BuzzSugar

TV Tonight: "Shut Up! It's Stacy London"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:09:53 PDT

As a dedicated fan of "What Not to Wear," I was thrilled to hear that Stacy London, the show's fashion diva, is getting her own talk show. But the even better news is that we don't have to wait till the fall to check it out. TLC is showing a "sneak peek" of the premiere episode of the show tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right after a special behind-the-scenes episode of "What Not to Wear." Among the guests dropping by tonight: Jane Krakowski of "30 Rock," Lisa Rinna, and shoe designer Kristin Lee.

I'm excited to see how London's bubbly-yet-snarky personality translates to a talk show format, and I can never get enough Jane Krakowski, so I'll be tuning in for sure. Now, we just need to get the incredibly lovable Clinton Kelly a show, too - maybe a cameo on "Project Runway"? And hey, whatever happened to original "What Not to Wear" co-host Wayne Scot Lukas, anyway?

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How to Kick a Nighttime Cough Naturally

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:05:23 PST

Whether it's because of a cold or allergies, coughing at night is not only annoying, it prevents you from getting the sleep you need to stay healthy. Before you down cough medicine (which often just masks the cough), you might want to relieve your nighttime cough with one of these natural remedies.

Steam up: Before hitting the hay, create a steam room in the bathroom. Shut the door, don't turn on the fan, and take a hot shower. Let the water gently run on your face, or if that's too intense, place a warm washcloth on your sinuses, allowing the heat and steam to help relieve sinus congestion. You can even use a neti pot in the shower - just be sure to fill it with warm distilled or sterilized water, not the shower water. Using a neti pot after you've breathed in steam can make it more effective.
Get moist: Since dry air can often cause a dry cough (especially in the Winter months when we crank up the heat), moisten the air you breathe by running a cool-mist humidifier on low throughout the night (I'm a fan of this humidifier from Crane). In the morning, be sure to wipe down your windows and windowsills as condensation tends to form, and you don't want this moisture to encourage mold growth, which can also aggravate a cough. Follow the directions that came with your humidifier when it comes to cleaning it, and disinfect it thoroughly at least once a week to avoid mold growth.

Keep reading for more natural ways to beat your nighttime cough.

4 Lazy Moves That Boost Your Health

Prevention — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:05:16 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

You don’t have to go on a deprivation diet or spend hours exercising to ward off disease and be your healthiest self! Instead, try these supersimple tips
By the editors of Prevention

Staying healthy can feel like so much, well, work (think: logging hours at the gym and whipping up nutritious meals from scratch). However, there are plenty of small moves that you can make in your everyday life that will have big health benefits. We’ve rounded up 15 practically zero-effort ways to fight disease, whittle your waist, lower stress, and more. Bonus: many of these good-for-you moves feel good, too. So say sayonara to the old adage “no pain, no gain” and try these tips today.

Lazy Move No. 1: Protect Your Ticker by Snoozing
Need a good excuse to grab your comfiest set of pajamas and hit the sack? Skimping on shut-eye may do more than make you cranky or unproductive - it also boosts your risk of a heart attack. According to one Norwegian study, people who reported that they did not wake up feeling refreshed in the morning had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack, those who had trouble staying asleep almost every night in the last month had a 30 percent higher risk, and those who had trouble falling asleep almost every night in the last month had odds that jumped to 45 percent.

Twenty Ways to Sleep Better Every Night

Some researchers speculate that insomnia might trigger your body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked with high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Plus when you’re exhausted, you may be more likely to make unhealthy choices that up your heart disease risk, such as skipping your workout or reaching for fatty or sugary snacks for a quick energy fix.

Keep reading for three more lazy ways to improve your health.

How to Stop Keeping Up With the Joneses

LearnVest — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:15:16 PST

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

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there are many money lessons to learn from The Real Housewives.

One spent a season building a $1.8 million mansion and driving around a $1,280-per-month Escalade, only to file for bankruptcy with almost $11 million in debt.

Shortly postbankruptcy, she dropped another $60,000 on a shopping spree so she could continue to fit in with those in her social circle.

Even if you don’t end up with millions of dollars in debt - or have friends who are millionaires - trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Gorgas, in this case) can not only make you feel lousy about yourself, but also inspire bad spending decisions. We call this phenomenon “money comparisonitis.”

How Having "Comparisonitis" Affects Us

In our own lives, the dangers of gazing enviously at the Real Housewives’ spending sprees, our neighbor’s new car, or that family down the street who can send their kids to private school are not only the fact that it makes us feel bad, but that it literally distorts our view of reality.

In other words, we look at celebrities like the Kardashians or the wealthier people we know, and we try to emulate their spending habits. “You’re not being truthful with yourself,” says Susan L. Hirshman, president of She Ltd., a consulting firm focused on enhancing women’s wealth, and the author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?. “As they make more money, that allows them to live a certain lifestyle.” In other words, you have to face facts and spend in accordance with your own budget, rather than feeling entitled to live a certain way just because other people do.

Read on for more.

"Is Our Bad Sex Life Going to End the Relationship?"

Tres Community — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I've been with my boyfriend for over two years now, and our sex life is CRAP! I'm not sure if it's because of his insecurities, because we have great sex when we're drunk. Before I met him, my sex life was always brilliant; I was outgoing and a bit kinky, but since I've been with my current boyfriend, I feel worse about my body and having sex than ever before. Things are complicated even further by the fact that we live together.

This all makes me wonder if he is the right person for me; I wonder if I should be with someone with the same sexual needs as me. My boyfriend doesn't even look at me when we are having sex anymore and it makes me feel like he doesn't find me attractive! I know I can't live without him, but I'm really craving some good sex, and I'm just not getting it at all.

I know sex should be an important part of a relationship, but I don't know how to make it any better at this point. Talking to him about it won't help (At this point, I should probably tell you that I took his virginity) because I know he will just shut down and get embarrassed. I think the problem is simply our different sexual attitudes; he is very selfish in bed and in the two years we have been together, he has only gone down on me two or three times.

Should we break up because our sex lives are different? At this point, I look forward to being single one day just to have good sex...that means something, right?

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Anonymous Hacks CBS, Universal, Heading For Facebook Next?

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:15:58 PST

Internet hacktivist group Anonymous blocked traffic from CBS.com and deleted all of its files last night during Operation Global Blackout, a hackathon that began shortly after file-sharing site MegaUpload was shut down, and has its sights set on Facebook as its next target. In a YouTube video released this morning, the group (or an affiliate group) asks users to help take down the world's biggest social network at 12 a.m. on January 28th.

Your Facebook profile most likely holds tons of your most precious photos and videos, and like your computer, you should back up all that data just in case. Here, I'll tell you how to download all of your Facebook content - from wall posts to photo galleries - for safe keeping.

Download Your Data From Facebook
You can download a copy of all of your Facebook data right on the social network. Just head to Account > Account Settings > Download a Copy of Your Facebook Data (this link will be in the bottom left-hand corner of the Account Settings window). Included in the download is your contact info, photos, videos, notes, and wall posts as well as chat conversations, friend lists, events, and comments made on your wall posts. If you do choose to back up your Facebook data (it's recommended!), then be sure to keep it in a safe place, like a password-protected file on an external hard drive.

How to Eat During a (Real) Blackout

Susannah Chen — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:01:41 PST

Have you clicked around the Internet today? It's overrun with site blackouts, with everyone from Wikipedia to Reddit completely shut down in protest of SOPA and PIPA.

All of this blackout talk has us thinking about what we'd eat during an IRL blackout. When it comes to natural disasters, it's best to prepare for the worst, then hope for the best. This includes food and drink! For seven shelf-stable provisions that I recommend you have on hand, keep on reading.

What the Internet Looks Like in Protest of SOPA and PIPA

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:46:12 PST

The list of sites that are protesting SOPA and PIPA is swelling, and it's already making an impact on what the Internet looks like today. Some sites have chosen to shut down altogether (like Wikipedia and Reddit), while some make it impossible to enter without reading its message about the bill (like I Can Has Cheezburger and Tumblr), and others are taking a more creative approach at spreading the word (The Oatmeal and Etsy).

Have you clicked around the Internet today? See what the Internet looks like in protest here and be sure to read up on both the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) today.

7 Tips to Wake Up and Get Out of Bed Fast

Emily Co — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:05:15 PST

You're late to work, again. No matter how much you reason with yourself, your lateness is probably due to the fact that you couldn't get out of bed. It's always unpleasant to drag yourself out of bed, so here are some tips to help you wake up alert and get you out of bed quickly:

Assess your health. Your drowsiness in the morning might be health-related. Perhaps you need a better diet and exercise plan or maybe you have sleep apnea. If you've been doing everything right, go to a doctor for an expert opinion.
Coffee on your bedside table. This is for extreme cases, but leaving some coffee or another caffeinated drink like Mountain Dew on your bedside table might be a good way to get yourself out of bed.
Place your alarm clock strategically. If you place your alarm clock across the room or outside your door, this might force you walk to the clock to shut it off.

Read on for more tips.

How to Deal With Friends Who Brag About Money

OnSugar Blog — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:15:48 PST

Fed up with friends who keep bragging about money? OnSugar blogger Beauty and the Budget shares some great suggestions on how to deal.

If there is anything that worsens how you feel about your financial situation, it's probably being around someone that always brags about money. For me, one of the most difficult things is to hear others bragging about their impressive salaries and benefits package, expensive getaways, and huge end-of-the-year bonuses. And of course, you try to be nice, because you're their friend and you love them, but really you just want to tell them to shut it.

Money problems can make you bitter, especially toward others with more money and success, but there are classy ways to contain yourself around a money bragger:

Compliment them. Have you ever heard the expression "kill 'em with kindness"? Well, this goes along with that. Your friend might not be trying to hurt your feelings, but they could just be really proud of how much they've accomplished. Maybe they don't get a lot of praise from other people, so you tell them you're proud of them! That could be all they needed.
If they're being competitive, ignore them. You can tell a friend is being competitive when he or she brags about recent purchases or income and then immediately want to know what you bought or what you make. Whether they are jealous of you or not, this is childish behavior and shouldn't be acknowledged. Simply compliment them on their recent success and change the subject.
Never burden them with your financial troubles. When a friend starts to brag about money, it's easy to become upset and envious of them. Still, it's never a good idea to start talking about your financial problems after they've just gotten done talking about buying a $4,000 pair of shoes (or whatever). If you want to talk about your finances, wait until later. Otherwise, you'll just be a Debbie Downer.

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