Discover how the WD staff is doing good and giving back.By WomansDay.com Staff

Whether you donate to a local charity or help an elderly woman cross the street, even the smallest acts of kindness go a long way. Need a little motivation to do your part? Join WD's 20 million readers in the Kindness Project, and make someone else's day a little brighter. Woman's Day editors are joining in too! Copy Editor Lauren Spencer dug out her car and the one behind her during a recent snowstorm. Beth Haase, Editorial Business Associate, also lent a helping hand by returning a lost wallet after searching for its owner on Facebook. Click through to see how other WD editors are giving back, and get inspired. Photo by GettyImages.

Heavy Lifting

"I saw a mother having a difficult time getting up the subway stairs with her stroller, baby and diaper bag. Everyone was just rushing past her, but I offered to bring the stroller up the stairs while she carried her child, and then I helped them get settled before going back down to catch a train."

Natalie

Read More »from 7 Small Acts of Kindness that Make a Big Difference

Whether you want to power through paperwork or fall asleep peacefully, here are the best workouts for toning your mind. Bonus: better butt, abs, and arms, too. SQUATTING PREACHER CURL

INCREASE ENERGY
THE PROBLEM: By 3 p.m., you're nodding off at your desk.

THE FIX: Simply standing up gets more blood - and energizing oxygen - pumping to your brain; after walking briskly for a few minutes, your whole body (including your sluggish mind) becomes more engaged. "You don't even have to work up a sweat," says Robert E. Thayer, professor of psychology at California State University Long Beach and author of Calm Energy: How People Regulate Mood with Food and Exercise. In one of Thayer's studies, subjects either went for a brisk 10-minute walk or ate a candy bar. The walkers had increased energy for up to two hours, while the snackers saw their immediate energy boost drop off within an hour - and after two hours were even more lethargic than before.

TRY THIS: When you have time for more than a couple of

Read More »from How to Get Fit, Happy, and Healthy

When her plane lost an engine over the Andes, Teresa Rodriguez Williamson, 36, vowed to start tangodiva.com, a website to help solo women travelers. Here, her best secrets. Travel alone and love it!

In the past 10 years, the number of females traveling abroad has increased as much as 200%, especially among solo travelers.

1. NETWORK BEFORE YOU GO
Send an e-mail to all your friends saying, "I'm going to Brazil. Do you have any contacts there?" It works. Before I went there, my ex said he knew a guy who knew a guy, so I e-mailed him. He met me at the Rio airport with a cute little sign and said, "By the way, it's carnival, so all the shops will be closed tomorrow. If you want any new bikinis, we better go shopping right now!" Without him, I'd never have known that.

2. PUT SAFETY FIRST
Check government websites (such as state.gov/travel and cia.gov) to make sure there wasn't a "little bombing" in Cairo two days ago. I once went on a vacation in Fiji . . . while Fiji was in the middle of a

Read More »from How to Travel Alone

by Cristina Goyanes for SHAPE.com

Healthy lessons to learn from the NYC large-sized soda ban rejection.Soda: 1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg: 0.

The New York City mayor's newest obesity-fighting proposal to limit the sales of sugary drinks to 16 ounces or less at restaurants, theaters, and food carts was dismissed by a state supreme court judge on Monday-just one day before the health code would have taken full effect. Considering Bloomberg's success in banning trans fats and smoking in public places, this decision came as a total surprise to most, including the businesses that had already edited their menus and ordered smaller serving cups. Perhaps the most shocked was Bloomberg himself, as well as his administration.

"Without a portion cap on sugary drinks, it will be harder to tackle an obesity epidemic that kills New Yorkers and causes misery for many thousands more who suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and other debilitating illnesses," says Thomas Farley, M.D., M.P.H., the NYC Health Commissioner. "We are confident that we will win on appeal."

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Put an end to the springtime sniffles for good.

Spring is finally here.

And with it comes the sniffles for over 35 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies.

Personally, it's the pollen that gets my eyes itching and nose running. For others it may be the flowers, grass, trees and plants, or even dust and dust mites inside the house, along with mold, or pet dander as spring stirs things up. Regardless of what causes allergies, it certainly affects a bunch of us.

MORE: 5 Unexpected Allergy Triggers

Allergies come from a misplaced and often exaggerated response by our immune system. Instead of ignoring common substances in the environment-call them allergens-immune cells view them as threats and try to fight them off by creating an inflammatory response. This results in a flood of histamine and other inflammatory compounds that produce the watery eyes, sneezing, runny or itchy nose and a scratchy throat. Every time a person encounters a reactive substance, they will have some kind of an allergic response.

Read More »from Natural Remedies for Springtime Sniffles

St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate Irish culture, which most Americans do by wearing green and drinking beer. But there's more to St. Patrick's Day than standing outside in the freezing March wind for a parade and then puking on your shoes. The holiday is shrouded in myths, legends, sayings, and customs that date back well before "wearing the green" came to describe your face after a tad too much Guinness. So for your edification, here are 7 interesting myths surrounding St. Patrick's Day, explained! -By Carolyn Castiglia

MORE ON BABBLE

20 genius tips for planning the perfect St. Patrick's Day party

20 festive green food recipes for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day Decorations to Leave Up All Year Round

Read More »from What a Load of Blarney! 7 St. Patrick’s Day Myths Explained

Photo by Steam. Beef Fillet with Beansprout Salad (131 calories).

Most people dread a visit to the gym after eating a heavy meal but a pop-up restaurant in London says diners can enjoy their "calorie neutral" menu that allows them to burn off 573 calories while eating.

The restaurant called Steam is opening on Wednesday to promote German appliance manufacturer Miele's new steam-cooking line, which will be used to cook the steamed meals created by chef Frederick Forster of The Boundary.

More on Yahoo! Shine: Weird Food Combinations that Work

The 48 diners, who were chosen by random lottery, are advised to wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes for the 90-minute experience. Upon entering the restaurant, they're offered metabolism-boosting green tea and cold liquids to prep them for their workout. Next, they partake in an standing-only 40-minute exercise class that promises to burn 300 calories called "Body Balance", a Pilates, yoga, Tai chi combo designed by former Olympian Les Mills. The room is also kept chilly so patrons won't sweat before dinner

Read More »from London Restaurant Lets You Exercise While You Eat

I try to heed as many warnings as possible, which probably makes me awesomely fun to be around. What's worse is the guilt I feel when I do something that I know I shouldn't like say, have an ice cold artificial flavored sugar packed Coke, use non natural cleaning products with bleach, remember that I forgot to put on sunblock and let it go. And then a guy gets sucked out of his bedroom by a sinkhole and I realize it may be time to lighten up a bit ... certainly drop the self induced guilt over not worrying enough.

My friends and I have a running joke where we make fun of how neurotic we must sound when we warn each other about every little thing, so we make the effects sound overly alarmist (to keep a sense of humor about it all).

It truly helps. So, in that vain, I've compiled a list of actual things that can harm you. Take 'em or leave 'em, just don't quote me on the effects.

Be careful, reading this list may cause you to notice the irony in being overly conscientious and it will also give you smallpox…

MORE FROM JENNY: 40 Things Every Mom Should Have or Should Know by 40

Read More »from 19 Common Things that Could Kill You so THEY Say