PopSugar

Caffeine Makes You Speedy, Literally

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:30:00 -0700

I couldn't live without my post-run morning cup of joe, but as it turns out I might want to have some of that joe before hitting the pavement. After being tested for over 30 years by sports physiologist, it is now unequivocally known that caffeine can make you faster. It improves performance in almost every type of exercise from running to rowing, from swimming to cycling. Caffeine helps not only in short speedy sprints, but also helps increase endurance and strength.

Researchers believe caffeine's effect is three-fold. First, it has been shown that caffeine helps the body burn fat as fuel, instead of just glycogen. Muscles have glycogen fuel stores that usually last for about 30 minutes or 300 calories worth of exercise, so in using some fat as fuel the muscles gain increases in endurance. Caffeine also releases calcium stored in the muscles helping athletes go farther and faster. The third reason involves caffeine's effect on the mind and how it perceives exhaustion.

To learn how to find the appropriate caffeine dose, just read more.

Between one to five milligrams of caffeine per kilo of body weight can help to improve your performance by up to five percent. However, nine mg per kilo of caffeine can actually decrease your performance, so don't go overboard. The good news for all us coffee addicts, caffeine can still make you speedy even if you're a regular coffee drinker. I ask you, do you drink caffeine before your workout?

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The Results Are In: Recast Speed

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:30:12 -0700

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar T-shirt!

I'm glad so many of you were as into recasting Speed as I am - it's a fun action movie to think about updating.

A lot of you, like Baluk, thought of Shia Lebeouf to play Officer Jack Traven, which is a good thought as the young actor is making a name for himself in these kinds of fast-paced action roles. And it's hard to argue with CYL's suggestion for the intense Christian Bale to play the lead, too.

As for the spunky Annie, luckiedog came up with Renee Zellweger who probably could have done a good job making that role her own. I liked RosieButterface's idea for Liv Tyler to play Annie too.

In the end I went with the Jack I liked best, as well as a great suggestion for Lt. McMahon: congrats to lilprisci!

To see who lilprisci chose, along with a new cast photo, read more.

lilprisci's cast list:
Officer Jack Traven -Ryan Reynolds
Howard Payne -Terence Stamp
Annie Porter - Rachel McAdams
Det. Harry Temple - Ryan Gosling
Lt. "Mac" McMahon - Don Cheadle

How Fast Am I Moving on the Treadmill?

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:00:13 -0700

If cold weather has forced your workouts indoors, you've probably switched from walking or running outside to moving on a treadmill. Even though I prefer the fresh air and excitement of running in my neighborhood or on woodsy trails, I do love that a treadmill keeps track of my speed and how long I've been on the machine.

However, the treadmill readout can be a little confusing, especially since some machines display your speed in miles per hour and some show it in minutes per mile. If you're curious to know how fast you're moving on the treadmill both per hour and per mile, then check out this handy chart I made. It clearly lists your speed and how many calories you burn at each rate. To see the chart read more.

Miles per hour	Minutes per mile	Calories burned in 30 minutes (for a 130-lb. woman)
3.0	20:00	232
3.5	17:08	237
4.0	15:00	243
4.5	13:20	252
5.0	12:00	263
5.5	10:54	276
6.0	10:00	292
6.5	9:14	309
7.0	8:34	328
7.5	8:00	350
8.0	7:30	374
8.5	7:04	399
9.0	6:40	427
9.5	6:19	457
10.0	6:00	490

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Recast Speed and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:30:26 -0700

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I'm excited about this week's recast challenge because 1994's Speed is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures. I don't know what it is but if I'm channel surfing and I come across Speed, I have to watch it. That opening elevator scene still makes my heart pound! There are many characters that make up the passengers on the bus, so let's stick to the basics on this recast.

Who would you cast as one of the LAPD's explosives experts, Jack Traven (originally played by a very fit Keanu Reeves), and his veteran partner Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels)? What about the evil Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who made famous the line, "Pop quiz, hot shot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?!"

But it's not all dudes. We need to recast the tough and outspoken bus passenger Annie Porter, a role that helped launch Sandra Bullock to stardom. Finally, let's recast the police boss-man Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton).

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, October 28, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more.

Characters to recast:
Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves)
Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper)
Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock)
Det. Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels)
Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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Need For Speed? Relax When You Want to Run

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:30:00 -0700

The more I race, the faster I want to go. My competitive spirit gives me that "need for speed." A recent article in the New York Times detailed one often forgotten element of moving quickly - relaxing. It seems counterintuitive, but tension makes you tight and that tightness interferes with your groove and slows you down. You need to learn how to get in that relaxed state while working hard and find the illusive state of being in the zone. You know, when running hard actually feels good.

According to the article, one way to loosen up while on the move is to relax your face starting with your eyes. Tense wide-opened eyes indicate a tense face and jaw, which translates into a tense upper body. A tense upper body is hard to move and can interfere with finding your rhythm. This reminds me of something that I always tell my Pilates clients: relax your face while you're working out because the tension interferes with correct and efficient muscle patterns. Good to know that this trick can help me run faster, too.

So next time you're out for a run or working out, try running "sleepy eyed" and see if that helps relax the rest of your body enough to help you move a little more quickly.

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A Need for Speed

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Running for me is the simplest exercise to fit into my schedule, and now that I have a few races under my belt I want a little more out of running. I want to run faster. One thing I know about my relationship with running, is that change takes time and it is best to have a plan. So instead of just hitting the pavement harder and hoping to go faster, here's a simple drill I am going to try.

Designed by running guru Jeff Galloway, a man dedicated to bringing running to the masses, this exercise is considered a cadence drill.

Here's how it works:

After warming up, jog or run a 30-second interval and count the number of times your left foot touches the ground.
Recover for one to two minutes with walking or jogging.
Speed up again and count the times your left touches the ground in 30 seconds but try to increase the number from your previous interval by 1 or 2.
Repeat this sequence several times and keep upping the number. You can do this drill at a track or on the road – it's pretty versatile.

I certainly hope counting my steps while watching my stopwatch isn't harder than walking and chewing gum. I do think I am up for the challenge, are you? After all this is considered a gentle speed drill.

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Speed and Running

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0700

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you I am super fast; speed is not really my thing when it comes to running, although I am constantly trying to improve my time.

I was wondering if there is a caloric pay off to pushing my little envelope when it comes to speed. Are you curious too? Take this quiz to find out if you should increase your speed.

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Take the quiz

Get in Gear: Polar Bike Computer

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:00:00 -0700

A computer for your bike? I know you may be thinking, "I ride my bike to get away from my computer!" Don't worry because a bike computer is just the name of a handy little device you can attach to your bike that gives you all kinds of cool info.

How do they work? A magnet is attached to your bike's front wheel (on a spoke), and a magnet pickup is attached to the fork (the bar that holds your wheel). With each tire revolution, the pickup is triggered. Based on the calibration you set for your bike (stats about your bike like tire size), the computer calculates the distance you've traveled, your speed, and other measures, depending on the sophistication of the computer.

I found one that's not too expensive called the Polar CS 100b Wireless Bike Computer ($85).

It's wireless, so you don't have to deal with securing wires around the fork of your bike. The mount attaches to your bike stem or your handlebars, and the computer attaches to the mount. It's simple to use and the large display is easy to read. Instantly, you can look down and find out how fast you are going, how long you've been riding, and how many miles you've biked.

This bike computer is water-resistant, so it can take rain and a few splashes if you are riding in puddles. It uses a CR2032 battery, which you can replace yourself. There's even a low battery indicator that'll tell you when you should replace it.

I'm a huge fan of keeping track of your workouts. It motivates you to workout and allows you to chart your progress. When I run, I use the Nike + Sports Kit for my iPod Nano, and when I bike, I use a basic bike computer like this one made by Polar.

What's Buzzworthy: Action Movies

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:00:00 -0700

As I mentioned last week when I challenged you to Buzzworthy your favorite action movies, summertime feels like the best season to grab the popcorn, find some air-conditioning and get swept away by the blockbustery goodness of a high-octane flick. I can't wait to update my Netflix queue, since I forgot all about some of these oldies but greats.

The Rock
One of my personal favorites, Linda McP has this to say about her pick: "Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, and Ed Harris are perfectly cast in this film about domestic terrorism (all of San Francisco is held hostage by a deranged war hero played by Harris). Parts of the film are unrealistic, for sure, but the interplay between and among the characters makes this film a worthwhile pick. Connery just gets better as he ages!"

Kill Bill, Volume I
Another favorite of mine, this was chosen by tdamji who writes, "It's great to see a woman in a starring role in an action movie. There don't seem to be very many like that. Lucy Liu is great in this, as is Uma Thurman."

Several more if you read more

Top Gun
Sweet Tea picked this lovable oldie starring a young, hot Tom Cruise. She writes, "A classic action flick - never gets old."

Speed
Buzzworthied by both Hmorris and missyosigirl, who can forget Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves' collaborating to save a bus full of people from a fiery death?

The Seven Samurai
I should really check out this classic action movie from 1954, which was suggested by Fab_Kitty. Samurai movies often make fantastic action films with quality plots and characterization, what with all that courage and honor. Fab_Kitty says, "Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Seven Samurai has enough training and fighting to satisfy action film enthusiasts. It's also a film with lovely cinematography, a thoughtful pace, and a moving narrative."

Check out the widget I made that includes all the bookmarked action movies!

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Spring Running Tip: Set a Goal

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Maybe you're new to running, or maybe you've been running for years. Whatever your experience is, everyone can benefit from setting a goal. Here are some ideas for personal goals you can set for yourself. I recommend that you make them reasonable. They should be challenging enough to make you work hard, but not so difficult that they'll never be achieved.

Run a specific distance - Maybe you have a goal that every time you run, you go for 1 mile, or 3 miles, or 10 miles. However far you choose to run, start off with a doable distance and then gradually work your way up.

Run for a specific amount of time - If you are just starting out, set a goal of let's say 5 minutes. As you run more often, and build up your endurance, you can increase the amount of time.
Run at a certain pace or run faster) - For some people, their speed is important to them. You can challenge yourself to run faster at a constant rate.
Run to burn calories - If you're running to lose weight, you may want to measure how many calories you're burning each time. You can set a goal, so that each time you run, you burn X amount of calories. The Nike + iPod that works with an iPod Nano will tell you how many calories you've burned. Some pedometers will also give that kind of info, as do heart rate monitors.
Run to raise your target heart rate - Maybe you're running to improve your heart health and circulation. You may want to purchase a heart rate monitor to measure how hard your heart is pumping.

Want to see the other goals? Then read more

Run more often - If you have a running regimen that involves running once a week, you may want to run more frequently, and increase your running to twice or four times a week. Make sure you can fit it into your work or family schedule.
Train for a race - This year I'm setting the goal to sign up for a 5K. There are tons of races, half-marathons and marathons out there - just check the races in your area to find one that's right for you.

Fit's Tips: Once you set a goal, and then accomplish it, make sure you celebrate in some healthy way. Buy yourself a new sports bra or new music to run to. You'll feel much better about treating yourself in a way that supports your active lifestyle.