FitSugar

And the Winners Are...

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:42:25 PST

It looks like we all like shopping at Whole Foods! I wish I could give you all gift cards, but alas, I only have five to give away. I would like to thank all who participated in this contest and took the quiz. Don't give up hope; there is aways next time!

So please help me in congratulating the winners of the $100 gift cards for Whole Foods Market.

And the winners are...

Happy shopping and happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Win a $100 Gift Card to Whole Foods!

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:45:00 PST

We're giving away five Whole Foods gift cards worth $100 each just in time to shop for your Thanksgiving meal!

Unfortunately, the cards are only redeemable in the US and Canada, but you can check out the Whole Foods Market online store locator to find a store near you.

Not doing Thanksgiving at your house this year? Filling your cart with organic yummies while grocery shopping for the week would be a lot more fun with $100 to spend as you wish, wouldn't it?

To enter to win one of the five Whole Foods gift cards, all you have to do is log in and take this fun quiz. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just simply by taking the quiz once you are logged in. However, taking the quiz a second time will NOT increase your chances of winning, since duplicate entries will be ignored.

So take the quiz now!

Win $100 Whole Foods Gift Card!

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:45:00 PST

This giveaway is over and the winners will be announced shortly. Thank you to all who participated.

I'm definitely getting an organic turkey for Thanksgiving. If you're going organic for Thanksgiving too, I want to help you with the tab. Just in time to shop for your T-day meal, I am giving away five Whole Foods gift cards worth $100 each! Unfortunately, the cards are only redeemable in the US and Canada, but you can check out the Whole Foods Market online store locator to find a store near you.

To enter to win one of the five Whole Foods gift cards, all you have to do is log in and take the quiz below. (By the way, your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just simply by taking the quiz once you are logged in.) You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member to take the quiz. So if you're not already a member, just register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Also, this part is important: YOU MUST BE LOGGED IN TO TEAMSUGAR FOR YOUR VOTE TO COUNT.

Interested in more details? Click here for the official rules.

The contest will end on Friday, Nov. 16, at 12:00 p.m. PST, and then I'll randomly select five winners from among the quiz-takers. Make sure to log in and take the quiz before then, and don't forget to e-mail this to all your friends and family so they can have a chance at it too!

Take the Quiz

3 Things to Monitor During Every Workout

Leta Shy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:03:02 PST

Maintaining a workout routine can be mostly about having the motivation to get up and get out. Even so, you should also have a plan for what you should watch out for while you're sweating. To get the most of your workout, make sure that you're monitoring these stats while you exercise.

Heart rate: You should monitor your heart rate so that you are reaching your cardio goals, such as the right level of intensity in your workouts. It also helps to know what your max heart rate is so that you don't continuously overwork yourself - you should normally be working out at 60 to 90 percent of your heart rate unless you are sprinting or otherwise doing interval training. If you don't want to invest in a heart rate monitor, you'll have to do the math to find out your heart rate manually. Just make sure you're using the newer formula for determining your maximum heart rate; the old school "220 minus your age" formula isn't optimized for women. Learn how to calculate your maximum heart rate more accurately.

Read on for more stats you should be monitoring with every workout.

What's Your Go-To Thanksgiving Dessert? Vote to Donate and For a Chance to Win $1,000 From Whole Foods Market

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:55:54 PST

This Thanksgiving, we're not only giving thanks, but we're also giving back with a special Whole Foods Market Thanksgiving giveaway. To enter to win a $1,000 gift card to Whole Foods Market, check out our six favorite desserts from Whole Foods Market's recipe collection by clicking through the slideshow. Then, vote for your favorite; for every vote cast, YumSugar will donate 25 cents to the Whole Kids Foundation (up to $5,000). After you've cast your vote, check out the last slide for details on how to enter to win.

Help us donate more by voting for your favorite side dish and main dish. Don't forget to check out Whole Foods Market's Thanksgiving Shop for everything you need for your holiday meal. Now, click through to pick your favorite dessert, and we'll donate to the Whole Kids Foundation!

What'll Be Your Main Dish For Thanksgiving? Vote to Donate and For a Chance to Win $1,000 From Whole Foods Market

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:51:37 PST

This Thanksgiving, we're not only giving thanks, but we're also giving back with a special Whole Foods Market Thanksgiving giveaway. To enter to win a $1,000 gift card to Whole Foods Market, check out our five favorite main dishes from Whole Foods Market's recipe collection by clicking through the slideshow. Then, vote for your favorite; for every vote cast, YumSugar will donate 25 cents to the Whole Kids Foundation (up to $5,000). After you've cast your vote, check out the last slide for details on how to enter to win.

Help us donate more by voting for your favorite side dish, and stay tuned for more recipes in the coming week. Until then, click through to pick your favorite main dish and we'll donate to the Whole Kids Foundation! Don't forget to check out Whole Foods Market's Thanksgiving Shop for everything you need for your Holiday meal.

Enter to Win $1,000 at Whole Foods Market and Vote to Donate to the Whole Kids Foundation

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:00:52 PDT

This Thanksgiving, we're not only giving thanks, but we're also giving back. Introducing our special Whole Foods Market Thanksgiving giveaway! To enter to win a $1,000 gift card to Whole Foods Market, check out our eight favorite Thanksgiving entrées from Whole Foods Market's recipe collection by clicking through the slideshow. Then, vote for your favorite side dish; for every vote cast, YumSugar will donate 25 cents to the Whole Kids Foundation (up to $5,000). After you've cast your vote, check out the last slide for details on how to enter to win.

Tune in over the next two weeks for more Thanksgiving recipes and more chances to win. Now, click through to pick your favorite side dish and donate to the Whole Kids Foundation.

Announcing the Winner of Our Thanksgiving Giveaway!

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:06:05 PST

Congratulations to Nanette from Utah for winning our Thanksgiving giveaway! She voted for her favorite Thanksgiving dishes and wound up winning a $1,000 gift card to Whole Foods. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Labor Day Travel: Golden Rules For Houseguests and Hosts

Guest Writer — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:39 PDT

Editor’s note: The following guest post was written by Robert Reid, the US travel editor for Lonely Planet.

This will be my final blog post for you all! And this is your last chance to download any of our 15 free mini-guides off our website so go now and collect them all before they go away on September 5th.

Since this weekend is Labor Day, I’m sure many of you already have your travel plans set. Thus, I won’t give you new suggestions for where to go but rather give some advice that you can perhaps use this weekend, and for years to come.

With rising airfares, hotel costs, and gas prices, people fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to live in destination-friendly places often get a double-dose of cousins and friends dropping by to set up camp for a few days, or more.

But being a good host or guest isn't easy, so how do you make sure you're still friends at the end of the stay, and maybe even have plans for doing it all again next year? We need rules! So, we polled the Lonely Planet staff, and came up with a set of rules for hosts and house guests alike.

Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler was one of the first to offer a rule for house guests: "The oldest line is still the best - guests and fish begin to smell after three days. Or, like fish, guests should go off after three days." There you have it - Rule #1: Three days max, even for family. If you're staying longer, get a hotel.

A general rule everyone should follow: have fun, but remember to play fair.

For house guests:

If you borrow your hosts' car, fill up the tank.
Contribute to food: assist in shopping or offer money for groceries. Or replace things like milk and toilet paper as they are used. If you have dietary restrictions, bring your own food. Do the dishes. Or take your hosts out to dinner.
Send a hand-written thank you note. It's a nice touch.

Read on for more house guest rules.

Get Fit Challenge 6: Playing Catch Up!

Fit Community — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:10:57 PST

FitSugar reader debnicole shared her fitness goals for the sixth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway.

I missed out on writing about my health and fitness goals for 2011 . . . so without further ado.

My #1 goal is to train for and complete a half marathon. I've started the training part - but signing up for one will definitely "seal the deal" for me - which I've yet to do. I think for me, my biggest hurdle will be overcoming the negativity in my mind on my ability to complete it and be proud. The training plans that I've found have helped me at least feel like I can accomplish this; but race day, I just know, will definitely be a mind over matter thing.

I do have a 2nd goal and that's just to "tone up." I focused more energy on running in 2010, so this year I'd like to focus equally on strength training. My husband decided he wanted to do P90X again (he did it back in 2008) . . . so I thought that was PERFECT timing. I could run when I got home in the evenings and then afterward (since he gets home after I do), we can do the P90X workouts together. So far so good - we're in Phase 2 of the program! Accountability is such an important aspect . . . this definitely provides it! Plus it's allowed him to re-evaluate his eating habits, which in turn has "cleaned up" our grocery list. I've always been pretty health conscious when it comes to food - but now I feel like I'm definitely buckling down more. Making sure servings of fruits AND veggies are hit each day, limiting the amount of whole grains, and cleaning up, if not eliminating the amount of processed foods.

I'm hoping 2011 will provide the courage and results I'm looking for!

It's catch up week since we are midway through in our Get Fit For 2011 challenge. If you missed any of the first five challenges, here's your chance to enter to win a Nike gift card and a chance to win our grand prize - a four-day fitness boot camp in LA!