FitSugar

Running: Treat Your Feet Right With Quality Sneakers

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:15:00 PDT

One of the reasons I love running is that it really requires no special gear. You just need a body and a desire to run. Then again, you might not need a racquet or clubs to go for a good jog, but I would suggest quality running shoes.

If you are taking up running, good quality running shoes can seriously make this habit stick. Old shoes, tennis shoes, cheap shoes often don't provide enough cushion to protect your feet, ankles, and knees which can lead to injuries and prevent you from learning to love running. Since shoes are really the only important gear needed for running, I wouldn't skimp on them. You don't need to pay out the nose for some newfangled shoe, but generally what you pay for is what you get. Expect to pay around $100. Which may sound like a lot, but can you really put a price on your knees? Plus, maybe the guilt of an expensive gear purchase will motivate you to run.

Look for a well cushioned shoe that fits your foot, matches your foot type and gait pattern. The best place to start this endeavor is a running store since they tend to employ people obsessed with running. Therefore they should be able to help you figure out your gait and point you toward the shoe for you. The American Council on Exercise recommends shoes with greater shock absorption for runners with high arches, which may make you more prone to ankle sprains. On the other hand (or foot I could say), if you have low arches look for a shoe with greater support and heel control. Here is a list of running shoes rated by the The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. It should help you figure out what brands could be good for your needs.

Fit's Tip: Buy a shoe that’s as wide as possible across the forefoot without slipping in the heel.

Source

Healthy Dose Link Time: Why Being Single Can Sometimes Be Better

Michele Foley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:27:35 PST

Why being single is sometimes better (for your waistline) - Self
Find out what happens to unused muscles - Fit Bottomed Girls
The foods the health experts always keep in their kitchens - Real Simple
Salad shouldn't be boring: rosemary-balsamic roasted grapes and olives - Vegetarian Times
Make it really count! Sex positions that double as exercise - Fitness
How one couple lost 285 pounds together - Daily Spark
Rebecca Romijn says losing baby weight was "hardest thing I've ever done . . . " - Fit Celeb
Seven simple ways to get healthy right now! - InStyle

Find the Perfect Pair of Running Shoes For Your Feet

Zelana Montminy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:46:11 PST

If you're looking to add running to your fitness routine, buying some new sneakers could be the motivation you need to get out the door. Since the shelves of colorful shoes lining the walls of your local sportswear store can be overwhelming, we talked to a running-shoe specialist to get the lowdown on finding your sole mate.

Minka Kelly Shares Her Heart-Healthy Fitness and Diet Tips

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:02:38 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Esquire magazine once named actress Minka Kelly the “sexiest woman alive," so walking in the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Fashion Show to raise awareness for women’s heart health should be a breeze, right? Not quite. “I’ve been nervous all week!” Kelly said when we got the chance to chat with her on her new ambassador title with Diet Coke. We caught up with the brunette bombshell hours before showtime to get the scoop on how she lives a heart-healthy lifestyle, the exercises she swears by, and more.

Tell us about your partnership with Diet Coke and Heart’s Truth Red Dress Fashion Show. What made you decide to get involved?

Before I started working with Diet Coke as an ambassador, I wasn’t even aware that heart disease is the number-one killer for women. I figured this would be a chance for me to use my voice and let other women know how important it is to eat right and exercise to keep your heart in good health.

How do you manage to stay in shape, especially with such a busy schedule?

I try to do yoga every morning at 7 a.m.; it’s good to get your workout out of the way early. I also work out with my trainer Gunnar Peterson two days a week on top of that. I owe him a lot of credit for the shape I’m in because I love to eat! I have to work out extra hard to balance my love for food out.

Keep reading to learn how Minka Kelly is trying defying gravity.

Jeans That Have a Fit For Every Shape

Sponsor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:00:00 PST

Jessie Adore, the creative genius behind Adore Daily, is not afraid to be bold. This once-shy girl found her confidence through fashion blogging. She loves the thrill of the hunt, whether it's digging up vintage treasures or finding a pair of jeans that fit just right. For Jessie, it's all about embracing her curves.

With this in mind, Jessie snagged three Levi's® Curve ID jeans, which fit perfectly thanks to the ingenious fit system. With four custom fits, the Levi's® Curve ID system has a range of Curves, so whether you've got bold curves like Jessie or a different set of curves, Levi's® has you covered.

Check out the video below to see how Jessie styles her Levi's® haul, and then head to Levi.com to take a quick quiz to find your perfect fit.

Sweaty and So in Love: Celebrity Couples Who Work Out Together

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:13:14 PST

The couple that plays together, stays together, and the same seems to be true for these celebrity duos who work out together. Keeping fit is a high priority in Hollywood, and these celebrities definitely know how to go from significant other to workout buddy. Take a look at these couples that love to sweat as a pair, whether it's at the gym, on the hills, or on the road!

Sources: INFDaily.com and Bauer-Griffin Online

How to Keep Your Run Pain-Free

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:54:30 PST

Sometimes, you start your run with the best intentions, only to be thwarted by recurring cramps and a headache that zaps all your energy. If you've experienced these nagging annoyances when you run, here are some tips for preventing pain and coping with it when it happens during your workout.

Headache: Often, a pounding headache that comes on during a run is due to inadequate water intake. Your body loses a lot of fluids while you're sweating it out on the treadmill, so before you even begin, make sure that you've had enough water throughout the day. During your run, sip water slowly, about five to 12 ounces every 20 minutes (or sip a sports drink with electrolytes if you are running for more than an hour), but don't drink so much that you feel all of it sloshing around in your stomach - that can lead to cramps or nausea.

More tips for pain-free running after the break.

Do You Track What You Eat in a Food Journal?

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:53:01 PST

No matter how much you exercise, if you're looking to lose weight, changing your diet should also be a priority. And watching what you eat has become so much easier with the availability of iPhone apps, websites, and fitness monitors that can track exactly how many calories you're consuming every day.

Most food trackers have vast databases that make inputting every single thing you eat relatively simple: just search for the specific brand or type of food and add how much you've had (there are several good sites to choose from; FitSugar editor Michele recommends My Fitness Pal). But while being aware of what exactly you're eating is an important aspect in any weight loss plan, food trackers may not be for everyone. It can be hard for some to remember to log every single thing they eat, or it can even turn all-consuming if tracking your food leads you to obsess over every calorie.

What's your take on food journals - do you track your food?

Kristen Stewart Talks Badass Fairy Tales, Bella Swan, and Her New Leading Man on Snow White Set Visit

Molly Goodson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:01:00 PST

Last October, we were so excited to pay a visit to the set of Snow White and the Huntsman outside London. We got a sneak peek into the amazing world Kristen Stewart and her costars, including Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Charlize Theron, and more, inhabited while shooting the action-packed fairy-tale movie. We have tons to come from our day poking around the remarkable set and learning about everything from the costumes to the fight scenes. While we were there, we even got to see the aftermath of Kristen accidentally actually punching Chris Hemsworth in the face filming a scene. Check out our chat with Kristen and stay tuned for lots from the set:

Is there something you admire about Snow White?

Yes. It’s strange playing a character that you actually could never truly embody. Her spirit affects people. . . I can’t have Snow White’s effect on people. I can’t actually be completely selfless because nobody is. You can only really play a character like that in a fairy tale and play it with an awful load of integrity. She’s very fully formed, but very farfetched-from-the-reality-that-we-live-in type of person. She also is strong in a very different way than you’d expect. Strength, yeah, but also gusto. I mean, she’s strong. She can kick ass. It hurts very much to do so and so it’s not like you’re watching her go take down a kingdom. You’re not watching going, "Yeah! Kill him!" Really it’s more like you’re watching someone having to do something that doesn’t just go against your sensibilities or that you agree with. It’s gutting. It’s physically gutting, literally. A million reasons, but she’s special.

Do you like that she’s not like your prissy fairy tale?

Yeah, because that’s just a very surface, though she is prissy sometimes. That’s the other thing. It takes her the whole movie basically to become who I’m talking about now. I’m really sort of talking in retrospect. It’s strange. It’s a total identity movie. It’s all about not finding yourself, but actually just being OK with who you always have been and not being ashamed of being the only one who sees the light. It’s an enormous burden and she’s so stunted. She was put away when she was 7 years old and your mother and your father were killed basically right in front of you. We’re not doing the version of a fairy tale that wouldn’t deal with all of those things, where you just sort of skim over all those things, and it's like all of these things are actually really important to the characters. She literally bleeds for her land and her people, and that’s just such a cool concept for me because it’s other people caring about people. It’s very simple, but it’s so common. Every day all the time you see people not caring about each other, and this is just about that.

She learns to be a leader or she’s born a leader inside, do you think?

She’s definitely a born leader. I mean, it’s literally pumping through those veins, but it’s been taken from her. She’s been so stolen from.

To read the rest of the interview, including her thoughts on Bella vs. Snow White and what it was like to punch Chris just

read more. Is it helping you get into the character's mindset to wear those cool costumes? Absolutely. If you look down and something doesn’t feel like you would definitely be wearing it, or if you go to grab your knife and it flops around or - basically [Colleen Atwood] thinks about every detail. It’s so wearable. I also have puffy sleeves. Somehow she manages to make puffy sleeves look butch. I was always expecting to personally wind up in a - basically what I’m wearing underneath it, like that little blue dress, which is just thin and wispy. I was really happy that she’s got something heavy on - a bit of armor before she actually finds her own armor. How did you feel the first time you put on the armor? Did you feel more badass? Yeah. That’s the first thing you want to [pound your chest]. Also, my armor doesn’t have a huge top on it. All the guys, unfortunately, they [raise their arms] and they hit themselves in the head. I can run around in mine. Somehow the armor on the men - unless they’re on horseback and they look amazing, but there’s also something kind of dainty about it, too, like pointy toes. It fits a woman’s body better, I feel. I don’t know, the guys running around suddenly look like little toys - slightly feminine little toys. Both Snow White and Bella had traumatizing experiences in the woods - being led out to die or have her heart broken - compare those two experiences? Well, it’s funny. I think [Snow White] genuinely lacks that innate fear of death that we all have. She’s got a serious, fierce survival - not skills, but insights. But she isn’t afraid of anything. What’s harder is to have dreams and hopes that you lived your whole life sort of be just shattered in front of you. So I think probably it’s totally impossible to compare the two. And I know that doesn’t make sense, but I kind of can’t compare. Can you compare the movies in general? Are there similarities at all? Bella and Snow White both come to find that they’re leaders. I mean, that’s definitely a similarity. They’re different. They’re very, very, very, different people. Also, I guess in a very sort of righteous way as well it’s all very like - everyone’s telling them “no” and both of them I guess see the light. Both of them are sort of a little more intuitive and spiritually, for whatever reason, connected and their gut is always sort of dead right. What about working with Chris surprised you? Did you have any preconceptions of him? Before I met him, I was like, "gosh, so charming." You know what I mean? Like he’s so ridiculously, seemingly nice. Movie-star caliber nice. But he really actually just is. But then again, it’s strange working - cause I mean it’s not a secret. It was completely different part before. It was totally like a rethought. So when he came in it was like "Wow! This is f*cking interesting!" I mean, it was like they really elevated it. Chris is an amazing, nice guy and also [has] great instincts and he can roll with everything on set. He’s really relaxed, whereas I’m always like, "oh my god!" I use my anxiety to do this and he’s always sort of like - he’s a good energy for me. I really like working with him. You actually punched Chris filming a scene and gave him a black eye? It’s actually a very confidence building experience. I don’t like punching anyone. So, you know, when you dream and your hand just slides right down their face, it doesn’t do that in real life. It really works. God, that really made me feel horrible, though. I mean, like instantly hot tears and I was like "oops!" We were watching it. It looks - it’ll be in the movie. Favorite fairy tale as a kid? I honestly don’t - somebody asked this the other day. I wasn’t here til the end of fairy tales. I really liked The Jungle Book. I was obsessed with The Jungle Book. Chris said Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He is obsessed with Lord of the Rings and he was always like humming Enya as we were trudging up the mountain. I was saying basically, "You should make a remake of Lord of the Rings. Why are you doing this? . . . We’re doing Snow White and the Huntsman, Chris!" Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Bring Sexy Back With This Quick Exercise

Zelana Montminy — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:56:49 PST

We tend to obsess about toning our abs, but strengthening the back is important for keeping the torso in balance. One of our fave core exercises, the superman works the back extensors, which run on either side of the spine, as well as the glutes. Press play and learn how to take care of your spine while strengthening your back.