Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

Conde Nast Digital Studioby Lexi Petronis, Glamour

Do you text while you're eating a meal? Ugh, I do. I also listen to voicemails and respond to emails. On the plus side, I try to do this only when I'm eating solo to minimize the rudeness factor--but, really? Nixing it altogether would be the healthier choice. It could even help you eat less.

A new survey by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future has found that 50 percent of 20-somethings think it's appropriate to text during a meal (only 15 percent of those 30 and older think the same).

Related: 10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

So, yeah, rudeness is definitely part of it. It's off-putting when someone is more wrapped up in the e-conversation she's having with someone else than the real-life conversations she could be having with you. I have a few friends who practice the stack-a-phone rule: all phones must be placed in a pile in the center of the restaurant table so there's no possibility of sneaking in a text.

But

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by Lexi Petronis, Glamour

Valentine's Day is coming at us like a runaway train covered in pink hearts and lace doilies! If you've been to any grocery store, pharmacy, or Target in the last month, you've probably seen enough Valentine's candies to give you a toothache. And I'd be lying if I said Valentine's Day wasn't at least partially about the candy--for me, at least. Valentine's Day, to me, usually means a teensy Whitman's Sampler--it's a tradition that my grandmother started and my mom and aunt carried on. I look forward to it every year.

But is it possible to get a V-Day candy fix... with candy that might even be slightly good for you (and your sweetheart)? I talked to Erin Palinski, R.D., C.D.E., L.D.N., registered dietitian and author of the forthcoming Belly Fat Diet for Dummies, to find out!

Related: 10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

"When you're buying candy, look for these things on the label. If you see them, don't buy the candy--because they

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by Lexi Patronis, Glamour

Reading labels on the foods you're about to eat or buy is a good thing, right? It's an important step in understanding what's could be in (or shouldn't be in) there, so you know what's about to go into your bod.

Related: 10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

But recent studies are pointing to the fact that the calorie counts on said labels are actually probably just guesstimates. It seems that the process of calculating the number of calories in foods comes from the early 20th century, and scientists say that it's antiquated. How we prepare food--slicing, mashing, and even chewing--can affect the number of calories we end up with; other calories are "locked up" during digestion and remain unused in our bellies; and there are bacteria that live in our guts that skim calories off the top, too.

The differences between what's on the label and what's actually in the food can be quite small in some cases, say experts, but can be as much

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by Lexi Patronis, Glamour

You know what's especially cool about Lauren Conrad's "Get Fit Quick" plan? It's actually really sensible and doable, which--let's face it--can't be said of every star's method of dropping a few LBs.

And if you're still plugging away on your New Year's fitness goals but feeling like you might need an extra push, or maybe just something a little different in order to shake up your routine a bit, this could possibly do the trick.

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Lauren breaks things down into categories, starting with some ground rules, such as:

1) Stay focused and remind yourself daily of why you want to get fit and healthy! Flex that willpower.

2) Drink lots of water. Aim to drink an ounce for every pound you weigh.

3) As soon as you wake up, have some lemon water. Try to do this at least 3 times a week. (If you do it every single day, it can make your teeth a bit sensitive.)

4) She has a list of

by Lindsey Unterberger, Glamour

Poor chocolate-few foods have their very own rumor mill like this one. Chocolate is bad for your waistline! Dark chocolate is good for your heart! Chocolate makes your skin break out! Chocolate is an aphrodisiac! We went to the experts to get the truth about chocolate-and it's not all bad. Learn about chocolate's surprising health benefits and how you can eat it to your advantage.

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CN Digital Studioby Lexi Patronis, Glamour

I was hit with some cold, hard reality yesterday when I decided to check on the nutritional information of the wasabi peas on which I was happily snacking. Normally, of course, this is information that would be right on the package, but these peas were an impulse buy from a bulk bin; I remembered seeing them on a list somewhere of healthy snacks, so I went for it. But when I looked them up later, I discovered that one 1/4 cup serving is 106 calories, with 190mg of sodium. Not terrible! Just not great, either, considering I'd apparently already had at least 2 1/2 servings (I do love me some wasabi peas!).




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Anyway, the whole thing made me think about some other snacks that might not be as healthy as we think they are, such as:

1) Non-fat ice cream: When dairy products zap out the fat, they often add in sugar and the calorie count can still stay high (one cup of fat-free vanilla ice cream can

CN Digital Studioby Lexi Patronis, Glamour

Want to know the places inside a gym that are most likely to get you sick? Sure you do!

Barbells, dumbbells, and weight plates. A basic sneeze can send 100,000 infectious particles into the air at 200 miles an hour--when someone catches those buggers with their hand instead of a tissue (or even an elbow), they can transfer easily to handheld gym equipment. Before you lift weights, spray down the equipment (gym etiquette says to do this after you're finished with your set, but how many people really follow that?).

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Water fountains. A study from the University of Arizona found that 28 percent of gym surfaces are gym havens, and water fountains scored high on the list. One way to head off those bacteria? Bring your own water bottle!

Locker room floors. The moist floors are ripe for fungal and wart viruses (ew). Bring your flip-flops for showering, and never reuse the sweaty socks you've just

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by Lexi Patronis, Glamour

It's February (believe it or not), so that means it's officially that time of year again: American Heart Month and Go Red for Women (hey, are you wearing red today?).

Heart disease is the number-one killer of women, and more than 42 million women are currently living with some for of cardiovascular illness--so it's important that we work to keep our hearts healthy! With that in mind, here are a few of the things you can do right now to give your heart a boost:

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1) Know the signs of a heart attack. So many of us are guilty of thinking a heart attack is something that happens to someone else--someone who's older, doesn't exercise as much, doesn't eat well--but it can happen to anyone. And as Elizabeth Banks' hilarious video points out (seriously, go watch!), women are often so busy taking care of other people and their busy lives, they might not know that nausea, hot flashes, and chest pressure are signs of a heart