Blog Posts by FITNESS Magazine

By: The editors of FITNESS magazine

Looking for something sweet without the lingering feeling of guilt once you lick your fingers clean? We scoped out the healthiest sweet snacks from the grocery store, tasted and approved by editors and nutritionists.

Related: FITNESS Healthy Food Awards: Healthiest Foods from the Store

Funley's Original Stix in the Mud

Get your sugar fix without going overboard. The luscious chocolate cookie clusters are individually wrapped for easy portion control.

Calories per 3 clusters: 170

Related: 4 Reasons to Eat Chocolate on a Diet

Glenny's Creamy Vanilla Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats

They taste as good as the classic version -- but with more fiber and fewer calories.

Calories per snack cake: 100

Related: Smoothie Recipes Perfect for Summer

Dove Roasted Almonds Covered in Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate

You'll go nuts (like we did) for this sweet and salty treat.

Calories per 13 pieces: 210

Related:

By: Sandra Gordon

Is it so bad to have a second piece of cake or to skip a week of exercising when you feel overwhelmed by work, kids, life? The experts say no, as long as you don't convince yourself that it's always okay. "We all need an occasional break from being 'good,'" says Carol Kauffman, PhD, a coaching psychologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "If rationalizing that you can be 'bad' here and there becomes a pattern, though, it can sabotage all your stay-well efforts." To help you counter these "little killers," we've dissected six common self-deceptions. Here's how to defy denial and keep your health on course for the long run.

Related: Find Out Your Daily Caloric Needs

Lie #1: "I can have two glasses of wine a day, research should it's healthy."

Reality Check: One drink a day can slightly reduce your chances of heart disease, but make that two glasses daily and your breast cancer risk can rise 25 percent. Your odds of ovarian and esophageal cancer go up as well,

By Lynda Liu

Ask any woman the one thing she wants more of, and energy will most likely top her list. While getting more sleep would seem to be the obvious solution (Americans average seven hours of sleep a night), daytime exhaustion has a host of other, often surprising, causes -- all of which are easily treated. "In many cases, low energy can be traced to a certain behavior and fixed in a few weeks," says Martin Lipsky, MD, a professor and chair of the department of family medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. (If fatigue persists without explanation, however, talk to your doctor. It could be a sign of a more serious illness.)

Related: Healthy Habits That Zap Your Energy

Want to get your energy back? Here are seven reasons why there's less pep in your step, plus the easy fixes that will get you up and running.

Related: 11 Energy Boosting Snacks


Reason #1: You Don't Exercise

At least 30 minutes of a sweat-inducing

Looking for some superfoods to boost energy and get you on the path to your healthiest body yet? Add a few of these to your diet and start feeling a little slimmer and a whole lot less sluggish.

More from FITNESS Magazine:

• 13 Seasonal Ingredients for Summer

• 11 Ways to Cut Liquid Calories

• The Best 8 Drinks for Your Health

• 10 Diet Foods That Make You Fat

• How to Be a Smarter Grocery Shopper

  
  

By: Kristina Grish

You eat right and workout regularly, so conceiving should be a cinch, right? Not quite. Recent research shows that though your gym routine may improve your health, reduce stress, and keep your weight in check, working out too much can result in lower fertility. So how do you know the difference between a healthy workout and going overboard? We went straight to the experts to find out.

Related: 2-Second Stress Cures

The Guideline Gap

"We've known that weight is an important factor in fertility, but considering the role of exercise is a recent phenomenon in Western medicine," explains Robert Brzyski, MD, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and chair of the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Preliminary research suggests that regular workouts may actually improve reproductive function: A study in Obstetrics & Gynecology concluded that women who exercised 30

By Donna Fennessy

Make a mental checklist of all the things you do to keep yourself healthy. It's a good bet you thought of your workouts, your good-for-you diet, and maybe even a daily vitamin. But if keeping up with medical tests isn't on your list of healthy behaviors, you're falling into the mistake that many fit women make: thinking regular exercise plus smart nutrition exempts you from getting routine exams. To truly keep your body healthy, here are the tests you need to get for your 20s, 30s, and beyond.

Related: 10 Reasons You're Healthier Than You Think

In Your 20s...

TEST: Eye Exam
WHO TO SEE: Ophthalmologist
WHY: Many eye problems, such as glaucoma and retinopathy, are detected only via exam. Plus, checkups can help pinpoint related health concerns, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
HOW OFTEN: At least once between the ages of 20 and 29 and twice between ages 30 and 39. Wear glasses or contacts? Take meds that affect your vision? Got diabetes? Go

Worried about your workouts going out the window for the upcoming holiday weekend? Fret not, we're here to help! Below, BBQ-friendly fixings to let you enjoy the rest of summer without letting empty calories get the best of you.

Related:20 Summertime Dinner Ideas

Dark Chocolate Banana S'mores

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
2 just-ripe bananas, peels on, halved lengthwise and stems trimmed
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
12 graham cracker squares
1 3-ounce bar dark chocolate, broken into 6 squares

Directions
1. Heat a grill to medium and mist with cooking spray. Place the bananas cut side down and grill until lightly marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip bananas and brush tops with the melted butter. Grill cut side up 3 minutes more. Transfer bananas to a plate, remove peels and cut into 1/3-inch slices.
2. While bananas are grilling, place 6 of the graham cracker squares on top of

Don't let the lack of heavy metal fool you. These equipment-free firmers sculpt killer curves. "Using gravity and your body weight as resistance can be just as effective as what you can do with any dumbbell, machine, or barbell," says workout designer Tom Vincent, a trainer at Juliet Kaska's Zen Fitness in West Hollywood who routinely puts his clients through their paces in the park. "You use multiple muscles in these moves, meaning a larger calorie burn in less time." Stick with this workout or pair it with pool sessions, taking a day off in between to allow muscles to recover. Do two sets of each move, leaving little rest between sets to boost your fat burn.

What You'll Need: A park bench and a tree

Related: VIDEO: Watch the Complete Workout

Power Pledge

Targets chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, 3 to 4 feet behind a bench, and lean forward to place both hands on top of seat back slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
• Keeping