Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

I think Brooke Shields is pretty much great. In fact, her Volkswagen minivan commercials have almost convinced me that I need one. Note, the word "almost." But what do you make of her comments in the new issue of Health magazine about virginity, sex and weight? Let's talk about this...

****
(P.S. Come on over to Little Miss Fortune today to see photos of my self-haircutting exploits!)

Brooke Shields is speaking out in this issue of Health about losing her virginity at 22. Here's what she had to say about wishing she'd lost it sooner:

"I think I would have had sex a lot earlier!" the actress jokes in the June issue of Health magazine. "I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22. I had the public and this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with in the beginning, when it was sort of OK. I think I could have been much more in touch with myself."

If she had sex earlier, she continues, "I think I wouldn't have had issues with weight--I

Many of us spend so much of our lives in offices (many more in cubicles), so my theory has always been: Why not make those hours/days/years as healthy and happy as they can be? It starts with you, though. Here are some gutsy things to ask your boss for, in the name of health and wellness...

****
I know, the economy isn't so hot, and maybe your company is trying to cut costs. But, happier and healthier employees = more productive employees, right? In that vein, here are five things to hit your boss up for today (or whenever you get your courage up):

1. Fruit! I told you about The Fruit Guys a few months ago. It's a fresh fruit delivery service that ships boxes of high-quality, perfectly ripe fruit to thousands of small and large business (and homes, too) across the country. According to their Web site, "the company was founded on the premise that bringing healthy brain food to the office can boost productivity, improve wellness and help companies improve their bottom lines."

I wrote about the health secrets of Europeans recently, and as you recall, the probiotics found in yogurt were on the list. As you all know, there are so many things to do with yogurt besides just grabbing a spoon and digging in (but, that's good too)! So, I thought I'd share a creative list of uses for one of our favorite healthy foods...

****
1. Bake with it. You can use it in place of milk, buttermilk, even cream for a healthier, tangier flavor.

2. Use it in place of sour cream. My fave: plain, 2% Greek yogurt topped on Mexican dishes in place of the sour cream.

See our tips: Jennifer Aniston's personal chefs share their secrets to eating like a celebrity-without paying someone to cook for you.

3. Make dips with it. I'm totally drooling over this yogurt-spinach dip from The New York Times. And, here's another dip idea, from Vitamin G.

4. Use it in place of mayo. Deviled eggs are made a million times better with yogurt in place of mayo.

5. Drizzle it on fruit

Do you get headaches a lot? I tend to get them when I'm a.) dehydrated, b.) stressed, or c.) clenching my teeth subconsciously. But, you can zap a headache fast by doing these easy things--no medicine required...

****
Drinking water, of course, can help you rehydrate and ease a headache, but did you know that you can also give yourself a quick little acupressure treatment that can help you feel better? (P.S. Check out this head massager!)

The gals over at FitSugar wrote about this tried-and-true trick:

"When you're stressed and feel the tension mounting you can fight the inevitable headache with a little acupressure," they write. "The point at the base of your thumb, known as Union Valley, helps redirect blocked energy known as chi in Chinese medicine. To find this tension taming spot, open your palm wide stretching all five fingers. The little mound of flesh where your thumb meets your palm is the Union Valley. Take the index finder and thumb from your opposite hand

Sometimes it can be so hard to say "I'm sorry," you know? But getting whatever it is off your chest and done with can feel like you've just shed a 50-pound backpack off your shoulders. Who do you need to apologize to right now? And, read about Oprah's surprising apology...

****
Remember all of the drama surrounding Jame's Frey's book, A Million Little Pieces? The "non-fiction" book turned out to be mostly made-up (well, big parts of it, reportedly), and it really ticked Oprah off (as you recall, she was Jame's Frey's biggest fan at one point, even defending him till the bitter end). But then, when all the truth came out, she got angry, and publicly gave him a spanking (well, not exactly) on her show.

But, what may have looked like retribution at the time, has lingered, say sources close to Oprah. (As I wrote about recently, sometimes getting mad doesn't feel that great--like when you lash out at someone while driving.) So now, months later, she has reportedly apologized to

You've probably heard a million different tips on weight loss. And, while what works for some people may not work for everyone, it's fun (and instructive) to read about the little breakthroughs other women have stumbled upon in their journeys to slim down, isn't it? Here's one Vitamin G reader's story...

****

How to eat like Jennifer Aniston!

We've all heard dietitians tell us that snacking can help our weight loss efforts (so we don't overeat at our meals). But has anyone ever told you that eating six meals a day is the key to finally losing weight? That was the breakthrough advice Lexington, Massachusetts, resident Paula S. got from a weight-loss coach:

"The best health advice I've received is to eat six mini meals a day," she says. "Never let yourself get that hungry that you end up making bad food choices. Plan out your day and prepare as much as you possibly can. Also, keep a food journal. So, by simply journaling all my food and changing the timing of my meals (I

We've tackled a lot of germy topics here on Vitamin G: the germiest jobs, the germiest foods, the ickies chillin' on the lemon wedge in your drink and most recently the germiest places at the gym. Now, we take on public hot tubs--like the ones at hotels, gyms, or the one you're about to dive into at your friend's pool party. Read this before sticking your toe in...

****
I've always been suspicious of public hot tubs (or Jacuzzis, Whirlpools--or whatever you call them in your area of the country/world). But after Yahoo Shine picked up one of my Vitamin G posts about the germiest places at the gym, some readers chimed in about public hot tubs. And, this comment from Yahoo user "Habanero" really made me shudder:

"Having owned health clubs I can tell you the most disgusting place in a gym is the whirlpool ... "We would drain the whirlpool often to clean it. Tampons, rubbers, panty liners, band aids, fake nails, toe nails, mice etc. I would often wonder why people would 'bathe'

When it comes to staying healthy, we don't have all the answers here in the U.S. I love the idea of looking across the Atlantic to see what our European sisters are doing to lost weight, live long lives, and stay healthy. Here are a few things that we can learn from them...

****
1. Probiotics, probiotics, probiotics. Probiotics, the good-for-you bacteria, have been embraced by Europe for many years--long before Jamie Lee Curtis started popping up on Activia commercials. In fact, according to an article in Prevention, people in 35 countries around the world regularly take a probiotic immune booster called Actimel. While our bodies are already teeming with these "friendly" bacteria, studies show that we could use more. Read more from Vitamin G about probiotics--why you may need them and how to get them.

2. Get steamy. Saunas and steam rooms are big in Europe, especially in Scandinavian countries. Years ago, I spoke to a woman from Sweden for an article about "health secrets" and