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Push-Up Variation: T Push-Up

FitSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

I am a huge fan of push-ups since they strengthen your upper body and core beautifully, and they require no equipment whatsoever. Regular push-ups can be tough to do all in a row (and pretty boring too), so here's a variation that lets your upper body stretch in between push-ups.

Music: "Ballad For Trio" by The Jazz Mandolin Project

Begin on you hands and knees, with your hands shoulder-width apart, and your knees underneath your hips.
Keep you arms straight as you straighten out your legs behind you, coming into plank position.
As you inhale, bend your elbows as you lower yourself down into a push-up (with control), keeping your body parallel to the ground.
Exhale to straighten your arms and lift your right arm straight up over head, making a T-shape with your body.
Inhale to place your right palm back on the ground and lower into a push-up.
Exhale to straighten your arms and lift your left arm up overhead.
Inhale to place your left hand back on the ground and lower into a push-up.
Continue this exercise, repeating a equal number of times on both sides. Try to do at least five on each side. As you get stronger, you can work your way up to 10 on each side.

Who Would You Rather See Quinn With?

Buzz Community — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:30:36 -0800

This post comes from Glee Club group member care0531.

Quinn Fabray was never one of my favorite characters on Glee. We all got to know Quinn as a somewhat selfish, stuck up star of the Cheerios, and head of the celibacy club who only joined the glee club to keep an eye on her boyfriend Finn Hudson. When everyone at William McKinley High School found out Quinn’s secret of being pregnant a lot changed for her, and since then her walls have come down and we have gotten to see a more vulnerable side to her.

The one thing still bothering me about Quinn is her lying about who’s her baby's real father. Which leads me to this question: Who should Quinn be with?

Finn Hudson: The captain of the football team and star singer in glee club. It’s not just Finn’s good looks that get the ladies attention - it’s the fact that he has a sensitive side that everyone gets to see. He sticks up for his outcast friends in glee club, and he never wants to let anyone down. The downside to Finn is he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. I don’t think there are many high school students who would think it was possible to get your girlfriend pregnant without having sex.

Puck: (Real name Noah Puckerman) is the rebel jock football player who joins his friend Finn in the glee club. He has that signature mohawk and bad boy temperament but when it comes to his feelings for Quinn, he isn’t afraid to show her. Puck’s father is a “dead beat” and he doesn’t want to be that way which could be why we are seeing a softer side to him these days. Puck keeps showing an effort to be a part of Quinn’s life even though she keeps pushing him away.

Other: Maybe you think Quinn should be single and deal with this all on her own, maybe you think she should meet someone outside of glee and football to form a special relationship with, or maybe it’s just the support of all her good glee friends that help get her through the next several months of her pregnancy.

Vote and leave a comment telling us why.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Beyonce's Trainer Reveals 5-Minute Preparty "Body Blast"

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:29 -0800

When I'm totally wrapped up in Thanksgiving cooking, prepping, organizing, shopping (need I go on?), there's hardly a fighting chance that I'll make it to the gym for a full-on workout. Usually, I'll try to squeeze in a set of push-ups while prepping dinner preparation, or an early morning yoga session, if I can. So, I was excited to see Marco Borges, the trainer credited with whipping Beyonce, husband Jay-Z, and Gwen Stefani into tip-top shape, sharing an easy and no-equipment-needed workout with US Weekly. Here are the five moves he suggests to give yourself an all-over body-blasting workout (even if you only have five minutes to spare before your guests arrive):

Jumping Plies: I call these jumping squats, but it doesn't matter what you call them as long as you do them. Here's how: stand with your feet just a bit wider than shoulder-width apart, abs pulled in tight, and bend your knees, lowering your body till your thighs are parallel to the floor and jump straight into the air. Return to starting position and repeat for one minute.

Reverse Lunges: Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, step back into a lunge and repeat on the opposite side, alternating for one minute. Be sure that abs remain tight throughout, working your core and maintaining your balance and posture.

Push-Ups: According to Marco, "The push-up is quite possibly one of the simplest and best body weight movements targeting the muscles of the chest, arms, shoulders and core." Do as many classic push-ups, or moderated position push-ups from your knees, as you can for a full one minute, making sure to maintain proper form and bring your chest as close to the floor as you can before pushing back to starting plank position.

For the rest of Marco's workout, keep reading

Meet Dr. Zizmor, If You Haven't Already

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:59 -0800

If you're a New Yorker, then you must be familiar with Dr. Jonathan Zizmor, the board-certified dermatologist. For three decades, he's been advertising his skin-saving services in a series of shiny, cheery subway ads. Of course, it hasn't all been rainbows for Dr. Z - his license was suspended for three years. He's back in business, though, and his advertising is just as trippy as ever:

Seeing this commercial wouldn't push me to make an appointment, but clearly his advertising has paid off. Celebrity dermatologists like Dr. Brandt and Dr. Gross might draw the A-list names, but there's hardly a New Yorker who doesn't know of Dr. Z. Would seeing his ad make you pick up the phone, or are you wary of doctors who advertise their services?

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:19 -0800

The Tuesday night CW block made a particularly strong showing this week. Personally, I thought 90210 had one of its best episodes of the season - nice character development, a few teary moments, and some "oh no she didn't" disses. And as for Melrose Place, I've got two words for you: Heather Locklear. Yes, Amanda Woodward is back, and it's quickly becoming clear that the residents aren't going to have it easy any time soon.

So with plenty of drama to go around, which show shocked more? Let's break down all the juicy tidbits and decide the victor when you read more.

90210 point: Well, Annie sleeps with Jasper, and she skips into the kitchen in the morning to tell her parents about her new boyfriend. Debbie invites him for dinner - but once Dixon warns about his druggie reputation, Deb and Harry are less than enthused and forbid Annie from seeing him. She, of course, gets defensive, and as for Jasper's reaction? He tries to kill Navid by pushing him down the stairs at school.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Speaking of crazy murderers, did Michael off Sydney? Sure seems like it after David ransacks his car and finds her bloody necklace in a plastic bag. Now, he's determined to clear Auggie's name (who has since been shunned by all of his friends) and get payback by putting Michael behind bars.

90210 point: Richard and his mom walk in on Naomi with Jamie. (How about the Dean sarcastically calling Naomi "classy?" Ouch.) Naomi admits to Jamie that she was dating Richard for the wrong reasons, and he breaks up with her over it. Her guilty conscience getting the best of her, Naomi then confesses to Richard, too. Jamie finds out and asks to get back together, but unfortunately for him, Naomi had an epiphany during their 24 hours apart - she's still not over Liam.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Like I said, Amanda Woodward is back, and she's out to make Ella's life hell. First she fires Caleb, and then she sends in an agent named Melissa to lure Ella away from WPK as a "test." Oh, and did I mention that Melissa comes on to Ella and the two women make out in a back room? That part totally came out of nowhere - talk about scandalous.

90210 point: Last week Silver's mom Jackie wasn't waking up, and this week starts with her being rushed to the hospital. The doctor tells Silver and Kelly to say their goodbyes, but Kelly refuses after all the years her mother mistreated her. She regrets that decision later, so she finally makes amends and tells Jackie that she forgives her. Jackie passes soon after, and I admittedly got a bit choked up.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Things are looking up for Riley - her jeans campaign is all over magazines - but once Amanda Woodward steps in, she concocts a rags-to-riches fake bio for Riley for PR purposes. Once the press starts asking questions, Riley admits to the lie and things blow up in WPR's face. Amanda seeks revenge by asking Ella to rat on Riley for abusing her sick days for the photo shoots. When Ella won't agree, ruthless Amanda does it herself, and Riley gets fired.

90210 point: Adrianna tells Navid that he was easy to get over because she was never really in love with him. Brutal. Then Naomi discovers Adrianna's stash, and she says good riddance to Adrianna, too. This can't be good for her substance problem.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Can we talk about Violet and Auggie's sex scene on the kitchen counter? Lauren's stripteases make me blush enough already, but this may have even topped that.

90210 point: I still can't stand Jen, but we're slowly starting to see her softer side. Ryan suggests going camping, and she packs a fondue set and a Burberry rain coat - not exactly low-maintenance is she? After she complains a lot, Ryan tells her he's disappointed since he's always bending over backwards for her. She takes his words to heart - even builds a fire! - and opens up about being broke . . . and still married.
Melrose Place counterpoint: In other couple news, David woos Lauren by decorating her apartment like Autumn, complete with falling leaves. But just as things get hot and heavy, she puts on the brakes, because of her "issues" with intimacy. How long are they going to drag this out?

While I really enjoyed 90210, we're talking about scandal here, so I'm going to give this week to Melrose Place. Having Amanda Woodward on your side already makes you a lock, but then throw in the borderline porno - Auggie and Violet, Lauren and David, Ella and Melissa - and it's a no-brainer. Plus, we had a great MP cliffhanger - what exactly is Sydney is referencing in her letter to Amanda that says, "You'll never find it?" You'll never find what?!

Tell me your theories (and what you thought about the episodes) in the comments! And don't forget that if you're a 90210 follower, you can always join the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community.

Photos courtesy of The CW

On Board and Ready To Buy

SavvySugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:41:23 -0800

In a new move to up their retail, airlines may soon be offering more in-flight opportunities to purchase anything from limousine services to Broadway theater tickets. Though The New York Times reports that only American Airlines has begun limited testing of the retail concept, nearly all airline carriers have confirmed that they are planning to unveil similar expanded retail offerings on flights.

So why expand retail, especially in the midst of a recession? Well, according to SkyMall president Christine Aguilera, airline passengers are "some of the greatest consumers on the planet," simply because they've got nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. This aspect makes "onboard" retail unique because, frankly, "operators are able to lock their doors with their shoppers still inside."

To learn more about airline retail, keep reading

Exercise, Weight Loss, and the Fat Burning Zone

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:50:01 -0800

Much has been made of late about exercise and its relation to weight loss. There was the Time cover story The Myth About Weight Loss and a recent article on the topic in the New York Times, which recommended working out in the fat burning zone.

You see the phrase on all types of cardio machines: the fat burning zone, aka the "weight loss zone," means working out at a lower intensity to burn fat as fuel. But these workouts also burn considerably fewer calories. I was confused about how we should all be spending our cardio time, so I took my questions to exercise physiologist Jason Karp, who also happens to be an avid runner.

When I asked him if we should all be scaling our workouts back and aiming for the fat burning zone, Karp explained that it's not the type of fuel your body is burning, but the overall calories that count. "It doesn't matter if you're using fat or carbohydrates. In order to lose fat from your waistline you don't have to be using fat as fuel during workout," he said. He offered up the example of sprinters; they don't train in the fat burning zone, but they're mighty trim in the torso. Losing weight comes down to math - you want to be in a calorie deficit to shed pounds and body fat. Higher intensity exercise puts you at a higher burn rate. To burn the most calories in a cardio workout, skip past the fat burning zone and work out with more intensity. To really burn up calories, Karp recommends intervals. To learn why, read more.

Essentially, interval workouts give you the most bang for your sweat buck. Karp explains that with "intense exercise you're pushing your body more out of homeostasis," that is, the equilibrium of energy the body prefers to maintain. During the few hours after an interval workout, the body must go through a recovery period, and a lot needs to happen to return to the body to pre-exercise levels. "You've got to drop the heart rate, synthesize glycogen for the muscles, remove lactate from muscle and take it to the liver," says Karp. All these actions require energy, which raises the metabolic rate for many hours after exercising. Thirty minutes of exercise at a low intensity doesn't place nearly as much stress on the body as intervals, so you burn fewer calories both during and after the workout.

Before you hit the track and start running intervals, Karp recommends building a strong cardiovascular fitness base and working with a trainer for guidance. Even if you're not ready for sprints, play with your speed during your next cardio session. Slow and steady might win the race, but intervals will burn more calories.

Source: Flickr User pistoldrawn

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.

Star Trek

This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.

It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).

The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
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See two more movies releasing today when you read more.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary follow up to 2006's wildly successful Borat, Bruno is more of the same: cringe-worthy setups that make for laughs. This time, though, the envelope that was pushed in the former is torn to pieces in the latter. It's not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you like Baron Cohen's humor, you'll appreciate the awkward-beyond-words situations.

I was torn - I wanted to laugh as hard as I did at Borat, but most of the time I was just wincing.

DVD extras include alternate and deleted scenes, as well as enhanced commentary.

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My Sister's Keeper

Need a good cry? Rent the tearjerker My Sister's Keeper. The drama stars Cameron Diaz as a mother presiding over her Leukemia-stricken daughter Kate, and the child they had in order to provide a kidney donor for Kate, Anna - who's played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin. When Anna sues her own parents for the rights to decide what to do with her own body, Diaz and her husband Jason Patric try to figure out what's really going with her.

I was definitely moved by the film, but you'd have to be made of stone not to, considering the subject matter. If you read the book, take heed: the ending in the film isn't exactly the same.

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Lessons From the White House Chef

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:00:07 -0800

Part of Michelle Obama's master plan to reform eating habits in this country includes the directive of a young chef named Sam Kass. Kass has been the Obamas' personal chef for several years now, and when the Obamas packed up and moved to the White House, he did too.

Kass, 29, plays more than cook at his current post: he is the first White House chef to have an actual desk in the East Wing and works alongside the rest of Ms. Obama's policy team with the title of "food initiative coordinator," meaning he's given the daunting task of getting the entire country to eat better.

To hear how Kass is trying to making the country healthier, read more.

How does one man do that in a country where the golden arches rule? In the latest editions of People and the Chicago Sun Times, Kass shares that moving past the obstacles won't be easy but "it's an unbelievable opportunity" that he couldn't turn his back on. In the last year, the chef has gotten closer to his goal by helping plant a garden on the White House lawn and educating children about the benefits of healthy eating. He's also discussing legislation with the Agriculture Department that would reform school lunch on a national level.

When it comes to feeding the first family, Kass and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford serve up classic fare like burgers and tacos, but make healthy food swaps and use lean beef and low-sugar ketchup instead. As for dessert, it's a special treat served only on the weekends, and that order comes directly from Michelle herself.

Inspired by the Slow Food movement, Kass looks to the White House garden to inspire his menu, pushing forth the idea of eating local and by season. Right now, he's got his eyes on a bevy of sweet potato dishes and fresh salads, which should come in handy for the Obamas' first state dinner later this month.

When Vegetarians Raise Vegetarians

babysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:08 -0800

For some, dinner is just a meal. For others, it is a way of life and a testament to their beliefs. Carnivores may not give much thought to the burger on their plate, but vegetarians might. They often take comfort in the fact that no animals were harmed in the making of their cuisine - a mindset many would like to pass onto their offspring. Some vegetarian moms limit their children to a strict greens and fruits diet, and others allow their children to choose meals for themselves - meat included. While the choice may seem insignificant to some, others believe a parent's push to be strictly vegetarian may have negative consequences.

Instead of forcing a child into vegetarian restrictions, Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic, thinks children who can select their own food may experience less peer pressure than their limitless foodies in the lunch room. Furthermore, she argues it may even cause a child to feel stressed out if she is not limited to parent-approved choices when out on her lonesome. To avoid setting children up for failure, Nelson recommends this tidbit of advice:

You should offer age-appropriate explanations for why they don't eat meat . . . Then give children reassurance and strategies for making food choices when they're not with you.

So tell us, would you raise your child to have the same eating habits as you or would you allow them to test things out for themselves?