Blog Posts by FITNESS Magazine

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Mindy Berry Walker

For those times when you just can't seem to kick it into gear, these smart strategies will rev even the crankiest engine fast.

Related: 24 Ways to Boost Your Energy and Mood

Step 1: Boost Your Brain -- Turn Off the Tube
If your typical fix for end-of-day exhaustion is to plop down on the couch for a dose of Seinfeld reruns, you're not alone. Most people think that watching TV is a restful activity, but it may not be, says Marc Berman, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In fact, television itself can be tiring, and the older you get, the fewer and fewer stress-reducing benefits you get from a session with the boob tube, a University of California, San Diego study says.

Instead of numbing your mind as a way to rejuvenate, stimulate it. Take a walk along a scenic trail; spending time in nature helps restore people's energy and focus, a 2008 study in Psychological Science found. What to skip when you're low on energy? The mall. You'll

Blaine Moats/Fitness MagazineBy Emily Dorn

Feeling like you want to skim some fat off your own thighs instead of the turkey's? Surprise! There are actually a lot of holiday foods that, if you prepare them in a healthful way and watch your portions, reap countless nutritional benefits and can even help you lose weight. So pull a chair up to the FITNESS holiday table, where it's your overeating anxieties -- not the butter -- that will melt away.

Related: The 10 Worst Holiday Foods to Eat

Turkey
Turkey is a dynamite healthy protein source -- unless it's deep fried and slathered with gravy. Sarah Krieger, RD, National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, points out that a serving of turkey provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid and is a good source of vitamin B, zinc, and potassium. These nutrients have been found to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against cancer and heart disease, and boost the immune system (not bad for an old bird). A normal portion size is

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Lauren Tumas

How often do you get home too tired to cook, struggle with what to eat, and end up ordering takeout? We all know when hunger hits it's convenience over health that ultimately wins, so make it easy and be prepared. Stock up on these 10 staples and nix the takeout pizza. Just think of the money you'll save from not having to tip the pizza guy!

Hummus and Veggies
The Middle Eastern chickpea spread is an easy, protein-rich snack that fights hunger and balances blood sugar levels -- and a little goes a long way. Baked pita chips aren't the worst thing you can eat, but substituting some veggies can make a bigger impact than you think. "Hummus boosts energy because it contains iron, and red bell pepper slices are high in vitamin C, which helps to utilize and absorb the iron from the hummus," says holistic nutritionist Peggy Kotsopoulos, author of Must Have Been Something I Ate. Follow her easy recipe for plain hummus by throwing 1 can of chickpeas in a blender with a dash of

Alexa Miller/Fitness MagazineBy Sandra Gordon

Ever felt that everyone you know seems to be losing weight, but when you try their dieting tricks, you don't have the same success? You may not be doing anything wrong. It could be that those strategies just aren't a good match for you. Achieving your goals is all about finding the specific lifestyle fixes that work for you -- not for your neighbor. Try these 13 tactics. You have nothing but weight to lose!

Related: 11 Healthy Ways to Detox

Get Active
1. Start with Sneakers
Everyone knows it takes a combination of diet and exercise to lose body fat, but researchers now believe that it's best to tackle exercise first. "Once you invest time in a daily workout, you'll be motivated to make the more difficult dietary changes," says John Foreyt, PhD, director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

2. Make Ambitious Exercise Goals
Instead of saying "I will exercise three days a week," plan to exercise every day, even if you know you

Getty ImagesBy Kelley Heyworth

New moms: Stave off hunger, boost energy, and eat up! The 5 foods you should be eating.

Related: Lose the Baby Weight for Good

1. High-fiber cereal
A bowl at breakfast will satisfy hunger and help prevent constipation, a common problem for new moms, since breastfeeding hormones can slow down intestines. Try Kellogg's All-Bran or General Mills Multi-Bran Chex, and top with a dollop of low-fat yogurt. Besides being calcium-rich, the yogurt contains probiotics, "good" bacteria that can aid in digestion.

Eat it: Every day

2. Eggs
To help shed baby weight, eat eggs for breakfast. Doing so could help you eat fewer calories the rest of the day, a recent study suggests. One explanation: A single egg has around 5 or 6 grams of filling protein, which means you won't have the munchies an hour later, says Bridget Swinney, RD, author of Eating Expectantly. Eggs are also one of nature's best source of choline, a nutrient crucial for building the memory center of a baby's

Peter Ardito/Fitness MagazineBy Paige Greenfield

Colds are not sexy. But did you know that your sex plays a role in whether you catch one?

Young women fight off colds better than young men do, a recent Australian study revealed. However, the gender advantage, which researchers suspect is related to hormones, disappears after menopause.

And decades before that, your immunity begins to wane in other ways. As you get older, some of your key defenses against colds and the flu, called naive immune system cells, dwindle, and this may contribute to an increased risk for getting infections and catching viruses. "The younger you are, the more naive immune system cells you have," says Rohit Katial, MD, director of allergy and immunology clinical services at National Jewish Health Hospital in Denver. "Every time you encounter an illness, these cells build immunity against the infection. When you come into contact with the same virus in the future, your immune system reacts stronger and faster, so you may not get

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Donna Fennessy

When it comes to healthy eating, we all have a lot of questions. Here, the real, honest answers to the dieting questions you ask most.

Related: Are You Guilty of These Diet Crimes?

Is it a good idea to have a "cheat day" when dieting?
If you're not the go-hog-wild type, relaxing the rules once a week may help you stay the course, says Kathy McManus, RD, director of the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Being super-strict can set you up for overeating in the future.

What's the difference between wheat and whole wheat?
"If the word whole isn't listed as one of the first three ingredients on your loaf, then it's essentially white bread," says Lisa Young, PhD, RD, an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller Plan. Like the name indicates, whole grains contain the entire grain kernel -- which guarantees the maximum dose of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Non-whole-grain products -- aka refined

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Chee Gates

Your misplaced wallet. A dead car battery. Stress is a thug we encounter almost hourly. The question is, do you have what it takes to stand up to the bully? If you're like most people surveyed last year by the American Psychological Association, you may be losing the good fight: Sixty percent said stressful situations left them irritable, 53 percent felt fatigued, and 52 percent were unable to sleep at night.

Stress takes a toll on more than just your mood. All that tension puts a whammy on your waistline, thanks to the stress-related hormone cortisol, which rises during anxiety-inducing events and makes you crave fatty, sugar-packed foods. Those excess calories are more likely to be stored in the gut as visceral fat, the type that's been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and gastrointestinal cancers. Visceral fat also increases the production of cortisol, perpetuating the cycle (as if you need any further assistance).

Moreover, "chronic stress releases