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Get Lifted: Bent Over Lateral Raises

FitSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:00 PDT

It is tank top time! Lateral raises are great for toning your shoulders, but if you also want to target your upper back and the posterior deltoid, try this variation. It's really challenging so you may have to start off with a lighter set of dumbbells.

To find out how to do this move

Get Lifted: Lateral Raises

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:30:00 PST

Lateral Raises, also called side-arm raises or shoulder raises, work your (you guessed it) shoulders and more specifically your deltoids. It also strengthens your upper back. For this exercise, you'll need a set of 4 to 8 lb. dumbbells.

Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand so your palms face in towards the sides of your body.
Start with the right side first. With control, keep your arm straight (but don't lock that elbow) and as you inhale, raise your right hand up towards the ceiling. You want your palm to be facing down, and your arm to be parallel to the floor. Then as you exhale, slowly lower your hand back to your body. You should be able to see your hand in your peripheral vision. So your arm isn't directly out to the side, but slightly forward.
Do the same move with your left arm.
Then do both your right and left arms at the same time.
Continue these moves of right, left, together, right, left, together, for a total of 10 to 12 reps. Do two sets.

Source

Get the Bod: Brooke Burke

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 04:00:00 PST

Brooke Burke may be pregnant but she is still super hot. Now we know why... she is doing squats combined with lateral raises on a BOSU!

Looks like Brooke is working what she can while she's preggers: her legs and her shoulders. To do Brooke's killer BOSU work out

read more For this work out you are going to need a BOSU and free weights.

Start by holding 5-8 pound dumb bells.
Stand on (in the center) of a BOSU -- take a moment to gain your balance before going further. Keep the weights at your side.
Slowly, squat down, using the heels of your feet and the weights to balance you.
Bring yourself slowly back up to the starting position.

Now do one regular front raise (still standing in the center of the BOSU), which completes one rep.
Do 3 sets of 10.

Fit's Tip: For the proper ways to do squats and front raises, be sure to click on the words above. Use your judgement on how much is too much - if you are struggling to do 10, then start with 8 and work your way up to 10 in a few weeks. If 10 is too easy, then start with 12. Also, if you're experienced with weight training you may want to use heavier weights and if this is your first time, you may want to go lighter. If you are as preggers as Brooke and haven't been exercising regularly, you should start with lighter weights and stand on the ground (not on a BOSU) and consult your OB first. Source

Adele's Sweep, a Prayer For Whitney Houston, and More 2012 Grammys Highlights

Allie Merriam — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:46:43 PST

The 2012 Grammy Awards were all about Adele's major wins and the sad passing of Whitney Houston. After a kickoff from Bruce Springsteen, host LL Cool J led a prayer for Whitney and gave a look back at some of her stellar Grammys performances. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt honored another late musical star, Etta James, with a song. Bonnie and Alicia also presented best pop solo performance to Adele for "Someone Like You." Adele, who suffered from vocal problems for the last year, appropriately thanked her doctors. Further accolades went to Jay-Z and Kanye West, both absent, for best rap song with "Otis," and Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters picked up best rock performance for "Walk." Bon Iver took home best new artist.

Rihanna and Coldplay teamed up for one of the evening's most memorable duets. Her "We Found Love" segued into Coldplay's "Princess of China" and "Paradise." Another highlight was the long-awaited reunion of the Beach Boys, and they brought back their hit "Good Vibrations" with some help from Adam Levine. Taylor Swift won two honors before the proceedings even began, and later went folksy with her stint behind the mic. Katy Perry, taking a different approach, donned a skintight bodysuit for "Part of Me." Katy changed the words to the track, apparently making a dig at her ex Russell Brand.

Adele was back onstage later in the night with her adorable producer, Paul Epworth, to accept song of the year for "Someone Like You." She made her triumphant return to the microphone with her hit, after a glowing introduction from Gwyneth Paltrow, and received a standing ovation from her big fans like Paul McCartney and Rihanna. The track was also crowned record of the year and her 21 was album of the year! A teary Adele raised her new gold, joked about having a snotty nose, and said to her mother, "Mom, girl did good!"

Jennifer Hudson helped wrap things up with a touching Whitney Houston tribute, belting out "I Will Always Love You." The show was officially closed by Paul McCartney with help from his "friends" like Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, and Bruce Springsteen. Make sure to check out all the Grammys red-carpet action as well as the full list of Grammy winners!

Uh Oh! Watch Out For These 12 IRS Audit Red Flags

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:06:09 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

The IRS audits only slightly more than 1% of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes.

However, the chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, whether you omitted income, the types of deductions or losses you claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, you should be aware of red flags that could increase your chances of drawing unwanted attention from the IRS.

1. Making too much money

Although the overall individual audit rate is about 1.11%, the odds increase dramatically for higher-income filers. IRS statistics show that people with incomes of $200,000 or higher had an audit rate of 3.93%, or one out of slightly more than every 25 returns. Report $1 million or more of income? There's a one-in-eight chance your return will be audited. The audit rate drops significantly for filers making less than $200,000: Only 1.02% of such returns were audited during 2011, and the vast majority of these exams were conducted by mail. We're not saying you should try to make less money - everyone wants to be a millionaire. Just understand that the more income shown on your return, the more likely it is that you'll be hearing from the IRS.

Read on for more red flags.

The Benefits of Homeschooling Your Kids

LearnVest — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

In the past, LearnVest spoke to parents who chose not to use diapers with their children and dove into the stay-at-home parent debate. This time, one mother shares why she has decided to homeschool her children.

In 2002, we had our third child, 10 years after our second was born. Our eldest two boys were in a private school, but we began to consider the best way to educate our newest addition. Although we loved the school our boys attended, each year cost us about $10,000. We questioned how feasible it would be to put additional kids through there, too.

We had three more children in the following years for a total of six, and with each new baby came further confirmation that putting our four youngest through private school was out of the question financially. Our two eldest were approaching college age, which put even more pressure on us.

The decision was simple. We elected to educate our four youngest at home.

Why Public School Wasn’t an Option

We always knew that we wouldn’t send our children to public school. Parents who opt out of public school do so for many reasons: safety, quality of education, religious conviction, and many others. My husband and I both went to public school, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t know what schools are like today. For us, religion was the main reason. We believe that God gave parents the responsibility to raise, train, and educate their own children. Many parts of the Bible talk about training your children - to us, that includes education.

For more, read after the jump.

10 Things You Do to Save Money That End Up Costing You More

Wise Bread — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:15:37 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

Have you heard of the expression “penny wise, pound foolish”? It’s something I heard a lot growing up, from my parents, and it can have multiple meanings:

You are very careful with small amounts of money, but throw caution to the wind with large amounts. This is akin to someone who eats from the dollar menu every day but then blows a hundred dollars every month on a gym membership that’s never used.
You do things to save money now, only to have those savings cost you more farther down the road.

The second definition is what I’m focusing on today, because it’s a lot easier to fall into the trap of saving money only to have it bite you later on. Here then are 10 things that you may be doing to save money that could actually cost you a lot more in the weeks, months, or years to come.

RELATED: The Case For Expensive Shoes

1. Avoiding Regular Checkups With the Doctor, Dentist, or Optician

It’s something I did in college when money was tight. “Aah, who needs to pay money to a dentist to have him tell me I should floss more?” Well, after leaving the dentist alone for a few years, I paid the price. Avoiding the regular cleanings and checkups left me facing a hefty bill later on when I needed a bunch of costly fillings. I was lucky that I didn’t need root canals or replacement teeth. Now I have a dental plan that covers free checkups twice a year, but even if you don’t, get to the dentist and doctor for health checks. It’s a lot better to pay a co-pay now than pay for major surgery later on. And worse still, it could even cost you your life, especially as so many conditions can be treated if they’re caught early enough.

Read on for more.

How to Fight Your Financial Demons

LearnVest — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:15:23 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We all have our demons.

Some just lurk under the bed, but others bare their teeth as we go about our day - say, every time we pull out our wallet.

Financial demons are particularly vicious because their effects aren’t confined to the pages of our journal or emails to our best friend. Our finances permeate just about every aspect of our lives, from where we live to the job and lifestyle we choose.

And for that reason, our financial demons can be particularly invasive - and toxic.

But the good news is that demons can definitely be vanquished (or subdued, at the very least). As with anything, they can be worn down with the right tools and the right mind-set. Fortunately, we have both.

First, identify your demon . . . or demons. Then we’ll show you exactly how to send them packing.

If You Have Shopping Demons . . .

The Tools: As you know, “just stop shopping” isn’t helpful advice. Instead, look at your habit from the other end: Your closet. Your makeup bag. Or your gadget collection, depending on the spending that’s most problematic for you. Use our process from Priceless Style Boot Camp to evaluate your 10 most recent purchases. If lots of your recent buys are rated “not worth it,” it’s time to reevaluate your spending patterns. The first step is to avoid letting one bad spending choice drag you into a downward spiral. If you suspect you’re currently in such a phase, you can use this tool to spiral back up. If your purchases are all rated “worth it,” but you know you’re shopping too much, take a close look at your last month of spending and ask yourself whether you’re truly happy with everything you bought, or if that same amount of money could have been applied to a different financial goal, whether it's bulking up your emergency fund or beginning to invest.

Read on for more.

How Celeb Trainer Gunnar Peterson Keeps Sofia Looking Hot

Leta Shy — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:49:57 PST

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is known both on and off the red carpet for her enviable figure, and award season is definitely a time when the actress can shine. Between her glamorous gowns and camera-ready makeup, Sofia always looks the part. But the self-described gym hater also works hard to keep fit. We spoke to her trainer Gunnar Peterson (whose clients have also included Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Angelina Jolie), to learn more about how Sofia gets award-season ready. Read his tips below.

Make it fun: How does Gunnar keep his celebrity clients sticking to their routine? "I try to keep it fun. I try and put a little bit of levity in it, but at the same time, I don’t sacrifice the work. We may goof around and stuff, but we’re definitely going to goof around while we’re working." A boring workout is one you won't want to stick to, so read our tips on how to keep a workout fun.

Whole-body workout: Gunnar doesn't like to waste time with isolated moves. Burn more calories and work more of your body at the same time instead. "I don’t do that many isolation movements, like single joint stuff," Gunnar says. "I do bigger movements. If we’re going to do a lunge, we’re probably going to add an upper body component to it, like a lunge with a wood chop, a side lunge with a wood chop, or a rear lunge with a lateral raise, or a forward lunge with a front raise." Try it yourself: incorporate this medicine ball wood chop the next time you do lunges, and check out Gunnar's cutting-edge double-duty gym equipment here.

Read on for more tips from celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson.

Old Dog, New Tricks: 8 Tips on Caring For Aging Pets

Sara Yoo — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PST

As the parent of a 12-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, I've been fortunate to watch Lily age gracefully into her twilight years while maintaining much of her spunk and agility. But each day I encounter clear signals that she's achieved senior citizen status: the onset of cataracts makes her timid around now-blurry strangers, and bathroom breaks are a frequent necessity (or so our carpet has learned the hard way). We remember fondly the tiny creatures we welcomed into our homes years ago, but the reality is that their bodies and minds are changing, and so too must their lifestyles. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your geriatric animal pals stay healthy and happy.

Sit and be fit. You may notice that your furry friend is less active these days. Understand that - just like grandpa - your pet is feeling his age, but this development does not excuse him from exercise. For dogs, daily walks relieve stiffness and limber up arthritic joints, but be prepared to turn for home when he exhibits signs of fatigue. Keep his reflexes sharp with a game of fetch or catch-the-laser-pointer, but tailor sessions to his mobility and energy limits.

Read on for more tips.