Blog Posts by Real Simple Magazine

Foot cramps? Shivers? They're usually just a nuisance, but here's what these strange symptoms may be trying to tell you (and how to get rid of them). By Stacey Colino

You Get Light-Headed When You Stand Up Quickly
The explanation: You could be mildly dehydrated. Or you might have orthostatic hypotension (a.k.a. postural hypotension), which occurs when blood rushes to your feet and away from your head as you stand up suddenly. (People with low blood pressure can be especially prone to this phenomenon.)
The fix: Drink plenty of fluids and be sure that when you stand up, you do it slowly, says Donnica Moore, a physician in Far Hills, New Jersey. If you see stars anyway, grab a table or a chair to stabilize yourself or sit back down.
When to see a doctor: If the light-headedness persists or if you actually faint.

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You Sometimes Get a Painful Swelling Under Your Arm
The explanation: It could be due to a plugged hair

After testing 145 types of soap, we chose the best for exfoliating, soothing, and more. By Sarah Smith
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Use these strategies and products to protect your face and body this season. By Sally Wadyka

Four-Step Summer Skin Routine

1. Cleanse in the a.m and p.m. If your face is greasy in the summertime (even if it's normally considered dry), try a less hydrating cleanser than you normally use-like a bar soap-which will help control the extra sebum your skin is producing.

2. Apply your antioxidants. The sun's rays can induce damaging free radicals, resulting in fine lines, sagging, and brown spots. "Using a serum with antioxidants under your moisturizer, preferably one with SPF, can help absorb some of these free radicals," says David E. Bank, a dermatologist and the director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic & Laser Surgery, in Mount Kisco, New York. Some of the most effective antioxidants include vitamin C, Idebenone, and green tea. Try Prevage Clarity Targeted Skin Tone Corrector with Idebenone ($125, elizabetharden.com).

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3.

Six acclaimed writers reflect on their most memorable years, from 4 to 64.

Age 4

In those days, they were called spinsters. I knew them by name. Miss Prescott was a librarian at Columbia University. Miss Cutler was a watercolorist. Miss Jourdan, a novelist and a magazine editor. The ladies lived in the apartment one floor above ours, at 36 Gramercy Park, in New York City. In the afternoons, while my mother taught school, I climbed the back stairs and visited them.

Their apartment was dark: dark paneling, dark furniture, and maroon velveteen on the window seats. Most walls were lined with books. Others were adorned with shields with coats of arms, crossed swords, and ornate tapestries. There was a wastepaper basket made from a rhinoceros's foot and a little white elephant carved out of ivory. As a child, I found it highly interesting that someone would carve an elephant out of ivory but never commented on it.

See More: 9 Easy Ways to Be Happier

Miss Prescott was tall

New roles for items that can help you get dinner on the table.

Straw as Ketchup Unclogger

Insert a straw until it reaches the bottom of the glass bottle. Shake the bottle, then pour, leaving the straw inside. The airflow provided by the straw breaks the condiment-stopping vacuum.

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Coffee Beans as Pie Weights

When prebaking a piecrust, use beans to keep it from puffing up or shrinking into the pie plate: Line the bottom and sides of the cold dough with foil and fill to the brim with beans.

Aluminum Foil as a Piecrust Protector

To prevent a piecrust from burning while the filling cooks, make a foil collar to deflect heat. Take a piece of foil about 25 inches long, fold it into thirds lengthwise, and fasten the ends with a paper clip. Halfway into the baking, slip the collar over the crust (as shown). Leave it on until the pie is done.

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Aluminum Foil as a Funnel

Fashion a

Procrastinators, take heart. You can make your escape as soon as this weekend-without blowing your bank account. Here's how. By Susan Stellin

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Hit the road (on the cheap). If booking a plane ticket is too pricey, try taking the bus. (Yes, you heard us right.) New "premium" coach companies, like Megabus.com and BoltBus (boltbus.com), combine low prices with amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi. Travelers can land fares for as low as $1 (!) for a one-way ticket from New York City to Boston or Washington, D.C., though $15 to $20 is the average.

See More: 10 Ways to Spend Smarter

Embrace the new. Recently opened hotels typically reduce their rates to attract customers. Check out Hotelchatter.com, a daily webzine, for information on the latest bargains.

See More: Your Guide to Saving Money

Go where the deals take you. Want to take off somewhere-really, anywhere-next weekend? Go to farecompare.com/dealfinder (a ticketing and travel-advice site)

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Experts share their wisdom about the many delightful surprises that await you in your golden years. By Anne-Marie O'Neill

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You'll Be Happier
As it turns out, most grumpy old people used to be grumpy young people. Aging doesn't turn a cheerful person into a grouch. To the contrary, research has shown that, as we age, we become more emotionally stable and content. In early adulthood, there are a lot of what-ifs: Am I going to find a soul mate? Have a child? Build a rewarding career? Then you spend the next few decades striving to achieve those goals. But when you're older, the what-ifs have been resolved. So you are less stressed and can-finally-relax.

Laura Carstensen, 57, is a psychologist and the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, in Stanford, California.

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Wise Decisions Will Come More Easily
Scientists used to think that we lose a significant number of our brain cells as we