Blog Posts by Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

Dana Meltzer Zepeda, SELF magazine

In a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim jokingly called herself "fat" standing next to little sister Kendall for a family photo opp. But, in reality, ask any man (or woman, for that matter) what's sexier--a skinny 16-year-old kid or a sexy, voluptuous woman--and odds are you'll get the same answer every time.

"Kim Kardashian and J. Lo are perfect examples of ladies who look fit but play up sexy curves rather than fighting their body type," says Bambi Martin, owner and instructor at Cyclelates, a Hollywood spinning and Pilates studio.

Related: Foods That Fight Bloat

Want to tone up fast without losing your curves? Look no further than this cardio-based Pilates routine. "Pilates lengthens and tones in all the right places," says Martin. "This toning will lift and accentuate your natural curves without developing bulky muscle mass. With more muscle mass, you will naturally burn more calories."

Incorporate these 3

April Daniels Hussar, SELF magazine

What did you have for breakfast this morning? According to a new study, if you're watching your weight, you should write that answer down -- and then cancel your lunch date! But don't SKIP lunch!

The study, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, focused on three key behaviors than can make -- or break -- your diet.

The findings: Keep a food journal, avoid going out for lunch too often and don't skip meals.

"When it comes to weight loss, evidence from randomized, controlled trials comparing different diets finds that restricting total calories is more important than diet composition such as low-fat versus low-carbohydrate. Therefore, the specific aim of our study was to identify behaviors that supported the global goal of calorie reduction," study author Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Hutchinson Center's Prevention Center and a member of

Dana Meltzer Zepeda, SELF magazine

I've tried it all: Step classes, inner/ outer abductor machines, squats and lunges. But, no matter what I do, toning my inner thighs has always seemed to be a lost cause. So I decided to make it my mission this week to find one easy move to rid myself of that embarrassing jiggle once and for all!

Related: 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss

"When most women gain weight, they store it in their inner thighs," says Ky Evans, head instructor at The Studio MDR in Marina Del Rey, Calif. "When you do a squat or cardio, you're not really working the inner thigh. You're working the hamstring, outer thigh or buttock."

So what's a girl to do? The answer is simple. Try Evan's secret weapon to "truly isolate the inner thigh and lengthen, tone and define the smaller muscles." Incorporate this move into your regular cardio routine for 3 minutes a day and you'll be shimmying into those short-shorts before you know it!

Related: Foods That Fight Bloat

April Daniels Hussar, SELF magazine

Are you struggling to reduce your portion sizes? New research says the answer might be right in your silverware drawer.

The research from Arizona State University (ASU), set to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), concludes that, like rats, college students find multiple pieces of food to be more satiating and rewarding than one big piece of food.

Related: 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss

Wait -- what? Yes, rats and college students. The ASU researchers found that rats prefer to be rewarded for navigating through mazes with multiple, small pieces of food rather than one large piece of food. In another study, they gave 301 college students pre-measured portions of bagels -- some were whole; some were cut into pieces. The students were told they could eat as much or as little of of the bagels as they wanted, and as much or as little of a test meal that followed the bagels.

SELF magazine

Thankfully most break-ups don't involve Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes levels of scrutiny. But any time a relationship ends it's definitely hard. Relationships occupy a ton of your time, so a break up literally requires you to disentangle your lives from each other (whether that means moving out or divvying up friends) before moving on.

Related: 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss

The key to surviving any split: keep it classy. Be as thoughtful and considerate as possible and remember that bashing the other person is only going to make you look bad. Besides, retribution takes up way too much negative energy! It's unnecessary and takes away from the time you could be putting towards moving forward with your life. Don't get me wrong: it's totally OK to feel a little bitter or angry during the process. But deal with it privately, rather than posting about it on Facebook.

Related: Yoga Moves for Flat Abs

Inevitably, people will ask about your break-up. Go ahead and

April Daniels Hussar, SELF magazine

Are you sitting down right now? You might want to read this standing up!

As SELF has previously reported, sitting for more than six hours a day decreases your life expectancy, and new research shows that sitting for less than three hours a day -- and cutting back on the boob tube -- might increase your longevity.

Related: Shed Pounds Without Starving!

Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D., professor and associate executive director for population science at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University System in Baton Rouge, La., and lead author of the study (published in the journal BMJ Open) explains to HealthySELF that his research is based on reviews of previous studies involving a total of 167,000 adults. Two of those studies tracked self-reported amounts of time spent sitting and three involved self-reported amounts of TV-watching time. ("Watching television is a good marker of sedentary behavior," he explains.)

April Daniels Hussar, SELF magazine

Given that most of us spend the summer in short shorts and bikinis, you'd think it would be easier than usual to stick to a healthy diet, right? Not necessarily!

Jim White, registered dietitian, personal trainer and spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, gave us the skinny on the most common summer dieting pitfalls -- and how you can avoid them.

Related: Yoga Moves for Flat Abs

1. Drinking too many cold calories.
Swapping your morning coffee for a cold smoothie? "Smoothies can be healthy and a good on-the-go option, but they contain many more calories than that skinny latte you buy every morning," says White. "Liquids are not as filling as food, so we tend to consume more calories that way." Also packed with calories: most blended cocktails and coffee drinks, so read the labels if you're buying bottled drinks, opt for iced coffee rather than creamy blended drinks and make sure cocktail hour doesn't serve up a

Sarah-Jane Bedwell, SELF magazine

Fat has such a bad rap! But don't be afraid of it, friends, because it's an essential for good health. It gives us long-lasting energy, helps keep us warm and gives us sexy J-Lo-like curves. Plus, fat helps to balance hormonal levels and helps us to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. If you skimp on it, get ready for hair loss, a less-than-glowing complexion and fatigue. Of course, too much of it isn't a good thing either, as it is bad for your heart and for your waist.
So how does a girl eat fat in a healthy way? The secret is picking the right type (which is probably even more important than the amount you eat).

Related: Yoga Moves for Flat Abs

The types of dietary fat are:

Saturated fat: Saturated fat is the worst type of fat for your heart because it increases total cholesterol and the LDL (bad) cholesterol when consumed in excess in the diet. Limit or avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, butter, margarine,