This story category covers active sports; fitness activities; sports clothing and gear; and diet.

How To Loosen Tight Hamstrings Quick

If you struggle with tight hamstrings, this five-minute yoga challenge will feel like a blessing for sure.

Five-Minute Yoga Challenge with tennis ball

 

FIVE-MINUTE YOGA | Massaging the soles of the feet loosens the starting point of a network of connective tissue that runs up the back of your body to the crown of your head. Rolling a tennis ball under each foot for just five minutes a day will lead to more relaxed feet and flexible hamstrings. Read more

Breast Or Thigh: Which Chicken Part Is Best?

Chicken breasts have long been considered the healthiest part of the bird, but top chefs favour the flavour of dark meat. (RECIPES)

 

WHAT THE PROS KNOW | Why it took so long, I’ll never know, but North Americans are beginning to wean themselves from the breast—the chicken breast, that is. “The dark, tender meat of the chicken thigh is the most flavorful part of the bird,” writes Nate Appleman in his cookbook A16 Food + Wine, the International Association of Culinary Professionals cookbook of the year in 2008. To prove it, he includes THIS AWESOME RECIPE for Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata.

International superstar chef Daniel Boulud (who once set up shop in Vancouver) gave chicken thighs two thumbs up this past winter when he used them in THIS GREAT RECIPE for Chicken Lasagna, which appeared in Elle Décor.

Neither of these chefs would ever stint on ingredients or sacrifice quality because of cost. Both cook with chicken thighs not because they are always cheaper than breasts but because they taste better than breasts. Simple as that.

But here a small voice interjects, “But what about health? Aren’t chicken breasts a whole lot better for you?” Read more

Shirataki noodle soup - iStock

A Tasty Gluten-Free Sub For Wheat Pasta

Yes, there is a guilt-free, gluten-free substitute for high-cal, high-carb wheat-based pasta.

Shirataki noodle soup - iStock

 

EASY & DELISH | For anyone on a low-cal, low-carb or gluten-free diet, pasta can be a problem—at least the traditional wheat-based kind. But there is an alternative: shirataki noodles, used in Asian cuisine. Read more

kombucha-Kathy Patalsky- Happy Healthy Life

Need A Quick Energy Boost? Try Kombucha

This newly mainstream fizzy health drink can make you sparkle.

kombucha-Kathy Patalsky- Happy Healthy Life

 

CULT PRODUCT ALERT | Kombucha is a centuries-old fermented-tea beverage consumed for its presumed health benefits. While there’s no hard scientific evidence that kombucha stimulates the immune system, improves digestion and liver function or boosts physical and mental energy in humans, growing legions of kombucha devotees will tell you otherwise, including such celebrities as Gwyneth Paltrow, who pitches GT’s Raw Organic Kombucha as part of her dietary regimen. Read more

Lululemon Athletica

Where To Find lululemon For Less

Here is where you’ll find everyone’s favourite jock togs at a ridiculously discounted price.

Lululemon Athletica

 

OUTLETS WE LOVE | Generally I put little stock in outlet merchandise, imagining most of it to be cheaply made items by high-end labels looking to cash in on the wannabe crowd, but recently I found myself in the enviable position of cruising through two Lululemon Athletica Outlet stores (one off Interstate 5 in Burlington, Washington, and the other in Burnaby) and I have to say that I was dead wrong about outlet shopping where Lululemon is concerned. Read more

Feet On Scale - iStock

Lose Extra Pounds With Help From Fitday.com

Fitday.com is a fab, free website that can help you lose weight, get fitter and more.

Feet On Scale - iStock

 

FREE & FABULOUS | I’ve been trying on a quasi-casual level to lose “those last five pounds” for the last five years, but haven’t been able to. Now I know why and what to do about it, thanks to Fitday.com. Fitday, for the uninitiated—and there are still one or two of us out there—is a free, superbly organized weight loss website that allows its five million members to easily set a weight loss goal that will trigger an action plan that includes daily food consumption and physical activity requirements.

All of this is great, of course, but the best thing about Fitday in my view, and in the view of Innovative Fitness trainer Josh Allen who introduced me to the program, is the way it tracks the nutrient values in the foods you consume—and nutrient values, as I’m coming to learn, are at the root of my problem.

Carbs and Fat and Protein, Oh My! Read more
Gifts Wrapped By Brendan Power - Clinton Hussey

2 Great Little Gifts For Beauty & Fitness Types

Inexpensive little items for beauty and fitness types.

Gifts Wrapped By Brendan Power - Clinton Hussey

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING | We love all the products we feature on Frugalbits, but these stand out as perfect “just a little something” gifts that will appeal to beauty and fitness types.

Read more

yoga woman meditation pose - dreamstime

The Perfect App for Time Strapped Yoga Buffs

Frugalbits columnist Eve Johnson has developed an easy, inexpensive app for time-strapped yoga buffs. Here’s how you can win a copy.

yoga woman meditation pose - dreamstime

 

TAKE FIVE | Have you ever thought you might lower your stress levels with yoga, then watched them soar into the red zone as you battled your way through traffic to class? Or noticed that the unlimited monthly pass at your local mega studio isn’t such a great deal if you only manage to use it twice?

What if you could work yoga into your day in small bites—five and 10 minutes at a time—with detailed instructions that take you deep into the pose?

And how about paying less than you would for a cup of coffee? Read more

Magic Gloves - Casey Phaisalakani

780 Pairs Of Strechy Gloves For $20

Yes, Virginia, it’s true: you can have 780 pairs of gloves for under $20. We report on the miracle here.

Magic Gloves - Casey Phaisalakani

 

 

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | The trouble with gloves is that they get lost, loaned, separated from their mates, mangled by pets—or can’t be found where you put them last. Read more

Woman Jumping Rope

Why You Need To Jump Rope For 60 Seconds

We who are likely to die early because we sit too much need a combat plan. Here’s a tactic that could prove an effective weapon.

Woman Jumping Rope  FITTER BY THE MINUTE | Anyone who checks this website routinely knows I’m obsessed with the fact I sit too much. I HATE sitting in front of a computer for hours at a stretch but that is what I do for a living. Sure I can use a sit/stand desk like the ones we reported on HERE last week. And yes I can—and do—exercise outside normal work hours, but I know from reading the research these practices alone will not keep the Grim Reaper from calling early, most likely unannounced. Read more