FitSugar

Enjoy Your Travels: Adjust to Time Change

FitSugar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:30:00 -0700

One of the hardest things about traveling over the holidays is adjusting to the time change (if your travels require one). The key to feeling good is to get adjusted to the new time zone quickly. One thing I suggest is to set your watch (to the new time) on the airplane before you take off (from your origin). This way you'll start to adjust to the time change well in advance.

If you're always saying, "Well sure it's 9 am here, but where I live, it's only 6am. No wonder I'm so tired...," your brain is going to have a hard time adjusting -- Especially since you keep reminding it of how offset things are. Instead of focusing on the time, focus your energy on eating healthy, exercising and relaxing.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Don't Eliminate, Elaborate!

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0800

When approaching health and fitness, many of us have the mentality that less is more. While this may be a healthy perspective to avoid overeating and practice portion control, a restrictive diet can wreak havoc on your mood and leave you wondering whether there’s anything out there you can eat. Instead, alter your state of mind: rather than thinking about what foods to cut out, start to think of your daily menu as a chance to add great-tasting, healthy options. Challenge yourself to make the most of your mealtime and see just how many creative and good-for-you foods you can include in your daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine.

To get creative, I like to take a cue from vegan menus. Let me start by saying that I am not vegan. I love poultry and seafood, but each time I decide to dine vegan, I’m always amazed by the variety on the menu. Every item is loaded with healthful, delicious ingredients that remind me to think outside the box the next time I’m planning a meal.

To get creative meal ideas, just read more.

Craving lasagna or a baked potato? Don’t deprive yourself these treats, simply reimagine them and treat yourself to a healthier version. An eggplant stacks is a great alternative to cheesy lasagna, and using fresh herbs, crumbled tofu, and fresh red pepper means it’s loaded with bold flavors and good-for-you ingredients. A baked sweet potato is another great option – and a great way to satisfy your craving for starch. Plus they are one of the healthiest vegetables around, since they contain vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and fewer calories than your regular potatoes. Even small changes like these can be big steps toward a healthier attitude and a healthier you.

To get creative ideas from your fellow FitSugar readers, check out their healthy food swap ideas.

What Time Do You Like to Train?

Fit Community — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:47:21 -0800

Jennsteria wants to know what time of day you choose to train, and posted this poll to our RunningSugar community group:

I used to be a hardcore 5am up and at 'em runner. It was most convenient for my work schedule at the time and when my training runs got longer, I was able to fit them in during the day and still lead a normal life. Nowadays I've been favoring the end of day runs along the beach to catch the sunset (also the time change/weather have played a part in this). I've been trying to get back to my early morning training . . . it's a work in progress. Do you label yourself a morning or late night runner? Or are you all over the map like I am right now?

Have any questions or stories about running that you want to share? Join our Running community group and join the conversation! If you're not a runner, be sure to take a look at our other community groups - there's something for everyone.

Weigh In: Flirtatious Guy at the Gym

FitSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:00:02 -0800

This FitSugar reader needs some advice about an overly friendly guy at her gym.

Dear Fit,
I joined a gym last Winter because my New Year's resolution was to lose 40 pounds. I'm halfway to my goal, and am really proud of myself. I definitely notice a big change when I try on clothes or look in the mirror, and it seems there's a guy at my gym who has noticed too. I've been heading to the gym after work three times a week for the past 10 months, and recently this guy I've seen ever since I joined has been approaching me. He compliments me, saying things like, "looking good today," or "your arms look really ripped in that tank top." Don't get me wrong - the attention is actually really nice since I never had anything like that when I was heavier, but it's a little creepy. I'm not attracted to this guy at all, and it kind of pisses me off that as soon as I lose weight, I'm worth the friendly smiles and sweet words. Really, I'm at the gym for one purpose only, so how can I get this guy off my back without seeming like a total bitch?
-Annoyed Annie

If you have any experience with this or any suggestions, please share them below.

Tyra Gets a Nutritionist to Get Her Shape in Shape

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:17 -0800

You may already know that Tyra's made a lifestyle change, thanks to a little healthy competition with her girlfriends that began last January. While being more active and committing herself to regular cardio sessions certainly helped her tone up, an episode of Tyra's show this week reveals that her slim-down is in large part due to working with a nutritionist and drastically changing her eating habits. With recent studies debating that weight loss has less to do with exercise, and is more about food, Tyra's revelation seems a timely bit of healthy advice.

Overall, I'm totally impressed with Tyra's take on getting fit - proclaiming the episode "Get Your Shape in Shape," she emphasizes the focus on individual body type, rather than on being skinny, and offers constructive tips for shaping up your shape - like making a decision to get healthy for yourself and keeping a food journal to monitor what you're eating.

A true believer in the power of food, Tyra also claims that new eating habits put and end to her "stomach attacks," which she suffered from since she was 10, and reveals that her weight loss is 80 percent attributable to diet and 20 percent attributable to exercise - she didn't even hire a personal trainer. Are you a believer yet?

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Why Exercise Won't Help You Lose Weight . . . Sort Of

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:36 -0800

There have been a lot of reports in the last year confirming that contrary to popular belief, not all exercise leads to significant weight loss. If you want to shed pounds, it mostly comes down to diet. It’s no surprise that changing your diet can help you lose weight, but for decades, many people believed that exercise was the best pathway to a slimmer, fitter you.

Today the New York Times added to the news that exercise doesn’t significantly aid in weight loss by reporting the results of an exercise and obesity study. The study followed a group of 58 obese individual who underwent three months of supervised aerobic activity but didn’t change their diets at all. And while the group lost an average of seven pounds, many participants barely lost three.

I admit that when all of these studies started coming up I was a little shocked, but it turns out that high intensity workouts mainly burn carbs, not just fat.

To hear what type of exercise may maximize fat loss, read more.

The article explains: "'The message of our work is really simple,' although not agreeable to hear, said Edward Melanson, PhD, the lead author of the study. 'It all comes down to energy balance,' or, as you might have guessed, calories in and calories out. People 'are only burning 200 or 300 calories' in a typical 30-minute exercise session, Melanson points out. 'You replace that with one bottle of Gatorade.'"

Fat loss can be maximized, but it’s a matter of how you approach your workout. To do this, work out at a lower intensity in your fat-burning zone, which is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For most people this zone falls between 105-134 beats per minute. Melanson’s study also found that once weight is lost from reduced calorie intake, exercise might prevent it from coming back by resetting metabolic pathways that stop the body from wanting to store fat.

The research is interesting, but should not dissuade any of us from our fitness goals. The benefits of exercise reach far beyond weight loss - it helps the brain function better, reduces stress, creates a toned body, and is important for healthy heart function.

Safety Steps: Running in the Dark

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:30:53 -0800

The end of daylight saving time means that many of us will be running in the dark. For safety reasons, try going on a morning run instead. Wake up at the same time you did during DST and use that "extra" hour for an outdoor run.

If running at night is unavoidable, make sure to follow these tips to protect yourself in the dark:

Make sure others can see you. Make yourself visible to drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and other runners by wearing bright colors and reflective gear. For extra caution, wear a headlamp or attach blinking bike lights to your clothing.
Run in familiar, well-lit areas. Running a familiar route may protect you from unseen bumps or potholes. To ensure a clear running path, find an area that is lit by streetlamps or hit up an outdoor track.
Be aware. Because running at night cuts down on your line of sight, you want to make sure you can hear clearly - run without an iPod, MP3 player, or Walkman. Make eye contact to alert those around you of your presence. This is especially important to do with drivers when you're crossing the street.

For more safety tips, read more.

Carry a cell phone and ID. Keep a cell phone with you in the event of an emergency, and always carry identification in case you sustain an injury.
Run with a buddy. There's safety in numbers, so always try and run with a buddy. You'll be more visible and can rely on one another if something goes wrong. If you do run alone, make sure to tell someone the route you're running and around what time you'll be back.
Run against traffic. You have a better chance of seeing cars and drivers have a better chance of seeing you.
Change up your routine. Run a few different routes and at different times through the week. Potential attackers may catch on to routines.

Do you have any running tips to share? Join our RunningSugar community and be part of the conversation.

Powerhouse Hit the Deck Workout System

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:17 -0800

Powerhouse Hit the Deck ($20) is a new workout system that you can do "anywhere, anytime, with no fitness equipment needed." It's made up of 35 color-coded cards and an interval timer. Each card has a strength/cardio exercise on it, and its color denotes the exercise's level of difficulty. The levels are broken down in a cute way - no sweat (easy), I'm glistening (medium), and sweating buckets (hard) - and there are five warmup/cooldown cards too.

Using the Powerhouse deck is pretty simple:

Set the interval timer to how long you want to do an individual exercise - I set mine to 30-second intervals.
Always start each workout by drawing the yellow cards; these are the warmup exercises.
Read over the first card, hit the timer, and do as many repetitions of the exercise on the card as possible until the timer beeps.
Stop the timer, draw the next card and repeat.
After getting through the warmup exercises, draw from the rest of the deck and continue the process for as long as you like.

To see what I thought of the system, read more.

I liked the Powerhouse deck and thought it was a great cross-training workout. There are all sorts of variations you can do to change it up: go totally random and draw cards regardless of difficulty, keep your workout limited to one difficulty level, or build on difficulty as the workout progresses. You can also decide how much time you want to spend on your workout by pulling a certain number of cards before you begin. I liked shuffling the cards I pulled before starting so that my workout would always be a complete surprise.

The pace of the workout is a lot like the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD, but the drawback is you don't have Jillian's motivation or anyone there to explain proper form. Given that it's just you and a deck of cards, you really have to rely on yourself for motivation. Also, you have to make sure you're following the cards as closely as possible so you don't injure yourself.

Though I wouldn't use the deck in place of my gym or even a workout DVD, this is a great set to have for traveling or if you need a quick way to relieve some stress.

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Dealing With the End of Daylight Saving

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:47:19 -0800

Although sleep experts believe "falling back" and gaining an hour in Autumn is easier than losing an hour in Spring, it will still take your body a few days to acclimate to the time change. Here are a few tips on how to keep the change from adversely affecting your sleep habits:

As much as it may seem like a good idea, avoid drinking extra caffeine for a few days after the time shift.
Similar to avoiding that extra cup of joe, you should avoid taking a nap. Napping can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at the proper bedtime.
Catch early morning rays. This could be with a run or just basking in the sunlight through a window.
Don't get behind the wheel if you're feeling sleepy. Driving and dozing is a dangerous thing.

Celebrate Daylight Saving Time With a Morning Workout

FitSugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:30:05 -0700

It's that time of year again, where we "fall back," and turn our clocks back one hour. I love gaining an extra hour this one time of the year, so make the most of it. Don't just go through your day as usual, because you'll never even realize you received that extra 60 minutes.

Since most people complain that they don't have time to exercise, my advice is to get up in the morning when you normally do, and spend your freebie hour working out. It's a great habit to get into, especially if you love exercising outdoors. Mornings will be brighter, so it's safer to exercise before work, since it'll most likely be dark by the time you get home. Here are some ways to sweat it out for an hour:

Call a friend and go on a long, brisk walk. You'll burn 236 calories.
Pick up the pace and go on a relaxing run. An hour burns 473 calories.
Hit a mountain trail. An hour-long hike burns 355 calories.
Hop on your bike and tour a new spot in your neighborhood. After an hour, you'll have burned 473 calories.
Do a strength-training session and burn 177 calories after an hour.
Take a heart-pumping cardio class at your gym. You'll burn an astounding 414 calories.

Don't forget to change your clocks before you go to bed tonight. Daylight saving time officially ends at 2 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 1. Enjoy your hour!