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5 Resistance Band Moves

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:50:10 -0700

Our friends over at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) have shared many workouts with us. There's a morning core workout to target your abs, a hip, thighs, and tush workout to get you ready for bikini season, four exercises for a strong and healthy back, and shoulder sculpting moves to get strapless-dress-ready. ACE has shared another workout with us, this time using a resistance band, that targets a few areas of the body that women say are "trouble spots." So grab a band and get started.

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Gabrielle Reece on Fitting Fitness Into a Busy Life

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:50:52 -0700

Gabrielle Reece is a fitness idol of mine, and I was lucky enough to speak to her about fitness and motherhood recently. I thought she was cool before, but now I wish she could be my new BFF.

Needless to say, Gabby is a busy lady, and many of you were curious about how she fits fitness into her daily routine. Simply put, she's aggressive about it. Comparing her commitment to working out to her obligations as a mother, she says that you wouldn't skip out on picking your kids up from school, so you shouldn't skip taking care of yourself. One way to ensure she doesn't blow off her workout is by running a circuit-training group of 10 women on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Since she's responsible for the class, she's there. Gabby saves the other two weekdays for cardio - biking or swimming. She explained her reasoning:

"It comes down to this . . . I am going to be a better wife, a better professional, a better mom, and definitely a nicer human being if I train. So I schedule it. And I think it's critical to schedule with other people because then you're accountable. You just can't blow it off."

To see how becoming a mom has changed her workouts, read more.
A mother of two young girls, Gabby knows that once you become a mom, you have a lot less time, and time constraints force you to be a lot more flexible. She explained that she has become more focused, too, when she has a scheduled workout.

"I have become a lot more serious about that time. If I have allotted an hour, I don't mess around with that time. I don't chitchat. This hour is golden and I am here to bust it. There have been days where I only have 20 . . . Instead of freaking out I say, 'Today is 20 minutes and 20 minutes is better than nothing.' With being a mom, you have a mix. I have become softer and harsher about it all."

As a working mother with two girls of my own, I fully relate. That 6 a.m. workout is the time I have to work out, so I make it work. Says Gabby: "When I am training, it's an opportunity to just be me, not do the mom thing. It's a chance to plug into my inner athlete."

Here's to a victorious inner athlete! Stay tuned for more on Gabby's food, abs, and working out with Laird, her surfer-pro husband.

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.

Testers Evaluate 5 Iffy Infomercial Products

SavvySugar — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:30:08 -0700

Infomercials are nearly as convincing as they are cheesy. The products seem like they'll change your life and you're witnessing their greatness right before your eyes - but we all have experienced a little reality called too good to be true. Good Housekeeping tested a handful of as seen on TV products and evaluated each one. Here are the results.

Pasta 'N' more, $19.99 (plus $8.99 shipping): GH reported, ". . . Pasta came out a bit softer than al dente, thus the missing fifth star - but the truth is, most of our testers still liked the taste."
Snuggie, $19.95 (plus $7.95 shipping): The verdict from GH is apparently that it's not worth the money. "Testers liked the Snuggie well enough, though both men and women complained that the sleeves were too long and it took a lot of adjusting to stay comfortably covered. The brushed-polyester material didn't shrink after five washes, but the quality is cheap."

Check out the results for three more products when you read more.

Bender Ball, $9.99 to $12.98 (plus $7.93 shipping): Not worth the money - according to GH, "Our fitness experts and consumers thought that the exercises were effective, but no more so than an ab workout on the floor or a regular exercise ball."
The ShamWow!, $19.95 (plus $7.95 shipping): Testers called it "a good product, but with too many grandiose promises." It worked well in some instances, like sucking up cola from carpet, but didn't dry a dog as well as a regular towel.
Smooth Away, $14.99 (plus $6.99 shipping): The product claims it's "Easy, safe, and painless . . . superfine crystals buff away unwanted hair . . . in moments," but most testers concluded they prefer their regular methods of hair-removal.

Do You Date Younger Men?

TresSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Author Candace Bushnell might be married to a man 10 years her junior, but don't call her a cougar. In an op-ed out tomorrow in More Magazine, the Sex and the City writer laments the fact that women who break out of traditional roles are then labeled with a derogatory term. We have "ballbuster" female CEOs, "bitchy" politicians, and alas, "cougars."

Candace believes that people who use the term cougar are simply ignorant of the real appeal of dating younger men. Or maybe they're just jealous. Candace writes:

What I have yet to see is a real woman choose a younger man because he spent six hours a day at the gym trying to sculpt his abs. The fact that a man is open to being with an older woman suggests that he doesn't give a hang what other people think of him. More likely, he's confident, open-minded and willing to make his own rules. All of which just happen to be qualities that, much more than a great six-pack, make for a great relationship.

Do you agree that dating younger makes for a good relationship?

Being Dumped: You May Want Him More - But Like Him Less

TresSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:30:00 -0700

The Rolling Stones may have understood that you can't always get what you want - but it took a group of market researchers (who perhaps understand human desire better than Lacanian psychoanalysts?) to demonstrate that you don't always like what you want.

Although you may pine after and begin chasing someone who dumped you, a new study from the Stanford School of Business shows, you may not like him or her or lose interest once you get them back again.

“For many people, wanting and liking are two separate things that can become contradictory," according to researcher Baba Shiv, professor of marketing at SGSB. "When someone is thwarted from obtaining his original desire, he, in fact, comes to find the attractiveness and appeal of his target to be diminished. Yet, perversely, he may feel he wants it even more. The thrill becomes the chase."

Who’s more susceptible to this perverse push-pull motivation? People who tend to express emotions with lower intensity and, according to researchers, that means more women than men. Hotheaded people, if rebuffed by someone, tend to respond by turning down their interest and their desire. Their attitude, says Ab Litt, the doctoral student who co-authored this study is, “It’s not so great, and I don’t want it anyway.” (They generalized that although women may experience emotion more richly, they are less "emotionally reactive" while men tend to act with more "raw intensity.")

Ever wonder why that new bag or random trendy gewgaw may be unavailable even though you showed up at Barneys first thing in the morning to get it? Because marketers like those at Stanford are studying your love habits and deciding that you'll want something more if it's made scarce! Good thing I'm a hothead.

Are you a "want more/like less" type or a "can't have it/didn't want it anyway" type?

Source

Class Alert: Skinny Jeans Fitness Workout

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:30:14 -0700

The fashion trend of skinny jeans is sticking around, and the fitness industry has decided to help women feel more comfortable wearing curve-hugging denim. Fitness-forward Equinox Gym is now offering the Skinny Jeans Workout. They describe the class as:

A Whole Body Workout designed to focus on your abs, buns and thighs and get you into those skinny jeans. Molly Fox creator, Skinny Jeans Advocate and Change your Body Agent, fused tried and true '80s exercises with new 2008 moves. A fitness experience for all ages, get into a pair today . . .

The class mixes Pilates concepts with down and dirty strength training. Surprisingly, there is also an emphasis on posture. Standing up straight makes everyone look better. The class focuses on core muscles (abs, back, and glutes), the inner and outer thigh, and the shoulder girdle to help ladies stand tall.

The classes are offered at many Equinox locations and I am sure many gyms will start offering similar conditioning classes to help us all slide into skinny jeans with ease. Although this workout sounds a little silly, I totally want to check it out since I am always looking for ways to tone my backside. What about you? Would you be interested in taking this class?

Halle Berry Brings Her Sparks Courtside

PopSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Halle Berry had her popcorn in hand last night as she cheered on the LA Sparks women's basketball team in their game against the Minnesota Lynx. While Halle's watching a competition from the sidelines, her man Gabriel Aubry is currently beating Matthew McConaughey in our Hottest Shirtless Guy contest - don't forget to cast your votes! Gabriel's abs might be winning votes, but it's Halle's stomach that has everyone buzzing as her loose-fitting clothes continue sparking pregnancy rumors.

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The Glows and Cons of Airbrush Makeup

BellaSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:00:59 -0700

Despite the obvious jokes about state fairs and unicorn T-shirts, people have been using airbrush machines to apply red-carpet makeup for years, and they're a given on film and television sets. But most women outside Hollywood don't know much about them, and they've traditionally been prohibitively expensive. Recently, though, there have been a couple of less pricey (though still far from cheap) entries to the market, so I decided to take a look at them. If you're curious about what it takes to get made up like a celebrity, just keep reading

Want Toned Abs? Don't Use Momentum

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:05 -0700

Many of the women in my Pilates and yoga classes ask how they can get a trim and toned middle. Aside from doing cardio to reduce overall body fat, exercises that target the core muscles are key. Crunches on an exercise ball, Pilates 100s, the always challenging Bicycle Crunches, and Reverse Curls are all essential exercises when it comes to strengthening your abs.

One tip to keep in mind when doing these strength training moves is to move with control. You want to use your muscles, not momentum, to ensure that your abs are doing all the work. You can even pause slightly between reps to make sure you're not just rocking from one rep to another. Keep your abs contracted throughout the entire range of motion, and you'll feel the burn instantly that lets you know your hard work is paying off.