FitSugar

How Would You Rate Them?

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:15:00 PDT

We all had a good time reorganizing InTouch's list of the top ten hottest females on the beach and now they've gone and ranked the men. Here are the lucky men they picked (in no particular order):

Andy Baldwin
David Beckham
David Charvet
Josh Duhamel
Zac Efron
Hugh Jackman
Nick Lachey
Mario Lopez
Matthew McConaughey
John Mayer

Rate them in order from best to worst (one being your favorite body, ten being your least favorite) beach body in the comments section below.

To see how InTouch ranked 'em,

View 10 Photos ›

12 Things You Should Never Buy Full-Price

Business Insider — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:15:25 PST

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

With the Internet, helpful mobile phone apps, and retailers scrambling to keep consumers in their shops, there's no need to pay full-price for much of anything these days.

To give you a boost, we tapped a few savvy shoppers for their tips on all the ways you can save.

Theater tickets

"One of the greatest savings areas recently has been the theater ticket business," says Anna Aronovich, CEO of GovernmentAuctions.org.

Even if you're not going to be around NYC to score discount Broadway tickets this month, there are opportunities in nearly all cities to see shows on the cheap.

Some rewards programs like Optimum Rewards cost nothing to join and offer discounts on shows.

Beer

If you're looking to stock the fridge for your next poker night, don't hit the liquor store until you've checked out www.saveonbrew.com.

The company's been featured on a host of deals sites lately as one of the best ways to find discounts on brewski, says Jennifer Davidson, director of operations. (See some incredible uses for beer.)

Read on for more.

5 Strange Ways Chocolate Keeps You Healthy

Prevention — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:02:26 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

This sweet treat may also boost brainpower, help you relax, and more!
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

Show your heart some love this Valentine’s Day by nibbling a few chocolates - and making them a regular treat throughout the year. A recent study found that those consuming the highest levels of chocolate had a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent reduction in stroke compared to those with lower chocolate intakes.

Though experts are quick to clarify that we should stick to moderate consumption of high-calorie chocolates, it’s hard to deny the cold, hard facts that chocolate can be a healthy addition to our diets.

Seven Surprising Ways to Sharpen Your Mind

Hundreds of studies have shown that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants that promote heart health and may prevent many cardiovascular-related conditions, but we’ve dug up five more surprising health benefits. Read on for five new ways to justify your chocolate craving.

1. Chocolate May Help You With Math
Flavonols, compounds in chocolate with antioxidantlike properties, are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. A 2009 study asked participants to count backward in groups of three from a number between 800 and 999. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, the participants were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.

Learn a four more things chocolate can do for you after the break.

From the Fit Community: Leave Your Phone at Home When You Work Out

Fit Community — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:25:08 PST

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wants you to know: you're hurting your workout when you bring your cell phone into the equation. She shared her three reasons you should stay cell phone-free at the gym in our 10 Pounds Down! community group.

1. It’s hurting your workout (and could cause you to get hurt)

If you can text or talk on the phone during any part of your workout, you aren’t working hard enough. Exercise requires a mind/body connection (yes, even the time you spend on the treadmill) and your cell phone seriously disrupts the communication signals between your mind and your body.

Even if you think you are the most talented texter, or multitasker to ever walk the earth, don’t kid yourself - many studies have shown cell phone distraction as even worse than being drunk – so if you wouldn’t run that mile, take that spin class or do Pilates totally wasted, then your phone shouldn’t be out during your workout. Not paying attention during exercise is dangerous and can cause you to hurt yourself - in a big way. Not to mention, it slows you down! Even if you stop to text in between exercises, you are slowing down your flow - and your heart rate. Not a good way to get results.

Read more reasons for keeping your cell phone at home after the break.

A Reader Answers: Can Exercise Help With Migraines?

Fit Community — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:52:16 PST

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wanted to know: can exercise help with migraines? She asked an expert and posted the answer in our Fit Community.

Today's post comes to us from special guest contributor and medical expert Paul Rizzoli, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School:

When you’re prone to migraines you’re forced to think through whether or not something you do will invite a headache into your life. Exercise is definitely one of those things. Should you skip a workout because you feel a migraine coming on? Or is it better to push through in the hopes a little sweat will make you feel better?

Most headache specialists recommend exercise and an increase in overall physical activity to their patients. However, to date, there’s skimpy evidence to support the idea that working out actually guards against migraine attacks. A few studies have shown that taking regular exercise can reduce the severity, though not the number of headaches.

Keep reading to see what studies say about exercise and migraine relief after the break!

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.

Savory Sight: Soup-Filled Dumplings

Yum Community — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:55:42 PST

National Soup Month is still going strong and these soup-filled dumplings from coltkels are perfectly relevant, and sound incredible.

I have an intense love for dumplings. You will rarely ever find a time when I am not craving them. My favorite dumpling place is in downtown Sydney so I couldn’t think of a better time to plan a visit for myself and my friend, who had never tried them. I originally found this place because my favorite magazine, Time Out Sydney, rated them ‘the best dumplings’ in Sydney and I had to find out. Let me tell you they weren’t only the best dumplings in Sydney but the best dumplings I have ever had, and my opinion didn’t change the second time around.

For more on the story of soup dumplings, visit her blog, and upload your awesome food photos and stories to our Savory Sights community group.

The Oscar Nominations: Snap Judgments

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:24:33 PST

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and now that we've had time to digest the news, we have a few reactions to share. From the positive and excited to the slightly disappointed, check out our thoughts on the 2012 Academy Award nominations, and be sure to share yours too.

It's rare for a comedy to be able to compete with all of the heavy dramas of award season, especially an R-rated comedy, but Bridesmaids impressed us by not just nabbing a supporting actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy, but for best original screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Nice work, ladies!
We were happy to see acting nominations for Nick Nolte in Warrior and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Both men have been left off a lot of lists (like the Golden Globes), but we're so glad that they pulled in Oscar nominations since these were two performances we felt strongly about.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo may have been passed over in most major categories, but its lead actress, Rooney Mara, was still recognized. The Academy seems to love its ingénues, and we're glad they chose Rooney for her brave breakout role.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has suffered from some bad reviews, but not from the Academy: it scored a best picture nomination and a nod for supporting actor Max von Sydow. We liked him in the role, but it's still a surprise to see the movie come up so strongly.
The Tree of Life was a similar surprise, since the Summer release had polarized reviewers and audiences and didn't seem to have much award season steam. But the movie still managed to join the race with nods for best picture and best director for Terrence Malick.

To read some more of my Oscar snap judgments, just keep reading.

4 Ways to Keep Your Rental Rate Steady

Emily Co — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:52:05 PST

Rental rates in several markets are on the rise, particularly in San Francisco. In fact, rents rose to about 10.4 percent in San Francisco and 12.2 percent in San Jose at the close of 2011, according to RealFacts, a firm that analyzes rental data. If you don't want to face a hefty increase come lease renewal time, here are a couple of options you can take.

Rent control. Research the rent control laws in your city and state. Basically, what it does is it sets price controls for apartment rent prices. If you don't like seeing an unreasonable hike in your rent every time your lease is up, pick a unit that qualifies for rent control.
Negotiate a longer lease. If you're happy with the rent offer and with your apartment, opt for a longer lease. The most popular lease is one year, but you should go for two if you want to keep your rental rate. Signing a two-year lease is especially smart if you're going to be in the area for a while and if you live in a hot rental market.
Have more options. When it comes time to renegotiate your lease terms, make sure you have other options available so you can really mean it when you tell them you'll move if the terms aren't to your liking. If you're not happy with the new rental rate, you can always move to the other researched options.
Be on good terms with your landlord. Whenever you're negotiating, it can only help to be on good terms with the other party. Be courteous when you see your landlord and pay your rent on time. Don't be that tenant that plays loud music and throw parties until the wee hours. That way, you can prove your "good tenant" track record and use it as ammunition when it comes time to stating your case for a reasonable rental rate.

Will You Watch the Dance Moms Spinoff?

Natasha Dantzig — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:15:34 PST

Welcome to Miami! Like most reality shows, the runaway ratings hit Dance Moms on Lifetime has seen its share of drama. The original follows instructor Abby Lee Miller, the girls' fiercely competitive instructor, as she tells it like it is - little girls' and their mothers' feelings notwithstanding. Like its predecessor, Toddlers and Tiaras, Dance Moms has proven to be as much about the conflicts and personalities of the don't-call-them-stage-moms stage moms as it is about actual dance (hence the title).

Much of show's controversy has centered on Miller's very demanding teaching style. She is very up front about the fact that she does not baby these girls and expects complete and utter focus and determination - bellyaches, schoolwork, and other kid stuff is irrelevant in her world. Berating both mother and child is a part of the job.

The spinoff takes the wildly successful franchise down South, to the slightly more TV-friendly locale of Miami, FL - the original is filmed in Pittsburgh, PA - to follow two new teachers and a new crop of eager pupils. Maybe the warmer climate will mean a mellower crowd? Let's hope not: that wouldn't make for very good TV now, would it?

Will you tune in for Dance Moms: Miami?

Source: Lifetime