FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Oh La La: TravelFit Paris

FitSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

If you're lucky enough to be spending some time in the City of Lights this summer, you may find yourself indulging in some tasty pain au chocolat and vin rouge. This is great, but if you want to fit into all the très chic clothing you just picked up when you get home, you may want to check out this book before you travel.

The very first book in the TravelFit Guides series, TravelFit Paris ($10.17) is a great guide book for the fit and health-conscious traveler in Paris. Whether looking for a safe running route, a place to purchase soy milk, an English-spoken Pilates class, a personal trainer, a yoga studio, or the best walking tours to help burn off those French treats, TravelFit Paris will provide some great information. Heading there soon? Then buy it from Amazon.com.

Weekend Reading- Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash

FitSugar — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0700

I love to cozy up to a good book on the weekend. How about you? Being that Earth Day is coming up, I thought you might like to read something that could actually get you recycling, rather than just thinking about it. Ever wonder what happens to that plastic wrapper after it leaves your house and goes into the garbage truck? Hum, well maybe you should...

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash ($16.47) is a book that will change the way you think every time you throw something away. The subject of the book is one that we, as a society, don't usually think about often: The massive, defunct Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, N.Y. Royte tracks her own consumption and refuse, noting how it's just not that easy to lessen how much you use and throw away. Once you read Garbage Land, you will think about Fresh Kills, along with all the other landfills that are bursting at the seams and fuming with toxic gases. Some parts of the book are rather gross and other parts are a bit technical (too technical at times), but Royte writes in a non-judgmental this is how it is form. If nothing else, you'll walk away from it wondering how you can personally produce less garbage and positively impact the earth.

Just in time for Earth Day, so buy it from Amazon.com.

Lose Pounds and Gain Shoes: The Shoe Diet

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Do you love shoes? I sure do. It's a strange phenom really, women and their shoes. What else do women love (well love to hate, really)? Dieting. So, isn't it then a great idea to combine dieting and shoes?

This is just what Isabelle Shaw, author of The Shoe Diet ($12.95) has done. Unfortunately this diet is not about a special pair of shoes that curb your hunger (though I am sure we'll be seeing that in the future), it is based on the power of reward. What's a better reward than shoes? The diet is built upon a series of steps that you must take in order to earn your rewards, shoes. The first one being that you must start a food journal and begin your shoe rating system. For example, think of everything you eat just like a hotel star system, with one shoe corresponding to "not really worth it" and five shoes meaning "it was so worth it!" Soon you'll be eliminating your one shoe foods from your diet, all while keeping your eye on the ball: Your first new pair of kicks for a job well done.

I love that Dr. Shaw has realized that while we may not be willing to finally step up and eat right for our health, we will do it for a pair of hot shoes. Kind of reminds me of click it or ticket, we won't buckle up for our safety, but we'll do it to save 50 bucks. This is a diet that I think FabSugar (not that she needs to go on a diet) will enjoy. Buy the book on Amazon.com.

Weekend Reading: It's Not About the Bike

FitSugar — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0700

One of the pleasures of Spring is getting out my bike and tooling around town or going for serious rides. I love to bike. Do you? Are you looking for inspiration? Looking for a good read? Well if you haven't already you should read Lance Armstrong's autobiography: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

Co written with Sally Jenkins, a sportswriter for the Washington Post, it is easy and entertaining to read. Although the book is "ghost written," Armstrong's voice comes through clearly and honestly. Most of all it is an unromanticized telling of Armstrong's life story: his early biking years, his diagnosis with stage 4 cancer, his battle with the disease, his amazing recovery and his amazing wins of the Tour de France. Just surviving cancer is amazing and just winning the Tour de France is amazing, but the combination of the two is beyond incredible.

When you finish the book you really feel like you know him, and man you really want him to keep winning. And what's great is he did.

Get it from Amazon for $10.50. Or better yet, hop on your bike and pick it up at your local bookstore.

Weekend Reading: Yoga Books With a Spiritual Flare

FitSugar — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0700

There are so many books out there on yoga, It seems like every yoga instructor in the world has written a book. Many of them contain the same information about the same postures. It gives people the impression that yoga is just a form of exercise, and that's all.

Yoga is so much more. It's all about the emotions and sensations that come from turning your awareness inward. It's about listening to your inner voice, and about expanding your heart.

The thing that is so amazing about yoga is that it's been around for thousands of years and it has an astounding and rich history.

All of these books listed below are wonderful reads if you are looking to learn more about the spiritual and historical aspect of yoga.

Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann (available through Amazon for $11.53) is one of the 1st books I picked up. It does illustrate postures, but it also focuses on using the practice of yoga as a way to meditate, and listen to your inner heart to find guidance and support.

If you want to see the others, then

Weekend Reading: The Four Day Win

FitSugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 07:00:00 -0700

Sometimes it is hard to see turning your life around in terms of forever, because forever just seems like a long, long time to be going to the gym every three days. Well, what if you approached looking at your fitness or health goals in just four days?

Dr. Martha Beck, recognized lifestyle coach, believes that the first four days on starting any lifestyle change are the hardest four days. After four days, it should start to feel normal. In The Four Day Win ($17.13), Beck reveals her thoughts on why willpower-based dieting is doomed to fail as well as how to step out of the conflict between the rule-making commander (who bans all our favorite foods) and the rule-breaking resistor (who gives in to cravings) and reach the watcher (who is our happiest self). The book also details the latest research into the mind-body connection revealing how our emotions affect our eating.

My favorite part of this book is that there is no end-all-be-all (fall off the wagon and you're doomed) approach that we so commonly see in fad diets and fitness programs these days. It is very comforting to know that if you have a relapse, or as I like to call it a bad day, you're only 4 days from turning it back around. Buy it now from Amazon.com.

Weekend Reading - Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 10:00:00 -0800

During National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I think that it's important that we take more away from it all than anger at the fashion industry, misunderstanding and confusion.

We all like to point fingers and speculate about eating disorders but the only ones who really know the truth behind it are those with eating disorders. Aimee Liu had anorexia in her 20s and conquered it, or so she thought. In her 40s, she stopped eating again. She wrote the book Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders ($16.49) to chronicle her own struggles and dispel myths but also to tell the stories of 40 other people with eating disorders too. Liu believes that societal pressure, popular culture and family dysfunction do not make someone anorexic; it takes a particular genetic predisposition and temperament. The book will teach you who is susceptible to eating disorders and why, how these diseases can waste sufferers' lives in ways that have nothing to do with food or weight and why recovery requires more than good nutrition.

To read an excerpt from the book,

Acacia: Supports the Happy Healthy You

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:15:00 -0800

While searching for fitness DVDs online, I found Acacia - it's a wonderful source for beautiful and natural products that relax and rejuvenate.

They have distinctive creations for the body, spirit, and home - for inspiration, well-being, and for a more healthy and balanced life.

You can find unique clothing, footwear, beauty supplies, jewelry, and books. But really - they have an exceptional DVD collection that's pretty reasonably priced.

I found some great videos on Pilates, Yoga, Dance, and Prenatal fitness. Each video is around $20, which seems fairly reasonable, considering I usually see them for a lot more.

Fit's Tips: Want to give the gift of health and wellness? You can buy Acacia gift certificates online, so your friend can choose from a whole array of spiritual items that support a healthy and peaceful lifestyle. This might even make great Valentine's Day gift for your loved ones.

The Portable Miracle Ball: Pain Relief in a Sphere

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 02:30:00 -0800

Something aching in you that only a miracle will heal?

The Miracle Ball Method ($12.9, is a healing kit containing two miracle balls (grapefruit sized) and a how-to book. The work itself is simple. Take a sore back: By resting your aching back on the balls and letting your body sink into them, you're un-working (so to speak) the muscles that are causing you pain. The creator, Elaine Petrone demonstrates how relief can come from proper breathing done in collaboration with a wide range of movements such as placing the balls under the back, head, knees, hip, elbow (or wherever you have pain) and then resting, rolling, or rotating on them. You may also find that relief can come in surprising ways such as lower back pain may be helped by placing the ball under your neck. Not only does the method relieve pain, but it also relives tension and stress -- Something we all feel.

Buy the kit on Barnes & Noble.

The Fit Traveler

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:30:00 -0800

I've said it before and I'll say it again, staying fit while on the road is tough.

Fit For Travelers ($14.00) by Eide is a great tool for anyone on the go. The book includes a free stretch, exercise band with a guide explaining and illustrating 20 exercises. Great, but the band is one more thing to carry, right? Well, the book has a hard case binding with a pocket for storing the band. The program delivers a decent full-body workout, including upper body, lower body and targets areas like the thighs and abs. Diet tips help round out this program along with the lay-flat design of the book. Try it out, it may be just what you need to keep motivated on the road. Buy The Fit Traveler on Amazon.com.

How Do You Reward Yourself?

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:15:00 -0800

We set goals for ourselves constantly, but to keep going we definitely need to reward ourselves for a job well done. So what do you reward yourself with for staying on track?

How Do You Reward Yourself?

A shopping spree -- Mama needs a new pair of jeans!

A day off working out -- Now that is the ultimate reward!

A day off eating healthy -- Fast food here I come!

A Saturday on the couch, watching cheesy movies/crappy tv -- Lifetime anyone?

A bottle of fine wine -- One bottle serves one, right?

A spa treatment -- A pedi, mani or facial never felt so good!

A special treat -- Beautiful flowers or a 3 hour call with your best friend.

Other -- Tell us below!

How Not to Look Fat for the Holidays

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:15:00 -0800

I know you guys have been working hard at jumpstarting a healthy lifestlye. So since the holidays are here and I'm feeling cheery, Danica Lo (the author of the fabulous book How Not to Look Fat) is giving you, my loyal readers, a gift of a few exclusive tips on how not to look fat during the holidays.

Holiday time is prime time for family photos. To make sure you look your best in the photographs, excuse yourself to 'powder your nose' right beforehand and put on some contouring powder, which will make your face look slimmer (check out the Make-up chapter of the book for tips on how to pick the right color and application techniques). Then, try to get in the center of the picture because, in most camera lenses, standing on the side will make you look distorted and wider. Finally, if all else fails, if someone snaps you at the last minute, just turn slightly so you give the camera a three-quarter-profile -- think Paris Hilton -- a super-slimming photographic pose.
Wear pants or a skirt with a stretchy waistband! You're bound to eat a lot during the holidays, so you want to make sure you don't get bulges above and below a tight waistband.

There's more, so

Media Frenzy: Ashtanga

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:00:00 -0800

Going to an Ashtanga Yoga class can be pretty intimidating. There are tons of poses, it moves pretty fast, and everyone seems to know what they're doing. As if that wasn't hard enough, your instructor might be calling the poses by their Sanskrit names.

Don't get stressed out. Yoga is supposed to be relaxing, remember? Before going to a class it'll help to know the poses ahead of time. So doing a little research is a good thing - there are books to help you out. Or you can hang a poster on your bedroom wall and study the poses whenever you're bored. Like to practice at home? Then pop this DVD in the machine and follow along.

Fit's Tip: When I was first learning Ashtanga, I brought a waterproof study guide to take to class with me. It'll put your mind at ease and help you learn the order so you don't feel lost.