BellaSugar

Why You Don't Necessarily Need to Feel Bad About Your Neck

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:08:41 PDT

Remember Nora Ephron, the screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally...? Lately, it seems like all she wants to talk about is how she feels bad about her aging neck. "The neck is a dead giveaway," she writes. "Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn't have to do that if it had a neck."

Maybe so, but your neck doesn't have to be any less gorgeous and healthy than your face. The key to avoiding "turkey neck" in your golden years is to stop it before it starts, and fortunately, doing so is easy. Wear sunscreen every day (even on cloudy days and in winter). When you apply your moisturizer each morning, cover your entire face, then apply lotion on your neck and decolletage, too. With vigilant use, the book you write in your 60s will be I Feel Great About My Neck. As for writing hit romantic comedies, well, you're on your own with that.

4 Ways Pilates Makes Everything Better

Susi May — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:43:46 PDT

Pilates has a rep as a girly exercise form that attracts ladies who lunch. Private sessions can be pricey, but mat classes will work your entire body. Originally called Contrology, the practice was actually developed to rehab injured soldiers after WW I - talk about functional fitness! After teaching the method for years (and rehabbing my own chronic back injury with it), I have decided Pilates makes everything better, from life's basics like sitting to things more extreme like CrossFit. Here are four Pilates fundamentals that everyone can benefit from learning.

Breathing
The most basic human function, breathing supports life and a fit life, too. A proper inhale fuels your muscles with oxygen, and a powerful exhale helps you engage your deep abs to protect your spine and support your torso. The conscious and studied breathing in Pilates might feel tedious at first, but learning how to breathe into your lower lungs, rather than just your chest, helps makes you a more efficient cardio machine. The Pilates method of inhaling wide through the ribs and exhaling by contracting the deep abs to push the diaphragm into the lungs also means you can keep your upper body and neck relaxed as you take in air.

Learn three more benefits when you keep reading.

The Vampire Diaries "The Reckoning": The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:05:17 PDT

If last week's episode of The Vampire Diaries wasn't as exciting because it was largely setup, it was worth it for this week's super-exciting and satisfying episode. Klaus, Stefan, and Rebecca terrorize the halls of Mystic Falls High, and the doppelganger/hybrid problem is pretty much resolved.

The ghost ex-girlfriends Vicki and Anna both play a big part this week, too, and one of them introduces us to the show's next big supernatural character. Stefan is still adrift in a sea of evilness, but all it does is make this episode even more interesting - especially where Damon and Elena are concerned. Ready to break down the good, the bad, and the bloody? Just

The Vampire Diaries "The Sun Also Rises": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 06 May 2011 08:09:45 PDT

We're just one week away from the season finale of The Vampire Diaries, and this next-to-last episode has almost as much drama as I expect next week will have. Klaus's sacrifice to break his curse finally takes place - but the conclusion isn't exactly what I thought was going to happen.

There's also a major death, along with a few minor ones and several near misses. All in all, it's a pretty violent installment, and I'm ready to talk about what happened. To discuss the good, the bad, and the bloody of the episode, just

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Prom Queen"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:44:16 PDT

Glee invites us to prom this week, and while it manages to stress the characters out more than excite them, the episode ends with most everyone having a good time. New Directions is asked to perform at the event, giving the glee club another chance to tune up before nationals while guest star Jonathan Groff returns and also goes to the prom.

The big reveal of the episode - who gets voted prom queen - is shocking and initially upsetting, but it fails to ruin the night for the McKinley high students. Plus, there are a load of fantastic performances this week, all of which I'm ready to chat about when you

The Vampire Diaries "The House Guest": The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:41:46 PST

This week Katherine crashes at the Salvatore brothers' place on The Vampire Diaries, and she's not exactly greeted with the greatest hospitality. But she actually turns out not to be the villain of the episode - that honor goes to another character whose ruthlessness I wasn't expecting.

There are also two big deaths this week, and more than one shocking turn (I watched the episode with my own constant soundtrack of gasps). I don't want to give anything away, but I'm dying (hehe) to discuss the good, the bad, and the bloody when you

True Blood Bites: "I'm Alive and on Fire" Episode

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:58:46 PDT

This week's True Blood contains so many defined abs that I can't even start to count them. Actual developments include Jason finally escaping from the most awful situation in all of Louisiana, Sam getting in deep with his new love interest, the witches gaining power, and Eric being naked and still wonderfully sweet.

While this episode is really about setting up a lot of things, I'm excited about where those things are going. If you're ready to talk about this week's episode, just