly than regular flip flops. FitFlops have a much harder heel than most thongs and offer a lot more support. Wearing regular flip flops, with their lack of arch support, can make my feet and back ache, but I experienced no foot or back discomfort after running around in my FitFlops for a couple of hours on an unseasonably warm day.

If you are interested in experimenting with FitFlops you can find a store that sells them near you with this handy store locator, which will also help you find online retailers.

If you have a pair let me know what you think about them in the comments section below.

Source

Get Your Butt in Gear: Harbinger Weighted Fitness Balls with Straps

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:30:00 PST

Harbinger Weighted Fitness Balls with straps are my new favorite work out toys. These fitness balls are like a combination between dumbbells and medicine balls. They come in weights of 6, 8 and 10 pounds and have a Velcro strap so that you can isolate specific muscle groups or body parts.

Why we love them: The straps make them versatile so you can easily train all parts of your body rather than just your arms, but they are still great for doing most arm work such as front raises and hammer curls. They are colorful and great for home use but relatively transportable for traveling as well. Buy them here.

4 Reasons to Add an Exercise Ball to Your Home Gym

Leta Shy — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:58:44 PDT

The exercise ball may occupy a lot of room in your home gym, but it's one versatile piece of equipment. Find out how to get the most out of your exercise ball below.

A healthier seat: Ditch your normal seat on the couch and sit on an exercise ball instead. Using a ball to sit helps correct your posture, tones your abs, and encourages you to stretch, all of which sounds a lot better than the lower back pain that too much sitting on the couch can cause.

Routine shakeup: Adding an exercise ball to your normal mat routines can shake things up and challenge you. For example, you can plank using an exercise ball at your feet to make holding your pose that much harder, or sit or lay on your exercise ball while you execute arm exercises. Even just practicing your balance by kneeling on the exercise ball can help you tone and whittle. Need some ideas? Try these amazingly effective ab and butt workouts using the exercise ball:

Find out how to do the plank pike and the hamstring curl using an exercise ball with this advanced exercise ball workout video.
Skip boring crunches and do this ball pass ab exercise instead.
Challenge your core and balance with this single-leg squat, done against a wall using an exercise ball.
Lie on the ball and work your arms with this chest press move.

Read on for more reasons to use an exercise ball.

6 Beach Workouts For a Sunny Memorial Day Weekend

Leta Shy — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:52:50 PDT

Hopefully this weekend will involve some fun in the sun, but that doesn't have to be limited to sipping a frozen cocktail on a deck chair. To get you inspired for an outdoor sweat session, we've rounded up some fun fitness routines for the beach - check off your daily workout for the day while enjoying the sun!

Fit and fast: Got 12 minutes? Do this simple CrossFit circuit workout as hard as you can. Bonus: after the intense session, all you have to do is take a dip in the sea!
Leg up: Want to tone legs and thighs? This leg workout from a FitSugar reader helps save your knees from too many squats - and you can do the moves while laying out in the sun.
On the ball: If you happen to have an exercise ball handy, this Kerri Walsh-approved full-body workout will get you in pro-athlete shape.

More beach workouts to inspire you after the break!

Barre Workouts are Expensive! Try This At-Home Alternative Instead

Self — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:23:06 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Barre classes may make you easy on the eyes, but at $20 or more a pop, they're definitely not easy on the wallet. Rather than take a second job to pay for our latest fitness addiction, we turned to Beverly Hill-based Cardio Barre instructor Stacey Bosworth to get the inside scoop on scoring a long, lean dancer's body in your living room. "This at-home workout is effective because it targets the whole lower body. Cardio Barre is amazing because it is a no-impact workout that allows you to lengthen and strengthen your muscles while burning fat. It will also help increase your flexibility and strength," says Bosworth.

Celebrity devotees, including Dakota Fanning, Neve Campbell, and Heather Morris, can all attest to the fact that Cardio Barre has given them "a lifted tush and leaner, dancer-like legs!" Incorporate these three moves into your regular routine three times a week for maximum results.

Butt Blaster
Come down to the floor on both forearms with your knees bent. Your left hip is directly over your left knee. Your right leg is bent to a 90-degree angle with your foot flexed. Extend your right leg toward the ceiling as if you were pushing the ceiling away from you (see photo above). Bring your right leg down past your left hip and then back up toward the ceiling, keeping your leg parallel to the floor with your kneecap pointing toward the ground and your foot flexed. You are doing a full range of motion, trying to imagine extending your leg all the way through the ceiling.

Keep reading for more barre moves you can do at home!

How to Choose and Use an Exercise Ball

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PDT

Yoga ball, exercise ball, gym ball, fitness ball - whatever you call it, it's a must have for all active people. An exercise ball can be used for both stretching and toning exercises, but if you're new to this piece of gym equipment, here are some things you should know.

When choosing an exercise ball, you should know they come in three sizes, depending on your height. Check the list below to see which size is right for you before purchasing one.

4'11" to 5'4" height: 55 cm ball
5'4" to 5'11" height: 65 cm ball
5'11" to 6' 7" height: 75 cm ball

Now that you know which size ball to use, here are some ways you can use it:

Use the ball as a weight bench. Lie across it on your back and do chest presses, tricep presses, or lying pec flies to work your upper body. Since you're using your legs to keep your body stable, you end up toning your glutes, quads, and hamstrings as well.

To see the other exercise ball ideas,

Use it to elevate parts of your body. Raising your upper or lower body on a ball can help target specific muscle groups more effectively. Try doing push-ups or bridge leg lifts with a ball and you'll end up working many muscles at one time.
Do ab work. Crunches, abdominal twists, and bicycle crunches are so much more challenging on a ball, since lying on one engages your abs even before you start doing any exercises.
Do yoga and Pilates moves. You can tone and increase flexibility by using a ball to do basic poses and exercises. Do backbends and back strengthening exercises such as prone leg raises. A ball can also support your body weight to help you balance when trying challenging poses such as Scorpion.

Source

Tone Your Abs and Booty With Two Easy Moves

Susi May — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:41:16 PDT

We love the versatility of the exercise ball and decided to share our two favorite moves with you: learn how to work your abs without crunches and your backside without squats. Remember, size does matter! It's best to work with a ball appropriately sized for you, so check out this exercise ball chart to see what dimension best fits you.

This Mother's Day, Try These Eco-Friendly Floral Arranging Tips

Guest Writer — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:30:46 PDT

When it comes to buying cut flowers, sometimes it's hard to remember that behind those beautiful blooms sometimes lurks something more sinister - namely thousands of miles of shipping and herbicides and pesticides. That's why Deborah Prinzing, the author of the new book The 50 Mile Bouquet, recommends that you buy local and sustainable flowers for those you love (like your Mom this Mother's Day). Keep reading for Deborah's great tips on local and beautiful bouquets, and if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out Deborah's event at Flora Grubb on Mother's Day.

As more florists and designers discover the negatives of that green foam block (also called florist's foam or Oasis), they are returning to some tried-and-true techniques for stabilizing stems in a vase. The problem with the foam is that it is a formaldehyde-based product that does not break down in landfills. Many designers I've interviewed express concern about breathing and/or exposing their skin to the material.

Alternatives to Floral Foam

Vintage and new flower frogs. I started collecting these years ago and they're easy to find at tag sales and vintage flea markets for under $5 or $10. Use and reuse!
Pebbles, glass beads, and marbles.
Excelsior fibers. Also called wood aspen, you can find this packing material through craft stores or wine shops. Insert a tangle of the fibers in your vase and then you can stick stems through the fibers to stabilize. When you're finished with the arrangement , the excelsior fibers can go into the compost pile with other clippings.
Chicken wire.I have a $15 roll of 15 inch by 5 foot-long poultry fencing that I use over and over again. Just use wire clippers to cut off a 12-inch section of the wire so you have an approximate square. Form it into a loose ball to fit the interior dimensions of your container . If the container is shallow, use sticky clay (available in the floral department at Michael's or other craft stores) to anchor the chicken wire in place.
Twigs and branches. I learned this technique from several designers I interviewed for The 50 Mile Bouquet. As a first step. arrange a framework of decorative twigs inside your vase, placing each one at an angle that crosses over the next. This interior matrix is then perfect for inserting other floral branches and foliage - and the twigs become part of the design.

Keep reading for more eco floral design tips!

Ways to Wear Bright Denim, Homemade Salsa, and Commitment-Free Hair Color: The Best of PopSugarTV This Week

Lauren Turner — Sun, 06 May 2012 06:24:39 PDT

This week on PopSugarTV, Fab showed us 3 ways to wear bright denim for every occasion and gave us ideas for dressing in sexy leather pants. Fit worked out with a ball-passing ab exercise and delivered a yummy sangria recipe while Yum dished on a delicious homemade salsa. Plus, Bella shared tips on getting commitment-free hair color with chalk. Check out all the videos at the links above, and visit PopSugarTV for even more.