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Get Moving With Girls on the Run

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:00:37 PDT

I'm always telling you to get a workout partner so you have another reason to be motivated to stick to your goals. One way to take it the next step further is by becoming a running buddy with Girls on the Run - a program for girls age 8 to 13 years old that combines training for a 5k running event with self-esteem-enhancing, uplifting workouts. It is a great philosophy: teach girls about healthy living and self-respect when then are young, and hopefully these habits will stick for life.

The goal of Girls on the Run is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and physical development. As a running buddy ,you are paired with a girl to run by her side, encouraging her to do her best during a one-mile or 3.1-mile run/power walk. Not only will you be helping a girl achieve her own goal, but you'll be motivated to move too. Find a Girls on the Run branch near you to inquire about becoming a running buddy today.

Watch a video on the nonprofit organization featuring founder Molly Barker when you

ACTivism: Become a Running Buddy

FitSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:45:00 PDT

I'm always telling you to get a workout partner so you have another reason to be motivated to stick to your goals. One way to take it the next step further is by becoming a running buddy with Girls on the Run - a program for girls age eight to thirteen years old that combines training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts.

The goal of Girls on the Run is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. As a running buddy you are paired with a girl to run by her side, encouraging her to do her best during a one-mile or 5K run/power walk. Not only will you be helping a girl achieve her own goal, but you'll be helping yourself to get moving. What's more motivating than that? I'm doing it here in the Bay Area and I can't wait. Find a Girls on the Run branch near you to inquire about becoming a running buddy today.

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Meet the Euro Pop Princesses of the '60s: Yé-Yé Girls

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:52:29 PDT

Are the yé-yé girls having resurgence? First there was Megan's infamous Mad Men song and dance number, and now they've come up again in Wes Anderson's latest film Moonrise Kingdom. In the film - set in 1965, a year before this season of Mad Men - Suzy Bishop is one half of the lovesick preteen couple at the center of the movie. While her style is clearly fashioned after the yé-yé girls, Suzy's interest in the pop singers is brought up at one point when she shows her love interest, Sam Shakusky, her favorite album, Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles by yé-yé girl Françoise Hardy. Later in the movie, Sam and Suzy have a very entertaining dance scene on the beach in their underwear to her song "Le Temps de l'Amour" ("The Time of Love").

Derived from "yeah! yeah!", the yé-yé movement was comprised of female pop singers from France, Québec, Italy, and Spain. The themes and lyrics of the songs, often written by men like Serge Gainsbourg, were deceptively innocent, as the girls beamed sexy naiveté. One not-so-innocent song Serge wrote for yé-yé singer France Gall was "Les Sucettes" ("Lollipops"), which was really referring to oral sex. It included the line, "Annie loves lollipops, aniseed lollipops, when the sweet liquid runs down Annie's throat, she is in paradise." Learn more about France and other popular yé-yé girls like Françoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan, and Sheila.

Cannes Minireview: The Sapphires

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

The Sapphires has turned out to be one of the sleeper hits to emerge from Cannes, thanks to The Weinstein Company, which has already acquired rights to the film. I caught a screening of the funny film from Down Under during the festival, so read on to find out what I thought.

Who's behind it? Director Wayne Blair was behind the lens of the picture, which is based on a play by Tony Briggs. Briggs's mother and her family actually inspired the story. Chris O'Dowd of Bridesmaids fame is the leading man. The movie's four leading ladies all have varying degrees of fame in Australia: Jessica Mauboy is a musical star after a turn on Australian Idol, and Deborah Mailman was the first Aboriginal actress to win the country's prestigious Australian Film Institute award for best actress. Relative newcomers Miranda Tapsell and Shari Sebbens round out the cast.
What's it about? It's a story about a group of Aboriginal women who overcome significant obstacles in Australia to pursue their dreams of singing in 1968. When the ladies run into Dave (O'Dowd) at a local singing contest, he agrees to be their manager and help them get a gig touring Vietnam to entertain US troops. There are subplots about racism and Australia's "lost generation" (until the 1970s, the government stole light-skinned Aboriginal children to be raised by whites elsewhere). Mainly, though, there is a lot of singing, dancing, and '60s-era costumes.

To read what I thought, just read more

Rewind: Fall TV Fever

Maggie Pehanick — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

We couldn't be more excited for Fall after the networks showed off all their new shows this week.
All the big networks - ABC , CBS, Fox, NBC, and The CW - also unveiled their new schedules.
Still confused about the fate of your favorite show? We've rounded up renewal and cancellation news about every show right here.
Before we start thinking about Fall, there are still finales happening, and we've got all the finale photos across every network in one convenient gallery.
Desperate Housewives ended its series on Sunday, while How I Met Your Mother sparked a debate about Barney's bride, everyone ended on a low note in Gossip Girl, and Grey's Anatomy shocked viewers in their respective season finales.
It's hard to say goodbye to Damon and the gang, so we rounded up The Vampire Diaries best moments from season three.
We got the inside scoop on the cast's hopes for season two of Once Upon a Time in interviews with Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, and Lana Parrilla.
We're so excited for the cul-de-sac crew after checking out the pics of a magical Cougar Town wedding.
On the silver screen, the new Magic Mike trailer came out, now with more stripping than ever! If that's not enough for you, then check out the scantily clad cast on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
The trailer for The Words had us confused by Bradley Cooper, but not as confused as when we saw him sporting dreads in the trailer for Hit and Run.
Check out the first pictures of Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs.

An Everyday Athlete Is Still an Athlete

espnW — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:59:39 PDT

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

By Risa Isard

On June 23, 1972, Title IX was signed into law, leveling the playing field for female athletes. To mark the 40th anniversary, espnW explore the impact of this landmark legislation.

You might not know me, but chances are you know someone like me. I'm that girl who grew up playing hoops in the driveway with my dad and brother every night after dinner. The one who played rec soccer for 10 years, starting out on a boys team. The one who persuaded her middle-school gym teacher to let her run the monthly timed mile against boys, then wrote her target time on her arm - in permanent marker. The one who took field day just a little too seriously.

The one who is thankful every day for Title IX.

Counting down the best of the past 40 years

Growing up, I wasn't an elite athlete, but I had passion to spare. I ran, jumped, threw, and kicked on a daily basis and eventually I found my calling in high school track and cross country. I was good (I earned seven varsity letters), but not good enough for the next level.

So when I arrived at Duke nearly four years ago, I found myself wondering something that had never crossed my mind before: was I still an athlete?

Answering that question was no easy task. As I read about various elite athletes, I recognized our shared pasts. Like gymnast Jordyn Wieber, I used to pull old cushions into the middle of the family room and do cartwheels, somersaults, and front handsprings. Like many WNBA stars, I was the only girl in neighborhood basketball games. I lacked their natural ability, but I came to realize that we are connected through dreams and experiences. We all began by thinking of ourselves as athletes and scheduling our lives around sports at a young age. That doesn't just go away.

Read on for more.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episodes "Props" and "Nationals"

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:18 PDT

It's a Glee double whammy this week as the New Directions prep for, and then head to Nationals! As we've seen at the end of each season, emotions are running high, as the kids get ready to take on Vocal Adrenaline. The stakes are even higher this year since a lot of the seniors are graduating, and there's one gleek in particular who's feeling a little left out.

Season three has not been my favorite, but both of this week's episodes won me over in a big way. The first hour is both funny and poignant, while the second is very sweet and sentimental, as we get ready to say goodbye to some of the core cast members. The night definitely brings back memories from the first season when the show took the world by storm, and reminded me why I fell in love with it in the first place. Let's break down the highlights when you

I'm glad Tina finally gets a little time to shine, though it's a bit awkward that the opening voice-over is all about how the show has essentially ignored her for the first three seasons. Still, it's a nice break, and the sweet moments between Rachel and Tina feel authentic and are fun to watch, particularly when Tina offers to take Rachel on a road trip to see Carmen Thibedeau. And though it's not my favorite number of the night, I love that Rachel gives Tina her wish to duet on "What a Feeling."
Just because it needs to be mentioned: Kurt and Blaine's Halloween costumes as Snooki and the Situation. Amazing.
OK, the switcheroo moment was everything I hoped it would be and more. Though the sneak peek pictures gave away who would become who during Tina's dream, it's still amazing to see the kids all mixed up: particularly Artie as Santana. Genius. My head continued exploding throughout the entire sequence, especially seeing the reaction shots to Tina's rendition of "Because You Loved Me" (Mr. Schue's impression of Sue is spot-on). Speaking of which, Tina totally kills the song: are we getting a preview of what Glee might be like next season?
Coach Beiste has had to do some emotional heavy lifting lately, but this is one of the few times we see Puck truly vulnerable. His feelings of inadequacy about his future come to a head when one of the bullies at school challenges him to a fight in the schoolyard. After Beiste breaks it up, Puck breaks down in tears about feeling like garbage, and he and Beiste comfort each other in a truly touching moment. What's even better is that Beiste proceeds to dump Cooter, and she and Puck sing a sweet duet of Taylor Swift's "Mean." (Honestly I'm surprised it's taken Glee this long to get that song).
I love all the throwbacks to the first season in this episode; there's talk of Tina's first audition, some reminiscing about Puck's days tossing kids in dumpsters, and even an utterance of the Glee-patented insult "lima loser." Those were the days.
How is it possible that the New Directions are, yet again, about to perform at Nationals and they're still trying to slap together the routine just hours beforehand? It's no wonder they're all on edge, but at least they aren't trying to write their own songs this time around.
I can't even talk about how much I loved every one of the New Directions' performances at Nationals; this is by far and away my favorite performance episode. I had chills during "The Edge of Glory," which turned into goose bumps for "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." But the real kicker is "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" - the number is mesmerizing, and I felt proud of how far they've come. I can't remember the last time I was so caught up the performances of this show. They absolutely nailed it.
As for Vocal Adrenaline, well, they certainly bring the theatrics. I'm a fan of Unique's, but something about their numbers lacked energy. But maybe that's because the dudes were so tired from picking up the girls repeatedly and pushing those heavy-looking pinball machines around?
Giving Unique the suddenly existent MVP award is a nice consolation when the New Directions win the grand prize. I do kind of wish they'd give up the celebrity judges' shtick though. No offense to Lindsay Lohan, but getting a peek inside the self-involved judges' room used to be funny but now it just feels stale.
The scene where we get to watch the New Directions celebrating their victory feels like three years coming, and it actually could have been a very fitting end to the series as a whole. The kids are about to graduate and move away, and now they've finally got the biggest trophy in all the land. Hell, they even let Will and Emma finally do it (though did that really need to be shoehorned in with the confetti?). The icing on the cake, of course, is Mr. Schuester's Teacher of the Year award and the performance of "We Are the Champions." A perfect end to a great episode.

With only one more episode to go, it all culminates with next week's graduation episode. Were you touched by this episode like I was? What'd you think of the New Directions' showing at Nationals?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Healthy Dose Link Time: Load Up on Omega-3s With This Easy Salmon Recipe

Michele Foley — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:07:37 PDT

Your easy weeknight dinner: balsamic-glazed salmon - Eating Bird Food
A protein bar battle royale: Nature Valley vs. Clif Mojo - Fit Bottomed Girls
Time to celebrate -a cookie you can have for breakfast! - The Fitnessista
7 reasons to start every day with hot water and lemon - Mind Body Green
Learn how experts cope with the big and little stresses of life - Daily Spark
The healthy trends that are actually worth buying into - FabFitFun
Disabled one day, running the next; how yoga changed one man's life - Prevention

Soludos For Opening Ceremony's Latest Collaboration Has Us Counting Down the Days 'Til Summer

Marisa Tom — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:05 PDT

With the latest (read: third) installment of Soludos for Opening Ceremony newly minted and shoppable, we've officially got surf, sun, and sand on our minds. This time around, the espadrille brand and cool-girl clothier have teamed up to create seven new exclusive styles, and lucky for us, the collaboration just so happens to put an edgy spin on the classic Summer sole by injecting out-of-the-box hues and textures into the mix. Think brilliant neon lemon stripe linens, neutral-toned raffia, and one supercool perforated leather pair. And while the $45 price point is sweet, we love that these shoes are warm weather versatile. From hitting the beach to running around the city, to lazy Sunday brunches, Soludos for Opening Ceremony gives us an easy solution to our laid-back Summer dressing quandaries. Click through to see the complete collection - and let us know which pair you'll be snagging in the comments.

Rewind: Season Finales Are in Full Swing

Maggie Pehanick — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

The end of another TV season is upon us, but before your favorite shows end, check out all the pictures from this year's season finales.

We have mixed feelings about these Freaky Friday-esque Glee pictures, and we don't mean because Lindsay Lohan is in them.

The season is over now, but you can still check out why our love for New Girl runs deep.

If you're wondering what will cure your hiatus blues, take a peek at some awesome shows that will get you through the Summer.

Speaking of the Summer schedule, we got new pictures of season five of True Blood, rejoice!

It's not even June yet, but we're already psyched about these late Summer movie releases.

We're wondering your take on who should play Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey. We also got Ian Somerhalder's response to starring in the film.

There are a ton of action movies on the horizon, all coincidentally starring sexy gentlemen. This week we got trailers for Matthew McConaughey's Killer Joe, Ben Affleck's Argo, and Ryan Gosling's Gangster Squad.

Likewise, some great comedies are headed our way too. This week we got to see the trailers for Ben Stiller's alien flick Neighborhood Watch and Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in The Campaign.