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4 Gadgets To Help You Work Off That Turkey and Stuffing

geeksugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:00:40 -0800

So you had a little too much turkey, gravy and stuffing on Thanksgiving (not to mention all the leftovers you indulged in), and you completely ignored Fit's assessments of how many calories your typical Thanksgiving Day meal contained, which means you've probably gained a few pounds. No biggie, just let your gadget obsession help whip you back into shape. Although it will take some determination, it won't be all that hard, I promise — you just gotta get moving, and cut back on the treats. Click through this slideshow as I show you four gadgets that help you work off that extra weight and get you back to your pre-Thanksgiving Day body. Hey, at least your index finger will get a nice workout. Source

Do You Know the Reason Why Your Smooshy's So Stinky?!

PetSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:30:47 -0800

Bulldogs, along with Boxers, Bostons, Persians, and Himalayans (to name a few), fall into a group I like to affectionately call smooshies based on that unique face shape. They all have brachycephalic skulls – "brachy" means shortened and "cephalic" means head. This creates the wheezes, snores, and snorts commonly coming from their mouths, but also causes another unwelcome emission . . . gas.

Along with narrower nostrils and wind pipes, it can take a greater effort for them to breathe through the nose. Then, when eating, dogs with smushed faces tend to inhale (literally), not chew their food, and typically suck in quite a bit of air in the process, which makes them rather gassy on the other end, too.

What can you do about it? Pick up a bowl to help pets eat, and drink, slower and ingest less air.

Source

Fight High Blood Pressure With Hibiscus Tea

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Genetics, diet, and stress can cause high blood pressure (hypertension), but a recent study shows there's a way to lower it naturally. Drink three cups of hibiscus tea a day. Look for this tea at your health food store, either solely hibiscus, or ones that are blended with this herb. The ability to lower blood pressure has to do with the actual plant and also the relaxing effects of sipping tea. Although your blood pressure may not decrease dramatically, even a small drop can benefit the body and lower your risk of the health problems associated with hypertension. Most people — 50 percent — are unaware that they even have high blood pressure, so if you haven't had yours checked in a while, see a doctor, or use one of those machines at your pharmacy. If it's on the high side, while you're out, pick up some hibiscus tea.

Home Remedies: Digestive Issues

FitSugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

If the four days of feasting over Thanksgiving weekend have taken a toll on your tummy, you might be interested in trying some home remedies. Prevention has created a list of tummy tamers and here are the highlights.

Ease nausea: Give frozen ginger chips a try. Make your own by infusing slices of fresh ginger in hot water. Strain the ginger and place them in an ice cube tray. When you're feeling queasy, crush the cubes and suck on the frozen pieces.

Curb flatulence: Three times a day, take two enteric-coated peppermint capsules (500 mg each). They must be coated so the peppermint can make it to your intestines. This herb will kill the bacteria in your digestive system that's causing your bloated feeling. It also has relaxing effects on your gastrointestinal muscles.

Constipation: Boil 10 grapes in six ounces of milk. Before bed, drink the milk separately and then eat the grapes.

Diarrhea: Mash bananas in white rice and eat in small amounts. The two have binding effects.

Source

How to Keep Black Friday From Making You Black and Blue

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Standing in line on the busiest shopping day of the year can really test your patience, and back, and legs, and feet . . .

Here are a few things to try to make standing in line bearable:

Keep your weight evenly balanced on both feet. Standing with all of your weight on one leg with your hip jutting out might look cool and seem like an energy saver, but it can really tweak your back, your hips, and your knees. Especially if you are carrying a heavy purse or already loaded down with bags.
Bend and straighten your knees a bit to make sure that you are not locking your knees, which decreases circulation to your lower legs and grinds the knee joints — ouch!
When you're frustrated that the sales clerk can’t seem to get the total right for the person way at the head of the line — breathe. Take a deep breath and let it go. Remember — oxygen is free.
Put all your bags down and stretch out your back by rounding your lower spine. Remember: Pulling your abs in increases the stretch. You don’t have to make this a big, conspicuous motion. Just big enough to move the spine around a bit so it doesn’t get overtaxed. (Speaking of which — I wish I lived in a state with no sales tax on clothes. But that is another can of worms.)

Happy shopping!

Source

Napping Improves Your Memory

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Raise your hand if you're gearing up for a Thanksgiving food coma on the couch! While lying down after a huge meal doesn't help the digestion process, napping is good for your brain.

A recent study shows snoozing for a short time may help to boost your memory, and help you learn new tasks and ideas. It may also encourage creativity and the ability to see the big picture. Scientists have discovered that the "slow-wave sleep" that occurs in the beginning of a sleep session is more important than the REM, or dream sleep that occurs once you've been sleeping for a while. That means a power nap, even a short 12-minute nod can be beneficial to our bodies and to our brains. Happy napping!

Source

Detox After Your Thanksgiving Feast

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Did you eat more than you wanted to at your Thanksgiving meal? If you answered yes, you are not alone. So to help the digestion process along, here are a few ideas.

After the meal:

Drink some tea, both ginger tea and chamomile tea improve digestion. Warm beverages promote digestion in general, so any kind of herbal tea will help.
Chewable papaya enzyme can help promote digestion as well.

To see how you can help yourself the day after T-day,

Daily Tech: Colorware Offering BlackBerry Bold Customization

geeksugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:01:21 -0800

Now you can spruce up your BlackBerry Bold with the Colorware treatment. Prices are $139 (just for the color) and $674 for the makeover and phone. — Engadget
Doctors are urging patients to not believe everything they read about drugs on Wikipedia since some drug companies are deleting info that make its drugs seem unsafe. — Switched
Will the new and improved Kindle 2 make a debut in early 2009? That's what is being predicted. — The Boy Genius Report
Lenovo's latest notebook will come with a special secure remote feature that will allow owners to shut down and lock the laptop over a WWAN connection; disabling it for thieves, etc. — Gearfuse
It's giveaway time on geeksugar! Be sure to log in and enter our laptop giveaway for your chances to win a Windows Vista powered Sony VAIO CS laptop or a Windows Vista powered Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Notebook. — geeksugar

Would You Take an Online Appointment With Your Doctor?

geeksugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:00:54 -0800

I've had plenty of experiences where I had to wait what seemed like forever to see my doctor. Whether it be waiting months for a routine physical, or hanging out longer than expected in the waiting room because he's running behind. Don't even get me started on the hours I've had to take off of work because the only time I could see him is in the middle of the afternoon. All of these circumstances made me think that a webcam-enabled visit from my doctor would be kinda cool, and a new company called American Well is trying to make that option a reality for the masses. Starting in January, Blue Cross Blue Shield in Hawaii will be offering virtual visits to their members. Patients can log-on at any time, and there will be a physician available for them to ask questions, get advice, and get prescriptions. Kinda like a phone visit, but with some face-to-face interaction. I like this idea since I'm pretty healthy, and I find that most of my appointments end up being more hassle than they are worth. Source

Would You Take an Online Appointment With Your Doctor?

Yes! It would save me time and money.

No! I want to see my doctor in person.

Something else. See my comment below.

DrSugar Answers: Flying With a Cold?

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:30:00 -0800

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

Dear Dr. Sugar,
I’m traveling home to the East Coast for Thanksgiving, but I have a horrible cold and my sinuses are really stuffed up. I've heard that it can be dangerous to fly with a head cold, especially for the ears. Is that right — is it dangerous? Is there anything I can do to make the situation safer for my ears?
— Stuffed Up and Homesick

Since this holiday is the major travel week as well as the beginning of full blown cold season you might be interested to see what DrSugar has to say, so