I don't have much time to write, because I'm leaving for L.A. in an hour-I'm going to be on The Talk on Tuesday, which will be a lot of fun. Tune in! I'll also get to see my sister and her family, which will be a real treat.

I was very intrigued by this observation in Jennifer Senior's piece in New York magazine, Why You Truly Never Leave High School:

Give a grown adult a series of random prompts and cues, and odds are he or she will recall a disproportionate number of memories from adolescence. This phenomenon even has a name-the "reminiscence bump"-and it's been found over and over in large population samples, with most studies suggesting that memories from the ages of 15 to 25 are most vividly retained.

Fascinating! It reminded me of a passage from Robert Southey, which I quoted in Happier at Home:

Live as long as you may, the first twenty years are the longest half of your life. They appear so while they are passing; they seem to have been so when we

Read More »from Do You Have the Most Vivid Memories from Your Life from Age 15 to 25?

CN Digital Studioby Lexi Patronis, Glamour

Want to know the places inside a gym that are most likely to get you sick? Sure you do!

Barbells, dumbbells, and weight plates. A basic sneeze can send 100,000 infectious particles into the air at 200 miles an hour--when someone catches those buggers with their hand instead of a tissue (or even an elbow), they can transfer easily to handheld gym equipment. Before you lift weights, spray down the equipment (gym etiquette says to do this after you're finished with your set, but how many people really follow that?).

Related: 10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

Water fountains. A study from the University of Arizona found that 28 percent of gym surfaces are gym havens, and water fountains scored high on the list. One way to head off those bacteria? Bring your own water bottle!

Locker room floors. The moist floors are ripe for fungal and wart viruses (ew). Bring your flip-flops for showering, and never reuse the sweaty socks you've just

Read More »from Is Your Gym Making You Sick?

By Tara Rasmus, Refinery29

You'll have to forgive us. The last time we talked self-help, we may have gotten a little bit snarky about a few dating books that we found somewhat ridiculous insulting. Calling our bluff, you guys (rightfully so) asked us to name the self-help books that we would recommend. Not wanting to disappoint, we rounded up our staff picks for the smartest, wittiest, and most profound self-help books that have helped us through some darker times, encouraged us to get in touch with our emotions, and even kick our relationship problems to the curb.

The self-help section may have a negative rap (and yes, there are some flat-out bad picks out there), but there are also some smart works that we'd never boot off our bookshelves. No matter what ails you, there's a book out there to ease your mind, warm your heart, and even inspire you to achieve your biggest goals. Move over, Chicken Soup - these are the self-help books for now.

More from Refinery29:

The 10-Second

Read More »from 10 Self-Help Books for the New Generation

ThinkStockYou already know that those four-inch heels make you look sexy and now science substantiates that: A recent study published in the journal Evolution and Behavior found that women who wear heels are perceived as more feminine than those who wear flatter shoes. 

More on Yahoo! Shine: The Scariest Shoes of All Time

And with spring coming earlier this year (according to Groundhog Day, anyway) paving the way for shorter skirts, a slew of sexy exercise classes seeks to help you enhance your gait even more by offering group sessions to women who want to work out in, you guessed it, high heels.

More on Yahoo! Spain's Annual High Heel Races

One such class is designed and taught by certified fitness instructor Kamilah Barrett, 35. Called "Heel Hop" the class is a low-impact hour of strength-training that helps women develop cardiovascular strength and the confidence and skill to rock high-heeled shoes. Participants pay $15 for a weekly class to learn Barrett's 10-signature moves that include Read More »from Would You Exercise in High Heels?

Photo Credit: Carter News AgencyOne day, 29-year-old Gemma Flanagan was partying in Las Vegas during a stopover in her job as a flight attendant. Soon after, she was hospitalized, unable to move, speak or swallow, and given the shocking diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare condition that affects only about 1 person in 100,000.

More on Shine: "Toddler" is 20 Years Old, and Forever Young, Due to Baffling Medical Condition

“To be honest I had no idea what it was—I couldn't even pronounce it,” Flanagan, who lives in Liverpool, England, told the Daily Mail, which first reported her story.  “But I wasn’t too worried. Doctors told me it was a mild case and I’d be home in three days.”

What followed has been a remarkable tale: many difficult months of hospitalization, total paralysis, and the eventual beginnings of recovery—with Flanagan turning her-near death experience into a tenacious turn at modeling with an agency that features disabled models. 

More on Yahoo!: Study: Hundreds of Rare Disease Drugs in

Read More »from Rare Syndrome Paralyzes UK Flight Attendant: Know the Signs

So, single yoga is sort of a thing!Lord. I already feel guilty enough that I dropped the yoga ball I so gladly picked up in wake of my divorce and that I haven't yet brought my daughter to Mommy and Me yoga -- something I've been meaning to do but that has always felt cost-prohibitive. Now you tell me "singles yoga" is a thing? So says Smiley Poswolsky, of The Hairpin, who published a charming piece today about trying to meet a cute girl to make out with at a singles yoga class.

I can't imagine trying to meet someone in yoga class -- just because of the farts alone. I mean, come on! Who doesn't fart at least once during a 45-minute yoga session? I don't care if your farts smell like flourless vegan chocolate cake. I just don't want to meet you when your butthole is in the air, you know?

But a friend thinks attending a yoga class is a great way for men to meet women. She told me she thinks singles yoga is an unnecessary gimmick. "Honestly, all men have to do is go to a regular yoga class" to meet ladies, my friend

Read More »from Strike a Pose: Why 'Singles Yoga' Classes Are the Next Dating Hot Spot

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Jenna Birch

If you find you're more eager to sleep than have sex on an everyday basis, your sex drive may need a booster shot. But that doesn't mean you have to go out and buy out the nearest Victoria's Secret. All it takes is adding a few key foods into your diet to boost libido and get back in the mood. Here, 10 foods to rev up your sex life, plus three that will stop it in its tracks.

Related: 10 Health Benefits of Having Sex

Black Raspberries
Both the berries and the seeds will transform your mind-set for getting in the mood, so pop in a handful a day to keep bedroom boredom at bay. "This phytochemical-rich food enhances both libido and sexual endurance," say Drs. Anna Maria and Brian Clement, authors of 7 Keys to Lifelong Sexual Vitality and directors of Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida. Consume 10 black raspberries or a tablespoon of seeds a few hours before getting busy.

Broccoli
Raw, sautéed, or cooked, toss this vegetable in with your salad or

Read More »from 10 Foods that Boost Your Libido (and 3 that Kill It)

Now that we're in the midst of cold and flu season, every sneeze threatens to leave us cooped up in bed for weeks. Protect yourself (and your family) with these foods recognized for their immune-boosting powers. Plus, super-simple ways to eat them every day.

Yogurt parfaitYogurt

Studies show that live-culture yogurts are powerful immune-boosters. The good bacteria in yogurt stimulate the production of immunoglobulin A, which protects the body against pathogens.

Look for: Yogurts with "live active cultures" and avoid brands with lots of added sugars.

Try it for...an easy weekday breakfast: Granola-Yogurt Parfait

Blueberries Blueberry pancakes

Blueberries are rich in vitamins A and C, which help strengthen your immune system. Heart-healthy bonus: a Harvard study that followed 100,000 women over a 20-year period found that those who ate more than three servings of blueberries or strawberries a week were less likely to suffer a heart attack.

Look for: Bright, beautiful berries. The

Read More »from Fend Off the Flu! 6 Immune-Boosting Foods