PopSugar

FREE Stroller Fit Class

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0700

On Saturday March 15th the good folks over at StrollerFit - an innovative fitness company that helps moms exercise with their babies - are offering a free Family Class and lunch (classes are approximately 50 minutes including warm-up, strengthening, cardio, stretching and cool-down). All you have to do is find a location near you. Check out StrollerFit for more information, find a location, and sign up.

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You Asked: Could Wine Give Me a Headache?

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:50:53 -0800

Dear Fit,
In college, I was more into sipping cocktails and drinking beer, but recently I started drinking wine with dinner. I love the taste and how it pairs with more complicated dishes I have started to cook. I've noticed that I get this dull headache when I drink it though. Is this common? Is there a way to prevent it?
- Whining About Wine

As Thomas Jefferson said,"Good wine is a necessity of life for me." Although Jefferson's "necessity" is considered a relaxant and offers a variety of health benefits, drinking wine can cause some unfortunate side effects, including headaches. To find out why, continue reading

Stop Hating the Gym and Start Loving It

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:50:43 -0800

If you are dreading moving your workouts indoors due to falling temperatures, let me help you learn to love, or at least tolerate, the gym. Here are some common reasons people hate hitting the gym, and solutions to help you overcome the hurdles.

I hate the gym because . . .	The solution
It's too expensive.	Go price hunting. There are so many different types of gyms that offer various services, so find one that fits your budget. Instead of paying $90 a month for a gym that has cardio machines, a weight room, classes, a pool, and a yoga studio, figure out what's most important to you and just pay for that. A gym down the street from me is only $10 a month for cardio and weight machines. Not bad at all.
It's too far away from my home.	If you can't find a gym close to where you live, try to find one close to where you work. That way you can head over on your lunch break or after work.
The cardio machines are boring.	Find a way to make them more enjoyable. I like to download audio books or podcasts onto my iPod. Listening really helps pass the time. Switching to different machines in one workout also helps beat boredom. Or try competing with a stranger.

To learn more ways to start loving the gym, keep reading.

Look of the Day: Tough as Nails

FabSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:22 -0800

leeluvfashion may look feminine up top, but down under, she's tough as nails. I love how she paired a colorful tee and cardi with a pair of chunky military-inspired boots. Her hard and soft elements create a harmoniously fun 'fit.

Here's what she has on:

Cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters
Top: Free People
Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters
Boots: Delia's
Handbag: Maxx New York
Scarf: American Eagle Outfitters
Earrings: QVC
Necklaces: Vintage
Bracelets: Vintage
Watch: QVC
Ring: Ross-Simmon

Congrats to leeluvfashion!

Everyone else, join the Look of the Day group, then submit your looks. I might feature you on FabSugar!

Free Video Workouts From Women's Health

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:47:19 -0700

In these tight times, anything that's free is a major plus in my book. So if you're looking for workout routines you can download that won't cost a dime, Women's Health has got you covered.

They offer downloadable video workouts that you can put on your computer or portable media player, so you can exercise at home or at the gym. Right now they're offering two workouts:

The instructions are clear, and the video demonstrations are easy to follow. Many of the exercises were new to me, so these two workouts were fun and very effective.

To see a video clip of the 20-Minute Abs routine, read more.

Fittingly Mad: Cool Whip Free

FitSugar — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 02:30:00 -0700

It was a hot day and I found myself grocery shopping. When I am with my girls, even when they are behaving themselves, I employ the "get in, get out" strategy: Take a grocery list, shop the perimeter, placate with a bagel when necessary, pay for the food and get out of the store. It was a hot day, so the three of us lingered, a little too long, in the frozen food section. We needed waffles, and I noticed some Cool Whip Free. Imagining I could use it to concoct some kind of healthy, low fat frozen dessert, I tossed some into my shopping cart.

When I got home and read the ingredients, I had to ask the question "Cool Whip Free? Free of what?" Cool Whip Free may be low in carbs and low in calories, but it is not free of a few things I try to avoid. The top four ingredients are: water, corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable (coconut and palm kernel oils), and high fructose corn syrup.

The first ingredient is water. Fine. I have no problem with water. It only makes sense that a "lite" dessert topping would be made from something with no calories, but let us not forget that water really has no flavor. It is the next three ingredients added to the water that make me shudder. I love the fact that regular corn syrup is not enough to sweeten this dessert topping, that high fructose corn syrup was needed as well.

My favorite touch, however, is the asterisks Kraft added to the right of the ingredient "partially hydrogenated oil." The asterisk leads me to a little informational gem of a footnote that reads, "Adds a negligible amount of fat." Thanks, Kraft I feel so much better about the fact that you can use partially hydrogenated oil, keep the amount per serving to below 0.5 gram, and still claim your product is trans fat free.

Needless to say, once I read the ingredients of Cool Whip Free, I made myself free of it. I tossed it without even opening it. That night, for dessert we had fresh berries for dessert. Just berries, free of any high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. They were delicious!!!!

The Pros and Cons of Buying Topshop Online

Fab Community — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0800

Check out what Emily EMS has to say about her online Topshop experience in our 24/7 Go-To Fashion Guide group.

I always knew they existed - I have seen their chic dresses, sexy heels and cool tops. I am talking about Topshop. I got even more excited when I found out they opened a store in NYC, although I live in Denver, Colorado. I must say, things come around a lot slower around here, and don't get me wrong, there are nice stores here, but it's not to the point where they satisfy my fashion cravings.

This is when the beauty of online shopping comes in handy. My friend Sophie loves to shop online. She says that it's the best because she can buy things anytime, even at two in the morning, not have to worry about driving to the mall, (and not finding anything at the mall!), and in most cases, there's no sales tax, a small shipping fee, and usually, the return and exchanges are easy.

I must say, I was never comfortable with buying clothes online. Shoes and bags, I'm OK with. With clothes, things are different simply because every brand has slightly different sizing and all. Topshop was no exception. It's from the UK, and I know sometimes the equivalent of those sizes can be confusing - look at H&M!

One day, as I was looking through tons of pictures as always - new trends, jackets and coats for Fall and Winter. And there it was. I fell in love with this striped knit jacket from Topshop. I looked at the price, and fell in love with it even more - it's only $80!

I had to go to the store - but wait, there is no Topshop here in Denver! As I envied those folks in NYC, I went online. I quickly navigated myself to look for the jacket and there it was! I want, I want! Pause. What is my size?

Suddenly, I was lost. I usually wear a 2 or 4, depending on the brand. I also have jackets and tops that run rather small or large. While all those thoughts kept going around my head, I looked up on the sizing chart. Hmm . . . I think I am 4, but I don't want it to be too tight since it's a knit jacket . . . oh well, let's just order 6 in case, and if it didn't fit, I'd just exchange it. Before placing an order, it suddenly dawned on me that in case this size didn't work out, I better check on the return policy. Just in case. I'm not sure if that was a sign of something, but I looked. And I discovered many things I did not know. At first, I did not know Topshop's merchandise all ship out from UK. Thus, $15 shipping charge makes sense. Then I realized another thing. What if I wanted to return or exchange something? Sure, you can either return it in person at their stores but that is not my option. According to their website, if you wanted to return or exchange an item, you have to ship it back to their UK warehouse at your own expense. Hmmm . . .

Now I'm determined to make my purchase more "oops wrong size" free. I certainly don't want to go through with shipping the item back and forth till I get it right. It's not only time consuming, but also could end up being costly. I carefully studied the sizing chart, I realized, I needed some real people's opinions. Of course, the chart gives you the idea to narrow down which size you could possibly be, but just in case, to double check it, I did my own research.

I googled the "Topshop sizing review" and voilà! There were a few out there, but one forum was particularly helpful - Facebook. People with the same problems come together and discuss the sizing. Some argue Topshop's sizing runs smaller. Others disagree.

In the end, I ended up getting a 6 - I figured if it's bigger rather than smaller, I could live with it. I haven't gotten the jacket just yet, because I just ordered yesterday, but I'll keep you posted on the sizing. I must say the forum, like the one Facebook, did help me tremendously, sometimes a sizing chart won't do justice. Real people's opinions really do count.

So will I shop online again? Yeah, sure. But do some research beforehand, and read the fine print in case you don't like it, or it's too small or too big, or it's not what I thought it would be, or whatever the reason may be. As for me, for now, I'm waiting and hoping that all the research and reading will pay off.

There are already a bunch of groups you can join and explore, and please - start some new ones! Here's a helpful guide to creating in case you need some clarification.

Lucy Free Sock Giveaway

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:00:00 -0700

My feet take a beating in my workouts, so I take my socks seriously. I like a technical sock, and even better a free technical sock. One of my fave fitness gear stores, Lucy, is giving away a two pack of its training socks ($14) for free!

Just print this coupon and walk or run on down to your Lucy store and pick up some new socks. No purchase necessary and the offer runs (pun intended!) through March 22, while supplies last, of course. Sorry, but the coupon is not valid online, but here is a Lucy store locator to find a store near you.

Jennie Garth Gives LilSugar the Scoop on Her Parenting Style

babysugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:45 -0800

Before there was Summer on the The OC or Blair on Gossip Girl, there was Kelly Taylor of 90210. For many modern mamas, Kelly Taylor was the girl next door. High school girls related to her and tried to emulate her every move. And much like the actress who played her, Jennie Garth is the envy of many a mother. The bubbly blond recaptured America's hearts on Dancing With the Stars and is reprising her role on the old teen fave, 90210. As a counselor on the show, it is fitting that the famous mum has words of wisdom for other mommies. The adorable mama took the time to answer our four lil questions:

1. Why didn't anybody tell me ... about motherhood?

Why didn't anybody tell me it would be so hard? That it would be the hardest job ever.

2. You know you're a mother when ...

When you have a little bit of throw up on you and it's okay and you just keep on going.

3. What's the best trick your mama taught you?

It doesn't matter if the dishes are clean. It just matters that my kids are happy.

4. Free-range mom or helicopter mom?

Free-range mom. I let them run free.

Come back tomorrow to see what the celebmama has to say about wanting more babies and how she and Twilight star Peter Facinelli keep bringing the sexy back to their home life and much, much more!

Fittingly Green: BPA-Free Food Containers

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Ever since the BPA/Nalgene scare of 2008 - in which we learned that bisphenol A could cause all sorts of health problems - manufacturers have been churning out BPA-free plastic water bottles and baby products. Now, BPA-free food storage is also becoming easier to find.

Since we know that bringing your lunch to work is a healthy habit, make it even healthier by packing food in BPA-free plastic containers. I love these fittingly green food storage containers from Preserve made from 100 percent recycled plastic. Buy two square containers for $5.99, a large round one for $2.99, or the smaller version for $2.79. Rubbermaid also has an extensive collection of BPA-free containers to help you go green.