Blog Posts by The Editors of WOMEN'S HEALTH

We located the places with the fittest, happiest femalesWe located the places with the fittest, happiest females. Take a page from their lifestyle playbook--no matter where you call home.

News flash! Feeling fit and fabulous might be a matter of… zip code. To find out which towns make the healthy list, we teamed up with Men's Health in our fourth annual survey of how 100 cities rank in more than 30 categories--from obesity and breast cancer rates to commuting times and hours spent working out.

If your city's on top, go ahead and brag. If it falls on our worst list (ouch--sorry, Birmingham), don't worry: You can help turn around your region's reputation by following these tips.

The 76 Best Things You Can Do for Your Body. Now.

Look to the Future
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
What does it take to be number one? A smart dose of prevention--something the women of healthiest-overall-city Raleigh know well. A whopping 90 percent of them have perfect Pap smear timing (the American Cancer Society recommends that women over 30 who have had three

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Jennie, after her weight lossBEFORE 211 lbs
AFTER 143 lbs

When Jennie Nickel was pregnant in 2005, larger portions and excessive snacking caused her to tack more than 70 pounds onto her 5'7" figure. The baby weight refused to budge, so this aesthetician from Huntsville, Alabama, decided it was time to whip herself into shape. Today, at 30, Jennie is a part-time nursing student and a fitness junkie who has done three triathlons.

THE CHANGE Nine weeks into her maternity leave, Jennie was down only 15 pounds. "I didn't want to go back to work, because I worried that all of my clients would think I was still pregnant!" she says.

Find Your Motivation to Get Fit

THE LIFESTYLE "My biggest issue was mindless grazing--a handful of M&M's here, a few chips there," says Jennie. In April 2006, she began logging what she ate. "Writing it down made me aware of how much more I was eating than I was burning." With a newborn at home, getting to the gym was a challenge, so she turned to fitness DVDs. "It was the first time I

Read More »from "How I Lost 68 Pounds and Got My Pre-baby Body Back!"

Upgrade your abs exercises with these tweaksIf your belly refuses to flatten, your workout is probably stale. Upgrade your favorite exercises with these tweaks and revisions. Plan on putting these moves into practice and get ready to experience transformed abs.

Side Plank and RowSIDE PLANK AND ROW (Replaces: Side plank)

The perk: This upgrade also works your lats to help you stand taller and look slimmer.

Do it: Loop a resistance band around a low object (or use a cable machine) and lie on your side facing the band. Hold the handle with your top hand and get into a side plank (a). Pull the handle to your rib cage (b), pause, then slowly return to start. Keep your hips raised the entire time (so your body forms a straight line). Do 10 to 15 reps, switch sides, and repeat. Rest 60 seconds, then do two more sets.

6 Reasons to Start Running

Anti-Rotation CrunchANTI-ROTATION CRUNCH (Replaces: Crunch)

The perk: Your core will work harder to prevent rotation (which engages your obliques).

Do it: Attach a resistance band to a low object and lie Read More »from Upgrade Your Abs Exercises

Try these stress busters for the new year. . . And feel less stress. Timeouts may be torture for kids, but for overworked adults they're sheer pleasure. Problem is, who has time for a meaningful mental break? Actually, you do. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that meditating for just 12 minutes a day can improve your mood. "You don't need to be a Buddhist monk to reap the benefits of mindfulness," says Andy Puddicombe, founder of GetSomeHeadSpace.com. "Inner peace can be achieved in the time it takes to make a sandwich." Here, Puddicombe offers a day's worth of mini-breaks to clear your mind.

1. Fine-tune your focus for the day ahead.
Sit in a comfortable chair near a window, with your feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap. Take five slow, deep breaths while gazing straight ahead. Return to a natural breathing rhythm and imagine the sun's rays coming through the window and warming you to the core, its brightness melting away all of your stress and clearing your mind. (If it's a gray day outside,

Read More »from 4 Easy Ways to Build More Bliss into Your Life

Loida, after
BEFORE: 173 lbs
AFTER: 125 lbs

At age 12, Loida Fraijo moved with her family from Hermosillo, Mexico, to Tucson, where she discovered fast food. "I supersized everything," she says. "My sister and I would each eat a foot-long sub and then split a third one." By the time she was 19, Loida was carrying 173 pounds on her 5'7" frame. She dabbled in crash diets while attending Pima Community College in Tucson, but she could never commit. "I'd get upset and start eating again," says the 30-year-old aesthetic laser technician.

THE CHANGE Although Loida was a size 14, she squeezed into the short skirts and tight tank tops her thin friends wore. "I didn't feel comfortable or pretty," she says. Then, at a party in the summer of 2000, she overheard a guy announce that the "chunky girl"--Loida--was leaving. "When I realized that's how people saw me, I knew I had to change," she says. "I wanted to transform my life more than I wanted a hamburger."

The #1 Diet Downfall

THE LIFESTYLE Loida replaced

Read More »from I Lost 48 Pounds, and Feel at Peace with Myself

Wild guess: When you hit the gym, your main concerns are lifting your butt, trimming your thighs, flattening your belly, and sculpting sexy arms. Makes sense, but focusing only on obvious attributes can lead to muscular imbalances, causing pain and raising your risk of injury, says Tracey Mallett, a trainer at Gold's Gym Fitness Institute in Los Angeles, who created this workout. Plus, you'll miss out on your body's full potential. The solution? Hit neglected areas--calves, lats, hamstrings, and rear delts--while working your entire body to boost lean muscle mass and fry fat fast.

The Secret to Being Fit for Life: Muscle Memory

WHAT TO EXPECT: Complete this circuit three days a week. Do all the reps for each move without taking a break between exercises. Rest for up to 30 seconds after the last move, then repeat the circuit two or three more times.

.1. BALLET CALF RAISES
Stand next to a chair with your heels together and toes pointed out to create a wide V shape. Place your right hand

Read More »from Build a Better Body in 15 Minutes

Whether you have ambitious weight-loss goals like The Biggest Loser contestants or just want to sculpt a sexier physique, this workout--which Biggest Loser trainer Anna Kournikova says is one of her personal favorites--will help get you where you want to be. Try this amazing total-body routine. (Need motivation or inspiration? Catch The Biggest Loser season finale, airing this week).

WHAT TO EXPECT: Two or three times a week, using a four-to six-pound medicine ball, complete the prescribed reps of each move, going from one exercise to the next without stopping. Rest one minute, then repeat for a total of three circuits.

Medicine-Ball Slam1. MEDICINE-BALL SLAM
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and raise your arms overhead, bending your elbows so the medicine ball is behind your head (a). Keeping your core tight, throw the ball as hard as you can onto the ground, lowering into a squat as you follow through (b). Immediately return to start and repeat for 20

Read More »from The Get-Lean-and-Strong Workout by Anna Kournikova

THE RIGHT RECIPE CAN MAKE OR BREAK AN IMPORTANT EVENT. OUR EXPERTS DISH UP ADVICE FOR PREPARING FOOD THAT WILL WOW AT CRITICAL MOMENTS.

BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN, R.D.

THE SITUATION:
Breakfast the First Morning After

PERFECT MEAL TO MAKE:
Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast with Bacon

 This French toast fills the air with vanilla and cinnamon, two scents that can help trigger arousal (round two after breakfast?). Throw some bacon in the oven (splurge on a premium variety such as Dakin Farm, Niman Ranch, Benton's Hickory Smoked Country Bacon, or Nueske's) to add protein for stamina, as well as a salty counterpoint to the sweet. He'll be in hog heaven.

4 slices premium center-cut or thick-cut bacon

2/3 cup 1% milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

4 slices hearty whole-grain bread Cooking spray Berries or apple slices (optional)

2 Tbsp real maple syrup

1/ Preheat oven to 375°F. Place bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment

Read More »from 5 Meals Every Woman Should Know How to Cook