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.

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,

Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak Dishes About Food

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:50:18 PDT

Harley Pasternak says that if you follow his 5 Factor diet, you will see results. First, eat five times a day: two meals and three snacks. Next, everything you eat should have five components: lean protein, low glycemic carbs, healthy fats, fiber, and a sugar-free beverage. And to keep it real, there's a cheat day once a week.

The in-demand trainer recently came out with a new book - the 5 Factor World Diet - that draws on lessons learned from constant travel. Harley selected 10 countries with the lowest obesity rates and highest life expectancies and studied what they eat, how they eat, and how they burn it off. Although busy bopping between clients, Harley took some time out of his day to talk all things food: what you should be eating, why fresh food isn't always better, and yes, even he has a cheat food.

To see the interview,

FitSugar: Your latest book, The 5 Factor World Diet, is based on the insights you’ve gained while traveling. What are some healthy eating tips you’ve picked up from other countries? Harley Pasternak: I saw a lot of fish - not beef - in the healthiest countries, and whole grains, vegetable, and whole soy - especially in Okinawa where everyone is 100 years old. In Sweden, sandwiches are made with one piece of bread, not two - it’s always always an open-faced sandwich. Physical activity is very much tied to meals too. In Italy they have something called a "pasa giatta," and when the meal ends they all get up and go for a walk together. And in other parts of the world they go grocery shopping every day, so you’re basically burning off half the meal to pick up ingredients, and when you’re preparing your food, you have more control over what you put into it. FS: What advice do you have for people who can’t walk to pick up fresh food because the nearest market is 30 miles away? HP: I’m a big fan of frozen food and canned food. I know that’s not what we’re used to hearing but frozen and canned food can be as healthy, if not healthier than fresh counterpart options. Fresh produce is not the end-all be-all - when I make smoothies I almost always use frozen fruits, and when I make soups I often use frozen vegetables. You can use canned beans and frozen vegetables for dips as well. Also, don’t be afraid of canned fish, canned salmon, canned tuna, and frozen seafood like shrimp cocktail. It’s another great way to get seafood into your diet, if you can't get fresh. FS: What are some of your favorite meals from the 5 Factor World Diet? HP: Gosh, there are so many. As I wrote the World Diet book, I was looking abroad for some good fiber recipes and fell in love with Japanese food like soba noodles. I also love the idea of ceviche. Going to Spain and learning to make ceviche was great. It's absolutely foolproof, even for someone who has no idea how to cook. FS: What about snacks - especially when you’re on the go? HP: Snacks - as should a meal - [should] have a lowfat protein and a fibrous carbohydrate. I tell my clients to grab some plain nonfat Greek yogurt and some frozen berries and mix that together. Soy snacks are great too: edamame, Soy Joy bars, and soy milk are all great. I often make a dip out of nonfat Greek yogurt and natural peanut butter for protein and calcium. It’s 1:2 ratio of peanut butter to yogurt and it’s delicious with apples or pears. FS: Now that you’ve brought up fruit, one of our readers wants to know why there are no grapes or bananas on the 5-Factor Diet? HP: No one is going to live a shorter life if they have bananas or grapes, however there are much, much healthier fruits. I try and tell my clients to choose those fruits over others. I tell my clients to stick to fruits that either have edible skin, edible seeds, or citrus - bananas do not have edible skin, nor do they have edible seeds really, nor is it citrus. Most of the fiber and nutrients that are in a fruit are in a fruit’s skin. A banana is just the densest piece of fruit that you can put in your body, and since it doesn’t have much fiber, it won’t keep you full. It’s kind of a shame to have a fruit with no fiber. Grapes are an exception to the rule because they have a special sugar in them called dextrose, which is the highest glycemic sugar that you can possibly put in your body. They actually make grape pills for diabetics so that they don’t become low.

FS: Are there any foods that you think people should avoid, even on their cheat days? HP: Absolutely no, not at all. Life is short and you have to enjoy it, and you should indulge when it’s time to indulge. At some point, I think everyone should eat everything at least once. FS: And what’s your cheat food? HP: My cheat food? That’s easy, it’s chocolate chip cookies. I’m the biggest chocolate chip cookie freak in the world. FS: And do you give yourself some cookies every week? HP: At least every week.

To get a taste of Harley's diet, try his recipe for five-spice halibut. It's tasty and easy to make.

Monday's Leftovers: Italian Sausage & Tomato Pasta

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:50:32 PDT

I got a little carried away at the grocery store this weekend, and as a result, I've got way too much Italian sausage left over in my fridge. So tonight, I'm going to assemble a quick pasta toss that makes the most of Italian sausage's fat and flavor without going overboard on the cased meats.

Since those links carry lots of zing, the key is to keep the rest of the ingredients sparse and simple. I'll add cooked tomatoes, red onion, and arugula to make it a balanced supper, and tie in all the elements with sprigs of basil and finely-grated Parmesan cheese. Presto: it's an alluring Monday night meal