Blog Posts by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

Misao Okawa, 115, says the secret to a long life is to “watch out for one’s health.” Other centenarians credit everything from bacon to booze. (Photo: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)We may be obsessed with looking younger, but we're in awe of the people who live to see their 100th birthdays and beyond. To what do these centenarians attribute their long, long lives? The answers may surprise you.

Also on Shine: The Real Secret to a Longer Life? Learn to Rebound from Stress

Bacon
Pearl Cantrell, 105, attributes her long and healthy life to bacon. "I love bacon, I eat it everyday," she told NBC affiliate KRBC. "I don't feel as old as I am, that's all I can say." Cantrell, who lives in central Texas and has outlived three of her seven children, spent her life doing hard labor outdoors; she still sews, goes to church, and goes out dancing on Saturday nights. ("It was country dancing, waltzing, and two stepping," she says.) Her most-recent birthday was a three-day-long celebration with more than 200 guests. Bacon, however, is what really kept her going; Oscar Meyer recently sent her a delivery of the smoked-and-cured meat, and she ended up riding around town in the iconic

After you've given birth to your very own mini-me, it's hard to resist the urge to dress her like a tiny version of yourself. But fashion doesn't cross the generation gap very easily, and what may look great -- or at least acceptable -- on a child often just looks bizarre on a grown woman. And vice versa. Take a look.

Line cooks were angry over the insane details in a Craigslist help wanted ad. (Photo: Getty Images)Working as a line cook is notoriously tough, with long hours, low pay, and little downtime. An over-the-top help wanted ad posted recently on Craigslist struck a chord with tired, overworked employees everywhere for its high-maintenance demands, and quickly made international news headlines.

Also on Shine: Fast-Food Employees Dish About the Menu Items You Should Never Order

The job listing for a line cook at FARMBloomington had 44 detailed requirements, including showing up early, having a good attitude, and never complaining. But it also asked that applicants "don't get defensive or act like you already know everything," "admit when you're wrong, but don't point it out when others are wrong — especially the chef," "anticipate what the chef needs next," "cook your dishes exactly as the chef taught you, the same every time," and only suggest changes "in private or phrase it so it seems like it was the chef's idea."

Also on Shine: What Celebrity Chefs Don't Want You To Know

Sounds too

Could this actually be good for you? Yes, yes it could. (Photo: Getty Images)What if you could eat anything you wanted, and not feel guilty about it? On International No-Diet Day, you can do just that -- and maybe even transform your relationship with food in the process.

Also on Shine: 8 'Healthy' Diet Tricks that Don't Work

Diets aren't just about food and weight. As anyone who has suffered an eating disorder or has been stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting knows, they're about mindset and guilt as well. The point of International No-Diet Day is to push back against societal attitudes about weight, body image, and food, and to focus instead on health, fitness, and mindful eating.

Also on Shine: Stop Dieting and Start Living

"The intent of mindful eating and mindfulness is to bring somebody to the present moment and allow them to reconnect to their direct experience," Megrette Fletcher, a registered dietician and the co-founder of the Center for Mindful Eating in New Hampshire, told Yahoo! Shine.

"A lot of times when people eat, they're thinking much more about the

"I always thought that mother's day was great, but it always felt like something was missing," Julianna W. Miner, who blogs at Rants from Mommyland, told Yahoo! Shine. Presents are great, but what she really wanted wasn't something that her husband and three kids could give her -- it was something that could only come from other moms. "Other moms understand that motherhood is a tough and wonderful job," Miner explained. "I wanted someone to see me and tell me that it was enough. That even though I was not doing everything right, that my efforts counted." Figuring that plenty of women might feel the same way, Miner teamed up with e-card and gift company Naughty Betty to create Mother's Day cards to honor all moms and say what they really want for Mother's Day. The cards are more than just clever -- they also support a good cause: If people share the free e-cards in time for Mother's Day, SweetRelish.com will donate up to $10,000 to Shelter House, a safe haven for homeless families and

Crickett rifles come in a range of colors and are made especially for kids. (Photo: Crickett.com)The company that makes real guns for children has taken down its website after a 5-year-old boy in southern Kentucky allegedly shot his 2-year-old sister by accident with a Crickett gun he received for his birthday.

Also on Shine: New Ads Contrast School Bans and Gun Regulations, 'Little Red Riding Hood' and AR-15s

While giving a kid a gun at all seems outrageous to people along the coasts of the United States, in many, often rural, parts of the country, learning how to shoot at a very early age is a normal part of life.

“People learn how to shoot before they learn how to read,” Jeff Booher, 53, told The New York Daily News. The Cumberland County, Kentucky, resident said that he taught his own kids (now ages 22, 12, and 9) how to use a gun when they were just 4 or 5 years old.

Also on Shine: I'm Scared of Guns. So I Decided to Learn How to Shoot One

Crickett's "My First Rifle" and other firearms are made by Keystone Sporting Arms, a father-and-son-owned gunmaker that has been selling

Troubled? Sure. But bimbo? What is this, junior high?The New York Post isn't exactly known for hard-hitting journalism or high ethical standards.  So it really shouldn't come as a surprise that they'd set up a "news" story about Lindsay Lohan by calling her a bimbo. This is, after all, a publication that spent the better part of a decade calling Monica Lewinsky a "Portly Pepperpot." (What does that even mean?)

Also on Shine: How to Bimbo-Proof Your Daughter

The latest article (written by three male staffers) was headlined "Loopy Lohan on the Lam" and also describes the troubled actress as whiny and dramatic. But it's the first sentence -- "Be on the lookout for this bimbo" -- crosses the line.

Granted, Lohan has made a spectacular, spiraling descent from child star to tabloid fodder, but still… 'Bimbo?' What is this, junior high school...circa 1950? The term is a relic of 20th century slut-shaming, when a young women's hair color was enough to brand her as nothing more than a sex object. The term propagated the myth (or fetish) that a

Would you pay $529 to be at this wedding? (Photo: Getty Images)According to an American Express survey of 1,518 people, guests will spend an average of $539 per wedding this year—and that's just to attend the event, not to be a member of the wedding party. The wallet-busting figure is up $200 from 2012, when guests reported shelling out an average of $329 on clothes, hotel rooms, and gifts.

Also on Shine: Alone at a Wedding? The Author of 'Singles' Can Help

The real cost is probably even higher given the estimates for some of the costs. The credit card company says that guests will budget just $57 for new clothes, $27 for a babysitter or pet sitter, and $95 for a hotel room—all of which seems astoundingly low, even for a local event. Members of the bridal party can count on spending a little bit more, thanks to slightly higher clothing costs: about $577 per wedding, according to American Express.

Also on Shine: What Guys Hear When You Speak 'Bride'

Wedding-industry experts say that's definitely on the cheap side. With destination weddings, bridal