Blog Posts by The Editors of WOMEN'S HEALTH

FInterval training can get you in and out of the gym in no time. Here's how to do itinding the time to work out is sometimes harder than actually working out. Well, this might be the timesaving--and even more slimming--solution to logging hours upon hours at the gym. According to a new study published in The Journal of Physiology, three sessions of spring interval training are as effective as five sessions of longer endurance exercise.

Researchers separated participants--all young men, for the record--into two groups: the endurance training (ET) group and the sprint interval training (SIT) group. The ET group exercised for a longer period of time (40-60 minutes of cycling, 5 times a week), while the SIT group performed fewer, more intense workouts (four to six 30-second sprints with 4.5 minutes of low intensity cycling in between, 3 times a week). Though both exercise methods were beneficial, SIT, in just 90 minutes per week, "improved exercise capacity, insulin sensitivity, vascular health, and fat metabolism within the muscle," according to Sam Shepherd, PhD, one

How to decode 5 common cravings Is it the saltiness of potato chips, the cool creaminess of ice cream, or the rich flavor of chocolate? Whatever you're longing for, it may be your body's way of letting you know you're missing valuable nutrients. Here's how to decode your cravings.

SWEETS
If you crave sweets of almost any kind, you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. Giving in to pie, candy, cake, or other goodies only makes the problem worse by causing blood sugar roller coasters that lead to more cravings. Yo-yo-ing sugar levels cause spikes in insulin production, which can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Instead, choose a piece of fruit--preferably one that's not loaded with natural sugars when you're craving sweets. And, in general, choose more high-fiber foods like beans and legumes and complex carbohydrates like whole grains that keep your blood sugar stable.

Related: How to Fight Sugar Cravings and Curb Your Sweet Tooth

CHOCOLATE
Cravings for chocolate often indicate

Harley Pasternak is an unapologetic butt kicker. He won't stroke your ego or let you off easy--even if your name is Katy Perry, Amanda Seyfried, Megan Fox, Lady Gaga, or Jennifer Hudson. He'll push you hard and you'll love it (or at least the results you'll get). Yes, this fitness and nutrition pro, author of The 5-Factor Fitness Plan, is known as a formidable taskmaster.

But his philosophy (an ongoing lifestyle plan) is actually pretty simple: Eat five meals a day, plan five-ingredient meals, do 25-minute workouts, and treat yourself to five cheat days a month. If you can do simple math and follow his straightforward orders, you'll be hugely successful. Here's the workout he designed exclusively for Women's Health.



MORE: Are YOU the Next Fitness Star? Enter by February 1!





CARDIO WARMUP
Starting with the first exercise, do as many reps as you can in one minute, moving immediately from one exercise to the next.

Walking High Knees: Standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart,

Get a jump-start on losing extra pounds with these essential cleanse foodsAs a nutritionist, I always suggest that my clients get a jump-start on weight loss and a new way of eating with a short "cleanse," to help eliminate cravings, wake up the digestive system, and prepare the body for a new healthier way of eating. Do you make bad choices when you're hungry? Outsmart your stomach with these 8 Tricks to Suppress Your Appetite.

Figuring out which foods are best for a "cleanse" can be tricky. So many foods feel refreshing and rejuvenating-hot tea, raw vegetables, and fresh fruit come to mind. And with good reason: foods with insoluble fiber (like raw veggies) or a diuretic effect (like green tea), promote speedy digestion and "flush" the GI tract. These foods can be considered the best "cleanse" choices. Here are some of my faves and why they just might work!

Artichokes contain antioxidant plant compounds called caffeoylquinic acids, which are used to treat hepatic (liver) disorders because they stimulate bile flow. Bile helps the body to digest fats, and

The strongest unions may be the ones that focus on these five practical actionsSpontaneous getaways and supersize bouquets settle squabbles in rom-coms and other fantasy realms, but in the real world, romantic gestures aren't cure-alls for relationship woes. In fact, unromantic gestures can be the better salve. Because couples are marrying later and living together before they do, continual improvement of the partnership is more important (and effective) than quick fixes, says Lisa Thomas, a licensed marriage therapist in Colorado. Nobody is suggesting romance be killed off completely--far from it. It's just smart to add these unconventional strengtheners into the happy-couple mix.

Consider a Love Contract

The convention: Love should be spontaneous, not scripted.

The counter: "If you negotiate difficult issues up front, your relationship will have a much stronger footing," says Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D., a Manhattan-based marriage therapist. See: cohabitation agreements increasing 39 percent in the past five years, per the American Academy of Matrimonial

Multitask your way to a better bod with these two-in-one strength-training exercisesIn successful relationships, partners bring out the best in each other. The same can be said of fitness moves. Certain exercises are more effective when paired up than when done alone. "Doing two moves at the same time--each targeting an opposing or unrelated muscle group-allows you to train harder without exhausting a single group too quickly," says certified personal trainer Katrina Hodgson, CEO and cofounder of ToneItUp.com and Tone It Up fitness studio in Los Angeles, who created this workout. "This method of training also boosts total-body tone and helps sidestep muscular imbalances that can lead to injuries." And the best part: They get you out of the gym in half the time. What's not to love?

Complete this 20-minute circuit three times a week on nonconsecutive days. All you need is a pair of dumbbells (try five to eight pounds) and a stability ball. Go from one exercise to the next without resting in between. When you've completed all eight moves, rest for one to two minutes,

The average American woman is getting heavier, and so is her ideal weight. How to tell if your goal weight is on targetEven if you're unhappy with your current weight, your weight loss goal might be more forgiving than your elastic-band pants. According to a 2012 Gallup Poll, the average American woman is heavier than she was 20 years ago--and her "ideal" weight is heavier, too.

Researchers asked a random sample of 1,015 American adults about their current weight and related attitudes. Then they compared the results to data collected from a different sample in 1990. On average, women weigh 14 pounds more than the women polled 22 years ago, and their average ideal weight is now 11 pounds heavier than it was back then. (You can slim down safely with a combo of strength training and cardio. Try The Lose-10-Pounds Workout Plan.)

"If you always see people who are overweight, you begin to think that's normal," says Keri Glassman, registered dietician and Women's Health expert adviser on weight loss. "Then you see someone at a normal weight, and you think they look thin."

Which makes sense: 60 percent of

How to strike a balance between diet and exercise If you've been sweating it out on a regular basis and the scale has barely budged--or worse, it spiked--you can likely blame an imbalance of two key weight-loss players: calories in (how much you eat) and calories burned (how much you worked off). What looks simple on paper gets tricky in practice, because a crazy-hard sweat session not only torches calories and revs your metabolism but can also up your hunger quotient. (Simple tweaks, like eating a good breakfast, can also keep you metabolism humming. Try these 5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism.)

Luckily, a few quick tweaks are all you need to make sure your workouts are helping--not hurting--your pound-shedding efforts.

Sweat by Numbers
Sorry to break it to you, but your last ubertough workout probably didn't torch nearly as many calories as you thought it did. "People grossly overestimate how many calories they burn during exercise, especially when they think it's high intensity," says Eric Doucet, Ph.D., a human kinetics professor