LilSugar

Trendtotting: Fat Tie

LilSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:00:54 PST

The price of a dress shirt for your darling - $20. The cost of a complementary tie - $16. Getting your son decked out for the holidays without a struggle - priceless. For every mom who has had to wrestle her lil rascal into conforming clothes: there's no longer a need. This holiday, let him slip into a long-sleeved tee that is a celebration on its own. Fat Tie organic shirts ($38) are available in three dapper varieties - rusty, scooter, and rudy - that come with tie included! The Southern California company boasts, "Fat Tie is converting little devils into darling angels, one shirt at a time." Paired with a blazer or worn on its own, your tot will surely turn heads.

Cosmo For Latinas Cover Girl Zoe Saldana on the Perks of Being in Her 30s

Meghan Rooney — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:28:26 PDT

Zoe Saldana looked radiant in a lilac Elie Saab number at the Cosmopolitan for Latinas launch party last night in NYC. The 33-year-old Avatar star covers the premiere issue of the magazine, which hit newsstands on May 1. Zoe has another reason to celebrate, as she's also nominated for best Latino actor at the upcoming MTV Movie Awards for her work in Colombiana.

Zoe is currently wrapped up in three new projects, shooting two thrillers, Blood Ties and Out of the Furnace, as well as a Star Trek sequel. She may once again don the tight blue suit as Neytiri in Avatar 2, but for last night's launch, Zoe was all about being herself. Having split from boyfriend of 11 years Keith Britton in November of last year, Zoe reflected on her new life. She also spoke about body image, NYC, and how it feels to be in her 30s. Zoe said:

On following her heart: "The reality is, I have gotten this far because I don’t pay attention to anything but my heart and what I want to do. And if it's a hit today, or if it’s a miss tomorrow, seriously - no regrets because if I follow my heart I can never be wrong."
On body image: "I have always been on the slender side, and I am the only one in my family! Trust me, they hate that I can eat! And I am not saying because I got it like that, but the older you get, you to have to be more conscious about your body. Not the image things that might suffer, but it's internal - your heart with cholesterol and fats, or depriving your body of certain nutrients you need just because you want to look good."
On being inspired by her hometown: "There is nothing more beautiful than coming here to New York because this is my native home. Seeing the fashion in the streets, even going into the deli or the bodega, it makes me miss New York so much. But LA is like that too. I just love art, and I don’t care if it comes in a pair of sneakers, a painting, or a Givenchy dress."
On her 30s: "I am very happy now that in my early 30s the pressure of wanting to please others dissipates more and more. And now, it's about being me. There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past year. But I am happy that through all that, the biggest gift I have been receiving every day is getting to know myself not through anybody else and not through another entity or another organization that tells me who I am but me. And it feels kind of fu*king cool being in your 30s, I have to say."

Chris Noth Is Married!

Katie Henry — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:45:27 PDT

Chris Noth, aka Mr. Big, tied the knot! - People
Angelina Jolie and Michael Fassbender to work together? - Lainey Gossip
James Franco adds Rihanna to his lip synching repertoire - HuffPost Entertainment
2012's hottest baby names are all about celebs - The Stir
Betty White has joined Twitter! - D-Listed
Anna Chlumsky is all grown up and looking sexy - JustJared
Alec Baldwin leaving NBC? - BuzzFeed
Miley Cyrus shows off her lingerie - Hollywood Tuna
Tom Hanks rumored to play Walt Disney in new project - Pink Is the New Blog
Jessica Simpson is done being "fat" - The Superficial
Joe Pesci's ex-wife convicted for attempted murder - The Daily Beast
Britney Spears closer to finalizing X Factor deal - Zap2it
Real Housewives of Atlanta promise an explosive reunion - TooFab
Was Jennifer Love Hewitt flirting with Maxsim Chmerkovskiy? - The Blemish
Check out the lineup for Lollapalooza - The Stir

5 Surprising Health Benefits of Being a Sports Fan

Prevention — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:19:15 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Cristina Goyanes, Prevention

It’s no wonder your friends aren’t available to hang out on Sundays in the Fall and Winter - according to a 2005 Gallup Poll, 64 percent of Americans claim to be professional football fans, and as of 2010, women make up 44 percent of the NFL fan base.

Being a sports fan doesn’t mean you’re expected to know all the players and stats of your hometown teams and destined for a beer gut - it’s about coming together in the name of good times as part of a community.

“Bonding over sports - the highs and lows of the game - strengthens ties, helps us feel supported, and makes it easier for you to open up about personal things,” says Renee Clauselle, PsyD, who runs a private psychology practice in Long Island, NY.

Seventeen Unexpected Side Effects of Exercise

Rooting for the same team creates an immediate sense of family, says Daniel Wann, PhD, a Murray State University professor who has been studying the psychology of sports fans for over 20 years. “If you identify with a local team, you build an instant connection to others around you,” he says.

Beyond the bonding aspects, watching sports can motivate you to pump up your own workouts - and even burn a few extra calories when you jump, cheer, and clap during the highlights of the game. Find out more ways being a sports fan is a winning situation for your health.

Keep reading to learn how being a sports fan benefits your health.

The Most-Overlooked Tax Deductions

Kiplinger — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:50:44 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Every year, the IRS dutifully reports the most common blunders that taxpayers make on their returns. And every year, at or near the top of the “oops” list is forgetting to enter their Social Security number at the top of the tax form - or making a mistake when entering those nine digits.

But think about it for a minute: Do you think that’s the most common mistake . . . or simply the easiest to notice?

One thing we know for sure is that the opportunity to make mistakes is almost unlimited, and missed deductions can be the most costly. About 45 million of us itemize on our 1040s - claiming more than $1 trillion worth of deductions. That’s right: $1,000,000,000,000, a number rarely spoken out loud until Congress started tying itself up in knots trying to deal with the budget deficit and national debt.

Another 92 million taxpayers claim about $700 billion worth using standard deductions - and some of you who take the easy way out probably shortchange yourselves. (If you turned 65 in 2011, remember that you now deserve a bigger standard deduction than the younger folks.)

Yes, friends, tax time is a dangerous time. It’s all too easy to miss a trick and pay too much. Years ago, the fellow who ran the IRS at the time told Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine that he figured millions of taxpayers overpay their taxes every year by overlooking just one of the money-savers listed below

Free Online Fitness Journals to Track Your Progress

Heather Dale — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:30:58 PST

I like to think I'm disciplined with my weekly workout schedule, but sometimes I need some additional coercing to get my butt to the gym. Online progress tracking tools are great for keeping you motivated, and for holding you accountable if your healthy habits happen to take a nosedive. With the holidays just around the corner, many of us will be on the road visiting friends and family, making it increasingly difficult to keep up with our fitness routines. So we've rounded up five fitness tracking websites to help keep you on track - and they're all free!

Keep reading to check them out!

Social Dieting: The Best Way to Slim

Self — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:09:48 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

This just in! Mice who socialize with their "friends" in an active environment are slimmer and have flatter bellies than their lonely, lazy counterparts. So can humans learn a thing or two from sexy, skinny rodents?

To find out how being more "socially active" can help you shed pounds, we spoke to Tom Holland, owner of Tom Holland's Athletic Club in New Canaan, CT, and author of Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag.

HealthySELF: The study from researcher Matthew During, a professor of neuroscience at Ohio State University Medical Center, found that mice given cages with running wheels, mazes, toys and unlimited high-fat food and water - along with 15 to 20 cagemates - saw some of their white fat cells, which store energy, take on characteristics of brown fat, which burns calories. They lost 50 percent more of their abdominal fat and gained 29 percent less weight than the control mice.

When mice were given just running wheels but no pals to play with, they didn't lose as much weight as the control mice, which seems to be very telling. Obviously, humans are not mice. But could this be evidence that being more social can help people lose weight?

Holland: It very well could be. Much of the exercise-based research begins with mice, and strong connections with humans have been found over the years. I believe a big component in all this may be the connection between social ties and depression. The less "connected" people are, the more prone to depression they become, which can lead to overeating and lack of exercise. A 2009 study by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center showed that staying busy and having a sense of purpose helps people live longer.

Find out more about how being social helps you shed pounds after the break.

Should You Skip Sleep to Fit in a Workout?

Shape — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:33:26 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Shape turned to personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell for the answer!

Q. What's more important: getting enough sleep or fitting in an early-morning or late-night workout?

A. To change your body composition in the least amount of time, cleaning up your diet and getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep are both essential. Sleep is extremely important for body composition and helps the body and brain restore and rejuvenate in many different ways. Plus, sleep (or the lack thereof) affects important hormonal activity tied to appetite and therefore has a direct impact on your ability to lose weight (i.e. body fat).

One study published online at the Public Library of Science shows how sleep is connected to eating habits and weight gain. The December 2004 study found that people who slept less than seven to eight hours a night ate significantly more and weighed more than those who slept longer. What's more, the more sleep deprived the person was, the more they ate and the greater their weight gain. These results can be directly attributed to two key appetite-regulating hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin (a hormone secreted by our fat cells) and ghrelin (a hormone secreted in our stomachs) work like a checks and balances system in the body and control your feelings of fullness and hunger. When you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels drop and your ghrelin levels rise. In other words, you're more likely to crave sugary, high-carb foods (thanks to higher levels of Ghrelin) that have the potential to sabotage your diet. The growth hormone - which is extremely important for tissue repair, body fat reduction, and healthy immune function - also gets released during sleep.

Now you can see why getting quality sleep is just as important as your workout routine and nutrition. In fact, I would rank sleep and diet as more important than exercise, especially if fat loss (i.e. getting a lean, toned body) is your primary goal.

See Kate Moss's Exclusive Wedding Pictures in September's Vogue!

Allie Merriam — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:37:44 PDT

They're here! The September 2011 issue of Vogue features all the exclusive Mario Testino-lensed pictures from Kate Moss's July wedding. Kate and her now-husband Jamie Hince posed for romantic photos on their big day, and the magazine also features rare images of Kate with her daughter Lila - Kate usually goes to great lengths to keep her child out of the spotlight. Kate went on to speak about their wedding planner, Sam Gainsbury, and the 138 guests, 39 of which were kids, at their ceremony in Southrop, England. The couple apparently left the church to the Rolling Stones song, "You Can’t Always Get What You Want." Kate told Hamish Bowles about what motivated her and Jamie to tie the knot, her mild case of bridal fever, and more. She said:

On deciding to get married: "We were just so loved up, and he asked me to marry him every day. . . . [The show Big Fat Gypsy Wedding changed everything] . . . I am so romantic about gypsies. They’re not allowed to do anything until they get married. So they all get married really young, at 16. You can’t believe the dresses. They’re like blinging butterflies times 10; they can’t move down the aisle! It’s so genius. I was just watching Jamie, so cute, and I was like, these girls, they just spend their whole life waiting for that day - let’s do it!"
On staying in shape with jivamukti yoga: "They call it moving meditation. It’s loud, loud music, so it’s dynamic, not boring."
On her inspiration: "I wanted it to be kind of dreamy and 1920s, when everything is soft focus. The Great Gatsby. The code name was GG for a while. That light and that kind of fun decadence. It’s rock-’n’-roll Great Gatsby!"
On needing her friends to get through the wedding planning: "Let’s put it this way. If I didn’t have my friends . . . I don’t know how people do it. I’ve had big birthday parties, and I’ve thrown parties for other people, but this is a completely different thing. It’s the Met Ball! Because you have to look at every piece of cutlery; the details are intense. And then you wake up thinking about the ballet shoes for the girls; is the satin ribbon right? I’ve gone mental. Jamie thinks I’m mad, asking, ‘Are you gonna be all right? After the wedding, I’m hoping you’ll get back to normal!'"

10 Hilarious Modern Family Valentine Moments

LilSugar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:30:54 PST

They call it funky love. Last night's "My Funky Valentine" episode of Modern Family sure beat a box of chocolates and a vase of roses. It was full of familial situations that would make any mom laugh to the point of tears. Here are the highlights:

Cam dresses Lily up as cupid and Mitchell dismisses her costume as a cut-up boa. Cam replies, "We re-purposed it. It was a Bob Mackie meets Martha Stewart project."
Dylan hands Claire a rose and says, "All women should look as tasty as you when they are old."
Phil and Claire realize that Dylan's gift to Haley isn't a painting, but a scanned photo of him shirtless lying with her turned into one.
Claire suggests that she and Phil spice up their date with some role playing and he tries out a few characters - Reginald Applebee, an English gentleman in town for a polo match, an honorable businessman from Hong Kong and a tiger trainer.
Phil arrives at the hotel bar with a nametag that says "Clive Bixby."

To see the rest of our picks,

When Manny walks into Mitch and Cam's house and announces, "The universe is cold and loveless" as he pours himself a San Pellegrino straight.
Cam says to Manny, "It's Valentine's Day. It's not the day you run away from love. It's the day you track it down, tie it up, and take it home." before they head out to woo Manny's love Fiona.
Noting that he hasn't eaten any, Cam offers Mitchell a chocolate. Mitchell says, "There were two levels - you know it and I know it."
Gloria asks Jay if he would leave her if she gained 100 pounds. He pauses. Then replies, "That's not fair. I have to get old. You don't have to get fat."
When Phil is awed by Gloria's ability to swap coats with Claire without anyone noticing she's naked. Jays warns, "Take it down a notch Clive."
Claire is driving around with the kids when Phil calls to apologize for the previous night's oil mess not knowing he's on speaker. Luke asks why they had oil and Phil says, "We were making french fries."