FitSugar

Get the Bod: Denise Richards

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Denise Richards has had two kids and several public break-ups yet she seems to still manage to stay healthy.

OK Magazine sat down with Denise and got the scoop on what she's does to keep fit and healthy through it all:

OK: What's the best part about exercising?
DR: I feel healthy and strong, and I love how I feel mentally and physically. This is the first season in a long time that I have felt comfortable on the beach without a sarong covering my bottom.

OK: Do you find stress causes your weight to fluctuate?
DR: Stress definitely affects my weight. I am thinner when I'm stressed or have a lot going on.

OK: With such a busy schedule, is it difficult to find the time to exercise?
DR: No, because it is part of my lifestyle. I don't work out only when I'm preparing for a project or shoot or bikini season. Exercising is part of my routine. I try to do it five days a week for an hour. That's an hour of time to myself, unless the girls come in, but that's okay too. That's the luxury of working out at home.

There's more on working out with two young daughters as well what she wants to instill in them about body image, so read more

OK: Is it hard to get motivated with two daughters?
DR: No, my girls motivate me to exercise and eat right! I am a single mom, so I am outnumbered! I need my energy to keep up with them.

OK: How did you lose weight after having your daughters?
DR: I am naturally thin, and I feel that I am at a good weight for my body. I work out to be lean and have some definition. Of course my body went through many changes having two babies back to back. For me, losing the weight wasn't that difficult; I was lucky. And no, I didn't work out five hours a day, I had to wait six weeks to do anything after each baby because I had a C-section with each birth. I took it very slow getting back into my routine.

OK: What will you hope to instill in your daughters about body image?
DR: I will try to teach my daughters to love their body. Sami was looking at Lola and said, "Wow, look at Lola's big belly," and I told Sami that Lola has a beautiful belly. Now, Sami tells her sister her belly is beautiful.

OK: Who do you think has the best body in Hollywood?
DR: Demi Moore still has the best body in Hollywood!

OK: What are your favorite food splurges?
DR: Chips and guacamole. And ice cream!

View 2 Photos ›

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Get the Bod: Jessica Simpson Post Divorce

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:45:00 -0800

Breakups can do horrible and wonderful things to a woman's body. Jessica is no exception and with her new man John Mayer in tow, she is apparently committed to getting healthy post Lachey.

Want to find out how she is doing it, then read more

iFitandHealthy is reporting the latest on Jessica Simpson's new diet and workout plan:

Jessica's Diet -

Mashed bananas with peanut butter: “It doesn’t look pretty, but it’s a healthy protein snack,” says Jess. Salsa and low-fat chips are also a good snack idea.
Eat small meals packed with veggies every three to four hours.
Drink lots of water.
Eat lots of fruit - watermelon is one of Jess’ faves.
If she’s ever in a pinch, Jess will go on a three-day juice fast.

A Typical Day of Meals for Jessica -

Breakfast: Egg whites with whole-wheat toast or a Zone-Perfect Bar.
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken or fish, and crackers.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with vegetables.
Snack: A Zone Perfect Bar if she hasn’t had one for breakfast, or a grapefruit with sugar substitute Splenda.

Jessica's Workout Plan (sort of) -

Three days a week of cardio and circuit training.
”I work with small weights – 5 to 10 pounds – but only to get toned,” says Jessica. “I don’t want to be beefy, I want to look feminine.”
Lots of lunges and squats to target the rear end.
”I do a lot of Pilates and stretching,” she says.
“I love my body, but I’m modest – believe it or not,” says Simpson.

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Handling a Loved One's Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:30 -0700

When someone in your life tells you that they have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it's difficult to know how to respond or the best way to help. Glamour and Bright Pink, a nonprofit support group for women with breast and ovarian cancer, offered these helpful tips on how to make the conversation easier:

Don't try to guess what she wants - ask how can you help. Some women may want a special girls' night in, while others may need a friend to go with her to doctor's appointments.
Don't burden her with your sadness. She's carrying the weight of her own fear and grief, try not to give her yours as well - she needs all the strength you can offer.

There are more tips, so keep reading.

How Do You Feel About Actors Gaining Weight For Roles?

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:30:01 -0700

Renee Zellweger is reprising her role in the third installment of the popular book-turned-film series, Bridget Jones' Diary, but this time she's doing it without all the extra weight. Well, sort of . . .

Instead of turning to a high fat diet of doughnuts and pizza like she did in the past, Zellweger will be relying on makeup and wardrobe to mimic the extra weight needed for the title role.

E! Online quoted a source as telling Britain's Reveal magazine: "Renee will be wearing a fat suit in the third film as it took her a while to lose the weight last time. She's also thinking about the effect quickly putting on and then losing 30 pounds has on her body."

I admire that Zellweger is embracing the role she's playing, but am relieved she's not relying on harmful methods like yo-yo dieting and exercising to portray the 30 pound difference between herself and her character this time around.

Besides Zellweger, actors like Matt Damon, Beyonce, and Charlize Theron have used unconventional methods to put on weight for film roles. Do you think it's OK for the sake of believability?

Speak Up: What One Question Would You Ask Gabrielle Reece?

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:30:46 -0700

Gabrielle Reece has been spreading the word about the power of fitness and health for a good long while now.

She kicked ass playing pro beach volleyball. She models. She talks fitness in Shape magazine, and she even blogs! As a mother of two, Gabby has also helped us stay fit while pregnant and bounce back after babies arrive.

I will be talking with Gabrielle soon and would love to ask her your questions too. Tell me, what one question would you ask Gabby? If you have a few questions, that's OK too. Just leave them in the comment section below.

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:00:52 -0700

From the pole to the trapeze - are the new fitness trends for you? - Daily Spark
Emotional eating can take a toll, but you can control it - Fit Bottomed Girls
Kelly Ripa's fave workout, Physique 57, comes to DVD - Vital Juice Daily
OK Magazine and Jessica Simpson's photoshop diet - Never Say Diet
Japanese food makes for a great breakfast - Vitamin G
Rush Limbaugh is dropping pounds fast - but how? - That's Fit
The best snacks for under 200 calories - Shape
Pregant Gisele starts her day with early morning yoga - FitCeleb

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Have You Ever Carried Protective Pounds Like Brooke Shields?

FitSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

It's hard to imagine the beautiful Brooke Shields feeling uncomfortable in her own skin, but she expressed the insecurity she felt as a young actress in a recent interview with Health magazine. When asked about her biggest health regret, Brooke confided that she wished she'd learned self-acceptance much earlier, and explained how her lack of confidence prevented her from losing her virginity before age 22. She continued:

I had the public and all this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with in the beginning when it was sort of OK. I think I would have been much more in touch with myself. I think I wouldn’t have had issues with weight - I carried this protective 20 pounds [in college]. It was all connected. And to me, that’s a health regret.

Learning to love your body is an essential piece of building self-esteem, and Brooke's was knocked down when she experienced public scrutiny. The additional pounds allowed her to put distance between herself and anyone who might get close to her and make her feel even more vulnerable. Have you been through similar weight issues?

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Have You Ever Been on a Revenge Diet?

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

After enduring harsh criticism from the media about her curvier than usual figure, Jessica Simpson appeared on the cover of OK! magazine with the headline "I Will Lose 20 Lbs in 8 Weeks!" The mag is calling it her "revenge diet" against her body critics and sources said that it will be easier for Jessica to achieve her goal when her stressful tour has ended.

It's important for us to feel good about ourselves no matter what other people are saying, but I can understand how tough criticism would get under someone's skin to the point of wanting some kind of "revenge." Hopefully, Jessica's motivation is something more than wanting to slim down for critics. I have heard of revenge diets, but generally the goal is to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend rather than the media at large. I have seen video chronicling muscular abs inspired by a bad breakup, so I am wondering . . .

Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities For Women

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control released its list of the healthiest cities in the US. Using gender-specific stats, Self magazine has created its own list of the healthiest and unhealthiest cities for women. The magazine uses almost 8,000 bits of data in 50 categories to create its ranking system. Some of the criteria are public health stats like death and disease rates, but it also measures elements of healthy living like access to parks, trails, and fitness centers, as well as air quality, commuting practices, and availability of farmers markets. This year Bethesda, MD, home of the National Institutes of Health, takes the top spot pushing my beloved San Francisco, CA, out of first place.

Here is the list of the other metro areas to make the top 10:

San Francisco, CA
Honolulu, HI
Nassau-Suffolk counties (Long Island), NY
Cambridge, MA
Stamford, CT
New York City, NY
Santa Ana, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA

To see where the fittest women in the US live, as well as the least healthy cities, just read more.

Fittest women: Santa Ana, CA
These ladies exercise vigorously nearly 30 percent more than the average woman included in the survey.

Healthiest hearts: Minneapolis, MN
Women in the mini-apple have low levels of hypertension.

Healthiest eaters: San Francisco, CA
Close to the some of the best farmland in the country, women in SF eat an average of 52 servings of fruit a month.

Most health clubs: Springfield, MA

Most likely to walk to work: New York City, NY

Now for the metro areas where women's health was considered the worst:

Detroit, MI
Gary, IN
St. Louis, MO
Toledo, OH
Oklahoma City, OK
Indianapolis, IN
Tulsa, OK
Kansas City, MO
Cincinnati, OH
Wichita, KS

If your hometown didn't make either list, you can check the stats of your town using a interactive map created by Self. I am going to go eat some fruit and map out my new bike route to work. What about you?

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Alanis Morissette Goes Vegan and Loses 20 Pounds

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:30:00 -0800

While many of us are just revving up our healthy New Year's resolutions, Alanis Morissette made her lifestyle overhaul months before the ball dropped. The unhealthy feeling she had from gaining weight and eating too many processed foods motivated her to make a major change, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live gave her the tools to eat differently. Since converting to his recommended vegan diet in September, Alanis has lost 20 pounds. OK Magazine interviewed the slimmed-down singer, and here are the highlights.

On what made her gain weight: "A lot of salt and processed grains like bread. I was a sandwich person, and if I had rice, I would pack the salt on."
On why she wanted to find a new eating plan: "Longevity. I realized I want to live till I’m 120. There’s a lifestyle that I am now happily creating that can, as best as is possible, prevent most forms of cancer and other diseases."
On her workout routine: "When I’m out on tour, my shows are so physical that that really takes care of it. When I’m not on tour, I do between a half hour to an hour of light weights, running, biking, swimming, probably five times a week. I also love to kickbox and dance."

To see her answer when asked how it feels to be 20 pounds lighter, read more.

On how it feels to have lost 20 pounds: "I feel like a 12-year-old! I’m back to what I was born to be, at my best. I used to get out of bed in the morning and things were aching, and I just thought, this is what happens when you get into your 30s. But now I jump out of bed and have so much energy; I feel very alive. Even after a workout, I feel like if I rest a little bit I could go out dancing all night, so that’s exciting. I have no more aches and pains, and my allergies are gone, too."

Have you considered a vegan diet? Do you think you could handle the restrictions of no dairy or meat?

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