FitSugar

Yoga Props Explained: Blocks

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 02:30:00 PDT

When I walked into my first few yoga classes, I was intrigued by all the blocks neatly stacked against the wall next to the perfectly rolled-up mats. I soon came to realize that those different sized blocks had many useful purposes.

Blocks are often used by beginners and those with injuries to help them modify certain postures, but they are also used by experienced and flexible yogis as tools to get deeper into poses. I'm a huge fan of blocks, and here's why:

Blocks can be used when doing standing poses to bring the ground closer to your hands if you can't quite reach yet.
Blocks can also be used in restorative poses to support your bones and the weight of your body. Iyengar and Kripalu classes often use blocks to deeply open certain parts of the body, or for relaxation poses.

Want to see how else you can use yoga blocks? Then

Blocks can also make poses more comfortable, especially in seated poses. Sitting on a block will bring your hips above your knees, reducing pain if there is too much pressure on a certain muscle or joint.
Placing a block beyond your reach can help you stretch your muscles even further, increasing flexibility.
You can also use blocks to makes poses more challenging. I like to work on more advanced poses such as inversions, and the blocks help to keep my hands (my base) steady.

Source, Source, and Source

Deck the Halls With a Candy Cane Manicure

Jaime Richards — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

Candy canes are synonymous with the holidays, and nail art is hotter than ever right now. So what better way to celebrate than to fuse the two together with a candy cane manicure? It takes a bit of patience and a steady hand to create this festive, two-toned look, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have earned your stripes in no time. See how to do it when you read more.

The Lazy Girl's Fall Makeup Shopping List

Real Beauty — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:23:12 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Real Beauty.

It's not enough anymore to just update your closet with the turn of a new season. To truly stay in style, you need to reboot your makeup bag, too. But who has the time (and money!) to buy every new lipstick and eye shadow shade? So, for all those lazy girls out there, we've targeted the biggest makeup looks for Fall 2011 and created this list that can be tailored to any budget, skin tone, and beauty need. So just keep reading.

Insider File: Designer Rebecca Taylor's Fall Faves

Noria Morales — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:44:01 PDT

Who doesn't love Rebecca Taylor's soft, feminine clothing and bold styling? The New York City-based designer has an uncanny ability to make leopard feel new and fresh every season; she's also got a way of making us feel girly without compromising sophistication. Basically, she is one of the coolest chicks we know, and we got the inside scoop on her favorite things about Fall - right before she debuts her Spring 2012 collection at New York Fashion Week.

Favorite Part of Fall: I love watching the seasons change in New York - my favorite part is the brisk air and changing of the leaves, it's very picturesque! Coziest Weekend Outfit: Jeans and a Lanvin striped tee layered with a Rebecca Taylor chunky cableknit oversized cardi. If I Weren't a Fashion Designer: I would be a makeup artist if I had a more steady hand! My Foolproof Styling Advice: invest in items that are transitional and can bring you from Spring to Fall.

Keep Reading. . .

OnSugar Blog: Why I Walked Out of My Last Job Interview

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:15:10 PDT

The pressures of interviewing can be daunting, especially when your heart's not in it. OnSugar blogger Everyday Baby Steps explains why she decided to walk out of a recent interview. Read on to find out what that was like.

These are tough economic times. I know. It's been about four years since I left my job as a college academic adviser in order to pursue the more flexible lifestyle of a work-at-home freelance writer. I love working from home, learning new things every day, and networking online and in person with fabulous people. Lately, though, I've been feeling like something's missing, like I'm ready for another change. I kind of miss the structure of getting ready and going someplace every day. I miss the sense of purpose it gives me to leave for a job, and I miss the social interaction of working with others. That's why I began to look for additional employment. Notice I said "additional." I have no intention of leaving my writing and blogs behind!

I've been a bit conflicted about the type of job I'd like. Should I work full time in order to receive a steady salary with benefits? Do I just want to have a part-time gig so that I can continue to be available to my children? There are so many things to consider that I decided not to rule anything out. I applied for several different kinds of opportunities, and I've been excited about exploring each one.

That is until I showed up for my interview at a local Pittsburgh, PA, campus of University of Phoenix last week. That experience was less than exciting for me. The events leading up to the actual interview were encouraging. The hiring process was rigorous, but I felt that showed they were serious about ensuring the quality of their candidates. I took an online assessment, received some information on the position and the benefits, then had a telephone interview. After the phone interview, I was told that I'd meet with the hiring manager in person to continue the interviewing process. Great.

Read on to find out what happened.

Barry's Bootcamp's Joey Gonzalez on Why Your Workout Isn't Working

Shape — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:05:07 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Barry's Bootcamp (BBC), the high-intensity workout that helps celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, and Jake Gyllenhaal stay in amazing shape, has opened its first East Coast location in Manhattan! The studio is known for its nightclub-meets-boot-camp-style during hour-long classes that mix strength training with treadmill intervals. The result is a high-intensity workout that burns fat (up to 1,000 calories per class) and tones muscles.

In an exclusive interview with Shape.com, Barry's Bootcamp co-president Joey Gonzalez reveals where he thinks most women's workouts go wrong - and what they can do to fix it.

Common Misconceptions: Where Your Workout Goes Wrong

1. You do one or the other: cardio or body sculpting. "Don’t get me wrong, half of our class is cardiovascular, but the strength training is equally as important, and that's really what helps kick metabolism into high gear," Gonzalez says.

2. You ignore weights. "What you're doing when working out is building muscle, and muscle is an integral part of actually burning calories throughout the day. With weights, your body is burning 'x' amount of calories more an hour than it was before you did it - and that’s not true of cardio. That’s why women who tend to use weights and bring it into their regular exercise program are not only stronger and healthier, but on average have better bodies. If you touch their arms they're strong, they're not soft. Women complain about 'flarm' (laughs), the flabby arm area, and, really, the best way to target that is working your triceps."

See the rest of Joey's tips after the break!

7 Reasons to Try Interval Training

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:11:00 PDT

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout - pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again - will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

Whittle your middle
While cardio exercise is necessary to lose fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for bikini season and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers. Curious how your middle measures up? Check your waist-to-hip ratio here.

Got a need for speed?
The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working towards a personal record for an upcoming race, don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

5 Questions to Ask a Potential Roommate

LearnVest — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:15:45 PDT

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

Ah, roommates. Sometimes you can’t afford to live without ‘em - but it’s not so easy to live with them. I’m a big advocate of a roommate agreement, through which everyone in the apartment sets up policies about utilities, pets, parking, etc. But even before you get to that point, there are a few questions you might want to ask, whether you’re doing a year-long share or just summer weekends:

What’s The Guest Policy?

You may assume that you’re each paying for a bedroom and that friends might occasionally stay over - only to discover that one of your roommates has a steady who hangs around all the time, acting as a ghost roommate and drinking all the milk. The political way to inquire about this might be, “I had this happen in my last place and we were all a little surprised… how do you expect us to handle visitors?”

What’s The Deal With The Common Areas?

If you’re living with a basketball fan, you deserve to know that you’re not getting near the TV during March Madness. If you’re living with a cook, it’s good to know that you’ll have to fight for kitchen time. (Although I can say, based on a decade of experience with roomies, it’s always good to live with a cook.)

Where Did The Couch Come From?

When you’re applying to live on someone else’s turf, try to find out if one roommate has brought all the living room furniture - and if it all disappears when she moves out. (Conversely, if you hate the couch, try to discreetly find out if you can help replace it.)

For more questions to ask a potential roommate, read on.

Go From Tortoise to Hare With These Running Tips

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:24:31 PDT

A friend asked me to go for a run the other day, and I agreed with the disclaimer that I was pretty poky in the speed department. I was surprised that I wasn't as slow as I thought. I've been working on my pace, and I guess what I've been doing has been effective. Try these tips on your runs to give your running pace a little kick in the pants.

Don't fear the hills. Running uphill is much harder than running on a flat surface since you're working against gravity. Moving on an incline strengthens the same muscles you use for sprinting, so it's the perfect way to make you a faster runner. It also increases your body's endurance, which you'll need when picking up the pace. Find a neighborhood or woodsy trail that has natural hills, or use the treadmill and pump up the incline.
Do sprinting intervals. If you want to become a faster runner, you have to practice running fast. Sprinting intervals are great because they last only a short amount of time, so they're easy to start incorporating into your runs. The easiest way to do intervals is by time. Keep an eye on your watch and run at a basic pace for three minutes, then sprint for 30 seconds. Or if you have access to a track, sprint the straights and run the curves. There are lots of ways to incorporate interval training into your plan, and if you make intervals part of your regular workouts, you'll quickly notice a difference in your strength and endurance. Before adding sprints into your running workouts, make sure you have a solid cardio base. Remember, your fast pace doesn't need to be an all-out sprint, but a faster pace than your usual.
Start doing tempo runs. If you're not familiar with this running term, it means running slightly faster than your normal, comfortable pace for a steady period of time. These types of runs will push your physical threshold and teach your body how to metabolize oxygen more efficiently. If you're new to tempo runs, start out with eight to 10 minutes, and build up to 20 or 40 minutes. You're not sprinting the entire time, just moving slightly faster than your basic pace. Here are tips for tackling your first tempo run.

Keep reading for more speed-building tips.