FitSugar

"Adult Milk" – Good For Stress, Bad For Finances

FitSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

The Japanese dairy company, Nakazawa Foods, recently announced the launch of super-premium milk for stressed-out adults - at the price of $43 for a one-quart bottle.

This line of milk products will appropriately be named "Adult Milk," and will contain three to four times the melatonin of regular milk. How so you ask? Well, the milk is taken from cows once a week at the break of dawn since they discharge (gross) a lot of a stress-relieving hormone called melatonin during the night.

Me, I am more of a bath girl when I am stressed out and I've always considered adult milk to be a White Russian, but to each his own.

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New Fitness Trend: Hula Dancing

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Reports of a new fitness trend sweeping Japan has its roots in Hawaiian culture. Nope, I'm not talking about surfing. I'm talking about hula dancing.

About 50 women mostly in their 30s to 60s go to Tipness' fitness club in Japan each Friday for a 75-minute hula lesson, which includes basic movements and a drill on dancing postures, all set to Hawaiian music. The class focuses on achieving symmetry in the body by using both your lower and upper body to do the dancing.

In fact, the last time I was in Hawaii, I did take note of how amazing all the hula dancers bodies were. If hula lessons were offered at my gym, I might be interested, especially if I get to wear a cute grass skirt and coconut bra. What about you? Would you be on board for some hula lessons for fitness?

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More Fun With Fast Food: Double Roll Pizza Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:30:00 -0700

After seeing the Double Roll Pizza from Pizza Hut, I have been dying to know how many calories and milligrams of sodium are in that thing.

This pizza is currently available at Pizza Huts all over Japan. I really hope this is not what other countries think American food is. Being that I don't read Japanese and also that I don't think Japan requires nutritional content to be posted, I decided to make an educated guess based on the image (with some translating help from user thisisalladream). Want to know the number I came up with? It's shocking, so read more

	Calories	Sodium (mg)
12" Cheese Pizza from Pizza Hut	2,160	4,560
Pigs n Blanket (12)	1,128	2,088
Cheese Pizza Rolls (12)	380	960
Bacon (2 Slices)	86	370
Italian Sausage (1 Link)	230	809
Hamburger Patties (4 small)	480	130
Ham (3 oz)	151	1,275
Tomatoes (4 Slices)	18	8
Mushroom (1)	2	1
Onion (1 tablespoon)	4	0
Peppers (10 Strips)	5	1
Peas and Carrots (1 oz)	20	50
Room for Error	500	500
TOTAL	5,164	10,752

This means that one slice is about 646 calories and 1,344 mg of sodium. Yowzers! Now I am not saying this to be the actual number (because I actually think it seems low), but I just calculated to the best of my abilities. Besides, I couldn't even try and figure out how many more calories are in the optional maple syrup and ketchup dipping sauces.

I'm gonna go blow chunks now...

Coin Operated Fitness Stations: All the Rage in Japan

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:00:00 -0700

When you are out and about and have time to kill do you ever wish that you could just jump on an elliptical or do some yoga? I do - I like to make the most of my unplanned down time. Well my wish may soon be granted.

Convenience stores filled with coin operated workout stations are popping up all over Japan. For the equivalent of $4.10, you can "workout" for 10 minutes. Not too vigorously though since nobody wants to get too sweaty when spontaneously exercising between meetings and errands.

The workout consists of maintaining your balance on foot pads that move in multiple directions, up to 1,560 times per minute. This shaking all about supposedly has an aerobic effect.

If you are traveling to Tokyo anytime soon, keep your eyes peeled for conbini (the Japanese word for convenience store) fitness centers.

I wonder if we will be seeing something like this stateside anytime soon. I have to admit I like the idea. What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below.

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5 Things About Crying

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:30:00 -0700

Crying is an emotional release and if you feel the need to cry you should let it out. Here are a few facts about the act of crying. I thought they were interesting, so of course I wanted to share.

Emotional tears have a different chemical composition than tears caused by irritants, such as onions.
Crying in public was considered normal until the Industrial Revolution, when diligent unemotional workers were needed to operate machinery.
Men’s tear ducts are smaller than women’s tear ducts.
One major stress hormone released from the body via tears, prolactin, is found in much higher concentration in women's bodies than in men's. (This makes sense when you consider that the hormone is also implicated in the synthesis of breast milk).
In Japan, crying for emotional release is all the rage, or so reports the Independent. The Japanese call it the "crying boom" - everyone wants a bit of sadness in their lives. Instead of going to a karaoke bar after work to wind down, businesspeople watch weepy films (called "tear films") at these crying clubs. There is also a huge demand for sad TV dramas and books, each graded by its ability to induce tears.

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Diet Help from Your Cell Phone

FitSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Obesity is on the rise internationally and public health officials in the Japan's Osaka prefecture are tackling the problem with cell phones. And no, they did not create a "diet support hot line."

Utilizing the almost commonplace feature of cameras in cellphones, calorie-conscious participants in this and other trial programs can send photos (and e-mails) of their meals to nutritionists for analysis and recommendations. While the service was originally launched to assist cardiac patients to make healthy food choices, it has been expanded recently to help diabetics and obesity patients.

Unfortunately the feedback from the nutritionists is not instantaneous, the information can take up to 3 days to process. However, participants also can log onto a web site for further dietary information. The the program costs about $40 to join and a little over $20 a month.

It looks like we can start to cast paper food logs aside, the information age has taken over nutritional tracking. I know geeksugar is excited by this blending of lifestyle, health and technology. I, too, support any easy way to make dieting/lifestyle change easier. For dieters in the U.S. and Canada, you can check out MyFoodPhone a free food photo community!!!

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Stem Cells for Bigger Boobs?

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:15:00 -0800

Get ready for this - scientists in Japan claim to be able to increase the size of women's breasts using fat and stem cells.

They basically take fat from your stomach or thigh, enrich it with stems cells, and then inject it into your breast. These stem cells act as "master" cells, which are capable of making new fat cells. Interesting.

They're hoping that this method will result in a softer, more natural-looking alternative to the artificial implants used today that are filled with salt water or silicone.

Mr. Yoshimura, a surgeon at the Tokyo University Medical School, injected over 40 patients, and he believed the stem cell and fat combination, which can increase a woman's cup size by two sizes, was a success, with no serious complications.

This month, German authorities approved the process, which means that the procedure is now legal throughout Europe, including Britain. The FDA is much slower than its European counterparts.

Of course, there are critics who think this procedure is a bad idea, and should be approached with extreme caution. It's possible that the fat injected into the breast might just look lumpy, and that the stem cells won't be able to grow to a regular implants size. Obviously more research needs to be done.

It's too bad that women should even feel like they need bigger boobs in the first place - but for women who are unhappy with their small breast size, it sounds like new options are on the horizon.

5 Reasons the Japanese May Be Slim

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:45:00 -0700

There could be any number of reasons why Japanese people are generally thought of as much slimmer than their western counterparts -- Maybe it's genetics or maybe it's something they're doing differently. Since we can't change our genetics, but we can change out habits, here are five dieting tips from Japan:

Driving isn't too Popular in Japan
People Eat Lots of Fish in Japan
Tofu is a Favorite in Japan
Slower Eating is Practiced in Japan
Canned and Frozen Vegetables are Avoided in Japan

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Food Review: Yakult Probiotic Drink

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:32:49 -0700

I first said "yeah" to Yakult because I love saying the word "Yakult." I also love probiotics to promote healthy digestion. Plus, this probiotic drink comes in cute little bottles about the size of a shot glass, so it seemed like a fun way to drink healthy.

Yakult isn't a yogurt; it's a "fermented dairy drink" first produced in Japan and contains live, probiotic cultures to help boost your immune system and the good bacteria in your tummy. Sold in packs of five, the 2.7-fluid-ounce bottles can be downed as drinks, but I also enjoyed it poured over cereal in place of milk. So how does it taste?

Another Reason to Dress Your Salad With Vinaigrette

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Ranch, blue cheese, and thousand island might make your taste buds happy, but they're pretty disappointing when it comes to nutrition. If you've been trying to fool yourself into thinking that a concoction of vegetables and saturated-fat-laden creamy dressing is healthy, it won't take long for your waistline to notice.

Enter your salad and weight-
friendly dressing, the vinaigrette. A medley of olive oil and vinegar, seasoned as you please and moderately portioned, is the best way to complement your greens. It's tasty, and what's more, new research from Japan suggests that ordinary household vinegar turns on genes that help fight fat.

Scientists put mice on a high-fat diet, and only some were given regular doses of acetic acid, the main chemical in vinegar. The mice who received the vinegar compound developed up to 10 percent less body fat than the mice who didn't receive it. Scientists believe that the acetic acid helps the body break down fats, which prevents fat buildup and weight gain.