FitSugar

Online Help for Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:45:00 PST

Being as this week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I wanted to let you know about some great websites that can offer information, support, and help.

SomethingFishy: This is an active website with lots of forums, so it's a great way to get info in a supportive community. It recommends ways you can help a loved one who has an eating disorder, and it also has a comprehensive list of treatment centers so you can find one near you.

National Eating Disorders Association: If you're looking for someone to talk to, you can call its toll-free helpline at 800-931-2237, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific.

EatingDisordersOnline.com: This website is full of recent articles on eating disorders, and gives lots of valuable information on types of eating disorders, nutrition, and recovery. It can help you find treatment near you.

Eating-Disorder-Information.com: This inspirational website created by a recovered anorexic and bulimic provides information on eating disorders and related topics as well as poetry and interactive support.

Yes Sir, I Do! Basic Training for Brides

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:30:00 PDT

So you're engaged! Yipeee! Congratulations. Now comes the hard part (along with everything else you have to do): finding the time to get in shape for your big day. Recently a lot of brides have been taking the guess work out of getting fit for their big day by enrolling in Basic Training for Brides.

Doug Rice of FittobeWedLive.com has an option for bridal fitness training online if you don't live in the LA area.
The super cool gym in NYC also offers a complete Bride to Be Program for a pretty penny.
Lisa Reed Fitness in Arlington, VA offers Bride to be Fit personal training sessions. Visit the site for pricing and to set up appointments.
Yvette Goree-Harris a personal trainer out of Houston, TX offers her own one on one Bridal Fitness Classes as well.
Look for Bridal Fitness group classes, programs or personal trainers offering special rates for brides near you -- Prices and programs will vary.

Fit's Tip: Sign up for bridal basic training (or start any fitness program) at least 4-6 weeks before your planned date.

What It Takes to Buy a Home

Kiplinger — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:14:47 PDT

Do you have what it takes to buy a home? Consider this exhaustive guide from Kiplinger.

Tired of renting? It could be a great time to buy your first home. In many cities, home prices have bottomed, and rents have risen. Mortgage rates are still superlow. In fact, homes haven't been as affordable since 1971. On the downside, in many cities, buyers have fewer homes from which to choose and more competition for the best houses.

In Austin, TX, newlyweds Mark and Ariane Corcoran bought their first home in March. They were renting in a popular downtown neighborhood, where they paid $1,200 a month for a 500-square-foot loft apartment, when they inherited enough money for a down payment. When they began shopping, they expected to buy a classic 1930s Austin bungalow. They found lots of prospects online but drove by most of them. "Agents are really good at taking photos that exclude what they don't want you to see, like the used-car lot out back," says Mark.

They put in an offer on a $225,000, 800-square-foot home. But after the home inspection, they realized that it needed $20,000 to $30,000 in renovations and repairs and that they'd quickly outgrow it. They walked away during the state-mandated rescission period (during which a buyer can back out for any reason and get back any earnest money deposited).

Ariane identified their next prospect within an hour after the listing appeared online. It was a newly built, 1,600-square-foot home with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a yard for the dogs. The builder asked $270,000, the couple offered $260,000, he countered, and they paid $268,000. They put down 20 percent to avoid private mortgage insurance and snagged a 30-year fixed rate of 3.75 percent from a credit union. Their monthly mortgage payment is $1,524.

Before you take the plunge, consider the answers to questions often posed by first-time buyers. Read on for what to ask yourself.

You're Fired! 20 Signs That a Pink Slip Is Coming

Wise Bread — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:54:53 PDT

If something feels off at the office, you may want to brace yourself for the worst. Wise Bread shares signs to look for when a pink slip is coming.

There are two types of employees. One has a good idea of what they do, who they are, and what position they play in the company. They are savvy. They know the score. They are under no delusions, and will no doubt leave for another job long before they are ever considered as cannon-fodder.

And then there's the other kind. The guy who could get Gandhi to hate him. The woman who spends most of her day chatting on the phone to friends or doing online shopping. Or the nice chap in sales who is completely oblivious that the recent merger means his job is now obsolete. They all have Ostrich Syndrome. They couldn't see a pink slip coming if it was 8ft tall and glowing in the dark, screaming "you're fired!"

You want to avoid being in that second category at all costs. So I've compiled a handy list. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your résumé and dry-cleaning your best interview attire.

1. Are you no longer in the loop about, well, anything?

This is a huge telltale sign. Suddenly you're finding out about company news from the cleaning lady or the new girl in accounting. If you were formally in the know about all things business related, but now suffer from "the company's doing what??!" disease, the writing is probably on the wall.

2. Did you recently screw up big-time?

We're not talking a minor faux pas here. Did you lose money on an account that was previously bulletproof? Oh dear. Were you caught having sex on the boss's desk with the boss's spouse? That's probably not a career-enhancing move. Unless you're a real dope, you know if you have screwed up. And if you know, HR knows. It may not be the final nail in your coffin, but it's a nail in the coffin nonetheless.

3. Are people avoiding you at all costs?

Eye contact is difficult to make with someone if you know his or her head's on the chopping block. Small talk is just as tough. It's best just to avoid that person altogether. So if people are no longer doing that fun "stop 'n' chat" in the hall, or the coffee room empties when you arrive, then guess what . . . you may be a marked man or woman.

Read on for more.

5 Tried and Tested Tools For Learning Spanish

Nancy Einhart — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:15:19 PDT

Studying a foreign language could make you smarter. According to a new study from the University of Chicago, people make more rational decisions when thinking in a foreign language, because it forces us to use the more analytical side of our brains.

If you're looking to learn a language, you could certainly do worse than Spanish. It's the third most-spoken language in the world, and Hispanics make up more than 16 percent of the US population. So, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, here are five tools I've found super helpful in my quest to learn Spanish as an adult.

App: Larousse Spanish-English Dictionary ($4.99) The free Spanish-English dictionary apps I tried left a lot to be desired, and this $5 app is well worth the price. It quickly translates almost any word from my phone, and it also has tons of verb conjugations - a must have for beginners! Plus I can do my homework on the go.
Podcast: Discover Spanish (free) This series of 10-minute Spanish lessons is great for travelers, because it teaches commonly used phrases while also explaining a bit of the grammar, so you're more likely to remember. It's also a great supplement to in-person Spanish lessons. After a while, I found the hilarious music and overly enthusiastic host "Johnny Spanish" quite endearing.

Three more Spanish tools after the break.

Do You Have One of the Best Jobs in 2012?

Emily Co — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:05:47 PDT

It seems like everyone has strong emotions about their job, whether it be love or hate. Let's see how your career compares with results from a CareerCast list that used data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies to compile the best and worst jobs in 2012. They factored in things like physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook to come up with the rankings. Here are the top 10 best jobs:

Software Engineer
Actuary
Human Resources Manager
Dental Hygienist
Financial Planner
Audiologist
Occupational Therapist
Online Advertising Manager
Computer Systems Analyst
Mathematician

For the worst jobs, read on.

Germany's Bachmair Weissach Joins Design Hotels

Elka Karl — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:00:05 PDT

After 150 years in business, Hotel Bachmair Weissach, located in the Tegernsee valley of southern Bavaria, has become a new member of Design Hotels, the online resource for design and boutique hotels worldwide. This year, the hotel has also completed a major renovation, adding modern punch to the traditional Bavarian inn. New owner Korbinian Kohler, who purchased the property in 2010, had a distinct vision for the look and feel of Hotel Bachmair Weissach.

Kohler explains, "Through Bachmair Weissach I have realized a lifelong dream, by recapturing the sense of endless time that I enjoyed in my youth. Winters as a boy were spent sitting by a warm fire for hours on end in one of the cozy inns at Tegernsee. Unfortunately moments like this are now in short supply and that is why I wanted to create a place in which guests could once again experience this kind of warmth and tranquility. I wanted this place to be modern in terms of design, a sort of cosmopolitan Tegernsee country club. Quite simply I wanted to create a place of happiness."

Let's take a tour of the newly renovated Hotel Bachmair Weissach, whose Bavarian traditions and modern updates meld beautifully in this welcoming destination spot.

Ask Savvy: A Co-Worker of Mine Has Bed Bugs!

Savvy Community — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:15:00 PDT

Have you ever dealt with a co-worker's hygiene issue? Offer your advice and thoughts to this reader who posted in our Ask Savvy group.

Ok, so a co-worker of mine VERY casually mentioned to me that she has bed bugs. She spoke as if she got "rid" of them but what was still itchy because of paranoia ("They're gone but I'm still itchy . . . I think it's just in my head" is more or less what she was saying). I KNOW that just vacuuming won't get rid of those things. I told her "you need to throw things away and find the source." I was so stunned that I couldn't remember if I also told her to call pest control. Just that when I told her to throw things away she replied with "it's so expensive to get rid of things" and she was looking at cheap alternatives online. She was also focused on the fact she thinks it's her sister's fault for being messy (I know being messy doesn't help but it's not necessarily the cause of the issue either).

When I repeated the part of getting rid of things she said "oh, maybe it's the carpet . . . I don't like that carpet anyway." I panicked and a few minutes later I spoke with the VP's assistant (we are a small business with eight people in my department and 25-50 people or so total. We also deal with about 14,000 customer needs a month too.)

Read on for more.

Tips For Recycling Your Electronics

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:21:41 PDT

We talk all year about properly recycling your gadgets, but since we officially kick off Earth month today, it's the perfect time to remind you about the different ways to recycle, donate, and get some cash back from your old gadgets. It only takes a few minutes to help others and Mother Earth, so read on!

Find a location near you - To ensure electronics don't end up in landfills or otherwise improperly disposed, find a certified e-waste recycler near you, who can properly strip devices of their recyclable parts. 1800Recycling.com provides nationwide resources. It can also be as easy as searching Google or Yelp for organizations that will recycle and delete sensitive information from your goods.
Get some cash back with Ebay's Instant Sale - Just answer a few questions about the gadget you want to pawn and Ebay will give you an instant offer, even paying your shipping costs, so you can just click "accept" and go. Once you send in your tired gadget, Ebay will properly recycle it and deposit cash into your PayPal account. Easy, fast, and truly eases the stress on Mother Earth. How can you go wrong?
Trade it in through Verizon - This four-step trade-in process first appraises your device, makes an offer, arranges shipping options, and then pays you for your trade-in. Start the process online by choosing your device (either by list or by photo) and answer questions like, "Can the device make outbound calls?" and, "Does the display work?" Verizon then gives you a trade-in value, with the option to either accept it or decline it. Older models may be appraised at no value but give you the option to donate the phone to a charity in need through Verizon's HopeLine program.
Drop it off at Best Buy - Picking up your new phone from Best Buy? On your way out you can toss your old phone in one of its electronic recycling bins, along with any other computer or component items that are just lying around your house. A clean house is a happy house.
Sell it - My Boneyard makes recycling your phone a no-brainer: just register your phone online, then pop your phone in the prepaid envelope you'll receive in the mail, and send it back. You may even get a cash reward (that you can keep, or donate to charity).
Give it back to the manufacturer - Many technology manufacturers offer recycling of their own goods. Dell, Samsung, and Apple are among those that offer recycling solutions, and sometimes a discount on future goods, to customers.
Donate - Donate old computers to schools in need and charity organizations like Goodwill, which uses an online donation calculator to immediately show how the product will benefit the community.

Bridal Shopping? Check These Sites First

FabSugar — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:06:27 PDT

Being a bride has gotten so much easier - at least the getting dressed part of things. A plethora of bridal shopping sites have popped up in the last few years, making the search for the perfect dress not just for you but for your bridesmaids and mom much more thorough. We're very excited to shop the brand-new bridal section from our sister site ShopStyle, which launched today and is devoted to all things bridal. With that in mind, we've put together a list of our top go-tos when it comes to shopping for the bride.

ShopStyle Bridal: The newly launched section of ShopStyle has a wide array of gowns, shoes, accessories, and jewelry at all price points. You can select favorites and create "looks" based on what you love.

BHLDN: It's the bohemian vibe of Anthropologie, reimagined for the bride. The sister site to Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie is totally focused on the wedding, with everything from wedding gowns to cake toppers, and the site is a boon for the bride craving a feminine, homemade feel.

J. Crew: J. Crew pioneered the wedding ecommerce site, and it's still one of the best. We love its easy, classic dresses, many of them affordable, and the bridesmaids dresses are ones your friends will be proud to wear.

Net-a-Porter: For the luxury girl, this site is tops. From exclusive Jason Wu wedding gowns to the most insane pair of Swarovski crystal-encrusted Brian Atwood shoes, the bridal options are high-design, and to go with it, high-priced.

White House Black Market: It's natural that the brand known for black and white clothing would zero in on the white dress. Think urban sophistication meets an under-$500 price point.

Ann Taylor: Ann Taylor's classic polish now extends into the bridal category, with a ton of pretty, feminine options - including petite sizes - at affordable price points.

The Limited: We always thought of The Limited for affordable work separates, but it's come out with a wedding category filled with pretty dresses - many under $300 - and a slew of bridesmaids dresses and accessories that won't even come close to breaking your bank.