Blog Posts by The Editors of WOMEN'S HEALTH

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

You've heard that natural sweeteners are better for you than pure sugar or artificial sweeteners. But is that really true? It's not exactly news that eating too much sugar can wreak havoc on your health (and, not to mention, your waistline). But for those of you who crave the sweet stuff, there's good news: Natural sweeteners can be just as delicious (and sometimes much healthier) than regular sugar. That said, that doesn't give you the go-ahead to add natural sweetness to your food--not all natural sweeteners are created equal, and sweetening your dish can make you crave extra sweet things later in the day. Here, the truth about natural sweeteners.

Agave

Agave comes from large, spiky, cactus-like plants, which are also used to make tequila. Although agave starts out as a natural substance, the form you find in stores has been processed to form a syrup or nectar. Nutritionally, it does contain small amounts of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, but not enough to really make a nutritional impact. Agave is touted for its low glycemic index, though it should still be consumed in moderation, especially by

Fitness secrets from the country's best female athletic trainers that will turbocharge your sweat sessions and send pain packing It's not surprising these days to see women dominating inside the sports arena, but the number of women rising in the ranks behind the scenes is also growing. More female trainers than ever are working with the country's top athletes--from WNBA players to collegiate quarterbacks--and it's their knowledge of physiology, injury prevention, and rehabilitation that keeps the athletes performing at their peak. No matter what your fitness level, these athletic trainers' workout tips will make you a star performer.

TRAINER: Ariko Iso, 41, Head football athletic trainer at Oregon State University
Iso became the first female athletic trainer in the NFL when she was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002.

Train Smarter
If you want an all-in-one training tool, Iso says the TRX Suspension System is worth the investment. She likes the portability and how it makes any body-weight move more challenging. "The fact that it's suspended means you have to use your core to stabilize,"

Counterfeit groceries could hurt more than your wallet--they could harm your health Food fraud is a booming enterprise in which adulterated foods or mislabeled foods--which by some estimates make up close to 7 percent of our food supply--slip undetected into the U.S.

Some experts estimate the food fraud industry to be worth billions a year. And it isn't confined to adding illegal substances to a food; the crime encompasses any deliberate substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food, ingredients, or packaging. (Certain additions can make foods even healthier. Try these 9 Superfood Pairings.)

While it is impossible to know exactly how much counterfeit fare we scoop onto our plates every day, a recent report in the Journal of Food Science, which analyzed published records of food fraud from 1980 to 2010, found that in 95 percent of the fakeries, authentic material--for example, extra-virgin olive oil--was swapped for a less expensive substitute, such as palm or peanut oil. (Worried that you're not getting the nutrients you need? Check out the 18 Best

Let's put this archaic idea to bed, once and for all: Your physique is not destined for a downhill slide as you age. Sure, your body changes as the decades go by, but there's plenty of proof that good diet and exercise habits can override your chronological age, says Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at Missouri State University. "By simply staying active, it's amazing how you can slow down the decline that would otherwise happen," says Bushman.

The key to maintaining your hotness as you rack up birthdays is knowing your body's ever-evolving strengths and weaknesses. (Need an updated baseline? Try these 6 Mini Fitness Tests for areas that matter most.) Things that can be a struggle at 20, like finding a routine you enjoy, can be second nature by your forties. And stuff you took for granted early on, like recovering quickly from a workout, doesn't come as easily in future decades. Knowing what you'll encounter will help keep you looking your best at any, and every, age.

Stephanie Yi, 29, had a body most women would kill for. She never had to work hard to maintain her long-limbed, flat-bellied frame-weekend hikes near her northern California home and lots of spinach salads did the trick. She could easily afford to indulge her sweet tooth with the occasional buttery, sugary snack. At 5'7" and 120 pounds, she had, she figured, hit the good-genes jackpot. (Genes play a mixed role in determining your body shape. Are You Destined to Inherit Your Mother's Body Type?)

But everything changed two years ago, when a crippling fatigue left Stephanie sidelined from college classes. Listless, she dragged herself to a doctor, who suspected a thyroid imbalance. A blood test and a few days later, she received the alarming results: Her thyroid was fine; her blood sugar levels were not. She was prediabetic and on the cusp of developing type 2.

Stephanie was stunned. Of course, she'd heard diabetes was a health crisis. (At last count, 26 million Americans had the