Source: 1 Month Till Memorial Day: 7 Steps to Shape Up

Now that we're well on our way to bikini season, there's a right way and a wrong way to see results by Memorial Day. Skip the crash diets with these seven steps to get ready for your beach-filled Summer plans by the end of the month.

• Set a realistic goal. While it's true that you can make many smart changes in four weeks, you don't want to set yourself up for failure by aiming for an unrealistic goal. Instead of stressing over whether or not you'll be able to lose 20 pounds in a month, focus on a goal that is attainable in this short amount of time. Seeing yourself inch toward this smaller goal will be a lot more rewarding than feeling discouraged that you're not seeing big changes straight away.
• Make simple swaps. Anything that can safely help you with your weight-loss goals without a lot of effort should become part of your routine. Make simple swaps throughout the day to save a few hundred calories easily, like

Source: 8 Ways a Simple Ice Cube Tray Can Help You Drop Pounds

That unassuming little ice cube tray that sits in your freezer isn't just for water. It can actually be an effective tool to help you lose weight. Here's how.

• Cookies: Anyone who's ever baked a homemade batch of cookies knows it's impossible to eat just one. So the next time you craft a batch, bake half and scoop the rest into ice cube trays. Then when your sweet tooth kicks in, pop out one and bake it to satisfy your craving without breaking the calorie bank.
• Juice: Freeze juice from fresh-squeezed lemons, limes, or oranges to add a touch of sweetness to water or seltzer - it'll be much fewer calories than a full glass of juice or soda.
• Herbs: Whether you grow your own or buy them fresh at the store, stuff washed and chopped herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, and cilantro into each section and fill with veggie broth or water. Pop the frozen herb cubes out to add to soups, sauces, and whole

I struggled with turning 40 but got past it. Now, 45 feels like true middle age, and that's just damned weird. I mean, I have a little girl (my daughter will be seven in June), so how can I possibly be in middle age? Not to mention that I just FEEL the same as I always did. Right? ...Except you know what? That's not quite true. I feel better now about myself then I ever did. I know who I am, and with each day I feel less and less like I have to explain myself. I was curious about how other women over 40 felt, and got some great responses. If you're on the cusp of 40 and are worried - or here already, or even if 40 is far away - I think you'll find great joy in these words.

-By Cecily Kellogg

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Source: Do These 9 Things in Your Kitchen to Lose Weight

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it's also the place that can make or break you on the weight loss front. If you're on a quest to slim down, do these nine things in your kitchen.

• Make fruits as accessible as a bag of chips: Wash, cut up, and store fruits such as grapes, melon, kiwi, pineapple, and apples in reusable containers in the fridge so they're easy to grab. Make sure they're right up front at eye level so they're the first thing you see when you open the fridge door.
• Prepare a big container of salad: Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill you up so you eat less of the main course, but preparing a salad every night takes so much time that it's tempting to skip out. Ensure you get a bowl of greens every night by making an enormous bowl of salad at the beginning of the week. You're sure to eat a salad with dinner if it's already made - just scoop out a bowl, top with vinaigrette, and

POPSUGAR FitnessSource: Lose Weight Now: 10 Quick Calorie-Cutting Tips

In order to lose a pound a week, you need to burn or cut out 3,500 calories. The best way to approach it without feeling deprived is to cut out a few calories here and there throughout your day, making lower-calorie food swaps so your taste buds don't miss a thing. Here are 10 simple ways to reduce your daily calorie intake so you can start dropping pounds right now.

• In Your Bowl: Choose vanilla yogurt (120) over fruit-flavored (140).
• Calories saved: 20
• For Pancakes: Top pancakes with maple yogurt (38) instead of maple syrup (104).
  Calories saved: 66
• For a Morning Thirst Quencher: Eat an orange (62) instead of drinking OJ (112).
  Calories saved: 50
• On Your Sandwich: Smear hummus (23) on your sandwich instead of mayo (90).
  Calories saved: 67
• For Lunch: Make your sandwich on a whole-wheat pita (170) instead of using two slices of whole-wheat bread (220).

Christina Taylor used Facebook to lose more than 100 poundsAs a high schooler in Barrie, Ontario, Christina Taylor, now 25, didn't eat your standard bagged lunch. When she wasn't hitting the drive-through with friends, she was chowing down on pizza from the restaurant her mother owned. "She would send the delivery guy to my school," says Christina. By the time she was 15 and stood 5'7″, Christina weighed 380 pounds.

The Change
In 2003, Christina joined her high school choir on a trip to Italy. But a week in, she was forced to spend the day in bed while her classmates explored Rome. "I was too heavy and tired to move," she recalls. Humiliated but determined, Christina resolved that she would never again let her weight limit what she could do.

RELATED: Top 20 Habits That Are Making You Fat

The Lifestyle
Back home, Christina started doing her mom's old aerobics videos a few times a week and soon joined a gym to use the weight machines. She kissed the drive-through good-bye and dropped 50 pounds in the next seven months. Over six years,

Your Feng Shui Guidance for May!

Feng Shui is the area of Chinese medicine that helps us rest, relax, and restore our vital energies through healthful practices and a calm environment. Learn how Astrology.com's Ellen Whitehurst can help you create a peaceful home, landscape, and workplace by applying Feng Shui principles of balance and harmony to your everyday life!

See how your Chinese element and animal signs influence you with a free sample Elements of Feng Shui Reading!

According to ancient wisdom, the white magnolia is considered a great symbol of purity. A single magnolia tree planted in a home's front garden is believed to attract love, happiness, and a sense of completion and contentment.

If grown in the back yard of a home, the magnolia is said to represent hidden gems and jewels, as well as the gradual accumulation of great wealth.

And since spring is always a popular season for nuptials, it's worth noting how Feng Shui masters have long believed that including magnolia blooms in a bridal bouquet will

Miko Lim/Fitness MagazineBy Kari Molvar

Whether you run, lift, or are into Spinning, we know you don't let beauty challenges get in the way of a workout -- especially when you're armed with these easy fixes for the biggest skin, hair, and nail bummers that affect active women.

Related: 5-Minutes to Bouncy, Post-Gym Hair

My hair is a frizzy mess after yoga.
Before hitting the mat, mist a dry shampoo, such as Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo ($8, drugstores), all around your hairline, including the nape of your neck, where sweat often collects and causes fuzz. If you have supercurly or hard-to-manage hair, comb a light leave-in treatment, like Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Overnight Miracle Repair Serum ($6, drugstores), through the ends to seal in moisture and form a barrier against frizz, says Gregory Patterson, a hairstylist for Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar in New York City. Then pull hair into a high topknot and slip on a mesh head wrap, such as the Lululemon Athletica Bang Buster Headband ($14,