FitSugar

Fit Tip: Use the Talk Test to Measure Your Workout's Intensity

Leta Shy — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:43:46 PDT

When you exercise, how do you know if you're pushing yourself hard enough? Try the Talk Test - it's one of the best ways to measure your workout's intensity, according to a new study.

The Talk Test measures how easy or hard it is for you to hold a conversation while exercising to gauge how intense your workout really is (similar to the Rate of Perceived Exertion scale). To test its usefulness, researchers studied healthy adults by making them recite the Pledge of Allegiance while exercising at varying intensities. Then they compared the results - whether or not it was hard for the exercisers to recite the pledge - to established intensity guidelines to see how this often-used test actually compares to more definitive measurements like heart rate and maximum oxygen consumption. Researchers found that being able to talk comfortably while exercising correlated to the lowest end of the intensity scale, while struggling to speak when exercising matched up with the high end of the intensity scale.

Confirming the effectiveness of the Talk Test means that it's a quick and easy way for you to gauge how intense your workouts are, especially if you are new to fitness. "If you are beginning an exercise program and can still talk while you're exercising, you're doing OK," says Timothy Quinn, the study's lead researcher. "But if you really want to improve, you've got to push a little bit harder."

So grab a running buddy and gab all you want, but just make sure that when you want to up the intensity you're focusing on your workout, not the latest gossip!

Fit Tip: Finding "Moderate Intensity" For You

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:15:00 PDT

The new exercise guidelines recommend getting cardio exercise at moderate intensity. The question is what is moderate intensity for you - how do you find it and measure it? Well, Dr. Margolis, over at Yahoo Health has provided three ways to determine your intensity level.

The talk test. If you can hold an amiable conversation, then you are not working in the moderate intensity zone. You need to be breathing hard to be in this zone so a normal conversation should not be possible. Run by yourself? Then try singing with your playlist and if you can belt the entire chorus, you need to pick up the pace.
The "8 to 20" scale. Imagine a scale of intensity between 8 ad 20, with 8 being barely moving (like holding your toddler's hand while he or she navigates the early stages of walking) and 20 being working as hard as 007 in the "parkour/free running" scene in Casino Royale. You want to workout at and be able to maintain intensity of around 12.
Heart rate. Moderate-intensity exercise means working between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Check out the Fit Calculator to determine your numbers. You want to be work in the Endurance Training Mode - "going the distance."

Writing about all this makes me want to go for a run or a ride! See ya later!

Source

3 Disease Cures Hiding in Your Supermarket

Prevention — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:11:10 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Yup! You can demolish these diseases with your diet.

By Molly Raisch, Prevention

Here's one thing to add to your grocery list: disease-fighting foods. A growing body of research shows that you can squash certain symptoms with what you eat. In fact, eating the right foods may be just what the doctor ordered for these ailments:

Dry Eye 
If you suffer from dry eye (you know, that annoying gritty feeling when you blink), then relief may be found in a simple cup of joe, according to researchers from the University of Tokyo's School of Medicine. Study participants were given either a caffeine supplement or a placebo, and they then had their eyes tested 45 minutes later. The results? Not a dry eye in the house for those who'd had caffeine: they produced more tears than their noncaffeinated counterparts. This could be especially good news for women, as dry eye tends to affect postmenopausal women more than any other group.  

7 Diseases That Strike Younger Than You Think

Learn more food cures after the break!

"Do I Have the Right to Be Upset?"

Tres Community — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

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

I met this dude on an online dating site, because that's what people do nowadays and also I'm shy so it provides a medium for me that's less intimidating. I create a profile and in three hours we find each other and we talk from about midnight until 6am about everything pretty much. It was so rewarding after a long dry spell of nothingness and jerks. He said things like "I'd be an idiot if I didn't ask you to hang out. It would be like sitting in gold"

Anyway, we talk for a couple more weeks before we go out to dinner. HE asked ME on the date by the way. And during dinner he was very lovely, showing off his Spanish speaking skills to the busboy gal. At one point the waiter comes over and was like "wow she's so pretty" in regards to me, and he replies "yeah don't remind me. I'm like a 6 and she's a 9/10"

So he was very kind and sweet like that the whole night, saying I looked nice and asking about my life. The sentiment was returned and we ended up talking until the restaurant closed and afterwards we took a walk and talked more and more. (we went dutch by the way for the dinner)

After this we went to his friend's house, chilled, drank and talked around a bonfire. And we also kissed. And when he drove me home he was very grabby, holding into my hand and letting me rest on his shoulder.

LITERALLY the next day he calls me and says something along the lines of "I had a good time. You're so incredibly gorgeous and cool and I want to see you again." real sweet stuff

We make plans to hang out again the following week and during the interim we texted and chatted online DAILY and Skyped. During these conversations I remember him telling me explicitly that usually when he loses interest in a girl he will stop calling or texting and that he would "never" lead me on. When he hang out again it was magical and he stayed over in my apartment and we talked and kissed until like 3am before he left. During this he's saying stuff indicative of him wanting this to work out in the long run like how he wants me to meet his best gal friend and meet the parents. He's also more sexually experienced than me and he let me know that he'd "never do anything that would make me uncomfortable" and other reassuring things. Also he never really pushed for sex at all. I mean he was genuinely really sweet.

The next day we go see a movie with his friends and that's when things turned sour because I was under the impression that it would be just him and me hanging out, so already my expectations were shattered. Also he got really drunk after the movie when we went back to his friends house and he basically ignored me the entire night because you know he wanted to drink with his bros. and this is okay but my body language showed that I was bored and uninterested and he noticed and gave me a lot of shit for it. Eventually he said he could just walk me home if I was feeling uncomfortable (at this point we are already back on my campus) and so he did. All the while he was kissing me and saying things like "after tonight I'm all yours. I'll hang out with you on Sunday, I'm all yours" and I JOKINGLY said something about him wanting to get rid of me for the night and I think that may have scared him off because he went into this drunken rant about "you know, I can't be that guy who always does what you want him to" and blah blah blah. It came outta nowhere because I was literally just kidding.

More of this reader's dilemma below.

Battleship Director Peter Berg on the Moment That Made Him Feel "Like Jay-Z" and Rihanna's Audition

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:35:14 PDT

Director Peter Berg's upcoming movie Battleship was fueled by his lifelong love of the Navy, and he managed to talk the military into granting him a few pretty major favors during filming. The biggest? Taking the USS Missouri-which has for years served a museum stationed at Pearl Harbor-out on the water for one especially memorable sequence. Getting special favors from the government was just one challenge Peter took on with the project. He also hired relative movie newcomer Brooklyn Decker and total acting novice Rihanna for two of the key roles. We talked to Peter about putting both women to the test and, during our chat, even got a surprise visit from leading man Taylor Kitsch. Check out our interview and catch Battleship in theaters on May 18.

A Cancer Survivor's Goal: 50 Triathlons by Her 50th Birthday

espnW — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:26:06 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Julia Savacool

It's a good thing Jenn Sommermann discovered triathlons when she did. "I was turning 40 years old, and my friend and I were looking for a way to commemorate the occasion," Sommermann said. "We decided to train for a triathlon." Because Sommermann was on the East Coast and her friend was on the West, the two trained together virtually, exchanging workout notes and messages of encouragement. Several months later, they competed in the Danskin Women's Tri in Seattle.

"That was it, I was in love with triathlons," Sommermann said. Little did she know, two years later the fitness she gained through the sport would help her win a battle against ovarian cancer.

It was December 2006 when Sommermann received her diagnosis. She'd been feeling out of sorts for months, but had been reluctant to see her doctor.

The symptoms for ovarian cancer are subtle: Bloating, weight gain, fatigue and indigestion are all indicators for the disease, but they are also common symptoms for many women during their monthly cycle. The main difference with ovarian cancer, explained Sommermann, is the symptoms don't go away.

It was by chance she discovered the cancer - she was pressing on her stomach one night and came across a hard lump. "I called my husband over, and he felt it, too," she said. "I knew this wasn't good." She went to see her physician immediately, and an ultrasound revealed a tumor about the size of an eggplant. "I had Stage 3 ovarian cancer," said Sommermann. "I was in shock. The disease is 94 percent curable if you catch it by Stage 2. But after that, the numbers are not in your favor."

Surfing gets Anastasia Ashley through tough times

Read more about Jen's inspiring story after the break.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Choke"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:34:07 PDT

With graduation looming for the Glee kids, a few of the characters have to do some prep for their futures this week. For Rachel and Kurt, it's their NYADA auditions, and for Puck, it's passing a test so he can graduate. While the kids get ready for their various challenges, Coach Beiste faces one of her own when we learn a revelation about her home life.

I should have known from the title that this episode would have someone failing, but I didn't expect it to have a disappointing ending for nearly every character who's highlighted. Let's go over all the bummers from "Choke" after the jump.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Dance With Somebody"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:58:57 PDT

This week's Glee kicks off with a goose-bump-inducing rendition of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" by Rachel, Mercedes, Santana, and Kurt, and it's just the beginning of an episode full of some of my favorite performances of this season. The kids are still grieving Houston's death, and Emma points out that it's partially due to the fact that they're having a rough time dealing with the impending transition of graduation. Schue suggests a Whitney-themed assignment, and we all benefit, getting some sentimental but hugely entertaining numbers.

A couple of relationships are tested, but I'm most pleasantly surprised by the blossoming of a new romance that seems to come out of nowhere. Let's talk about those moments and more after the jump.

5 Ways to Use Your Dishwasher More Efficiently

Business Insider — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:15:57 PDT

If you're not using your dishwasher efficiently, you're wasting money, energy, and water. Business Insider shares the right ways for you to use the dishwasher.

In leaner times, plenty of households boycotted energy-sucking appliances like dishwashers and went back to basics: manual scrubbers, a bottle of detergent, and a lot of elbow grease.

But is all that extra effort really helping us save in the long run?

In short, the answer is no.

That theory might have held water a few mini industrial revolutions ago, but technology has simply become so advanced that what was once considered a costly convenience has become vastly more affordable.

Cut Energy Costs This Summer by Taking a Cold Shower

In fact, research has shown hand-washing uses as much as 27 gallons of water and 2.5 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy, compared with just four gallons of water and 1.5 kWh used by a hyperefficient dishwasher.

The key word, of course, is "hyperefficient." Upgrading your home appliances to any of today's energy-efficient models could be one of the wisest ways to cut back on utility bills, especially for larger households. According to the EPA, choosing an Energy Star-rated dishwasher could shave as much as $40 off your utility bills and save 5,000 gallons of water.

Here's how to use your dishwasher right:

Never run a partial load. Fill that sucker to the max and only use those "intense" cycle settings if you really need them. They'll use far more energy and water than the normal settings.

Shop for soap wisely. Dishwasher detergents can contain harmful phosphates - chemicals that seep into the water system and hurt aquatic life after they've made their rounds in wastewater treatment plants. Search for phosphate-free brands (they shouldn't be hard to find, as many states have banned them from detergents anyway).

Read on for more.

Jennifer Lawrence Shows Off Her Archery Skills on Silly El Hormiguero

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:49:00 PDT

Jennifer Lawrence donned Victoria Beckham to stop by Spanish TV show El Hormiguero today. The talk show is well known for putting stars in silly situations, and Jennifer's experience was no different. The hosts had Jennifer juggle a watermelon and even pose with action figures based on The Hunger Games characters. The blockbuster big-screen adaptation of the book is still doing well in theaters, but Jennifer is already looking ahead to her new slate of projects.

We recently got a first look at her in character on the set of Selena, a 1920s period film in which she stars as Bradley Cooper's young wife, and she'll try her hand at horror when The House at the End of the Street hits theaters in September. Of course, she'll also be returning to her role as Katniss Everdeen when Catching Fire begins filming. During her stop by El Hormiguero today, Jennifer even put some of her Katniss skills to the test when she was asked to shoot a bow and arrow. Check out our gallery of celebs on El Hormiguero to see even more of the famous faces who have appeared on the show!