FitSugar

Get in Gear: Cardio Canine

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:01:14 PDT

I am always on the lookout for ways to exercise with my dog, which is why I was pleased with the Walky Dog bike attachment, however many of you were not thinking it would work with your pooch.

An alternative to biking with your dog could be this Cardio Canine human harness and dog leash system ($55.00) for running with your K9 companion instead. This little contraption attaches to you (at the waist) and to him (at the neck/collar), so you can run with Fido without having to hold the leash the entire time. There is even a water bottle holder and a small pouch to put necessary items (keys and doggie treats). To get started running with your dog, buy one directly from CardioCanine.com.

Eva Mendes Visits Ryan Gosling on Set in Thailand

Allie Merriam — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:33:44 PST

Ryan Gosling has been in Thailand for the past few weeks working on Only God Forgives, and his girlfriend, Eva Mendes, flew over this week for a visit. He was spotted continuing his martial arts training at a gym on Monday, and Eva ventured out solo to get a snack yesterday. Eva has been in LA focusing on her own movie-making during the last month, but made time to keep an eye on Ryan's beloved dog George. Ryan's project sees him pairing up yet again with his Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. Their shooting schedule means Ryan's been missing out on award season back in LA. Ryan was up for numerous awards for his acting in both Drive and George Clooney's The Ides of March, but he unfortunately missed out on nabbing a coveted nod from the Academy.

Ryan and Eva met last Summer on the set for another film, The Place Beyond the Pines. In the March issue of Marie Claire, Eva spoke for the first time about shooting alongside Ryan. She said, "He’s your dream costar. I have never felt so creatively satisfied on a film."

Images courtesy AKM Images/GSI Media

PetSugar's 10 Funniest Super Bowl Animal Ads

Sara Yoo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:08:45 PST

Granted, we at PetSugar will be tuning into Puppy Bowl VIII's day of poochy pandemonium, but we'll keep one eye on Sunday's other bowl game for one reason: Super Bowl commercials! Companies spend millions to air less than a minute of promotional time, and alongside celebrities and sports stars, animals often play a starring role. Here, we've rounded up our 10 funniest Super Bowl animal ads of all time. Do these tickle your funny bone? Chime in if we've missed any!

10. The frogs that inspired reptilian and rodent imitators.

9. A bad day to be a chicken.

For the rest of the countdown, just read on.

5 Ideas to Increase Your Income This Year

Emily Co — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:05:39 PST

You're doing everything right - saving and skimping - but somehow that's not enough. If you're not making enough to put aside a good chunk of savings for your retirement account and to pay off your debt, bills, and day-to-day expenses, you probably need to make more income. Here are a couple of ideas to raise your cash flow:

Ask for a raise: If you don't ask, you don't get, so resolve to ask for the pay that you deserve this year. First of all, you need proof of why you deserve the raise, so start keeping track of all your accomplishments in a document. Or you can even email them to yourself and automatically squirrel away these accomplishment emails in an inbox folder. Make sure you can clearly show how you helped the company's bottom line and cite numbers and use examples. Do some market research on sites like glassdoor.com and salary.com so you can bring this data to the negotiating table. Start working on other efforts such as being more visible in your company and spearheading events. Also, ask for a raise at the right time - try to time it when it's review season or when operating budgets are being created and approved.
Get a new job: The job market seems to be picking up, so you might actually find better opportunities. Start by freshening up your LinkedIn and looking up companies you'd like to work for. Once you have a few in mind, reach out to people in your network to see if they know anyone who can pass your résumé to the right people. Remember to negotiate the salary for your new job since it's the starting point for future raises.

Read on for more ideas.

Gym 101: Strength-Training Warmup

Susi May — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:12:55 PST

A solid warmup sets you up for a solid workout. When it comes to prepping for strength training, an active warmup primes the joints and muscles, prepping them for the heavy lifting. Lauren, my Equinox trainer, introduced me to these moves, and after a little light cardio - for me, it's five minutes running on a treadmill at a 6 mph pace, but the elliptical or a little jump rope would work - Lauren has me do three out of these five moves. Mix and match the exercises however you please, or do them all for a very thorough warmup.

Rocking Lunge
Give an active stretch to both your hips and hamstrings with the rocking lunge. Start in a deep lunge with your right leg forward; you can even bring your left knee to the floor. Straighten your right knee to rock your weight back and onto your left foot to lengthen the hamstring. Flex your right toes as you rock into the hamstring stretch. Return back to your deep lunge and repeat for a total of 10 times on each side.

Toy Soldier
A walking kick, the toy soldier stretches out the back of the leg, both hamstrings and calves. Step forward on your right foot, and kick your left leg forward, bringing your left toes toward your right hand. Step onto your left foot and kick the right leg, bringing right foot toward left hand. Take 20 steps total.

Keep reading for three more moves.

Trail or Sidewalk? The Pros and Cons of Running on Different Surfaces

Leta Shy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:28:56 PST

Body-wise, running can be a high-impact sport, which can mean achy joints, irritated tendons, and other running-related injuries. Many runners use various methods to try to lessen the impact of constantly striking the ground.

For many runners, that means choosing a soft surface. But while you may think that running on soft surfaces may help lower the strain on your body, this may not always be the case. An article from The New York Times says that runners who preferred softer surfaces don't necessarily have fewer injuries than those who ran on asphalt or concrete (and may have more, since softer surfaces can lead to accident-related injuries). In fact, some studies have shown that our bodies actually adapt to different surfaces no matter how hard they are, so the type of surface that we run on may not matter as much.

While the best running surface may be a personal preference, there are still benefits and drawbacks to each type. Whether you love to run on the street or on trails, check out the pros and cons of running on these surfaces after the break.

What to Do If You Don't Like Your Boss

SavvySugar — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:39:38 PST

Working 9 to 5 can feel like a nightmare if you don't like the person you report to, but it's important to navigate the situation carefully - for the sake of both your job and your sanity. Not a fan of your supervisor? Here are five tips to help you manage the circumstances.

Keep it to yourself. First and foremost, don't gossip. Even if you're confident that a co-worker shares your sentiments, it's best to stay silent on the issue. If you really need to talk about it with someone, chat with a friend, a parent, or another third party who doesn't have a personal stake in your work relationships.
Learn more about your boss. You don't have to become your boss's best friend, but you can find out more about her professional background or personal interests to discover parts of her character that you respect. Maybe he or she started in the same position as you, maybe your boss has traveled to a city that you love, or maybe he or she loves dogs, too. Learn something about your manager that you can appreciate and try to keep it in mind the next time you're feeling annoyed.
Seek out bonding opportunities. In order to learn more about your manager, take advantage of any opportunity to see him or her in another light. Attend afterwork events and make small talk in the elevator, but remember to keep conversation work-appropriate, as you don't want to seem like you're prying.

Keep reading for more advice on getting along with your boss.

Yoga Class: Studio vs. Gym

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:03:11 PST

With all the New Year's resolutions floating around, if "trying yoga" is on your list, you're probably wondering where the best place to practice is. With yoga's increased popularity, just about every gym offers yoga classes on their schedule in between Body Pump and Spinning, but there are also studios on every corner that teach yoga exclusively. Keep reading to find out which place you'd prefer getting your Down Dog on.

Price

Studio: Purchase single classes at a drop-in rate that's about $12 to $25 per class (depending on the length of the class), or you can buy a group of classes at a slightly cheaper rate. Some studios also offer monthly or yearly memberships, so classes are even cheaper, but this only pays off if you go a lot.
Gym: Many gym memberships include classes in the monthly or yearly fee, so yoga classes at gyms might be significantly less expensive than at a studio.

Continue reading to learn how studio's and gym's compare when it comes to atmosphere, convenience, and teacher qualifications.

Keep Your New Year's Party Simple With Cocktail Mixers

Lauren Hendrickson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:41:24 PST

Have a New Year's party at your own house this year? Playing bartender for the night could mean your work's cut out for you, so instead, make simple cocktail mixers ahead of time, and let your guests mix them with an alcohol of their choice. I've toyed around with a few and come up with three that'd be perfect for New Year's Eve in fresh fruit flavors: cranberry mint, grapefruit basil and pomegranate citrus.
All three of these mixers would marry well with a host of spirits, even sparkling wine. I mixed the cranberry mint in a shaker with rum for a refreshing holiday drink, while I mixed the grapefruit basil with vodka for a more herbaceous version of a salty dog. The pomegranate citrus served as an easy topper to a flute of sparkling wine (for extra flair, float in a few pomegranate seeds, too). I also recommend keeping sparkling water on hand to mix with as a nonalcoholic drink.

Set up a bar before your guests arrive with glasses, buckets of ice, pomegranate seeds, lemon slices and a couple of shakers to ensure your guests and yourself can celebrate into the midnight hour. Mix up your New Year's by reading more for this simple mixers.

Ring In the New Year With These Helpful Hangover Tips and Cures

Michele Foley — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:03:18 PST

New Year's Eve is days away, and while a Champagne toast at midnight is customary, many of you will be having more than just one glass - maybe even four or five before the night is out. Come morning and you have quite the hangover on your hands. You wake up with a pounding headache, parched mouth, and a room that seems to be spinning. What - if anything - can you do to make it stop? Read up on our helpful hangover tips to see what works, what doesn't, and if it's possible to plan a hangover remedy the night before.

How to prevent a hangover altogether: If you're going to go all out this NYE, you're probably going to pay the price: our bodies aren't designed to binge on bad stuff and feel great the next day. There are a few things that you can do that may prevent a hangover from happening - or, at least make it less painful. Check out these tips for preventing a hangover.
Too late, the hangover hit: If you aren't able to take our advice on preventing a hangover this New Year's holiday, there are ways to make it more bearable. Remember: lots of water, but mostly just time. Here are five fixes to help you better cope with a hangover. And from a sour stomach to a pounding headache, here are specific fixes for common hangover ailments.
Common hangover myths busted: From hair of the dog to raw eggs, there's a lot of commonly held hangover cures. But do they really work? Here's everything you need to know on the truth about hangovers and which hangover myths are just that - myths.