Blog Posts by The Editors of WOMEN'S HEALTH

"Now I feel confident in everything I wear"

BEFORE 225 lbs
AFTER 140 lbs

Although Deana Custer was on the volleyball and golf teams in high school, she carried 150 pounds on her 5'4" frame. Her weight began creeping up when she started cosmetology school in August 2005 while working two part-time jobs--she couldn't find time to exercise or cook. Fast food took its toll, and she was 200 pounds at her December 2006 graduation. She got a job as a hairstylist in Washington, Iowa, but the irregular hours had her scarfing takeout between clients or skipping lunch and overeating at dinner. She put on 25 pounds in three months. "I was ashamed of letting myself go that far," she says.

The Easiest-Way-to-Lose-10-Pounds Workout

THE CHANGE Because Deana stood all day at work, the extra weight made her feet and back ache. But worse was the blow to her self-esteem. "In the beauty business, you have to look the part," she says. "And I didn't." When her scale hit 225, she'd had enough. "I knew I was

Read More »from I Lost 85 Pounds and Ran a Half-marathon

undefinedExpert cooking tips for your main dishes: Turkey, Ham, Lamb, and Rib Roast

When it comes to big get-togethers, it's the main meat dish that counts the most. That's what guests will rave about if it's great--and groan about if it's not.

By Matthew Kadey, R.D.

Turkey
In addition to giving you a tryptophan fix, lean turkey meat is a stellar source of the antioxidant selenium and vitamin B6, which may reduce heart-attack risk in women, according to scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health. To slash fat calories, lay off the skin.

Buy this: Generally, turkey that's frozen is just as good as fresh. Larger birds are a better value because they have a higher meat-to- bone ratio, says Peter Berley, an instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City and author of The Flexitarian Table. Avoid turkey labeled "basted"--it contains extra water and seasonings that can ruin your recipe.

Chef's secret: Brining--soaking in salted water--draws water out of cells,

Read More »from Thanksgiving Dinner Without the Fuss

Photo by M.E. Wood via FlickrThe rising fat acceptance movement says being overweight isn't necessarily bad for you-and some doctors agree. Other experts contend that's a dangerous, even irresponsible, point of view. Here, we look at both sides of the debate.

TODAY'S WOMAN Tyra Banks has a new mission: Hold a contest for an unlikely group of aspiring models--namely, those whose curves can fill out a size 14--for a plus-size competition. "Plus-size is really the average American woman," Banks has said. "And that woman is healthy." That woman is also, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20 pounds overweight.

In fact, a growing collective of doctors and activists have begun to argue that lifestyle and genetics are what determine a woman's health. Even our new (zaftig) surgeon general, Regina Benjamin, M.D., recently said, "Being healthy is not about a dress size."

That's hopeful news for the 33 percent of Americans who are overweight (this doesn't include the 34 percent who are obese).

Read More »from Can you be healthy at any size?

Photo courtesy of The U.S. Army via FlickrThe women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first generation of female soldiers to endure the horrors of war at close range--and they bear the physical and psychological scars of that experience. Yet when they come home, many are treated as though they had been tucked safely behind a desk. Women's Health talks to three such women about their postbattle suffering... and their fight to feel safe and happy again.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take that pen."

LaTisha Bowen reaches across the restaurant table and swipes the ballpoint from my hand. The pen I had been clicking unconsciously and, apparently, incessantly. She sets it down on the table next to my tape recorder and flashes a shy smile, the first I've seen from her all evening. "It's just that I...well...sometimes little noises like that set me off. You can understand?"

I think I can. I have been around dozens of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffer from varying degrees of post-traumatic stress.

Read More »from Invisible Soldiers

Your heart is one impressive, overachieving organ: In the minute it takes you to read these paragraphs, it will have pushed a whopping 1.5 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels-that's more than twice the circumference of Earth. Yet despite your ticker's superpowers (and the fact that it keeps you, well, alive), most women don't do enough to safeguard their heart health.

That's right, we're talking to you. Heart disease is the number one killer of all women, says health advocate and former U.S. surgeon general Richard Carmona, M.D.

"It can and does affect young people," he stresses. In other words, it's not just a problem for geezers. The following are simple lifestyle tweaks that can help you live a long, healthy life.

HAVE MORE SEX Getting busy at least twice a week can reduce your risk for heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing stress, says ob-gyn Andrew Scheinfeld, M.D., a clinical instructor at New York University Langone Medical Center. You'll

Read More »from 7 Ways to live longer

More from Women's Health

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10 Common Stomach Pains. . .and How to Fix 'Em

28 Best Healthy Snacks

Read More »from Easy Meals for One

You're going to love this: One way to get a slimmer figure is by simply standing still. It's a strength-training style called isometrics, and it's a great way to sculpt and tone your body.

Here's how it works: Instead of lifting and lowering your body or a weight, you hold yourself in a fixed spot, says Ashley Ntansah, training manager at Club H Fitness in Hoboken, New Jersey, who designed this workout. "It not only creates definition but also strengthens the smaller muscles, which have to work harder to keep you stabilized."

Here's what to expect: You will do this total-body workout three days a week. Starting with the first exercise, hold the position for 60 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat the exercise three to five more times.

Abs Secrets, or What You Need to Know About Your Core


PLANK WITH GLUTE SQUEEZE
Lie facedown on the floor, prop yourself up on your forearms, and flex your toes. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels. Contract your abs and

Read More »from 60-Second calorie burners

Your secret weapon for breaking the double-digit weight-loss barrier? Strength training. Adding resistance builds muscle and helps you burn more calories during (and after!) your workout, says Tom Holland, author of Beat the Gym. In fact, researchers found that women who did strength training increased their resting metabolic rate (the calories your body needs to get through the day) for as long as 16 hours post-exercise.

What to Expect: For the best results, you will follow this metabolism-revving, total-body routine two or three times a week: Do 10 reps of each move, going from one exercise to the next with no rest; then take a one-minute break. Do three circuits total.

Round-the-Clock Ways to Boost Metabolism




Dumbbell Squat to Overhead Press
Hold weights at your shoulders, elbows bent, feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and lower until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. As you stand, press the weights overhead until your arms are straight. Return to start. That's one

Read More »from The speediest way to drop 10 pounds