FabSugar

Look of the Day: Guilty Pleasure

FabSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:00:22 PST

fashion_addict is treating a guilty pleasure or two with this outfit. She was tired, so she went with a casual outfit, and she bought the bag from a NYC street vendor: "I couldn't help myself!" We all give into a guilty pleasures, so I'm not one to judge. I'm just here to hope that we can all look as good while doing it!

Here's what she's wearing:

Shirt: American Eagle
Jeans: Habitual
Boots: Steve Madden
Bag: NYC street vendor

Congrats to fashion_addict!

Everyone else, submit your looks and I might feature you on FabSugar! If you live overseas and have a Fab outfit to share, join the Overseas Fashionistas Group, to submit a Look in this group learn how to post a blog.

High Heels Can Give You Barbie Feet

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:41:45 PST

High heels. You either love them or hate them, but you can't deny they are chic. We love the height boost and illusion of longer legs they offer, but we do realize they're not the best things for our feet. Unfortunately, recent research shows that these lovely shoes may be worse than previously thought.

In a study of longtime high heel wearers, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers found wearing heels actually shortens the fibers of the calf muscle, making the Achilles tendon stiffen instead of flex when walking. High heels keep feet in a pointed position, so even when habitual high heel wearers (those who wore heels at least 40 hours a week) slipped off the pumps, their feet were so used to walking with the heels raised that it became the new norm for their muscles and joints - think permanent Barbie feet. The constantly engaged calve suffers from serious muscle fatigue, but switching abruptly from heels to flat shoes, like sneakers, puts stiletto wearers at a greater risk for injury.

Keep reading to find out what you can do to heal your heel-wearing legs.

Are You Addicted to Diet Soda?

Shape — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:28:49 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Cracking open a can of diet soda instead of regular pop may seem like a good idea at first, but research continues to show a disturbing link between diet soda consumption and weight gain. And though the sweet, effervescent drinks may taste good, they're certainly not good for your body. "Diet soda may not have the sugar or calories of regular soda, but it's chock-full of other health-draining chemicals, including caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sodium, and phosphoric acid," says Marcelle Pick, member of the American Nurses Association and co-founder of Women To Women. It is possible to ditch your diet soda dependency, however. Read on to find out how after the break

Best of 2011: Our Favorite Motivational Tips From the Year

Leta Shy — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:10:31 PST

Sticking to a workout is a constant balance of schedules, moods, and energy levels. And since we know that sometimes it can be hard to meet your fitness goals, we like to share tips and tricks that keep us motivated to work out. This year, we shared with you several ways we stay motivated to exercise; here our some of our favorites from the year!

Make it social: Having a hard time convincing yourself that an evening run should be what you're doing instead of spending time on the couch? It may be time to phone a friend. We love how much friends can help when it's time to exercise, not only by holding us accountable for showing up to exercise dates, but also by swapping exercise ideas, DVDs, and tips. And, when your friend is in a rut, we shared tips for helping a lazy friend out as well.

Build up willpower: Exercising is all about consistency, for both seeing results and for making it a habitual part of your day. Fight the urge to skip out on a workout by using these tips for building your willpower to exercise. By bribing yourself with little rewards or choosing exercises that you actually enjoy doing, you may be more apt to sticking to your goals.

Read more motivational tips after the break.

Fast & Easy Seafood Dinner: Spicy Scallops With Capellini

Susannah Chen — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:01:20 PDT

As much as I love chili and a simple meatloaf, they often become an all-too-regular part of my weeknight meal rotation. The best cure for a rut, I've discovered, is to stray for a moment from the usual suspects (chicken, beef, tofu) and opt for something less habitual.

The last time I did this, I sat down to a light but piquant plate of briny scallops tossed together with angel hair pasta and a chipotle-and-garlic-inflected Chilean pil-pil sauce.

To keep the dinner from being price-prohibitive, I subbed bay scallops instead of sea scallops, but the latter would be a nice splurge. The whole dish is extremely quick-cooking; prepare to sit down within the half hour! For the recipe, read ahead.

Put the Fun in Fundamental: 10 Tips to Help Foster a Lifelong Love of Reading

LilSugar — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 08:06:56 PDT

Some children seem to be born with an innate love of the written word; others need a gentle push toward the library. Trying to force kids to read - or do anything they're heartily resisting - is a frustrating experience for everyone. As important as parents know reading is, associating it with a negative, tension-filled exchange will only further tots' feeling that sitting down with a good book is some sort of punishment. Like doing chores and eating vegetables, settling in for solo story time needs to be enjoyable before it becomes habitual.

Encourage kids to crack the books without cracking the whip with these 10 tips.

Schedule regular checkups with the eye doctor. Kids can't read what they can't see!
Create a comfortable, cozy reading sanctuary free from distractions like TV and video games.
Get involved with your local library. They often have book groups and reading lists that can add a fun group dynamic to the otherwise solo activity.
Tots learn by example. Make sure your kids see you reading instead of vegging out in front of the TV.
Set aside a regular time every day for reading - even if it's just 10 minutes. Kids thrive on routine and will learn to look forward to the special quiet time.

Keep reading for the rest of our tips for creating a lil bookworm!

10 Sneaky Toning Moves You Can Do at Work

Self — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:30:38 PDT

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

Your office nemesis isn't that know-it-all in the cubicle over, it's lurking right beneath you: your chair!

The more you're sitting, the less calories you're burning... not the ideal bikini body plan.

Picture this: when sitting, your activity in your muscles drops and the calorie-burning rate decreases to just about one per minute. And, women who spent more than six hours per day of sitting (less than a full day of work!) had a 37 percent higher death rate, according to a study from the American Cancer Society. It's scary stuff.

Since I haven't quite mastered the art of jogging while responding to emails, I asked creator of the MELT Method Sue Hitzmann and creator of FitKit Office Amie Hoff to share tips for combating the effects of being chair-bound. And since turning your office into a pseudo-gym can garner a few strange looks, they've kept their exercises as sneaky as possible. Just tell your bosses what's good for your health is good for their bottom line, and try to convince them to bring these healthy vending machines to the break room!

Check out these easy moves after the break!

The Change-Up: Hardly a Change For the Better

Rose Curiel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:16:49 PDT

If you were to judge The Change-Up based on its title, you might think the movie would, well, change things up. But you can probably guess what happens when two men who are polar opposites switch bodies. Jason Bateman stars as David Lockwood, an overworked lawyer with three kids who is best friends with Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds), a playboy and struggling actor, who sleeps until midday and loves to smoke pot. One drunken night out, the two wish for each others' lives and wake up to find their wish has come true.

The fact that this movie is based on the oft-seen body-switching premise means it automatically feels stale, and the raunchy, R-rated humor that could have set it apart often feels gratuitous and forced. It's Freaky Friday for adults - and not in a good way. To find out more, just keep reading.

How to Splurge Right

LearnVest — Fri, 13 May 2011 00:15:50 PDT

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

There’s something about the word “splurge” that just feels indulgent - it rolls slowly off your tongue in a decadent drawl, and evokes imported truffles and designer shoes. It’s a decision for immediate luxury, albeit often laced with a tinge of guilt.

There’s no room for such frivolity in the responsible world of financial planning, right?

Wrong. Most financial experts and social psychologists will tell you that splurges are not only allowed, they’re necessary and healthy to achieving financial happiness, because the pleasure they provide promotes a better relationship with our money - and, let’s face it, is one of the ways money makes our life more enjoyable.

The key is figuring out how to do them right, so that your splurges don’t detract from your goals, and your dollar goes far in returning pleasure.

We Get Used To What We Have

The key to mastering splurges is to first understand human nature. We are subject to a pesky psychological phenomenon called adaptation: essentially, we get used to what we have. This is commonly referred to as the hedonic treadmill: the concept that even if we acquire better circumstances - more money, a bigger house - we will quickly return to the level of happiness we had prior to these acquisitions, and will require more to get that same surge of satisfaction again. This explains why study after study shows that more money does not equate with more happiness.

To learn the right way to splurge, read more after the jump.

Life + Stress = Weight Gain

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PDT

A stress-free life is unfortunately just a fairy tale. Also unfortunate is the fact that chronic stress can lead to weight gain. This happens for a variety of reasons, one being that stress makes you hungry.

As we evolved, stressful situations required great physical energy, like running from a saber-toothed tiger. Then and now, a stressful situation triggers a shot of adrenaline followed by a surge of cortisol, which signals your body to replenish the calories you used. However, editing the last few PowerPoint slides before your big presentation doesn't burn nearly as many calories as sprinting away from a dangerous man-eating animal. In stressful moments, we often tend to reach for foods high in sugar and fat that prompt the brain to release pleasure chemicals. If your stress is chronic, this high-calorie food response can become habitual, leading to pounds gained.

For the second and more physical reason stress causes weight gain,

read more. The production of cortisol interferes with the production of testosterone, the hormone responsible for building and maintaining muscle mass. A decrease in muscle mass leads to a slower metabolism, since a pound of muscle requires more energy (read: calories) to maintain than a pound of body fat. The good news is that exercise combats stress. Movement tricks your body into believing that you're really running away from that scary tiger. Exercise gets the blood flowing, which helps flush the cortisol from your body. Studies have shown that walking just under 20 minutes, three times a week can lower cortisol levels by 13 percent. Now doesn't a lunchtime stroll sound appealing? Source