FitSugar

FitSugar Readers Name Their Top 5 Yoga Poses

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:50:00 PDT

Last week I asked you to tell me what your favorite yoga pose is, and even though the results varied, a few poses were mentioned over and over. Keep reading to see what poses FitSugar readers love most, and make sure to click through to the end to see what the all-time favorite pose is.

Jennifer Aniston's Favorite Yoga Poses Are . . .

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:00 PST

I'm really happy that yoga is gaining in popularity these days, because it's so good for everybody. Whether you're training for a marathon, recovering from an injury, dealing with chronic back pain, are pregnant, or just need to de-stress, the ancient practice of yoga can help. Apparently it's also good for celebs too. Madonna, Brooke Shields, Adam Levine, Drew Barrymore, and Naomi Watts are all into practicing yoga.

So is Jennifer Aniston. When asked about her favorite yoga poses, Jennifer said in a recent interview with People, "I'm so terrible with names . . . Child pose. And it's a mix between that and Tree pose. [Tree] has good balance and I like how it feels."

These two poses are basic poses you'd learn in a beginner yoga class, but they're poses that you'll continue to do until you're an experienced yogi. To find out the benefits of these tranquil poses

Strike a Yoga Pose: Tree

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PST

When most people think of yoga, they imagine someone in Lotus pose or this pose called Tree. This pose is all about challenging your sense of balance, but it also promotes good posture and opens your hips.

Sanskrit Name: Vrksasana
English Translation: Tree Pose

Want to know my trick for staying in this pose? Then

read more When doing this pose, it's important that you wear pants and not shorts, since the sole of your foot will end up sliding down your bare leg.

To get into this pose, stand with your feet together. Put all your weight into your left foot and lift your right foot off the ground.
Grab onto your right ankle with your right hand, flex your foot and place your heel as far up your leg as possible with your toes pointing down. Place your foot wherever it feels comfortable. It's OK to rest it on your knee if that's as high as your right foot will go.
To keep your right foot planted, actively press your left leg against the sole of your right foot, and at the same time, press the sole of your right foot against your left leg. These two opposing forces will help to prevent your right foot from slipping down. Also draw your right knee back to open your hip. This also keeps your right foot in place.
Press your palms together in front of your heart, and if it feels OK raise your arms straight over your head. Gaze softly at a still point in front of you to help you stay balanced.
Keep your spine nice and long and tuck in your tailbone. Focus on keeping your belly still and breathing into your ribs. Stay here for five or more breaths and then do the other side.

Fit's Tips: Is this pose super easy for you? Try doing it with your eyes closed.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Tree

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:35:00 PST

This pose works mostly on your balance, without putting too much strain on your muscles.

Let's give it a try:

Stand tall, with your feet together, arms by your side (mountain pose)
Put all your weight in your left foot, and bend your right knee
Using your hands, place the sole of your right foot against your left inner thigh. If that is too much for your knee...Just place your foot lower down on your left leg.
Stay here, or work on lifting your arms above your head.
Gazing at eye level in front of you, take 5 deep breaths - then try the other side.

Fit's Challenge: Try looking up towards your hands which can be tough without falling over. Timbeeeeeerrr!!!!

Source

50 Geeky Date Ideas For Valentine's Day (and Beyond)

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:10 PST

Coming up short for Valentine's Day date ideas? If you and your sweetheart are more of the geeky persuasion, simply hitting up an overpriced restaurant just won't cut it. We brainstormed 50 date ideas that incorporate science, tech, and video games, for a special Valentine's eve. But don't limit yourself - tackle these date ideas all year!

Bundle up, pack a dinner picnic, and head to the park for some stargazing.
Watch Contact (for the millionth time).
Go to a science museum.
Hit the natural history museum and check out your favorite dino bones.
Go retro - grab a roll of quarters, a slice or two, and hit the pizza parlor arcade.
Build your own planetarium with glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Catch up with the Doctor Who craze by watching the series from the beginning.
Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Visit Nerdy Day Trips and find geeky stuff to do near you.
Go to the planetarium.
Take a dream vacay to the Hobbit Hotel in New Zealand.
Spend a few romantic nights in the Hobbit House of Montana.
Visit the actual Lord of the Rings movie set.
Travel to the Chott el Djerid salt lakes in Tunisia, which were transformed into Luke Skywalker's home on Tatooine.

See the rest of the list after the break!

Drew Barrymore Goes Bright to Talk "Pushing 40" and Her "Positive" Relationship

Lauren Turner — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:41:31 PST

Drew Barrymore posed in a crisp white dress for the cover of InStyle's February issue, which hits newsstands this Friday. She's promoting her new movie, Big Miracle, and sharing excitement about the project with her fans in our latest I'm a Huge Fan contest - enter for a chance to meet Drew! Press for the big-screen release will be even sweeter since Drew is also celebrating her recent engagement to Will Kopelman. She opened up about her happy relationship, growing up, and aging gracefully in the publication. Here's more from Drew Barrymore in InStyle:

On growing up: "I’m pushing 40. I feel like those things that I always aspired to are finally being realized. I used to be afraid to let go of the intensity. I thought the work would suffer. But the lesson is, No, it’s still good, and I’m a lot happier-and less of a nervous kid."
On her fiancé Will: "He’s lovely. He’s very, very nice. It’s really positive. I’m super-happy… We go on group trips and spend holidays together - there’s a lot of love! And that is really nice and very different from the way I grew up, which was more unstable and inconsistent, with a lot of highs and lows. It’s funny, when I was younger, I used to say I’d hate a flat line-that I want the ups and downs, the rollercoaster. But I’m actually really enjoying the flat line."
On avoiding plastic surgery: "I say, don’t fight the rings on the trunk of a tree. Just keep counting ‘em. The idea of not looking like myself scares me. I just think a person’s character is what’s interesting… I look 10 times better after an exercise class than I do at any other time of the day."

6 Mistakes You're Making on Your Yoga Mat

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:07:07 PST

Yoga is supposed to be all about serenity and bliss, but there's no way you'll feel relaxed and at peace with the world if you're making these major no-nos on the mat.

Not connecting breath with movements: For every movement in your yoga practice, there is a breath pattern that goes along with it. For example, to start a Sun Salutation, you inhale to raise your arms up, and exhale to fold forward. Connecting your breath to your movements gives your yoga practice a sense of fluidity. This not only helps create a sense of calm, but the breath keeps you mindful, focused, and aware of each movement, which can help prevent injuries and improve balance.
Keeping your belly soft: Proper breathing in yoga involves bringing your breath into your chest, feeling your ribs expand and deflate with each breath. You can do this by drawing your navel in toward your spine and keeping your abs engaged, so when you inhale, you see your chest fill up rather than your belly. Aside from helping you breathe properly (which will help you with the first no-no), keeping your belly engaged also protects your lower back, which can prevent pain or injury.
Tensing when unnecessary: Clenched toes, scrunched shoulders (as shown above), and white knuckles aren't exactly the picture of relaxation, are they? I realize some challenging poses takes every ounce of strength and attention to hold for five breaths, but make sure to constantly scan your body for unnecessary areas of tightness. Make a conscious effort to relax the muscles that don't need to be working overtime.

Continue reading to find out what else you're doing wrong on your yoga mat.

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren Pick Up a Christmas Tree With Haven and Honor

Lauren Turner — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:45:24 PST

Jessica Alba held on tight to her youngest daughter Haven during a fun outing on Saturday. Jessica, Cash Warren, Haven, and Honor visited West Hollywood's Mr. Greentrees lot to pick up their Christmas tree. The foursome is just one of many celebrity families getting into the holiday spirit and they have an extra special season ahead of them since it's Haven's first. The 4-month-old might be too young to visit Santa Claus, since she didn't join Jessica and Honor when they posed for pictures with the big guy last week.

Jessica is not only prepping for the upcoming festivities, but she's also working on her new line of eco-friendly baby products. She twittered photos from The Honest Company factory last week and also shared a look at a few of the items in her own kitchen.

How to Have an Old-Fashioned, Fun, and Frugal Christmas

LearnVest — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:15:49 PST

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

Ray-Bans aren't the only piece of the past worth revisiting.

There are also old-school photos, discreetly boozy drinks and Judy Garland. Let's go ahead and combine all three: It's Retro Christmas.

This year, we're planning to enjoy what we call "Retro Christmas": A return to holidays past, when the season was about togetherness rather than excess gifts, affection rather than perfection.

Although scaling down our celebrations means spending less money, that's not the point.

We’ve put together our plan for making this year special . . . and focused on elegance, simplicity and genuine holiday spirit. In the end, our goal is to spend time with the people we care about. Of course, while we call this "Retro Christmas," you can adjust most of our tips for whatever winter holidays you celebrate (except maybe for our advice on ornamenting your tree).

Here's to Christmas in sepia!

Gift as a Group

To make gift-giving as meaningful as possible, concentrate on quality rather than quantity. So, instead of buying something just because you need to get a gift, get one that you know will be cherished, even if that means going in with a group of family or friends.

One easy aid is Share a Gift, a website that allows people to make donations toward a communal gift. It uses PayPal and organizes money better than the usual cash collection.

Read on for more tips for a retro Christmas.

SJP Talks Holiday Wrapping Madness and Matthew Broderick's Childlike Love of Christmas

Lauren Turner — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:20:32 PST

Sarah Jessica Parker sat down on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to chat up the ensemble comedy, New Year's Eve, last night. Talk turned from SJP's big-screen holiday film to her own family's Christmas plans. She admitted to being the resident gift wrapper in the household and said that her husband, Matthew Broderick, prefers to just hide presents inside of cooking pots and leave them under the tree.

New Year's Eve comes out on Friday and SJP is just one of the many stars promoting the film. The rest of the cast got together on Monday for the premiere in LA, where Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michele flirted on the red carpet. Josh Duhamel and Fergie posed together as did Katherine Heigl and her husband Josh Kelley. Sofia Vergara was on hand in a sexy black dress while Michelle Pfeiffer stopped for pictures with Zac Efron.

Child's Pose is one of my favorites too because it's so relaxing. Lowering your head below your heart has this calming effect on your mind, and it's a great pose to do if you're feeling stressed or tired. Child's Pose is recommended for people with lower back pain. It's also the perfect pose to do in a yoga class if your arms need a break, or if you feel your breathing becoming too erratic.
Tree is a wonderful balancing pose because it doesn't require a ton of muscular strength. When your bent leg is resting on the inner thigh of your straight leg, it's actually quite stable. So you can stay in this position for a while, just breathing and feeling your connection with the ground.