FitSugar

Keep It Moving While on the Move

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:00:00 PST

Traveling can be rough on your daily routines, including your bodily functions. Changing times zones or just eating the processed carbs they hand out on planes these days can make it hard to keep your intestines moving. So here are some tips on how to stay "regular" when traveling.

Drink water whenever you can as your choice of beverage. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but it'll also keep things moving.
When traveling, bring your own snacks. Nibble on carrot sticks, apples (with the peel), trail mix with dried fruit, LARABARS, and Go Lean Crunchy! bars. These all have tons of fiber.
During meals, make sure to include fresh salads and fruits, cooked veggie dishes, beans, and whole grains.
Pack some methylcellulose pills, such as Citrucel. They're made of 100 percent soluble fiber, so they'll help you go, and for most people, they don't cause gas, bloating, or diarrhea.

Source

Love Your Laptop: 8 Tips For Keeping it Healthy and Happy

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:23:02 PST

Valentine's Day doesn't just have to be about giving affection to your significant other. It can be about showing your appreciation for the people and things that make your life awesome. Take your laptop, for example. Your window to the vast Internet, your laptop works really hard for you without asking much in return. Give your laptop a little TLC this Valentine's Day with these tips that will keep it happy and healthy all year long.

Clean it up - Giving your laptop (or desktop) a thorough cleaning is essential to extending its life. Back up any data you may already have stored (on an external hard drive or a portable flash drive), organize your desktop icons, empty your computer's trash on a regular basis, and clear out any programs you don't use. This will help free up space and keep you on the fast track to productivity.
Practice proper shutdown habits - Shutting down all open programs and putting your laptop to sleep instead of just closing the lid will help your computer stay cool and safe while in transport. But if you've had your laptop in a cold environment, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning it on. This will keep condensation and dew at bay, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
Protect your investment - If you're going to be lugging a laptop around, make sure it's protected in a padded case!

See the rest of my tips after the jump.

Fat-Proof Your Life

Health — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:06:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Maridel Reyes

It's true that there are certain times in your life when extra poundage seems to appear out of nowhere . . . and settle on you. In fact, experts have honed in on the exact moments when you're most vulnerable to weight gain.

"Life transitions, having a baby, and going through menopause cause many women to pile on pounds," says Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!: The 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. "But with planning and prep, you can stay thin."

We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep - and even shed pounds - at these tricky stages. Solutions ahead.

Getting married

Heavier ever after? It can be the flip side of wedded bliss: "Six out of 10 of my clients come back heavier after the honeymoon," says celebrity fitness and wellness guru David Kirsch.

Health.com: 25 Diet-Busting Foods You Should Never Eat

Young newlyweds pack on an extra six to nine pounds in the five years after getting hitched compared to singletons, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And most of that gain happens in the first year of marriage.

"Couples start to mirror each other's eating habits," explains Albers. "You might be matching him calorie for calorie without realizing it."

Learn how to keep the pounds down postmarriage and in the mommy years, after the break.

No Headphones? 5 Ways to Entertain Yourself on the Treadmill

Leta Shy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:44:44 PST

I love running on the treadmill, but let's be honest: it's not the most entertaining workout. I usually distract myself from counting down the minutes with a good playlist, audiobook, or tuning in to the gym's TVs. When I forget to take my running headphones, however, I have to entertain myself in an entirely different way. Here are some ways to keep yourself entertained (not to mention motivated!) when you can't do your normal headphones-on, tune-everything-out routine.

Change up your intervals: You should be doing this anyway once you've mastered your current workout, but if you're used to going through the motions, now's the time to change your intervals or the speed of your high-intensity runs.
Take a fit test: See how fast you can run in a set period - say, five minutes - without stopping (make sure you don't overdo it, though - stay at a level where you don't feel short of breath, lightheaded, or dizzy). Doing a fit test regularly is a good way to gauge your progress if you've been running regularly and if it's time to pick up the pace. Plus you may be surprised by just how fast you can really go!

Read on for more.

A Doctor Dishes: Which "Superfoods" Are Worth the Cost?

LearnVest — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

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

Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible - even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges.

Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found that 93 percent of adults report paying more for groceries now than they did a year ago.

So how can we supercharge our grocery dollars and get them to do overtime for us?

Yes, some foods are obviously a better nutritional deal than others (think apples vs. potato chips), but there’s another class of foods that blows the rest of the field away in terms of nutrients and health-protecting qualities: superfoods.

Superfoods can help prevent diabetes and heart disease, repair damage to your body’s cells, and more. But before you go piling them into your cart, know that some superfoods are better nutritional bargains than others. As a doctor and a mom, I’ve sleuthed out which ones are worth the extra cost in terms of their long-term health benefits. Below is the scoop on which ones may help you age better, ward off cancer, and more.

What to Know Before Buying Superfoods

Before we dive into what to buy, there are a few important things to remember about consuming these foods:

Eating foods fresh and in their natural state, especially fruits and vegetables (rather than in pill or powder supplement form), usually allows us to absorb the greatest amount of their nutrients. The way a superfood is processed or cooked can significantly lower its antioxidant content.
If the superfood can’t be eaten fresh, look for easy and appetizing recipes containing it. No matter how “super” a superfood may be, if you don’t know how to cook it, you’ll probably let it go to waste.

Are Superfoods "Good Buys" If I’m Shopping on a Budget?

Read on to find out.

Reese Witherspoon Works Out Just to Stay Healthy

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:43:11 PST

At 36, Reese Witherspoon always looks amazing. Strong, sculpted, lean, yet feminine. How does Reese do it? She told Us Weekly:

"I work out all the time anyway just to stay healthy. I don't believe in crash dieting or anything like that."

From yoga sessions to running, this Oscar-winning actress loves to get her sweat on. Regular exercise offers a slew of health benefits, including improved sleep, increased energy and brain function, a happier mood, a stronger immune system, and prevention of health issues like heart disease and diabetes. But not everyone loves exercise, and some just use it as a weight-loss tool. What about you?

"I Snooped On My Boyfriend's Facebook...Now What?"

Tres Community — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:05:59 PST

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I checked my boyfriend's Facebook while he was away and found that he has been regularly messaging his ex-girlfriend. I know he doesn't want to be with her - they've tried - it didn't work out and they ended it two years ago. He told me they stay in touch, but I didn't realize he meant they message each other at least once a week. The messages are normal (they live in different countries), "How are you. What are you up to this week? Miss you - hope all is well. This is what is going on with me. . . blah blah blah."

He hasn't done anything to cross the line indicating that they're more than just friends, but the thing is he LOVED this girl and wanted to marry her just three years ago. He tells me he could never be with her again due to his beliefs (he's agnostic and can't be with women that are religious).

Despite all of this, I'm hurt. I wish he didn't have this tight relationship with his ex, even though it is a respectful one.

I can't admit that I know this, or that it's been bothering me, because I snooped. What should I do? I'm seriously thinking about breaking up, because I feel if one is done with a relationship, they are done and there should be no need to connect all the time. If I do choose to break up with him though, what do I say my reason is? He has been nothing but sweet/nice to me.

Thank you for answering!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Gas Prices Are Up! What You Can Do to Save

Emily Co — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:20:33 PST

Unrest in the Middle East and the closing of American refineries have gas prices going up, up, and away for US consumers. Analysts are predicting that the prices may continue to rise.

But don't worry, there are a number of methods to save on refueling your car. Here are some tips:

Spend to Save: Look for deals around you that will help you save on your gas. For example, you can choose to frequent wholesale stores like Costco, which will give you a little bit of cash back on Costco gas. If you're a real gas guzzler, check out this full list of gas rebate cards on CreditCards.com.
Don't Top It Off: Topping off your gas may result in a higher gas bill, because you might be paying for gas that goes back into the station's tanks after your gas tank is full, says the Environmental Protection Agency. You can also ruin your car's vapor recovery system if there is no room for the gas to expand in your tank.
Smooth Trip: Starting and stopping excessively can shorten the life of your engine, transmission, brakes, and tires. Go easy on your braking and accelerating. Remember to also turn off your engine if you know you'll be waiting for a long while. Staying put without moving means you're getting 0 miles per gallon.

For more gas-saving tips, read on.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "If/Then"

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:20:41 PST

Last year we had the Grey's Anatomy musical episode, and this season it's the alternate-reality episode. That's right: as Meredith ponders on the veracity of the phrase "meant to be," we get to see what could have been - or in this case, what was always destined to be. Though this is a filler episode if I ever saw one, it's still pretty fun to see the characters go down different paths (well, except for Jackson, who pretty much stays the same).

What we're treated to is a preppy-pink Meredith, a geeky Karev, and an even edgier Yang just to name a few. There are also plenty of shout-outs to characters from past seasons, like Izzie, George, and Burke. Ready to break down all of the differences? Just

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.