FitSugar

Favorite Excuse For Not Doing Yoga: I'm NOT Flexible

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:45:00 PDT

When people find out that I teach Pilates and yoga, they often immediately disclose the reasons they don't practice either exercise form. I hear this excuse most often, "I could never do yoga, I'm so inflexible. I can't even touch my toes."

This is not the first time I've heard this excuse, and I actually love that people confess this to me. It gives me a chance to explain that inflexibility is not an excuse, but rather a reason to do yoga.

Most people aren't naturally flexible, but doing yoga can increase your flexibility almost immediately. Even after just a few classes, you will begin to notice a change in your body. You just have to get over that mental block that tells you you can't do it, and you just have to try.

If you can commit to a couple of classes every week, I guarantee that your muscles will become longer and suppler. That's what is so great about yoga. Our bodies were made to move, and your muscles crave it. Not only does yoga relax your mind and reduce stress, but the increased flexibility you'll feel can alleviate chronic pain and prevent injury.

So go ahead and take a yoga class. It's like with any new thing you try, whether it be playing an instrument or running a marathon. That amazing sense of pride and accomplishment you feel can only come when you witness yourself improving. No one is instantly great in the beginning, but as you practice, you'll get better and better.

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3 Sexy Valentine's Day Dates to Keep You Healthy and Fit

Michele Foley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:32:16 PST

Valentine's Day is always a good excuse to heat things up, and there's always a healthy, fun, and sexy way to celebrate the love-filled day, whether you're spending the holiday with friends or that special someone!

Girls Night Out: Pole Dancing Class
A pole dancing class is a frisky way for friends to celebrate Valentine's Day together. It's a little intimidating to swing around a pole while also letting out your sexier side, but when doing it with a group of your favorite girlfriends, it becomes easier. Besides being a great excuse to get together, this dance-inspired workout will help you tap into your sensual side while also helping tone muscles, firm the body, and increase flexibility. Once class is over, head out together for a glass of heart-healthy wine.

Group Date: Salsa Dancing
If a perfect date night for you involves getting together with other couples, charge things up by going salsa dancing. Besides being an easy way to burn calories, salsa is like flirting on the dance floor. From the rhythmic Latin beats to all that hip shaking, things are guaranteed to get hot. Don't be afraid to switch things up during the night. It's almost expected that you'll dance with different partners while out for a night of salsa dancing.

For You and Him: Couples Massage . . .
If you're going the traditional route and spending Valentine's Day with that special someone, indulge by getting a couple's massage. It will help you both relax, offer relief from stress, and ease muscle soreness that comes from exercise or the demands of the day. From there, cook a healthy dinner together and don't forget to get physical - and not at the gym! Valentine's Day is a good excuse to be intimate with your partner, especially given all the health benefits of having sex.

7 Money Tips For Couples Starting a Family

Business Insider — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

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

Middle-income parents will spend nearly $227,000 in 17 years for children born in 2010, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

But don't let that scare you - saving for a family can actually be fun if you know what you're doing.

"The most important thing to understand is that your priorities are going to change and your spending habits need to change to reflect those changes," says Stuart Ritter, a financial planner at T. Rowe Price.

With Ritter and other financial experts' help, we'll help you prepare.

Invest in a 529 savings plan

Saving for your child's education is crucial to his or her success, and 529 plans are tax-advantaged college savings accounts that are available in all 50 states.

Most are free to set up, while some states require a minimum of $25 to open an account, says Adam Koos, a certified financial planner with Libertas Wealth Management. Anyone can contribute and take advantage of the tax benefits.

Open the plan before your child is born, says Ritter, and name yourself the beneficiary. You can change the name on the account once your child is born.

Read on for more.

Keep Running: Prevent Plantar Fasciitis With These Tips

Susi May — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:06:42 PST

From pounding the pavement running to spending a day in fashionable shoes that lack proper support, feet take a beating. If you're training for a race this Spring and upping your mileage, it pays to show your peds some love. You can do some preventive prehab to avoid coming down with a case of plantar fasciitis. This painful condition, which can be common in new runners and affects women more than men, occurs when the the fibrous band that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes stretches too far and tears. These micro tears cause inflammation of the fascia and the tissues surrounding it, making every footstep painful and abruptly stalling your training schedule. If you're experiencing some unexplainable heel pain, try these methods to keep plantar fasciitis at bay.

11 Rules to Dramatically Increase Your Productivity

Wise Bread — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:04 PST

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

There's a problem with a lot of productivity advice out there, and it's this - your "rules" for personal productivity are often going to be different than mine. Sure, sometimes there's overlap. Sure, you can always learn from others.

But if you want to see a dramatic increase in your productivity, spend less time reading and memorizing other people's rules, and more time figuring out what your own rules are. You'll be more productive and in a way that works with who you are.

So I'm sharing a few of my personal productivity rules. Maybe some of them will work for you or inspire you to think of your own.

1. Small Daily Movements Become Big Accomplishments

I tend to think that I must have big blocks of time in order to get any forward movement. So I hesitate and procrastinate, waiting for that "open time" when I can really push and get a lot done on whatever the current project is.

Turns out, that's a waste of time. Small daily movements add up. It's just that the movements or steps themselves are so small, I think they don't count. They do.

I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need a whole day or a whole week to devote to some project. I just need to take the 10 or 20 minutes I have here and there and use them. I need to achieve a little bit of forward movement every day. That adds up, and it builds momentum, and pretty soon there's been quite a lot accomplished.

For more rules, read after the jump.

Essential Stretches For Tight Hips

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:05:31 PST

Tight hips seem to be a common problem for almost everybody - from runners to cyclists, from deskbound bloggers to triathletes. Give this area a little extra love with this sequence of nine hip-opening stretches to increase your flexibility, reduce discomfort, and prevent injury. Try the series in the order listed here, or pick your faves to incorporate into your workout routine.

Dunkin' Donuts Is Banking on All-Day Sandwiches

Susannah Chen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:15:17 PST

Looks like Starbucks and McDonald's aren't the only two chains who want a piece of breakfast between bread: starting this week, Dunkin' Donuts introduces two new sandwich offerings, to be offered at DD locations throughout the day - including breakfast, of course.

The new sandwiches will "be familiar, but with a twist," said Stan Frankenthaler, Dunkin' Brands' executive chef and head of product innovation. The Ham & Cheese Bakery Sandwich contains Black Forest ham, white cheddar, and a creamy dijon mustard sauce; Turkey, Cheddar, & Bacon is made with turkey, white cheddar, bacon, and ancho chipotle sauce. Both are made to order on a croissant, bagel, or the new baked-fresh-daily French roll.

The announcement of these all-day sandwiches arrives just as Taco Bell rolls out its First Meal menu of breakfast items. Still, Dunkin' is quick to explain what differentiates the brand's ham and bacon sandwiches from similar breakfast sandwich offerings already on the market. "We think our bakery leadership is a real differentiator in our brand," Frankenthaler told us. "Our guests already know us and love us for our fresh bagels (we're the number one retailer of bagels in the United States) and croissants."

Providing all-day options is "extremely important for Dunkin’ Donuts," he added. "Breakfast sandwiches are popular with our guests, and they like the flexibility to enjoy them throughout the day."

With first Taco Bell and now Dunkin' Donuts taking the mornings to another level, it's clear that the fast-food AM wars won't be letting up anytime soon. Will you try a new sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts?

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From the Fit Community: Can You Really Make Your Muscles Longer and Leaner?

Fit Community — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:23:17 PST

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wanted to know: are all those claims about creating longer and leaner muscles through exercise true? She asked an expert and posted the answer in our Fit Community.

You've probably heard it numerous times before - a workout that promises to give you longer, leaner muscles (we've often heard this said about PIlates or ballet-based training methods) . . . so can this really be true? Can a muscle truly become longer and/or leaner?

I asked "The Exercise Doctor" Michele Olson - PhD, creator of the Perfect Legs, Glutes, & Abs DVD, and professor at Auburn University Montgomery - to answer this for us. She has studied various forms of exercise extensively and published research on Pilates.

"Muscles are already comprised of 'fat-free' (aka lean) tissue, so any amount of muscle is, by definition, lean. You can't have 'leaner' muscles," says Olson. "If you were to add more muscles from resistance training, you could increase the amount of lean muscle you have and, therefore, have more lean muscle." But most of these methods (such as Pilates or ballet-/barre-style exercises) use relatively light to moderate resistance, which is not enough to create a significant increase in the amount of lean muscle mass you have.

Read on to learn more about if you can make your muscles long and lean.

6 Ways to Burn More Calories in Your Yoga Class

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:45:49 PST

Yoga classes aren't meant to be huge calorie-burners - increasing strength and flexibility and acquiring a sense of calmness and bliss, these are more the focus when moving through postures. You still burn calories, though, and with these tips, you can burn more the next time you hop on your mat.

Source: Thinkstock

What Not to Do in Wheel Pose

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:33:14 PST

Doing Full Backbend, also known as Wheel pose, isn't exactly on the list of beginner moves. It's demanding both from a flexibility as well as a strength standpoint, so it's best to stick to Half Wheel, Camel, and other easier variations before trying your hand at Full Backbend. When you are ready, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you're doing this heart-opening pose safely and comfortably.

Clenching your tush: It takes lower body strength to hold yourself up in Wheel, but that doesn't mean you need to clench your glutes. Focus on engaging your quads and calves to release tension in your bum, allowing your lower spine to relax and fully extend.

Keep reading to find out other mistakes you might be making in Full Backbend.