FitSugar

Fitness Myths: Fact or Fiction

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:30:51 PDT

Swimsuit season is in full swing, and if you're trying to tone up for an upcoming beach vacation, you want to make sure you can separate out fitness facts from fiction. Take this quiz and see what's up with your workout.

Take the Quiz

Fact or Fiction: Not Eating Breakfast Before Exercise

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:30:00 PDT

I think it is safe to say that we all want the most out of our morning workouts. For many of us that means firing up our metabolism and burning fat, which are two benefits of getting the heart rate up. Is it beneficial to run on an empty stomach? Does it burn more fat and fire up the metabolism to skip breakfast? Take this one question quiz to see if this is a piece of fiction or a fitness fact.

Source

Take the Quiz

Fitness Myth: Spinning Makes Legs Bulky

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:45:00 PDT

I was talking to a friend recently about ways to rev up her cardio routine as she was getting bored with her elliptical/treadmill rotation. I suggested she take a spinning class but she rapidly replied, "Oh no way, I don't want my legs to get all big and bulky."

I completely understand why anyone would feel that spinning will make their legs bulk up since you are primarily working your legs the whole time, but the truth is it won't. Spinning is all about increasing and decreasing resistance while increasing and decreasing speed - there is no component of it that is geared at bulking up your legs. In fact it's quite the contrary, since the quick rotations will leave your thighs and calves lean and sculpted. Don't believe me? Next time you pass an avid biker on the road check out her (or his) legs. I'd be willing to bet they're lean and toned.

If you want to try it out, be sure to look for a free spinning class near you.

Source

Fitness Myth Busted: Cardio and Extended Calorie Burn

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Do you work under the assumption that your aerobic workout boosts your metabolism for hours after you stop working out?
This statement is actually true -- but the calorie burn is probably not nearly as much as you think!

According to coach Eric Harr, author of The Portable Personal Trainer, your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout. Unfortunately, the amount is not statistically significant. In fact, it allows you to burn only about 20 extra calories for the day. Harr says there is a little bit more of a metabolic boost after strength training, but still he says it is marginal.

Moral of the story: Just because you are working out doesn't mean you can consume all the calories you want.

Source

Overdid It on the Chili, Wings, and Beer? How to Get Heartburn Relief

Jenny Sugar — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:12:08 PST

In terms of calories consumed in one day, the Super Bowl Sunday spread is only bested by the Thanksgiving feast. Being that the game comes but once a year, many sports fans go all out, consuming a variety of spicy snacks - chili, buffalo wings, salsa - along with beer, pizza, and dips. All that food can lead to digestive disaster. If you're suffering from heartburn, here's how to get relief.

Let loose: Loosen up your clothing if it's fitted. The compression around your chest and stomach can make heartburn symptoms worse.
Put down the bottle: Stop drinking alcohol, carbonated beverages, and drinks containing caffeine like coffee and Coca-Cola ASAP. Don't reach for a cooling glass of milk either. It's a myth that milk relieves heartburn. It may feel good at first, but can actually worsen symptoms. Sip water instead.
Chuck the wings: Avoid eating any more spicy or greasy foods, foods that contain pepper, and acidic foods such as oranges, tomatoes, and vinegar. Chocolate, mint, ketchup, and mustard are also common heartburn triggers, so avoid eating these as well.
Grab a stick: Of gum, that is. Chew gum to increase saliva production, helping to neutralize stomach acid.

Keep reading for more ways to get immediate heartburn relief.

Lil Links: 5 of the Most Difficult Milestones Moms Must Face

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:34:19 PST

The five most difficult milestones for moms - The Stir
Fifteen ideas for your baby's nursery - Houzz
Do allowances do more harm than good? - LearnVest
Jessica Simpson and Baby Buggy announce T-shirt initiative - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Giggle launches all-in-one registry app for expectant moms - Celebrity Baby Blog
Bath time is my new happy hour - FitPregnancy
Get baby talking with sign language - Parenting
Nine pregnancy myths - The Bump
Tidy homes are overrated, right? - Momformation
National Geographic-worthy photos taken by kids - Yahoo! Shine
Budget-friendly birthday-party ideas for kids - Real Simple

Source: Flickr User Fabio Bruna

7 Running Myths to Ignore

Susi May — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:03:16 PST

Running: it's one of the most popular forms of cardio around, but there are a few common misconceptions about it that we'd like to dispel. Shedding some light on these myths could help improve your training, shopping for sneakers, and tackling speed work.

If running is your game, be sure to enter our Get Fit For 2012 giveaway for a chance to win a year's worth of Asics running shoes.

Sweat, Sit-Ups, and Soreness: 3 Fitness Myths Debunked

Michele Foley — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:00:45 PDT

You know, there's a lot of mumbo- jumbo health advice out there that's easy to write off - don't eat carbs, but eat ALL the bacon you want! But somewhere between the crackpot ideas and sound advice, there's also stuff that sounds pretty believable. To help you wade through the murk, we've deflated three popular fitness myths.

No pain, no gain. This catchphrase was born sometime in the '80s, probably around the time aerobics instructors began chanting, "Feel the burn - doesn't it feel so good?!" Uh, no. Pain isn't pretty, people! It's your body's way of saying, "Hey can we stop for a minute or pick up where we left off tomorrow?" And while a little soreness after a workout is OK, pay attention to your body. Overdoing it means you could be out for days - even weeks. If you hurt during a workout, make sure you're doing the exercise correctly, take a break, or call it a day.
A six-pack is only 100 sit-ups away. The downside: fat doesn't turn into muscle, so doing crunches 'til you're red in the face won't get you a flat belly. The upside: cardio does wonders for the midsection. To make belly fat melt away, do high-intensity cardio workouts like spinning or interval training. But, hey, don't stop with the crunches; strong abs are part of a strong core, which is exponentially beneficial. And when that jiggle in the middle is gone, a toned, tight tummy will be waiting for you.
The more sweat, the better the workout. Sweating is pretty synonymous with working out, but it isn't necessarily a measure of how effective your workout is. Yes, sweating is the body's way of cooling off (and we can all attest to getting a little overheated during our workouts), but some people just sweat more than others. If you want a good indicator of your workout, measure your heart rate and calories burned.

Lil Links: You Know You're a Mother When . . .

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:32:18 PST

Twenty-five ways you know you're such a mother! - The Stir
Elton John's Zachary is Hawaiian dining - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Lisa Loeb is expecting baby number two! - Celebrity Baby Blog
Expectant couples dress for success at the gym - FitPregnancy
Steal style tips from these gorgeous nurseries - Parenting
Organic kid food myths - The Daily Beast
Things you don't know about conception - The Bump
Five unexpected pregnancy expenses - Momformation
Luxury labors are on the rise: how to give birth like Beyoncé - Yahoo! Shine

Do Popular Weight-Loss Diets Work?

Shape — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:15:48 PST

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

There's a mountain of evidence that suggests that fad diets don't function as permanent weight-loss solutions. So why do we continue to flock toward them when we know they're not very effective? After rounding up the top 10 searched diet plans on Yahoo! and noticing that almost every single one was a fad diet (such as the Atkins Diet, or HCG Diet), we wanted to know more about why we're drawn to these popular diet plans. So we went to Holly Herrington, a Registered Dietitian at the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at the Northwestern University Medical Faculty Foundation to get her take on these plans and whether they really work for weight loss.

Find out what - if any - fad diets work after the break.