If heading to the gym fills you with dread-and any number of "not today" excuses-you don't necessarily have to suck it up and just do it. That's because a new study shows that everyday activities can be just as beneficial as hitting the treadmill or doing your circuit training routine-minus the cash, sweat and annoying machine hoggers.

MORE: Strength Train at Home-No Equipment Required

Researchers from Oregon State University evaluated a federal survey of more than 6,000 American adults and their physical activity levels. All participants wore accelerometers to track their movement throughout the day. Part of the group took part in structured gym workouts, while the others simply stayed active throughout the day by doing simple chores around the house and running errands. After four consecutive days of wearing the device for at least 10 hours a day, the results were surprising: Small bouts of activity-even just one- and two-minute increments totaling 30 minutes per day-were

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Easy styling tricks and nutrition tweaks that will have you looking like you've spent four weeks at the gym. For more body-slimming inspiration, check out our Virtual Weight-Loss Simulator.

1. Add Pops of Color
If you have wide hips and thighs, wear a black pencil skirt on the bottom and a bright color like fuchsia on top. (Or, reverse it if you're self-conscious about your upper body area.) By sporting darker colors on your "problem areas", you'll bring attention to the asset that you feel best about.



2. Buy a New Bra
The one thing every woman can do right now to look thinner in her clothes is to buy a new bra, says Charla Krupp, author of How to Never Look Fat Again. "Eighty-five percent of women are walking around in the wrong bra, and it makes their breasts look lower than they should be." The goal is to create as much space as possible between your waist and chest so your torso appears longer and leaner, she advises. The trick is to have an expert mea

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My love affair with running started when I was 19 years old. I had broken up with my boyfriend and was in such a funk that there was no other solution than to open up the door and run. And I've been running ever since.

Running has helped get me through breakups, job losses, postpartum depression, and was an excellent hangover cure in my younger days. But the biggest impact running has had was to show me that I can do anything.

I've run half-marathons, marathons, and I've participated in sprint triathlons. These seemed like impossible dreams when I was young. Growing up, I was the sedentary child in an athletic family. My dad grew up a football star in a small border town, and my brothers and sister all had a sport they excelled at. Not me. In high school, my PE teacher asked me if I was adopted because I couldn't catch a softball.

What I could do was move my feet, and 9 times out of 10 stay upright. Running was not only doable but fun. It was mostly casual, but after having kids I w

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by Lexi Petronis

Carbohydrates get a bad rap. We toss the bread from our sandwiches, avoid tortillas, and ignore rice--I'm as guilty of giving carbs the occasional cold shoulder as anyone. (Poor potatoes!)

But I just watched this short video--"Debunking the Diet: Is Carb a Four-Letter Word?" (it's part of a video series produced by Luna Bar)--and, for me, it provided a nice reminder that we all need a certain amount of good carbohydrates every day for our brains and bodies to...well, work, really. (And I especially love how the dietitian in the video says that we shouldn't call foods "good" and "bad"--let's eat whatever we want, it's all about moderation!)

Related: 10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

Of course, not all carbs are created equal. Cakes, doughnuts, sugary muffins, even some breads made with refined flours...they lack nutrients, and eating enough of them may raise your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

But there are p

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