by Christina Goyanes

Save money, lose weight?The fear of losing dough is helping some people lose extra dough around their waists. Last year Rick and Kay Woollen of Tobaccoville, NC, signed up for HealthyWage.com, a weight-loss program that allows you (and others) to place cash bets on whether you can finally shed unwanted pounds. The Wollens dropped a combined total of more than 120 pounds-and cashed in on more than $6,000.

"It's a motivator," Kay, 50, told the Today Show. "You don't want to lose your own money, and you don't want to lose somebody else's." Even science says a little healthy gambling may pay off: A 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that dieters who had financial incentives-the prospect of gaining or losing money-to shed weight were more successful than those who did not.

HealthyWage.com isn't the only Vegas-style online program. Websites such as Stickk.com, Fatbet.net, and DietBet.com are also looking for heavy-set high-rollers to get in on the

by SHAPE Diet Doc, Mike Roussell, phD.

Three Eating healthy is a goal many people set and it's certainly a great one. "Healthy" is a surprisingly relative term, however, and many of the believed-to-be-good-for-you foods aren't actually as nutritious as you may think. Here are three that don't merit the "health food" label in my book.

Flavored, Sweetened Milk Alternatives

Non-dairy milks are growing in popularity and oftentimes are seen as a healthier alternative to good 'ol moo juice-but upon closer examination, it is hard to decipher what makes them healthier for the average person. If you have a whey or casein allergy, then milk alternatives are a must-have, and if you are lactose-intolerant then they can be useful. Outside of those situations (which are rarer than most people think), cow's milk is better for you than any flavored almond, soy, coconut, or other dairy-free milk.

With the exception of soy milk, this class of beverages is seriously lacking in the protein department, a

The Diva Cup: we tried it, and aren't ashamed to admit how much we love it! (Seriously.)

Lets be frank here, ladies: supplies for that time of the month are not always cheap. I don't know about you, but when it comes to tampons, I know exactly which kind works for me. Even if its not the cheapest on the shelf, I'm not skimping on it. I cannot let my tampon routine be derailed by a plummeting economy. The risks of public embarrassment are too high.

Related: Hilarious Product Reviews on Amazon.com

But, what if I told you there is another way? I was recently sent the Diva Cup, a silicone menstrual apparatus that is inserted and then emptied, cleaned and re-inserted about every 12 hours. When I first heard about this item I was skeptical, as I think many are. It sounds messy and unhygienic.

Then I delved into online research. There are entire forums of women who are dedicated and passionate about menstrual cups. Many claim it has changed their life for the better, and saved them money. Others mention that using one is more environmentally sound than using

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

By Katie Abbondanza, Designed by Emily Kowzan, Refinery29

Somewhere between swigging bottles of Blueprint, sweating your brains out daily, and, oh yeah, attempting to catch up on last year's lingering to-dos, resolution season can leave us all feeling a little more frazzled than fresh and new.

So, we called up some life experts for some quick-hitting tips to rein in an out-of-control day, and come out feeling calm and centered (yes, even you, stress addicts). Warning: Your excuses for being harried all the time are about to fall away-and that's actually a good thing.

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8 Beauty Tricks That Work While You Sleep

29 Beyond-Easy Ways To Cut 100 Calories A Day

How To Do Your Makeup In 5 Minutes (Really!)

It's been about two weeks since you committed yourself to that all-too-common resolution. Lose weight. Are you already slacking on your diet resolution? Has the New Year's new leaf proven no more effective than Sensa crystals, the grapefruit diet, and gallons of a detox solution with a grocery-list of ingredients, like ginger, mint, lemon, cucumber, dandelion tea, cranberry juice, apples, cinnamon, and whatever else you can throw in distilled water? Well, we asked real women for their success stories and were surprised-but-not when they turned out to be simple and practical, without a magic weight-loss pill in sight. Here's a small reminder of what a stick-to-it plan of diet and exercise can do for you before ringing in 2014. - By Ali Swank

I'm not a very big fan of specific resolutions on New Year's because I have crashed and burned with so many of them. But being happy? I can manage that one just fine, thank you. I am really happy here at the beginning of 2013, and really my only goal is to end the year just as happy, if not happier. But how does one do that (being happy in today's society is so hard!)? Here are 10 little ways to be happier this year and for the rest of your life. - By Casey Mullins

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Amanda MacMillan, SELF magazine

Goodbye diet soda, hello cup o' joe! A study released today finds that people who regularly drink sweetened beverages--especially artificially sweetened beverages--have a higher than average risk of depression. But those who regularly drink coffee, however, have a slightly lower than average risk.

See more: 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss

That's right: If you're looking for yet another reason to ditch sugary or diet drinks in 2013 (what, we didn't give you enough reason last year?), this may be a good one to consider. In a study being presented next month at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, researchers from the National Institutes of Health found that people who drank more than four servings of soda or fruit punch a day were 30 and 38 percent more likely, respectively, to develop depression over the 10-year study period than people who drank neither of the beverages. And the people who drank diet versions of soda, fruit punch,