PopSugar

Fitness at Your Fingertips: Tae Bo on YouTube

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

You can find more on YouTube than just hilarious videos. In fact, a friend told me the other day that she just worked out to her computer. When I asked how, she replied, "YouTube."

She proceeded to explain to me that she found a series of Tae Bo workouts all online. I did a little investigating and sure enough you can get in a good Tae Bo workout with the help of your computer. I thought it was such a great idea, so I thought I'd share. Here are the Tae Bo Cardio Billy Blanks workouts in five parts: Part one, part two, part three, part four, and part five. They're each broken up into about ten minute segments, so if you do all five you have a good workout ahead of you.

If you've found any great workouts online, I'd love to know about them. Share your finds below.

SparkPeople.com

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 04:00:00 -0800

There's a lot of dieting sites out there on the internet, but to actually use many of them there is some associated cost. Not at SparkPeople.com. This site is totally FREE.

This website is a great resource for folks on a diet. It is chock full of information on nutrition and fitness. Plus they have a "food tracker". You type in what you ate and it not only tells you the caloric amount, but will also keep track of your total consumption. Yep - an electronic food diary at your fingertips. The site also has daily exercises and a supportive (and very interactive, no pun intended) community.

There is so much to the site that you should just check it out for yourself. What's more? It's really easy to use!

Looking to Meet? Fitness Singles Online Dating Community

FitSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Online dating is no longer as taboo. I've been to at least a couple of weddings where the bride and groom met online. If you're looking for your soul mate, or at least someone who can keep up with your active and healthy lifestyle, then there's an online dating service right up your alley – Fitness Singles. Around since 2003, Fitness Singles might just be the fastest growing online dating community for sports and fitness lovers.

You can post your profile for free, but to check out other people's profiles, there's a fee (of course). A one-month membership is $29.95, with a six-month membership priced at $89.70. It's worth the dough if you find someone who loves you as much as his or her weekly Pilates class, right? Once you sign up, you can email other people near you who are interested in all sorts of activities including trail running, biking, hiking, sailing, rock climbing, surfing, dancing, swimming, yoga, and golf. Not only can you sign yourself up, but if you have a friend in need of a fitness partner, you can treat them to a membership too.

It's a great idea for health conscious people who want to be in relationships with others who share their healthy and fit way of life. So if you're looking to meet your future spouse, or just want a training partner for your next triathlon, why not check them out? Let me know if you do!

Source

Online Sale Alert: Lucy One-Day Anniversary Sale

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:54 -0800

When it comes to fitness wear, I love Lucy. This sporty company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, not with cake but with a one-day sale. All day Friday, Nov. 6, you can save 30 percent on all regularly priced merchandise. Just print this coupon and head to your local Lucy store (here is the store locator ) or if you're more of an online shopper us this code: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Here are few items I have my eyes on:

View 5 Photos ›

Sugar Shout Out: Black Friday Roundup!

PopSugar — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

On Our Radar: Colette Pop Up Store

FabSugarUK — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:30:21 -0800

Everytime I go to Paris, I make sure I have time to visit Colette. The super cool boutique offers the latest must have designer wares alongside contemporary books, music and funky gadgets. This festive season, I won't have to travel across the channel to get my fix as the boutique is coming to London.

Fittingly, the hip district of Shoreditch will play host to the pop-up store which will be packed with quirky items including furniture, Christmas gifts, and kitchenwear! The so-called Cube Store opens later this week and will remain open until 3rd January 2010.

To gain access to special events at the boutique you need to apply online or speak to the driver of a Nissan Cube car which will be dotted all over London. The store will be located at the Boilerhouse, The Old Truman Brewery, London, E1 6QL.

GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:23:17 -0800

GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Sugar Publishing, Inc. (owner and operator of geeksugar.com), having an address of 111 Sutter Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 (“Sponsor”).

ELIGIBILITY:
Open only to permanent legal U.S. residents physically residing in the fifty (50) United States of America and the District of Columbia. Employees of Sponsor and its respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies and any other entity involved in the development or administration of this Contest, and their immediate family members or household members are not eligible to participate in or win the Contest. All prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians on their behalf. Winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and complete relevant tax forms as a condition to the delivery of the applicable prize. Void where prohibited by law. All applicable federal, state and local laws apply.

HOW TO ENTER:
No purchase is necessary to participate in the Contest. To enter, you must log into your profile at geeksugar.com or any PopSugar Network site (or register for a profile at http://www.onsugar.com/user/register), then join the Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a short description about the image (see also detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups ) between 12:00am PDT on Monday, November 23, 2009 and 11:59pm PST on Sunday, December 6, 2009 (the “Entry Period”). Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. Normal time, toll, connection and usage rates, if any, charged by your Internet service provider will apply. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.
By registering and entering your photo(s), you will be agreeing that your registration and any other information collected in connection with the Contest may be used by Sponsor in accordance with Sugar Publishing, Inc.’s Privacy Policy and may be shared with Sponsor’s affiliated business entities, and that you automatically opt-in to receive email, text messages or other communications from Sponsor. You may subsequently opt-out of the receipt of such email or communications by following the directions in the email, communications or by contacting Sponsor directly.
All registrations must include entrant's valid email address. The email address provided by online entrants will be the identity of the entrant and, if selected for a prize, the identity of the winner. We expressly reserve the right to disqualify any entries that we believe in good faith are generated by an automated program or via scripts. By participating, all entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules.
SELECTION:
GeekSugar editors will select their top ten (10) entries from the photos submitted to the Cool Capture group as described on the entry page between between 12:00am PDT on Monday, November 23, 2009 and 11:59pm PST on Sunday, December 6, 2009 (the “Entry Period”). The top ten (10) entries will then be posted for PopSugar community members to vote on their favorite photo. The photo with the most votes during the voting period will be the winner. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the e-mail account is registered. The Contest will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The winners will be notified by email and/or by private message through the winner’s PopSugar community account; Sponsor reserves the right to determine the method of notification. Winners must claim their prize within three (3) business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Contest winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three (3) business days will be considered such Contest winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. Sponsor reserves the right to ship prizes directly to the email and/or mailing address provided by winners during their entry to the Contest. Each entry submitted in response to the Contest and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. All entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.

PRIZES:
At the end of the Entry Period, there will be one (1) Grand Prize winner who will be awarded the grand prize of up to one (1) CanvasPop print of their choice, including all prints less then or equal in value to the 36x54,1.5” gallery wrap print (retail value: $329). Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Contest. All prizes will be awarded. In no event shall the Sponsor be obligated to award more prizes than the number of prizes stated in these Official Contest Rules. All prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians on their behalf. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize. To receive a complete list of winners or a copy of the Official Contest Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Prize Fulfillment, Sugar Inc., 111 Sutter Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. Specify winner's list or rules on your request.
Please allow 6-8 weeks for prize delivery.

SELECTION:
The winning entry will be determjned by user voting after a selection of 10 final entries is made by our editors. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the e-mail account is registered. The Contest will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The winners will be notified by email and/or by private message through the winner’s teamsugar.com account; Sponsor reserves the right to determine the method of notification. Winners must claim their prize within three (3) business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Contest winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three (3) business days will be considered such Contest winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected based on the final user vote ranking. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected based on the final user vote ranking. Sponsor reserves the right to ship prizes directly to the email and/or mailing address provided by winners during their entry to the Contest. Each entry submitted in response to the Contest and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. One entry per person. Duplicate entries will be void. All entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASES:
An entrant or winner may be disqualified from the Contest if he or she fails to comply with each provision of these Official Contest Rules, as determined in the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Participation in the Contest is at entrant’s own risk. Sponsor shall not be liable for 1) failed, returned or misdirected notifications based on inaccurate information provided by the winner on the contest entry form, 2) entries and responses to winner notifications which are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, postage-due, misdirected, damaged or otherwise not received by the intended recipient in whole or in part or for computer or technical error of any kind, 3) any electronic miscommunications or failures, technical hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrant's ability to participate in the Contest, 4) any technical malfunctions of the telephone network, computer on-line system, computer equipment, software, program malfunctions or other failures, delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human, mechanical or technical in nature, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from downloading any part of this Contest or 5) any warranty of fitness or merchantability of any prize or the function or operation thereof, which shall be the sole responsibility of the manufacturer of the prize. Sponsor does not make any, and hereby disclaim any and all, representations or warranties of any kind regarding any prize. Unless prohibited by applicable law, your entry constitutes your permission to use your name, photograph, likeness, voice, address (city and state) and testimonials in all media, in perpetuity, in any manner Sponsor deems appropriate for publicity purposes without any further compensation to such entrant. By entering or accepting a prize in the Contest, winners agree to be bound by these Official Contest Rules and to conform to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. When applicable, the winner (or, if the winner is a minor, the winner's parent or legal guardian) may be required to execute and return to Sponsor within ten (10) business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. Winner may be required to furnish proof of identity, address and birth date in order to receive a prize.
By entering, an entrant agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability (collectively, “Claims”) that may arise from their acceptance, possession and/or use of any prize or their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, regardless of whether such Claims, or knowledge of the facts constituting such Claims, exist at the time of entry or arise at any time thereafter. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Contest will be ineligible for prizes and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Sponsor reserves the right to modify these Official Contest Rules in any way or at any time. Sponsor reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Contest should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond their control corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. In the event of cancellation or suspension, Sugar shall promptly post a notice on the Contest entry page to such effect. This Contest shall be governed by California law. By participating in this contest, entrants agree that California courts shall have jurisdiction over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to this Contest and that venue shall be only in San Francisco, California.

E-Patients Explore Online Communities

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:32 -0800

Researching your health problems online can be a great way to educate yourself - or scare yourself silly. A whopping 97 percent of Fit readers 'fess up to doing some Internet sleuthing before heading to the doc. There's even a word for us: e-patients.

According to a new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 20 percent of e-patients use social-networking and similar sites to chat with medical experts and other patients.

Of course, we're big fans of community around here as a place to share information and links and get a conversation going. To find out more about the online health community revolution, read more.

Says Pew's Susannah Fox:

"They are posting their first-person accounts of treatments and side effects from medications. They are recording and posting those podcasts. They're tagging content. They are part of the conversation. And that, I think, is an indicator of where we could be going in terms of the future of participatory medicine."

In addition to connecting with fellow patients suffering from the same ailments, users are posting their health records online so they can track their test results, blood pressure, and other vital stats. All they're doing all this despite the fact that doctors are behind the times, with only about 17 percent reporting the use of online medical records.

When you're suffering from an ailment, it can be very reassuring to hear from other patients who've gone through the same thing; often, it calms me down and makes me realize I'm not alone. But do you see any danger in patients posting about their medical problems in online communities?

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out our FitSugar Community and join the conversation!

Tobi Opens Virtual Dressing Room

FabSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:22 -0800

Tobi, one of my favorite online boutiques, just got way cooler. The San Francisco-based retailer has opened up a virtual dressing room so customers can have a more hands-on shopping experience. "With Fashionista, not only could it possibly help customers answer, ‘How does this look on me?’, it’s also a fun and engaging way to help them discover new products that they wouldn’t have found through the normal shopping experience," vice president of technology Jeff Lee said.

You'll need a computer with a camera to participate. See yourself on the screen, pick which merchandise you want to "try on" and they will appear over your body. Of course, this technology doesn't help with fit, but it's innovative nonetheless. Curious how it works? Get started now.

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.