Blog Posts by FitSugar

Source: 3 Healthy Habits For Your Heart

With more and more younger women having heart attacks, it's more important than ever to develop new rules to live by for optimal heart health. These three simple habits are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle and will help keep the heart healthy and free from disease.

• Learn to love fish: One study found that younger women who didn't eat fish and other sources of omega-3s had the highest risk of developing heart conditions. Even eating fish once or twice a week is enough to reap all its healthy benefits. If you love to cook, try one of our healthy fish recipes. For anyone who doesn't like cooking seafood at home, make a point to order fish whenever out for dinner. For the vegetarians out there, don't fret: there are plenty of animal-free omega-3 sources out there like chia seeds, flaxseed oil, and edamame.
• Start meditating: If it's not enough that meditation can improve your brain function and stress levels, multiple studies

FitSugarSource: Gluten-Free Foods That Can Pack On the Pounds

Think going gluten-free can help you lose weight? It can, as long as you don't indulge too much of a good thing. While some may think a life of g-free foods equals instant weight loss, think again. Even healthy g-free foods are calorie-dense.

• Rice: The staple for gluten-free eaters. Rice noodles, rice flour, plain white rice, all of these foods can keep the gluten-sensitive from feeling like they are missing out. Although the grain doesn't contain gluten, it's still a carb, and eating more than the serving size can pack on weight the same way as pasta and bread.
• Chocolate: Since many desserts like cakes and cookies contain gluten, chocolate is often a dream for the gluten-free. It's still important to watch your intake, though, as chocolate treats can contain high levels of sugar. If you enjoy this indulgence and want to make it healthier, opt for heart-healthy dark chocolate. Or go straight to the source with cacao nibs -

FitSugarSource: Workout Woes: Bad Habits You Should Break Now

We all make mistakes when it comes to keeping fit, but just how much are these choices affecting progress? Some everyday habits may seem minuscule, but see which of these might be holding you back.

• Cutting workouts short: When you leave a class before the stretch, you aren't getting the full benefit your body deserves after all of the exertion you put forth. It's important to cool down and give muscles time to relax and stretch while they're warmed up to help avoid soreness or injury.
• Too many social obligations: It's far too easy to replace a workout with a spontaneous social engagement. Happy hour is one of those tempting times and can be a highly caloric one at that. Not only are you missing out on your intended workout, but you're also now adding more to your plate and glass. If you absolutely have to bail at the last minute, try to do something good for yourself like taking a walk with a friend or even getting a

Source: How to Save Money on Fitness Gear

The perfect pair of workout pants, an exercise ball, a set of weights: investing in your fitness routine can add up. But it doesn't have to be expensive; here's how to save a few dollars on exercise equipment.

Know when to save and when to splurge: You don't have to throw down a ton of money for each part of your outfit, but you do want to make sure that you're not buying clothes that fall apart after just a few workouts. Certain foundation articles can be well worth the money, like a supportive sports bra or wear-anywhere workout capris, while you can save on other pieces, like workout tanks. Find out which workout clothes you can save on here.

Search for used equipment: Ever buy a piece of fitness equipment only to have it languish in a corner of your garage, gathering dust? You're not alone. If there's a big-ticket piece of equipment on your fitness wish list, check out sites like Craigslist or eBay, where you can buy it used and save some

Source: Cool Down Ideas For Any Workout

No matter how pressed for time you are, you should never skip your post-workout cooldown. Taking a few minutes to stretch muscles helps prevent injury, build muscle, and increase flexibility. Here are four cooldown ideas for your workout.

After a bike ride or Spin class: An hour on your bike or in an indoor cycling class can lead to tight hips and hunched shoulders, not to mention tired leg muscles. Work them all out with cooldown stretches like a basic hamstring stretch, and then move onto your quads. Use a sturdy wall, curb, or tree to help with stretches if you are cooling down after an outdoor bike ride. In class, you can use the stationary bike to help you balance while stretching. Get the rest of the postride stretches here.

After a run: Place emphasis on relieving overworked leg muscles and opening tight hips after a long run; these postrun stretching sequences will make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated after your run. Make sure to

Source: Why You Should Care About Heart Health Month

February marks a month of heart health awareness campaigns, and there's good reason for it. Read on for five important reasons that women, old and young alike, should pay attention to heart disease.

• It's the No. 1 killer of women: Breast cancer may get the attention (and is also a serious and potentially deadly disease), but far more women die each year of heart disease than breast cancer: while one in 31 women will die of breast cancer, the American Heart Association reports that one in three women will die of heart disease.
• Young women are having more and more heart attacks: A recent study that tracked over a million women for 12 years found that women were having more heart attacks at a younger age. The study also found that the women experienced atypical heart attacks with symptoms that were different than what we think of as normal heart attack symptoms (see below).
• 90 percent of women have at least one

FitSugarSource: 4 Lunch Ideas That Help Beat the Afternoon Slump

If you want to stay energized all afternoon, then choose your lunch wisely. Meals made of verve-inducing foods like lean protein, iron-rich leafy greens, and healthy fats will keep your spirits up well into the evening. Here are four energizing lunches to try this week.

• Tuna Salad Pitas: Tuna salad can quickly quiet hunger, but the mayonnaise found in traditional recipes racks up (empty) calories fast. Instead, make this protein-packed tuna salad pita sandwich to reduce fat and calories but not flavor.
• Quinoa Avocado Salad: Quinoa is a great source of protein and fiber, both of which help fuel the body throughout the day, and avocados provide sustained energy through their high amount of healthy monounsaturated fat. Both avocados and quinoa are also good sources of potassium, which is important for metabolism and muscle growth. Keep your body's engine running smoothly with this quinoa avocado salad recipe, which

Source: No More Excuses! 10 Tricks That'll Motivate You to Work Out

It's true what they say: 80 percent of success is just showing up. Once you're there - you're there. This advice can be hard to take when, after a late night of fun, your alarm goes off before the sun is up. Propelling yourself to the gym, pool, mat, or trail can feel like a hurdle in its own right, but it's always one worth jumping. If you've resolved to work out more this year and get fit for 2013, motivate yourself to keep on sweating with these tricks.

• Channel that glorious post-workout feeling. Whenever you feel the instinct to skip a sweat session, imagine how accomplished and energized you feel after just 30 minutes or an hour of exercise. Just get there already.
• Make a date with a friend or fitness trainer. If you set a time to meet someone, you'll feel obligated to go, even when your mind and body are telling you otherwise. If you're looking to get your sweat on outside of the gym, here are some of our