Blog Posts by Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

Several SELF staffers admit to having an Etsy addiction. We can waste hours browsing through the DIY finds, and we've purchased everything from art to jewelry to candles to wedding favors.
When a girl in our yoga class mentioned that she got her mat -- which was hand-painted and much cooler than our generic maroon mat -- on Etsy, we decided to troll around for other health-related treasures.

MORE FROM SELF:

• Check out SELF's stop cellulite workout
  

• SELF's annual healthy food awards showcases 66 fast fix foods you'll love to eat!

• Beat the heat with one of these no-cook meals tonight

• Find the best swimsuit for your body type now!

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

Lately, we've been dreaming a lot. And they're not just simple whatever dreams, they're the "say, huh?" kind (we'll spare you the details!) with weird twists and blank faces and random houses that we may or may not have ever seen before. Got a bunch of us SELFers wondering: Could there be health-related red flags in our dreams?

Related: Eat these superfoods for flat abs

Absolutely, yes, according to Certified Dream Analyst Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, author of Cracking The Dream Code. "Your dreams are going to give you a heads up because they're coming from your inner self," she says. "When you see certain symbols and actions in your dreams, it might be a sign that something is going wrong with your mind or body. If you want to remember your dreams, write them down immediately or tell someone ASAP when you wake up. Otherwise, they'll be gone by breakfast."

Here are the 5 most common health-related dreams to put on your REM radar:

House "Whether it's your

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

This week, the Healthy SELF blog is being written from the beach, as we are taking a much-needed vacation. Like most Americans, we have a hard time letting go of work -- according to a study by the Families and Work Institute, less than half of us take the full vacation time available to us (on average, 12 days per year in the U.S.).

Thing is, health-wise, vacation is as much a necessity as it is a luxury. Here's why we're taking a week to chill, and why you should too:

Bonus: Do you dare? Take the SELF fitness challenge!

Believe it or not, there are scientists whose job it is to study the health of vacationers vs. non-vacationers. According to the chillaxing experts, vacationers:

• Are more satisfied and find more meaning in life
• Are more spiritual and have a lot of support from family and friends
• Have lower blood pressure
• Have lower levels of stress hormones
• Have smaller waists
• Outlive non-vacationers
• Are more satisfied

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

When women talk about which workouts are most effective, the conversation generally turns to strength, running, yoga, or Pilates. We clearly understand and appreciate exercise regimens that have tangible, proven benefits (i.e. Burn calories + build muscle = less jiggly in bikini).

Related: Eat these superfoods for flat abs

But a new study in this month's issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion has us super curious about a less common form of exercise in the U.S: Qigong, a meditative form of Chinese martial arts that is focused on moving "Qi" (a.k.a. your life energy) throughout your body. Researchers ahttp://www.self.com/fitness/worknalyzed 77 Qigong studies from 1993 to 2007 and found that it provides major bennies from heart health to your immune system to balance to bone health to mental health.

Here are two more martial arts-style workouts we're eager to try (We dare you to beat us to it!):

Krav Maga
What is it: A hand-to-hand combat

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

There's no better time than now to try new fresh foods -- there's just such a huge abundance of produce this time of year. We're obsessed with our local farmer's market, but also slightly overwhelmed. Everything looks so good but we can only carry so much in our burlap bag!

To find out what sorts of things we absolutely shouldn't miss this time of year, we called on Monica Reinagel, M.S., a super-cool nutritionist, chef, and blogger for our new sister site, Nutrition Data (check out the link in the dark blue tool bar!). We're obsessed with her blog, the Compare Foods tool, and the Food Search tool.

Related: Beat the heat with one of these no-cook meals tonight!

If you like ... Spinach
You'll love... Kale
Both of these veggies are a good source of iron and calcium, but spinach contains oxalates that can interfere with the absorption of these minerals. Kale, on the other hand, is low in oxalates, so you're able to soak up more of the nutritious

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

OK, we're all about self-confidence, but recently we got to talking about the workout moves that make us blush at the gym (everyone's got to draw the line somewhere!). Between SELF staffers and our fitness-minded pals, there were a lot of consistencies -- mainly moves that involve leg-spreading, hip thrusting, and an abundance of coordination (i.e. we might fall flat on our face in front of a hottie trainer).

Here are four moves we'll only do in the privacy of our own home -- and some effective sub-in ideas for the gym:

Related: Make over your upper body with just a few simple moves!

The abductor/adductor machine. Or, what several women described as a medieval birthing device. You sit down on a seat with weighted pads outside of your thighs, then open and close your legs. A great inner-thigh workout but, alas, a tad bit on the suggestive side.

SELFy SWAP: Try this Jane Fonda-inspired inner-thigh lift (sweat band optional). With legs crossed, you'll

By Ashley Mateo, SELF magazine

As the host of ABC's summer reality competition Wipeout, Jill Wagner gets to see people fall - a lot. But it's the accomplishments she enjoys the most, as well as a good workout.
Related: Hungry? Try these superfoods for weight loss

Though she's never tested the Wipeout course herself - "It's very intimidating," she says - Wagner is a definite fan of exercising outdoors. She enjoys taking her dog to Runyon Canyon in L.A. for fun hikes and 30-minute cardio runs.
But despite loving an outdoor jaunt, Wagner recognizes how easy it can be to cross a workout off a day's list. "It's really, really easy to make excuses as to why we can't go to the gym," she says. But, "If you can find time to sit in front of the TV for 45 minutes, you can find time to work out."
Related: These simple moves will makeover your upper body

To avoid making excuses, Wagner tries to fit her workout in the a.m. "I like to get it out of the way earlier in the day," she says. By

By Jenny Everett, SELF magazine

TGIALW (... A Long Weekend). We SO need this break.
Many SELF staffers are heading to the beach, and planning Fourth of July picnics. And while the typical BBQ fare -- burgers, chips, potato salad, etc. -- isn't exactly diet-friendly, we can't resist. So, we're going to follow these rules for indulging without sabotaging our waistlines.

Related: Try these 20 superfoods for weight loss

1. Use condiments with caution. We announced the winners of our Healthy Food Awards in the July issue, and many of them were condiments. Add these three low-cal picks to your picnic table:

* Simply Heinz (20 calories, 0g fat per tbsp)
* Hellman's Light (25 calories, 3.5g fat per tbsp)
* Annie's Naturals Organic Yellow Mustard (0 calories, 0g fat per tbsp)

2. Choose beer wisely. Used to be impossible to find a beer under 100 calories -- now they're everywhere. Our fave: Budweiser Select 55 (55 calories, 0g fat per bottle). This beer has a nice, full-bodied taste, but