Blog Posts by YouBeauty.com

What you consume can have a major effect on how you look-and no one knows this better than nutrition experts. That's why we tapped seven savvy nutrition pros to share their personal secrets for everything from glowing skin to endless energy. So make a commitment to turn over a new, even more beautiful leaf in the New Year with their look-good, feel-good secrets.

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For millions of people each year, sore throats serve as the major warning signal that they are about to be hit with the flu, common cold or bacterial infection like strep throat. On a far less ominous note, allergies, dry air and pollutants can also cause them.

While there are lots of over-the-counter medications that can treat aching throats, there are also countless home and natural remedies to sooth the soreness for those that prefer more organic healthcare or just can't make it to the pharmacy. Since it can often be difficult to separate the scientific fact from fiction, we've compiled a guide to the everyday, affordable materials that have been shown to relieve the pain and wipe out early infections.

Other Options

Some of the most popular alternative choices to the treatments discussed above:

Slippery elm - The bark of this North American tree is often used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, skin ulcers, coughs, and sore throats. More specifically, the tree's

Want to get in shape but not sure where to begin with your New Year's fitness resolution? Look no further. According to a recent Harvard Medical School newsletter, there are five ideal exercises that can whip your body into shape. (Bonus: Being young, skinny and adept at all things sports not required.)

"If you're not an athlete or serous exerciser, these exercises are good for an intro to fitness," according to Sabrena Merrill, exercise physiologist and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). "Once you have mastered them, you can still do these-just enhance your workout by upping the intensity."

ThinkstockWe talk about health and beauty as having an inner wholeness and balance that offers resilience against the external pressures of your environment. Among other things, this means that you can be exposed to certain infectious agents and not necessarily get sick.

As you go about your daily life, you will come into contact with germs-it can't be avoided, no matter how hard you try.

MORE: 10 Sneaky Places Flu Germs Hide

Sure you need to wash your hands and cough into your sleeve, but what are some ways to shore up immunity during this time when infections of all kinds seem to rear their ugly head?

Here are five tips for entering the cold and flu season to keep your body resilient during this time:

• Optimize Vitamin D levels. This hormone (it's not actually a vitamin) has receptor sites in every area of the body including the immune system and respiratory tissue. Studies have linked vitamin D as necessary for the production of antimicrobial proteins from immune cells

We come across millions of germs every day (gross, we know). While most are harmless, some bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella can cause serious infections. The good news? Hand washing, sanitizing lotions and disinfecting communal areas can reduce the chances of infection by 50 percent, according to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, who has been studying germs in our everyday lives for more than three decades. Check out our tips on how to protect yourself against germs in unexpected places.

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ThinkstockThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report earlier this month, warning that flu season has come early-and it's coming on strong. While in most years, incidence of flu picks up in January and peaks in February, the latest numbers from the last few weeks of November show that flu season has officially arrived. Get your tissues and hand sanitizers ready, troops, it's going to be a long winter.

Lab tests in 48 states have confirmed cases of influenza, and flulike illness in some areas has already topped last season's totals. Google has a cool tool called Flu Trends where you can see where in the world people are searching most for flu-related information, an indication of who's getting hit hardest. The U.S. is already at "High," especially in the Southeast region. Not counting the infamous swine flu outbreak, we're looking at what could be the worst flu season in nearly a decade.

MORE: Can Your Pets Get the Flu?

The flu is no fun (as if you needed us to

Along with nausea and headaches, hangovers bring on cravings for fatty, greasy foods. "All the sugar from alcohol and mixers causes low blood sugar the next morning so you wake up craving calorie-dense foods, and fats are the most calorie dense," explains Susan Blum, M.D., assistant clinical professor of preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. Rather than piling guilt on top of feeling like hell on earth, try these healthy substitutions for your favorite hangover cravings.

GALLERY: Healthy Foods to Satisfy Your Common Cravings

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Of course you shave your legs and armpits?

But do you shave your face? What?

Most women would never dream of bringing a razor anywhere near their face (we've all heard it can make hair grow back thicker or coarser). And those that do shave don't spill the beans-in a YouBeauty reader poll, of the 24 percent who said they shave regularly, most (22 percent) do it secretly. Shaving is for guys, after all.

MORE: How Hair Grows Back After Shaving

But some of the country's most exclusive aestheticians are slashing this gender taboo, calling shaving the secret to softer, smoother, perfectly exfoliated skin-with no risk of a 5 o'clock shadow.

"It's a fact that men are mechanically exfoliating their faces each time that they shave, which is why they sometimes appear to age more slowly than women do," says Mary Schook, NY and CA licensed aesthetician.

Don't reach for your guy's Mach-3 just yet, though. The kind of shaving we're talking about is an ultra-precise