Blog Posts by FITNESS Magazine

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

Sara Forrest/Fitness MagazineBy Kate Ashford

Forgot to pack your sports bra? Stuck eating office takeout? When life throws your healthy plans for a loop, these smart moves will get you back on track.

Related: How to Stick to Your Diet, No Matter What

1. You get to the gym and realize you don't have your sports bra.
Make these adjustments for a workout in your regular bra.

Cardio: If you're an A cup, you can still run, says Andrea Metcalf, a fitness instructor in Chicago. If you're a B cup, stick to the elliptical machine or walking. "Raise the incline to amp up the intensity," Metcalf says. C cups and larger: Get your heart going with the stationary bike.

Group class: Yoga and Pilates remain on the menu whatever the size of your assets. You can also modify a circuit class, swapping jumping jacks, say, for squats or lunges. "You'll be able to get your heart rate up without the impact by using the biggest muscles in the body," Metcalf explains.

Strength training: You should have no trouble making the rounds in the

Courtesy of NightWaveBy Christie Griffin

You've heard it plenty of times: There are a lot of devices out there that can hinder your sleep health. (We're looking at you, laptops and TV screens.) But what about the good-for-you gadgets geared toward improving your sleep? We sifted through a pile of thingy-ma-bobbers that promise to send you to dreamland, tested them out, and picked our top five favorites. Prepare to rest easy -- finally.

Related: The 10 Best and Worst Foods to Eat for Sleep

NightWave Sleep Assistant
What it is and how it works: This lightweight, tiny gadget -- it's about the size of a jewelry gift box -- projects a pulsing, soft blue light on your ceiling or wall. Then you begin what is best described as a pre-sleep exercise: Breathe in as the blue light gets bright, breathe out as it goes dark. After seven minutes, the soothing light rhythms automatically stop...and your ZZZs start.

Expert opinion: "The breathing routine that cycles with the projecting light will potentially reduce thought

Scott Little/Fitness MagazineCold season is upon us, bringing its runny noses, congested chests, achy bodies, and too-tired feelings with it. Your best defense? Try to prevent yourself from catching a cold by washing your hands frequently, getting enough rest, drinking lots of fluids, and staying active. But when you catch a cold, you need more immediate relief. That's where these snacks come in. Each of them is packed with cold-fighting vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that may help make your cold less severe. Read on for our six feel-better snack picks:


Related: How to Cold-Proof Your Winter

Vegetarian Chili
A spicy veggie chili made with onions, garlic, kidney beans, and tomato paste not only warms up a cold-afflicted body, it may also have medicinal properties! Onions and garlic have antiviral effects, beans have good-for-the-immune-system B vitamins, and the spices can actually help clear sinuses!

Recommended serving size: 1 cup canned vegetarian chili
Calories: 160

Fresh Clementines
Despite all the

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Megan McMorris

Get results, stay motivated, and sculpt every bit -- just by using these all-new tips on your next walk or run.

Related: 25 Cardio Workouts to Burn More Fat

Tune In
Listening to your favorite downloads while you run or walk revs you up in more ways than one: Past studies found that tuning in to fast, upbeat music (think Fergie, the White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, Shakira) when you exercise can boost your endurance by up to 20 percent.


Treat Yourself
If you have a reward, such as a skim latte, waiting for you at the end of a walk, there's a better chance you'll get out the door. Or give yourself an exercise-related goal with added benefits, like getting in shape for an inn-to-inn walking tour of New England or for a vacation spent hiking volcanoes in Hawaii, suggests Mark Fenton, author of The Complete Guide to Walking.


Bring the Kids
Here's where multitasking comes in handy -- plan a weekly walk with your family. You'll burn calories, catch up on what's new, and

VikaValter/VettaBy Rebecca Brown

These days, logging an overwhelming number of hours on our computers, laptops, smartphones, and iPads seems to be the norm. But it turns out you could be losing more than just precious time while plugged into the technology matrix. Here, the physical, mental, and emotional tolls of overusing the Internet -- and why occasionally disconnecting from the digital world may not be such a bad idea.

Related: 20-Minute Workout for Stress Relief

You'll Have More Time for You
A recent TIME mobility poll surveyed 5,000 people and found that 84 percent of participants couldn't go a single day without their mobile device, with 25 percent admitting that they checked their phones every 30 minutes. That's dozens of times a day! And the need to stay connected isn't just tied to your smartphone. A study presented at the British Psychological Society's annual Occupational Conference found that 70 percent of employees studied did not meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity,

Clean and PressBy Betsey Stephens

Beyond busy? Try this fast, total-body routine from Keli Roberts, a master trainer in Pasadena and star of the TimeSavers video workout series.

Related: 5 Double-Duty Toning Exercises

1. Clean and Press
Minute: 0:00-1:00
Targets shoulders, back, butt, legs
a. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place a 5-pound dumbbell on the floor near each foot. Squat, bringing the dumbbells to the outside of your knees, palms down.
b. Stand, bringing the dumbbells to your hips, then raise the weights through your shoulders and overhead. Lower and repeat for 60 seconds.

Side Lunge and Row2. Side Lunge and Row
Minute: 1:00-2:00
Targets back, butt, legs
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a pair of 5-pound dumbbells at your sides. Take a big step out to the right with your right foot, bending right knee 90 degrees while keeping left leg straight. Draw your left elbow straight up, keeping arm close to side and butt tight. Return to start and repeat for 30 seconds; switch sides.