FitSugar

Small Steps For Big Losses

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:00:00 -0700

If you think about your weight loss goals as a series of small changes, the prospect of adding healthy habits to your life doesn't seem so daunting. Losing weight the healthy way takes time and commitment, since you shouldn't lose more than two pounds a week. The more slowly you lose the weight, the more likely you are to keep it off, and to do so you need to lead a healthy lifestyle. Shape magazine has come up with five simple changes you can make to your life to help you drop pounds, keep them off, and live in the healthy zone. No need to tackle all these lifestyle tweaks at once. Pick one habit and focus on that one for a month, and at the end of four weeks it should be truly integrated into your life.

The first change is simple: drink more water. A wonderful zero-calorie beverage, water can make you feel full, allowing you to eat less. Signs of mild dehydration are often confused with hunger, leading people to eat when they should be sipping. Check out the other four changes in this article: Make One Change and Lose Weight.

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Gear Review: Clear2Go Water Bottle With Filter

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:56 -0800

I've been carrying a reusable water bottle with me for years now, filling up on tap water as needed. Well, portable water just got a little cleaner with the Clear2Go water bottle ($16). It's your standard water bottle with a squeeze top made for cycling, but it comes with its very own water filter. The filter adds a little weight to the bottle, but it filters out 99.9 percent of microbial cysts (cryptosporidium and giardia), reduces the chlorine taste of water, and reduces lead and mercury. Using trickle down technology developed originally by NASA, one filter lasts for 100 gallons, or 533 refills - keeping an estimated 757 plastic bottles out of landfills. Replacement filters are available in two packs and cost $13.

Lance Armstrong is a fan of these eco and health friendly reusable bottles, and if you become of fan of Clear2Go on Facebook you can enter to win a bike ride with the seven-time winner of the Tour de France. You can purchase your mobile filtration system directly from Clear2Go. They make great holiday gifts and would definitely get you well on your way to filling a loved one's stocking.

Are the Kardashians' QuickTrim Diet Products Quackery?

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:50:02 -0800

A very pregnant Kourtney Kardashian is having a hard time accepting her baby weight. Slim sis Kim says that "Kourtney is going crazy. She feels so big right now. She's just ready to have the baby." According to Us Weekly, sisters Kim and Khloe are both dieting with their QuickTrim diet products and expectant mom Kourtney is jealous because she sees how they're both losing weight.

I've got to admit that I'm sick of hearing about the Kardashians, and now they're promoting this diet product and proving that it works. Ever wonder what it is exactly, or if it's even healthy? My gut says it's not, so I decided to check out the website to see what I could dig up. Here's what I found: QuickTrim Fast Cleanse ($30) is a "lemonade flavored drink designed to help rid the body of excess water weight, belly bloating, and intestinal bulk." So are you supposed to drink these magic citrus beverages all day and that's it?

To hear more about QuickTrim and what the ingredients are, read more.

The Fast Cleanse drink I just described is one product made by QuickTrim. It contains many ingredients including pure lemon juice concentrate, chicory root (fiber), and aloe vera gel. Although it's made with natural ingredients, detoxing your body isn't necessary.

QuickTrim makes two other diet supplements, but these are in tablet form: Extreme Burn ($50) and Burn & Cleanse ($60). Extreme Burn claims to burn up to 8,000 extra calories per month. Burn & Cleanse is a 14-day diet system that promises to burn calories all day, and cleanse and detox you all night. They're made with ingredients such as cocoa extract, acai fruit extract, hyssop, false unicorn root, and green tea leaf extract. Sounds like a witch's potion to me. But at least you're instructed to take these tablets between meals, not in place of them.

These pills are supposed to stimulate your metabolism, maintain your blood sugar levels, burn fat and calories, and contain antioxidants to promote a happy mood. Safety-wise, QuickTrim products are not FDA-approved, so I'd skip them completely and save your moolah to buy things you know will help shed pounds, like a gym membership or fresh fruits and veggies. If you're trying to lose weight, don't fall for this quick-fix diet scam. As I've said before, the safest and most effective way to slim down is with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

How Mo' Nique Lost the Weight and Why Some Don't Like It

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:47 -0800

Everywhere I look lately I'm seeing comedienne Mo'Nique. She's got a new late-night talk show on BET, is making the talk show rounds, and is creating some serious Oscar buzz for her standout performance as an abusive mother in Precious. Oh, and also, she's about 50 lbs. lighter.

The stand-up comic has spent a career embracing her big girl status, often telling fans: bigger is better. But on a recent appearance on the Oprah show Mo'Nique shared that slimming down was a matter of life and death.

In 2006, at 262 lbs, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and doctors warned that she was on a fast track to a short life. In late 2007, Mo'Nique made the decision to lose the weight. A decision, she says, that has alienated some of her fans who looked to her as a symbol that being big is OK. She still thinks that being big is beautiful, but says that being healthy and alive is even better.

To hear how Mo'Nique lost the weight, read more.

Mo'Nique shared with People that her plan is to lose a total of 65 lbs. and is about 20 lbs. away from reaching her goal. The main focus was to change her eating habits - she's cut out junk food like cake, cookies, and chips, and instead of red meat and fried foods, she eats fresh fish and drinks a gallon of water each day. She also hired trainer Erica Sammy to whip her into shape. They hit the gym together on weekday mornings doing a combination workout of cardio, stretching, and weight training.

Fact or Fiction: Health Myths

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:50:39 -0700

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? And do you need all that water? With myths and old wives' tales sounding more like bona fide medical advice, knowing how to take care of yourself can be plain confusing. Do you know which of these accepted words of wisdom make real health sense? Take my quiz to find out.

Take the quiz

Hike the Hill: Preventing Knee Pain

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:28 -0700

Fall is the perfect time to hike. There's a cool breeze, the fallen leaves make the trail even softer, and once you reach the pinnacle, you'll be amazed at the gorgeous foliage across the horizon. I love to try out new mountain trails, but find that the steep inclines and declines can be really hard on my knees. If this sounds familiar, don't let achy knees keep you off the trail. Here are some ways you can prevent pain to these joints.

Make sure your footwear is supportive. Sneakers provide cushioning, but they won't stabilize your ankles, which can also help to prevent your knees from turning out. So wear trail runners or hiking shoes that go over your ankle.
Invest in a pair of trekking poles. They look like ski poles, and when you use them to help you ascend and descend, they take some of the weight and work out of your lower body, and share it with your arms and back. So not only will you get more of a total body workout, but it's less demanding on your knees.
Go easy on the gear. Even though a little pack may not add a ton of extra weight, downward force on your knees can reach eight times the weight applied, so even five extra pounds can add 40 pounds of pressure to your knee joints. For a day hike all you need is water, some food, an extra layer, and your cell phone. If you have to bring along more, ask a helpful friend to carry it in their pack.

For more great tips, keep reading

Is Running While Pregnant Safe?

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:52 -0700

It's not every day that you see a pregnant woman going for a run, like Miss Kourtney Kardashian here. On her hour-long jog, I'm sure she got some stares and whispers. Not just because she's famous, but because she's got a big bun in the oven. They're probably wondering, is this safe for her baby, and safe for mom?

Regular exercise is encouraged by doctors for those expecting, because it can help a woman stay healthy, and alleviate some of the discomforts like stiffness, back pain, leg cramping, or constipation. Working out can also prevent unnecessary weight gain, relieve stress, and get a woman ready to endure the physical challenges of labor.

With that said, there are some guidelines a pregnant woman should follow when working out.

Don't make any big changes to your exercise program once you become pregnant. If you were running regularly before you conceived, then it's safe to keep it up, as long as it feels good and you don't overdo it. If you want to start a new type of exercise, talk to your doc first.
Be OK with modifying your routine, especially as your pregnancy progresses. If you used to run four miles a day, you may find that you'll need to cut down in the beginning of your pregnancy. And once you're in the end of your second trimester, or third, walking may be best.
Don't do any types of exercise that put you or the baby at risk, like extreme sports that require balance, speed, or could result in you falling. Your doctor will probably recommend you save the surfing, skiing, horseback riding, biking outdoors, and rock climbing for after delivery.

For the rest keep reading

How to Avoid Germs at the Gym

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

The cold temps are moving in and it's that time of year for colds and the flu. To prevent getting the sniffles, sore throat, and achiness, you've got to avoid the germs. It's not enough to watch out for germy places in your home. You've also got to beware of places that are shared by tons of people, and for FitSugar readers, that means the gym. Yours may seem neat and clean, but that doesn't mean it's germ-free. So here are some ways to avoid the invisible creepy crawlies that can make you sick.

Spray down all equipment before you use it with disinfectant spray. It may be a rule at your gym that you have to clean equipment after you use it, but who knows if the person before you remembered, or how thorough they were. Wipe down everything you touch including handles on weight machines and dumbbells, yoga balls, and buttons on the displays.
Purchase your own mat for yoga, Pilates, or strength training. They're sweat on by many, and rarely get washed.
If you're a major germaphobe, pack along other equipment like weights and resistance bands.
Bring your own towel from home to wipe off your sweat or to use after you shower. The gym towels are supposedly clean, but you never know.

For more tips on avoiding gym germs read more.

Refrain from touching your mouth, nose or eyes while working out.
Wash your hands often, or use hand sanitizer.
Keep a towel between you and the seat in the sauna.
Fill up a reusable water bottle at home, and bring it to the gym. Germs can pass easily from a person's mouth, to their water bottle, then to the fountain tap and back to another bottle, and to another person's mouth, if people hold their bottles against the tap when filling them. Gross.
Shower immediately after working out to get rid of germs. If you can't, be sure to wash your hands and face, place your sweaty clothes in a plastic bag, and put on a clean outfit.
Wear flip-flops in the shower to avoid picking up athlete's foot.

Swimming For Weight Loss?

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:30:25 -0700

Swimming has gotten a bad rap as an exercise for weight loss. Unlike running, which curbs your appetite, swimming seems to increase it.

Studies comparing swimming with walking and cycling weight-loss programs found that swimmers gained five pounds on average, while the other two groups lost between 17 and 19 pounds. The culprit seems to be the increased appetite that follows working out in water, since swimming lowers your body temp and the body crave calories to help heat it back up. Plus the swimmers weight gain could be attributed to an increase in lean muscle mass, which would have changed their body composition without weight loss.

See how I think you can make swimming part of your weight-loss plan, when you read more.
If you are swimming for weight loss, I don't believe you should give up on the pool entirely - swimming is a great full-body exercise. I do think you should add some cardio training on land. I am a firm believer in cross-training, so adding strength training and walking or running will help burn calories as well as build bone density, which is another benefit of weight-bearing exercises that you miss out on when swimming. When you do finish a swim workout, take a sauna, a steam, hot tub, or a hot shower to help heat your body. Also try sipping on some hot herbal tea as a post-workout drink.

D-Mix Energy Elixir: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:54 -0700

There's a ton of energy boosting stuff out there - drinks, bars, gels, and chews, to name a few. Now there's D-Mix, an energy elixir that tries to set itself apart by billing itself as the "world's first customizable energy elixir." D-Mix comes in coffee and mint flavors and is a concentrated liquid serum, which, according to the website, you can pump into just about anything. They even provide non-alcoholic cocktail recipes that they think D-Mix will complement.

Each one-ounce bottle of D-Mix contains:

400 mg of energy (caffeine and guarana)
14 vitamins and minerals
5,000 mg of antioxidants
50,000 percent of vitamin B12
21 amino acids
23 fruits and herbs including acai and goji berries

We tried the mixes in our office, first on their own and then in water. Given all the stuff they're made of, I was surprised they weren't too medicinal tasting. Instead, they were similar to children's chewable vitamins, but with a fake-sugar aftertaste that sits on your tongue for a while. I think if diluted enough you'd probably not taste much of the flavor at all.

There's a little chart on the back of the bottle for the amount of liquid you should pump into your drink depending on your weight, but the idea is you can take in as little or as much as you want depending on your needs.

I can see how this product might take off, since the needs of a six-foot-tall bodybuilder are probably different than my own. But the slick marketing campaign and flashy packaging has me wondering if this is bad media hype. Would you use D-Mix?