Blog Posts by Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

Today, the Lose It! crew shares three ways to fry fat at work:

Related: Stars' Favorite Heart-Healthy Recipes

1. Stand Up
Being on your feet in your cubicle for just 5 minutes burns roughly 15 calories. Stand up for 5 minutes every hour to stretch, talk on the phone, shuffle paper or walk to the water fountain, and in an 8-hour workday, you'll burn a bonus 120 calories. That means you could lose 9 pounds in a year.

Related: The Best Jeans for Your Body Type

2. Take the Stairs
According to studies, every time you climb a single step, you burn 0.1 calories. When you walk down the step, you burn 0.05. For every two hours at the office, try walking up three flights, then walking down and returning to your desk. It adds up -- and could even help you live longer. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, hospital workers who took the stairs exclusively for 12 weeks lowered their body fat by 1.7 percent, their waist circumference by 1.8

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

In SELF's January issue, we graded the latest crop of diet books, and Lose It! by Anahad O-Connor and Charles Teague, rose to the top. In the review, we said:

Related: 5 ways to learn to love yoga

Based on a popular calorie counting app, this is less diet, more useful tips for sticking to a limit. It's hard to argue with success; 86 percent of online users said they did, um, lose it. Bonus: how-tos on social networking for support. Yay for friends!
According to Teague, the reason Lose It! is so successful is that it works with any diet --whether you're vegan, diabetic or just super-picky about what you eat.
Related: 3 Keys to Setting Exercise Goals

"We let you lose weight your way," he says.

Because we were such fans of the book, over the next week, we're going to be posting tips from the Lose It! experts -- starting with this handy guide to determining your weight-loss "type" and how you can overcome bad diet habits to find your healthiest

By Ashley Mateo, SELF magazine

We've got Minka Kelly's favorite workout, but it takes more than four magic moves to get a body like hers. So, what's her secret? Getting in the right fitness mindset, so she can reap mental, emotional and physical benefits.

Related: More Minka: Her Body-Changing Workout Moves and Cardio Plan

Looking good is part of Kelly's job--right now, you can catch her on the big-screen in The Roommate and on TV in NBC's Parenthood--but to hit the gym on a regular basis, the actress needs a little more motivation than that.

She says, "I have a picture I ripped out of a magazine of this girl. It's a Nike ad. On it, it says, 'Make yourself proud.' She's sweaty because she just finished working out and she just looks really fit. I look at that and it reminds me to work to be healthy every single day. Some days you don't, but as long as you come back the next day and get back on track, that's all you can do."

Related: 3 Keys to Setting Exercise Goals

When Kelly

By Jaymie Oppenheim, SELF magazine

Between choosing nutritious grocery options and paying for a gym membership, being healthy isn't cheap! For those of you who are tired of making a dent in your bank account every time you try doing something good for your body, "Passport to Prana" is the answer to your fitness prayers!

Related: 10 symptoms you shouldn't ignore

Passport to Prana is a one-of-a-kind yoga opportunity that provides access to some of the best studios in your city for only $30. It sounds too good to be true, but it turns out that this affordable yoga pass has benefits on both sides. By giving cardholders the chance to try one class at each participating yoga studio in their city during a 10-month period, instructors have the opportunity to show both new and experienced yogis what their business has to offer.

Related: 5 ways to learn to love yoga

Instead of spending a fortune trying every exercise class within your zip code, take advantage of the Passport to Prana and

By Jen D'Angelo, SELF magazine

American women and supporters of women's health received bad news on Friday as the House of Representatives passed a measure to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Related: Foods that fight cellulite

The debate, of course, centers around abortion rights -- but Planned Parenthood is already prevented by federal law from using federal dollars for abortion services.

So instead of curbing abortion, this measure would eliminate about $330 million through the end of September for preventative health services that women sorely need, including funding for contraception and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country.

Needless to say, Planned Parenthood was very upset.

Related: 5 ways to learn to love yoga

"Today, the Republican House leadership pushed through the U.S. House of Representatives an extreme and dangerous piece of legislation targeting Planned Parenthood, one of America's largest and most trusted health care

Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

We've all been there. You look at the calendar and think: "Holy bleep! I have to wear a dress or bikini (or see an ex) in...less than two weeks!

Naturally, you want to look and feel as healthy, lean and strong as possible. But is it too late?

Related: Indulge In These Shockingly Healthy Comfort Foods

With the Oscars just nine days away (we're rooting for Natalie Portman!), you can bet a lot of celebs are having the same freakout. Of course, they have pricey personal trainers and nutritionists steering them in a slim direction. But just because you don't have the same advantages doesn't mean you can't see the same results.

We talked to trainers and nutritionists to find out the healthiest ways to shape up fast. Steal these tricks the next time an event sneaks up on you:

DIET

A major component of shaping up on a tight deadline is eating smart. Registered dietitian Keren Gilbert, president and founder of Decision Nutrition, recommends her clients build

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

This Sunday kicks off National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Meanwhile, this Public Service Announcement -- which has been running on massive screens during Fashion Week in New York City -- makes it uncomfortably clear just how important it is to change the negative feelings many women have about their bodies.

Related: Up Your Self-Confidence With a Killer Workout

So, starting today, we urge you to realize that your body is pretty darn awesome -- regardless of size, shape and scale reading. Here are five great reasons to rock what you've got:

1. Your Heart Kicks Butt. Beating about 100,000 times a day (40 million times a year!), your ticker pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through tens of thousands of miles of blood vessels to feed your organs and assorted body parts. Different cultures see this fist-sized organ as the home of our spirit, our hub of happiness and of course, a source of love. Yep, it's cliche, but true: It's what's inside that counts.

2.

By Ashley Mateo, SELF magazine

We're trolling Twitter for up-to-the-minute fitness, diet and healthy living Tweets from those you want to hear from most: celebrities! This week, television star Mindy Kaling reaps the benefits of hydration.

Related: Foods that fight cellulite

As star of the hit series The Office, Mindy Kaling entertains her tweeps with witty banter and straight-from-the-set info on one of TV's most hilarious comedies. Earlier this week, she posted:

MindyKaling: Time for bed. In a great mood cuz I had my 8 glasses of water today, no big deal

Want to head to bed feeling as refreshed as Kaling? It's easy. We all know that you should shoot for six to eight glasses of water daily, but sometimes the idea of guzzling down that much H20 can be downright daunting. Instead, try these three sneaky ways of sipping throughout the day. Not only will you stay hydrated, but your body, your waistline and even your skin, will thank you.

1. Make it convenient: Get a reusable water bottle