FitSugar

Attention: Stand Up Straight

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT

When teaching Pilates, I have been accused of sounding like a drill sergeant. That's what happens when you harp on people's posture day in and day out. Good posture is important for both looking and feeling your best. A frequently repeated "fact" is that standing up straight can make you look ten pounds lighter. Slumping adds not only odd stresses to the spine but can make a body appear heavier, not to mention shorter.

More than just looking long and lean, having good posture is important for the health of your bones and joints. Proper alignment decreases undue wear and tear on the soft tissues, ligaments and cartilage that surround and protect your joints, especially your spine. Plus, if you are slouching you are smooshing (yep, that is the technical term) all your internal organs. It is bad for digestion; your stomach and intestines need plenty of space.

Finding perfect posture is easy. First you want to think of balancing the bones on top of one another like a column starting with your feet on the floor, ending with your skull. I have a posture checklist for you, so

Here's a posture checklist:

1. Stand with your feet under your sits bones (yep those bones that you sit on that are the base of you pelvis). Your feet will only be about one or your own foot widths apart - not very wide. The weight on your feet should be balanced equally between the balls of your feet and your heels, as well as the inside and outside of your feet.
2. Align your pelvis over your feet. Your pelvis should be level. Think of the pelvis like a wide soup bowl and you don't want the soup to spill over the front or the back of the bowl.
3. Keep your ribcage directly over your pelvis. It is a common posture for the ribs to hang back behind the pelvis.
4. Next place your shoulders right over your ribs.
5. The skull should be right over your feet. Your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders - don't thrust your head forward.

For the supreme alignment check-in, stand with your back against the wall (take off your shoes first and try to find a spot with no baseboard) and see how it feels to have your heels, booty, upper back and the back of your head all on the wall. It might feel extreme, but use that as a guide.

Fit's Tip: It really helps to just keep lengthening your spine up and out of your pelvis. One image that helps a lot of slouchers stand tall is to imagine that there is a golden string attached to the top of your head lifting and lengthening your spine.

Forget the Flowers - Add Terrariums to Your Wedding Instead!

Guest Writer — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:00:41 PDT

Most brides are looking for beautiful ways to enhance their wedding's decor and to help it stand out from the crowd, and that's why terrariums are a great option for creating a beautiful, unusual impression on your big day. We talked to Katy Maslow and Michelle Inciarrano, owners of the Brooklyn-based company Twig Terrariums and authors of the new book Tiny World Terrariums about how - and why - terrariums are a great decorating choice.

Keep reading to see what Katy and Michelle have to say about making terrariums work as centerpieces or wedding favors at your celebration, as well as DIY tips for creating them yourself! Take it away, Katy and Michelle!

All book photos courtesy of Robert Wright

Shawn Johnson Talks Weight Loss and Learning to Love Her Body

espnW — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:05:26 PDT

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

By Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson is blogging for espnW throughout her training for the Olympics in London this summer. Follow hers other Olympic hopefuls' journeys on espnW.com.

Four years ago, I was standing on an Olympic podium, wearing a gold medal, and still thinking to myself how I could have been better. It had nothing to do with my performance - it was all how I looked. Back then, I always felt like I could have been a few pounds lighter. But the irony is, when I look back at the pictures, I look unhealthy and too thin. It's easy to get into a trap as an elite athlete, because you're made to feel that you're never perfect, that you can always be better. That's how you improve in your sport, but it's also tough because you aren't satisfied with yourself ever - it's second nature not to be. I'd always think, "Just get a little stronger, a little lighter," until it was completely ingrained in my mind.

Shawn Johnson takes us inside training camp

It's easy for people to blame gymnastics for this mentality, but I feel like the sport has improved a lot. The horror stories we heard from generations ago (think Joan Ryan's infamous book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes), you don't hear at all anymore. But I do believe it can improve further and that good nutrition could be a key to all of this, if it were only taught at a young age. Many gymnasts go into the elite level at 13 or so, and a 13-year-old isn't going to go to the library to read some book on nutrition! She needs to be given the right information on how to eat well. Otherwise, it's not until she's out of the sport that she realizes the damage she's done to her body by not eating enough over the past 20 years.

Shawn Johnson in the driver's seat

I see all the success we have as a country where the gymnasts aren't 100 percent healthy, and I imagine how amazing we could be if we were doing it in the healthiest way possible. I don't think it's a failure on anybody's part; the education just isn't there right now, and it's just not thought about in our sport. My parents have told me since I was little, "You're given your body for a reason. It's OK to be different. Being unique is a good thing." But I always struggled to believe it. I'm stocky, muscular and short, and I wanted to be thin and flexible so bad! My mom would say, "You're not made that way, and you're not going to become that, so you have to learn to accept and love the body you're in." Well, some people are born with that appreciation, and some people have to work really hard to get there. Put me in that second camp.

Read on for more on what Shawn Johnson has to say about body confidence and how she feels in her gymnastics leotard.

Do You Know Your Labor and Delivery Equipment?

LilSugar — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:51:15 PDT

When a woman gives birth in the movies, the doctor stands at her pelvis ready to guide the baby into his arms and there is nary an electronic or piece of equipment in sight. In real life, the labor and delivery room is filled with monitors and machines ready to go at a moment's notice.

Take our quiz and see just how familiar you are with these tools of the delivery trade.

Take the Quiz

What We're Sweet On: Radiance and Clarity, All in 10 Minutes

Jaime Richards — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:09:00 PDT

If you're one who doesn't like to fuss with a lot of products, then you'll love Murad's Intensive - C Radiance Peel ($50), from the brand's new Environmental Shield line. Use it just once or twice a week (at 10 minutes each application), and skin is left with just about every adjective you want it to be: bright, smooth, luminous, and supple.

The reasons? Glycolic acid helps to exfoliate, while vitamin C and Indian fig free help protect the complexion from free radicals. And thanks to the addition of collagen-boosting myrtle extract, skin gets a surge of rejuvenation. The peel smells amazing, too, like an orange and grapefruit stand on a warm, sunny day. Don't be frightened by the tingling sensation that occurs almost immediately after application, though. It's just the ingredients doing what they're supposed to be doing. How's that for a little clarity?

DIY: Learn How to Make This Quirky Clothespin Chandelier

Stylelist Home — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:00:20 PDT

We're happy to present a post from one of our favorite sites, Stylelist Home.

Ordinary clothespins become the basis for a stand-out chandelier with this Craft Of The Day. This light fixture, made entirely of clothespins, is a quirky, fun way to add oomph and texture to any room. We think it's a great accent to a living room or bedroom, but it would obviously be fitting in a laundry room too! Keep reading for the how to.

What You'll Need:

Light Kit (like this cord set from Ikea)
Ceiling Canopy (of your choice)
Wire Fencing (Simliar products available at Lowes)
White Gloss Spray Paint
22-gauge craft store wire
Gloves
Metal Snips (such as these metal snips from Grainger.com)
Eight bags of medium sized clothes pins
Three heavy-duty ceiling hooks

Keep reading to learn how to make this clothespin chandelier.

American Idol: Who Deserves to Win Season 11?

Maggie Pehanick — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:37:12 PDT

It's been a long trek, American Idol watchers. Months after the initial search began, we've finally made it to finals week. If I feel this exhausted, then I can't imagine how finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips feel, especially after the three performances they each had to rock before the last round of voting. As Jennifer Lopez noted tonight, our final two could not be more different. Jessica is a pint-sized ballad singer with a mean vocal range, but Phillip has an insane ability to take songs and turn them into his own wonderful Phillip Phillips brand.

Jessica started out the night with Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," winning the judges' endorsement for the first round against Phillip's classic "Stand by Me." They were a little more split after the second round, when Jessica covered Celine Dion's "The Prayer" and Phillip did a little Billy Joel with "Movin' Out." Come the last round, Phillip scored the only standing ovation of the night after his rendition of "Home," and he deserved it. The marching band and soft vocals showed off Phillip's true artistry, and Jessica's unremarkable "Change Nothing" didn't stand a chance.

What about you? Who continually impressed you this season? And who deserves to be crowned tomorrow night?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Yogini Kristin McGee Dishes on Bethenny Frankel's Fave Pose and Getting Ready For Beach Season

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:36:21 PDT

I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Manhattan-based yoga teacher Kristin McGee right here in San Francisco! Although one busy lady, Kristin traveled across the country to teach Vinyasa Vibes (a new offering at The Sports Club/LA), a flow-based, powerful yoga sequence enhanced by music. The most musical part of the practice? During Savasana, the class culminated in a live sax solo by Grammy-nominated musician Dave Koz. After class, Kristin and I chatted about her yoga journey, getting ready for bikini season, and what it's like working with one of her famous clients, Bethenny Frankel.

FitSugar: Some of the moves in Vinyasa Vibes are Ashtanga-influenced. Is that what your yoga teacher training background was in?
Kristin McGee: My original background was really eclectic because I started in the early '90s. I started taking [yoga] at NYU; some of my very early teachers were Jivamukti teachers who did study Ashtanga. Then I did study with Richard Freedman for a while, who is pure Ashtanga, and Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga. I wanted to get deeper into Iyengar classes and get into the alignment and the detail. Now in my practice I want to get more into Pranayama, more of the breathing, and maybe take some more Kundalini classes. I just feel like it constantly evolves.

FS: The Vinyasa Vibes class has live music during final relaxation. Can you elaborate on the experience of live music and yoga combined?
KM: In yoga practice, it’s a very intimate, immediate place. It's almost like live theater or live music where it brings you right into the moment. Music is a universal language, just like our breath is a universal breath. I think the second we're in this surrounding, in this environment with that live music and the intimacy of a live class, it brings it all together in one beautiful experience.

FS: You’ve collaborated with Bethenny Frankel on some projects. What's her favorite pose?
KM: Bethenny’s all-time favorite pose is Straddle Forward Bend because she says it feels like the weight of the world is falling off of her shoulders. Someone like Bethenny Frankel has a million things going on, and I don’t know how she does it! But I think you also noticed it in the practice tonight. Right when we finally got to that Straddle Forward Hang, it was kind of just like, "Ugh! Such a release!" You feel like you could stay there for quite a while.

Keep reading for Kristin's favorite snack before class and how to get your body ready for Summer.

Online Dating: 5 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

YourTango — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:50:50 PDT

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango. Today, David Osterczy gives us an excerpt from his new book 101 Online Dating Tips.

Here is a smattering of tips from my latest book, Dating DeMistyfied, 101 Online Dating Tips.

I've left out much of "the meat and potatoes," but left in enough content for you to get an indication of what you will learn from this book. This book was written from 10 years of Internet dating experience, thousands of interviews with both men and women and research garnered from our last five to six Dating DeMistyfied Workshops.

Put great effort into writing your profile. Show passion and humor.

I mean really, if you can't have fun writing a simple online profile, then what sort of person do you suppose that you'll attract? Way back in 2001, I submitted my first profile to Match.com. I had no experience writing profiles but just figured what the hell . . . let's have fun!

I wrote the text on a Sunday night and didn't check my email until Friday night. During the five days I was "away," I received nearly 150 emails from about 120 women. Yes, some wrote me up to three times during that week! I was shocked, but realized that I was on to something!

The point that I'm attempting to make is to be sure that your personality comes through in the profile. If you're silly or funny, then by all means, portray that! If you're really smart and have a lot to say, then say it! If you're sarcastic - in a good way - then allow that to come through. If you're not into writing, like many are not, then just do the best that you can but make sure to come across as you. After all, you are the only one that you really know how to be!

Just have fun folks! Be honest and definitely ask for what you want when describing what you seek in a mate. Write in the same manner as you speak so that each person reading your profile feels that you're talking directly to him or her. After all, that is what we're all here for!

Make sure to upload only the clearest, best and most recent photos.

You'd think that this would be a no brainer, but the more you surf the personals online, the more you'll be shocked at the sheer idiocy of some people and the pictures they submit to dating sites. Photos are your first line of attack, and if they suck, no-one will even read your wonderful, well thought out profile! I'm not telling you that you need to go out and get professional shots taken, but I have friends who have done very well going exactly that route.

Simply put, if you don't have any decent, clear photos of yourself, then grab your digital (you know that you have one!) and grab some friends and spend the day taking lots of photos alone and in groups. It is critically important that you have a variety of pictures. Have some close-ups (head-shots) so that people can see how beautiful your eyes are, some full length shots so they can get an idea of your body type and some group photos so they know that you actually leave the house and can be social.

For the rest of the article, head to YourTango: Online Dating: 5 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

Written by David Osterczy for YourTango.

Meet Allie: PopSugar Editor and Media Guru

PopSugar — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

Allow us to introduce PopSugar Editor and media savant, Allie! In the second of our series of editor profiles, we get to know Allie's passions and inspirations - from gushing about celebrities and their cultural significance to satisfying her inner bookworm. She also shares tips on how to maintain a well-balanced media diet. Here's a hint: mix it up a little! Watch the video above to learn how Allie seizes the day.

What makes you stand out? Enter our Stand Out & Win contest - you could win $5,000 to fuel your passion and a chance to star in your very own profile on PopSugarTV.

If you haven't already, check out the profile of another PopSugar Editor, Nancy!