FitSugar

Should Parenting Require Education, Licensing Like Driving?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:04:06 PDT

The news is filled with stories of parenting gone awry - this is just the most recent story that grabbed my attention. A school in Oregon has just had to send a letter home to parents asking them not to allow their children to drink energy drinks (Red Bull, Rock Star and the like) at school!

The teachers say they've seen kids drink as many as five cans of the potent elixer per day resulting in, as you can imagine, unruly behavior, caffeine crashes, and addled attention-spans.

If we're to the point where a school has to dictate to parents how to provide proper food and drink to their children, should we be offering and requiring education before people become parents? Before someone is charged with caring for a life - which is arguable akin in responsibility to driving a car - should we require similar levels of education and testing? Would a government-issued license to dad (or mom) help give kids a better start?

Source

Low on Energy? More Tips to Try...

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Sometimes we just feel tired all the time or just a little low on fuel. There are so many reasons you could be feeling like this (hormonal change, lack in sleep, stress, etc.) and you're not alone.

So instead of turning to a Red Bull or agonizing over the fact that you have no energy, here are more tips from RealBuzz.com on giving your energy a boost:

Join a gym or try to start some sort of structured physical activity that gets you training about three times a week. Ideally this is on top of your 30 minutes of daily activity.
Dedicate just a few minutes a day to doing some stretches. If your job involves sitting, using a computer or involves repetitive movements, muscles will tighten very quickly and this is often the cause of lower-back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and more.
Sit down and examine your work load. It could be the case you are trying to do more than you are capable of in terms of private life and work life.
Appreciate any stress you are under and try to have time periods where you are not carrying problems around with you constantly. This is another advantage of the gym; for that couple of hours you don’t think about work related problems.

There are even more great tips, so

Consider having a therapeutic or sports massage once ~~a fortnight~~ in a while. Again it helps keep tension out of the muscles and gives you time to yourself to switch off.
A hobby is another really good escape route from stress. If you don’t have time, you may have an unsustainable work load which could result in illness.
Sit down with your partner and / or business colleagues and look at time management. There are always ways of cutting work load by increasing communications and working together better.
Plan frequent short breaks. Even if you just get in the car and decide to drive somewhere you have never been to before. The old saying, 'a change is as good as a rest’ is true.
Try not to put to things off. If you take action against something rather than delaying it you will get a lifting sense of achievement and a positive feel.
Make a list of all the things that are bothering you and plan when you can sort them out.

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A Week In Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:00:00 PDT

In case you missed it, here's what we've been talking about...

There's still time to win a Polar Heart Rate Monitor!!!

Bored on the treadmill? Check out this treadmill workout that is sure to burn calories and boredom.

A great breakdown of how many calories you can burn doing your favorite summer activities.

Are these heart workout pants cool? Take the poll.

While you're expressing your opinion, do you workout with a friend or alone? Take the poll.

Looking for a great workout video? Here's a video to work your upper outer thighs and your low glutes (aka, the panty line muscles).

Want a butt like Jessica Biel? here are five easy ways to work your booty.

Here are some great stretches for your hamstrings.

Jennifer Aniston does stand up paddle surfing. Should you?

What the heck is in Red Bull anyway? Here are the nitty-gritty details.

OK, seriously... Can pregnant women dye their hair or what?

There are 8 foods you may want to eat everyday -- here they are.

I want your opinion -- Is obesity or thinness more socially acceptable?

See if you can guess which celeb is not a member of the 5 Factor Fitness club.

You Asked: Red Bull Ingredients

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Dear FitSugar,
Hi Fitsugar, I really love energy drinks especially Red Bull, but I have no clue what is really in it or how many calories it has. I was wondering if you could give me the calorie breakdown of Red Bull and Sugar Free Red Bull (yummm) so I will know if I need to kick my habit to the curb! Thanks.
- Red Bull Betty

Well, Red Bull Betty, I do not think you are alone in your Red Bull "addiction."

Let's start with the caloric content: one 8.3 ounce can of
regular Red Bull contains 110 calories and 27 grams of sugar (that is almost 2 tablespoons of sugar). Red Bull Sugar Free contains only 10 calories and is sweetened with aspartame.

Here's a little info from Wired on the key energy producing ingredients of Red Bull.

Taurine was originally isolated from bull bile in 1827 (hence the name of the drink), but fortunately it is now made synthetically. Taurine's actual effects are wide-ranging - it is an inhibitory neurotransmitter (in some cases acting as a mild sedative), an age-defying antioxidant, and has the potential to steady irregular heartbeats.

To learn about the other ingredients,

read more Glucuronolactone hardly anyone has looked into exactly what this stuff does, and most research on this ingredient was performed 50 years ago - seems a little dated, don't ya think? Rumor has it that this ingredient fights fatigue and increases well-being - but this could be the "bull" that give the drink its name. Caffeine does increase concentration and reaction speed, as well as improve emotional state and boost metabolism. One can contains 80 mg of caffeine that is more than three times the caffeine that’s in the same amount of Coke. Niacin aka vitamin B-3, increases so-called good cholesterol (HDL) by preventing the formation of triglycerides, making it a terrific cholesterol drug. Unfortunately, there isn't enough niacin in a can of Red Bull to have this benefit. And it's not even pure enough to give you the mild head rush dubbed the "niacin flush." Essentially, Red Bull is basically sugar water mixed with caffeine. I am not a fan of energy drinks and think we are all better off getting our caffeine from less processed sources like coffee (no more than 3 cups a day!) and tea since they contain antioxidants naturally and taste great without all that sugar!

Happy Hour: Fruji

YumSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:29:46 PDT

I've admitted it before, and I'll admit it again, I'm not really a fancy-drink kind of girl. All I need is vodka and tonic and I'm set. However, with that said, I'm trying to expand my drink options and so I always love checking out different recipes online. I found this one over in the Let's Have a Drink group. It's called a Fruji and it was posted by TeamSugar member Shiloh Jolie Pitt. She likes it because it tastes like a pineapple ice block found in New Zealand. Tastes like pineapple and contains vodka? Count me in! To check out the recipe,

read more Recipe from TeamSugar member Shiloh Jolie Pitt

Booze
1 part Vodka
1 part Orange liqueur

Mixers
1 part Energy Drink

Directions
Prepare a tall glass full of ice then add the Orange liqueur or Cointreau, next add the Vodka, next add the Energy Drink.

Tastes exactly like a Pineapple ice block that you can only get in New Zealand called Friju, enjoy.

Print recipe with images | without images

Details on Demi Moore's Scary 911 Call

Lauren Turner — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:39:44 PST

Demi Moore's 911 call released - People
Nicole Kidman debuts a big new hairstyle - Lainey Gossip
Has Miley Cyrus finally gone too far? - Huffington Post
Red Bull may be part of Demi's problem - D-Listed
Celebrities who have swapped houses - The Daily Beast
Katherine Heigl and other blondes who went brunette for the big screen - NextMovie
Paula Deen can't catch a break with her health - Zap2It
Matthew Broderick is back as Ferris Bueller - Insider
Will LMFAO and Cee Lo Green be part of Madonna's Super Bowl show? - JustJared
Rihanna doesn't seem to mind wearing a see-through top in public - Hollywood Tuna
Pink and baby Willow share a sweet birthday message for Ellen - TooFab
David Arquette to join Courteney Cox on Cougar Town - Pink Is the New Blog
Gerard Butler denies even knowing Brandi Glanville - The Superficial
Kim Kardashian keeps up on Google alerts about herself - popbytes
Is a SoHo House Hotel opening in LA? - Hollywood Reporter

Ryan Gosling Heads to Paris to Visit Eva Mendes on Set

Allie Merriam — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:45:06 PST

Ryan Gosling popped up last night on the Paris set of Holly Motors, where his lady friend Eva Mendes was dressed up for an evening shoot. He left temporarily to go pick up Red Bulls at a nearby store, but was back soon enough to offer Eva some hugs between scenes. Ryan touched down in Paris only yesterday after a stint in the US working on his own projects, from Lawless with Rooney Mara to The Gangster Squad with Emma Stone. He and Eva wrapped things up yesterday by heading out to dinner in the city with some of her cast mates from the movie.

Website of the Day: Drinkify

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:52:44 PST

Admit it, you've been looking for a way to spice up happy hour. Instead of finding a new, over-priced and crowded hot spot, keep things at home and let your music preferences drive your beverage choices. Drinkify, a new site developed during Boston's recent Music Hack Day, suggests the best drink pairing for your current musical mood.

Enter the musician or band blasting from the stereo and Drinkify provides an adult drink recipe that best matches the tunes, complete with garnish and how the drink should be served. According to Drinkify, Jay-Z is best with gin on the rocks, while Red Bull is required for Justin Bieber (he is underage, after all). Since the site plugs in to Last.fm's API, there is a nearly limitless database of musicians ready for their libation mate. The question of what to serve at this year's holiday party has now been answered, as long as the playlist is settled.

Victoria and Harper Beckham Take in a Galaxy Game With Eva Longoria!

Allie Merriam — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:23:42 PDT

Eva Longoria met Harper Beckham last night at an LA Galaxy game! Harper was up in a private box with her mom, Victoria Beckham, and older brothers. Victoria played hostess to Eva as well as Zac Efron during the match. David was out on the field doing his thing, helping to lead the squad to a playoff win against the New York Red Bulls. Eva clowned around with a cutout of David as well. She shared a photo and joked, "Me kicking David Beckham's butt - Haha! Congrats Galaxy on the win!"

The Vampire Diaries "The Reckoning": The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:05:17 PDT

If last week's episode of The Vampire Diaries wasn't as exciting because it was largely setup, it was worth it for this week's super-exciting and satisfying episode. Klaus, Stefan, and Rebecca terrorize the halls of Mystic Falls High, and the doppelganger/hybrid problem is pretty much resolved.

The ghost ex-girlfriends Vicki and Anna both play a big part this week, too, and one of them introduces us to the show's next big supernatural character. Stefan is still adrift in a sea of evilness, but all it does is make this episode even more interesting - especially where Damon and Elena are concerned. Ready to break down the good, the bad, and the bloody? Just