Blog Posts by Lucy Danziger, True to my SELF, SELF Magazine

You're not getting older, you're getting better: That's the news from the birthday beat (and since we all have them, we might as well make peace with the next one coming up). Here is what I learned about getting older as I edited SELF this month.

Your healthy self-esteem grows by the year, and that means you'll be more successful and more satisfied as time passes, since you're no longer comparing yourself to others but are measuring your accomplishments by an internal ruler...your own desire to be authentically you.

See our tips: One woman discovers the secret to loving her life.

After years of so-so dates and useless self-help books, one woman discovers the secret to loving her life.

You'll bounce back more quickly from a bad event, since women in their 30s and up tend to be able to refocus and move forward after bad news than those in their 20s. Maybe it's life experience, but when I find myself ruminating on the negative, I think: Snap out of it! You're lucky you have this

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Matt and I bonded over biking. He's back on the road and I say: Stay safe out there! No more crashes.I hope all you active women got outside. I did, for a long and fun bike ride to the orchards about 40 miles north of New York City. I bought mini pies there to bring home to the family, since they looked so natural and home-baked.

Everywhere I go, people tell me they saw me on the Today show last week, talking about the dangers of certain generic drugs.

Now I don't want anyone to be alarmed about a generic pain med or something that you can save money on OTC, but if you're on a specific Rx and you have a reaction to the generic, we at SELF want you to know you can ask your M.D. to write a prescription for the brand-name drug and insist on being offered that.

Don't avoid all generics. Just follow these rules.

Your pharmacist and the insurance company can switch you off the brand name, it turns out, without telling you.

For some antidepressants, antiseizure meds and acne meds, among others, this can make a huge difference and you can have side effects. Read all of "Bad

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Friday is National Bike to Work Day and I want YOU to try it. If Friday doesn't work, it can be any day-it's actually Bike to Work Month, so you can do it whenever your schedule allows. I tried it this morning and loved it.

The traffic didn't bother me (I just whizzed merrily past the stopped cars) and the weather was lovely and my little fold-up bike was a dream. I arrived at work feeling energized and refreshed, not worn out by watching green lights turn red and me not moving, as usually happens when I'm in the car.

See our tips: The best 3 reasons to own a bike.

I need to tell you how to do it safely so you have a great first voyage...

1. Get your bike tuned up and take it to a bike store (my fave is Toga), where you can get fit properly. You should be able to touch the ground with your feet flat without the frame hitting you between the legs; nothing should hurt. Other than that all you need is a helmet, comfy shoes and a pair of sunglasses. (And wear sunscreen,

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You will all be relieved to know that my foot is better and now I can help YOU with your foot problems, too, since it's as simple as using a little ball to massage the sole. I had a visit from Polly Demille yesterday from the esteemed Hospital for Special Surgery here in NYC, and she brought with her this cute little pouch of rubber balls of three different sizes and she taught me a method called MELT that uses the balls to massage your foot and help you release the tension there. It was fascinating to see how these balls, when used as pressure-point release therapy, really worked to relax and soothe my feet, especially my plantar fasciitis.

For more on this check out MeltMethod.com.

Get ready for sandal season with this at-home pedicure!

Also see the cute picture of the balls. You could probably substitute a little rubber ball from the variety store, but the key is to use a softer ball first (the blue squishy one) and work up to the harder ones. Just don't press too

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First stop: Check out the new 5-Star Day widget.

OK, I turn on my computer and Yahoo comes popping up-I love this homepage since it always refreshes and tells me cool facts and useful items and yes, breaking news. It's where I learn about things like Ashton's Twitter surpassing the 1 million followers mark and beating CNN and the release of the ship captain and other news. And then I also see (every now and then) my own content from SELF, like how to eat to be healthier and lose weight. Well, I have a new application that, while not at an Ashton level of popularity, is certainly worthy of a gander: It's the SELF 5-Star Day, and it's so easy to use that you can lose weight no matter what you like to do for exercise or how you want to define your own healthy diet.

One small dietary change can yield big results--one woman lost 130 pounds!

The idea is so simple and yet it's helped me lose 25 pounds and get in the best shape of my life after decades of dieting: I finally took the

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She swung by the office yesterday and told us about all her amazing projects from HSN to her new skin products (the woman has the MOST gorgeous complexion) and the fact that she is writing a book and oh, yes, almost forgot, just opened a new school in Kenya for kids in need. Serena had beaten her big sis, Venus, the night before at Madison Square Garden, and I love how sweet and soft-spoken she is, as well as beautifully put together, the hair very Marilyn, the body strong and curvy and totally hot (yes, I can say that!) and her creative mind is always churning. She has designed a line of jewelry and it's based on her favorite ring that she has worn for all of her matches, and in fact the pix of her holding trophies like the U.S. Open cup and the Olympic gold medal all are featuring this beautiful ring. (I got to try it on!) Serena tells that she hates it when people dis women for gaining a few pounds (she even defended Jessica Simpson against the court of public opinion) and she

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Jessica's last cover for SELF, in September 2007Last night I was interviewed by Access Hollywood about Jessica Simpson. Yes, we would love to have her for the cover and were in discussions about shooting her, but she couldn't find the time and we decided it was best to wait till her schedule abated and we could do it right, in a sunny, beautiful place, with her feeling relaxed and happy.

Watch Lucy talk about Jessica on Access Hollywood here!

Speaking of the interview, the part they didn't use was the part I wanted to say the most (of course!), which is this:

We think Jessica is amazing, gorgeous, beautiful and at any moment we support her. We have enjoyed working with her in the past (our readers love her) and look forward to doing so in the future.

As a general rule, whenever the topic of someone's weight comes up, I say this: The important thing is to be happy and healthy, and to love your body and treat it with respect. Beyond that, it's up to you. No one else should tell you how to feel or look. It's every woman's own

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P1010286.JPGMy music is really inspiring me now. I told everyone this and you'll see me walking around with my adorable little orange Shuffle, which I am totally hooked on. Here is my recent playlist that gets me moving and helps me go the distance (like for more than an hour some days!)

Head here to download Lucy's playlist!

"Miss Independent" (Ne-Yo sings about a woman who has "her own thing!" It's kind of my theme song right now!)

"Love Lockdown" (Great beat from Kanye West, whom I adore.)

"Viva la Vida" (This is the super popular one from Coldplay.)

"She Got Her Own" (a remix of "Miss Independent" from Ne-Yo with Jamie Foxx)

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (empowering and sexy-thanks, Beyoncé)

"If I Were a Boy" (a slower tune from Beyoncé; she is such a sexy girl that it's hard to imagine, but she's a feminist, too)

"Untouched," The Veronicas

More than 1,000 Self.com users voted for their favorite music to move to. Meet your new playlist!

"So You Can Cry"

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