FitSugar

Weekend Watching: Enlighten Up

FitSugar — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:00:00 PDT

Is the healing power of yoga universal? Does the daily practice of asana lead to physical and metaphysical transformations? The newly released documentary Enlighten Up seeks to answer these questions and many more in less than 90 minutes. Filmmaker Kate Churchill follows her yoga skeptic subject, former journalist Nick Rosen, as he seeks the true understanding of yoga. We watch as Rosen experiences the full spectrum of yoga. He takes class with Diamond Dallas Page, the creator of Yoga for Regular Guys, a former professional wrestler whose tag line is "Some T and A, with your namaste." Rosen has an audience with yoga elder B.K.S. Iyengar and Ashtanga guru Pattabhi Jois.

When Churchill follows her subject to India, as their expectations begin to crumble emotions begin to run high creating a new meaning for "hot yoga." Both the yogi and the asana novice will find this movie interesting and entertaining; I sure did. Enlighten Up will be playing in theaters across the country this Spring and here is a list of cities and dates.

Check out the trailer for the film when you

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Weekend Watching: Super-Skinny Me, the Race to Size Zero

FitSugar — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:00:00 PST

These days, so many activities are described as extreme, and unfortunately dieting is not exempt from this categorization. Two British journalists decided to explore the realities of extreme dieting by subjecting themselves to the techniques used by celebs, and they captured the highlights of their journey (or demise) on film for the BBC documentary Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero.

To read what this fascinating documentary is all about, just

The hour long program is the conceptual inverse of Super Size Me, instead of eating and eating these women diet, fast, and exercise, exercise, exercise. These women work so very hard to drop enough weight to fit into UK size zero, the equivalent of a US size four, and they have six weeks to reach their super-skinny goal. They try the Master Cleanse (aka lemonade diet), protein shakes, watercress soup with nothing else, and colonics (the scene is actually quite graphic and very unglamorous). This extreme relationship to food truly disrupts their lives and relationships, and one becomes borderline bulimic; although, I do believe the supervising physician does a good job of intervening.

Even more interesting than the actual dieting is the epilogue of the show when we catch up with the journalists two weeks and five weeks after their experiment is over. The pounds return quickly for one woman, perfectly illustrating the dangers of yo-yo dieting and the other journalist is still wrestling with her food issues. It is so sad to see.

This hour-long program really hammers home how unhealthy, both mentally and physically, extreme dieting truly is. I do fear some women will still find the final super-skinny results appealing and block out the dangers of this type of dieting.

This program is fascinating and totally worth an hour of your time. It airs tonight, Dec. 2, on BBC America at 10:00 p.m. EST/PST. Watch it and let me know what you think.

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Weekend Watching: How to Cook Your Life

FitSugar — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 02:30:00 PDT

The soulful combination of Zen Buddhism and the art of cooking has been captured on film in the new documentary How to Cook Your Life by Doris Dörrie. She follows Zen chef Edward Espe Brown as he creates fabulous food trying to live by the Zen precepts. He can be impatient and is filmed cursing an unruly bottle of olive oil. So heartening to know that the master chefs have issues too-I love that he laughs a lot, and often at himself.

Brown, author of Tassajara Bread Book, was told by his mentor, "When you wash the rice, wash the rice, when you cut the carrots, cut the carrots, when you stir the soup, stir the soup." Mindful cooking can probably feel a lot like meditation. I can fully get behind the movie's message "eat local, eat well, eat slow," because the mindful shopping and cooking should always be followed by mindful eating.

Unfortunately, this film will probably not be released nationwide. To check out where and when this movie is opening and screening, just

San Francisco
10/26

NYC, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Denver
11/16

San Diego, Minneapolis
11/23

Boston, Washington, D.C.
12/6

Boating Safety: Things to Know Before You Go Afloat

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 26 May 2012 19:27:32 PDT

It seems like boating season unofficially begins on Memorial Day weekend with everyone headed to their lake houses, weekend river residences, or the beach. In different parts of the nation, boating accidents, injuries, and unfortunately fatalities are on the rise. Now that I've captured your attention, let's review a few tips on boating safety.

Boater's fatigue is real, and it can wear you down. The US Coast Guard warns people about this condition, created by the combination of wind, noise, heat, and vibration of the boat. All these elements can mentally and physically fatigue boaters and subsequently impair their judgment.
Personal flotation devices, otherwise known as life jackets, are vitally important for everyone on board the boat, be it a canoe or a speed boat. Some states even require children under a certain age to wear life jackets, so if the little ones complain about wearing the big orange life vest, tell them it's the law.
Boating and alcohol don't mix. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination, affects your swimming and diving skills, and reduces your body's ability to stay warm. Coupled with boater's fatigue, folks on a boat will feel the effects of alcohol faster than they would on land. Plus, driving a boat while intoxicated is illegal.
The wind can keep you cool and make you forget you're in the sun, but don't forget to reapply sunscreen every two hours and always after swimming. Lube up even if it's overcast since UV rays can still damage your skin through clouds.
Watch the weather to keep an eye on local weather conditions, and be prepared for electrical storms. Water conducts electricity, so you don't want to find yourself on the open water during a lightning storm.

See Britney Spears as an X Factor Judge

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:36:54 PDT

Get the inside scoop on what Britney Spears is like as an X Factor judge - HuffPost TV
What to watch over the Memorial Day weekend - Zap2it
See the X-Men reimagined as Disney characters - BuzzFeed
Watch a clip from Brad Pitt's new movie - ET Online
The best movies about grief you probably haven't seen - /Film
Jon Favreau will star in Iron Man 3 - The Hollywood Reporter
See what critics are saying about Cosmopolis - Rotten Tomatoes
This is some serious Game of Thrones street art - The Frisky
How to throw an awesome Star Wars party - GeekSugar

Photo courtesy of Fox

Watch, Pass, or Rent Video Review: Men in Black 3

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:14:10 PDT

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back as the Men in Black when the third installment of the franchise hits theaters this weekend. This time around, Smith's character, Agent J, has to go back in time to rescue his partner (Josh Brolin plays the young Agent K). So does the film live up to the original, or is this just another unnecessary sequel? We'll tell you if the movie is a watch, pass, or rent.

Pregnant Reese Witherspoon Takes on a Tennis Match

Lauren Turner — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:13 PDT

Reese Witherspoon hit the tennis court with friends in Brentwood, CA, this morning. She grabbed a racket for the workout session and showed off her pregnant belly in a fitted top - check out FitSugar's picks for comfortable maternity activewear. While Reese awaits the arrival of her third child, she's been spending time with family. She went for a hike with her kids, Ava and Deacon, and father, John, on Saturday and joined husband, Jim Toth, to watch Deacon's flag football game over the weekend. Reese also had some recent professional excitement, since her romantic comedy This Means War was released on DVD this week, and we got an exclusive look at a deleted scene from the movie.

Lea Michele Admits to Having 14 Tattoos

Jessica Cruel — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:38:43 PDT

Did you know Lea Michele has 14 tattoos? - HuffPost Style
Everything you need to know to keep your bikini line bump-free - Stylelist
Watch and learn how to wear colorful eyeliner this season - Refinery29
See the next big thing in red-carpet hair: halo braids - InStyle
Karlie Kloss and Jason Wu team up for a good cause - Styleite
Vacation-worthy nail art for Memorial Day weekend - Beauty High
Mindy Kaling inspires a Charlotte Ronson-designed blush - Racked
Get sunburn- and pimple-treating tips from an esthetician -The Frisky
Men reveal the beauty trends they love (and hate) - Real Beauty
Have you tried ombré on your lips? Here's how - Beautylish

Gwyneth Paltrow Is White Hot For a Night Out in London

Katie Henry — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:38:30 PDT

Gwyneth Paltrow flashed a smile and waved to photographers as she arrived at a charity dinner for the Clinton Foundation's Millennium Network held at Old Vic Tunnels in London tonight. Other attendees included former president Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clark, and Will.i.am. Gwyneth dressed in all white for her latest night on the town, which was in stark contrast to the all-black ensemble she wore for Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne afterparty on Sunday night. Gwyneth's sense of style seems to be rubbing off on her daughter, Apple, who debuted pink hair over the weekend. In addition to looking good, Gwyneth can also count on smelling good since she was recently named the new face of Hugo Boss's latest fragrance, Boss Nuit Pour Femme.

Jake Gyllenhaal Suits Up to Start Filming in Canada

Lauren Turner — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:54:09 PDT

Jake Gyllenhaal kicked off the first day of filming on his new project, An Enemy, in Toronto today. He got into character in a disheveled suit and the grown-out facial hair that he's been sporting for the last few months. Over the weekend, Jake was in NYC, where he's been hanging out with friends and family. He shared a walk with his sister Maggie before she welcomed a baby girl in April and was also spotted partying with pals. Jake met up with Jay-Z for a guys' night out at the Standard along with Pharrell Williams. It looks like Jake is turning his focus to business now, though, since he's started working on set in Canada and also has End of Watch hitting theaters this Fall.