We've all been there: Despite exercising and watching what you eat, the elastic in your workout shorts seems to be as tight as your hamstrings. "Ninety-five percent of the active people I work with want to lose some weight," says Cassie Dimmick, M.S., R.D., a sports dietitian and running coach in Springfield, Missouri.

Getting lean requires the same trait that makes you get up at 5 a.m. for a workout: discipline. You need to be vigilant about your diet and consistent with exercise so that you maximize calorie burn, increase muscle mass, and decrease body fat. Luckily, it's easier than it sounds when you employ these tactics from dietitians and coaches. Here, we present the top 10 eating habits that'll help you get lean. Get ready to lose (plus, check back later this week for our list of the top exercise tips)!

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1. DON'T DRINK SUGAR
A study out of Tufts University in Boston looked at the association between sugar-sweetened drinks and

Gather your friends to do a fun DIY projectThe goal: Everyone creates a stylish block-printed garment or home accessory to keep-while you all snack and catch up. Protect your work surface with craft paper and put tools in the center for easy sharing (see "What you'll need," slide 3). As friends finish designs, hang pieces on a clothesline to dry. Download templates for these projects from slide 4. Photo by Christopher Coppola/Studio D

Related: Check out 15 clever uses for household items.

Invitations
If your friends aren't familiar with block printing, include an inspirational image or two in the invite. Ask guests to bring at least one fabric or paper item to decorate (a T-shirt, tea towel or notebook-anything smooth and flat). Also caution attendees not to wear their nicest clothes and note that "aprons are suggested" (just in case).

What's You'll Need

Foam trays or takeout containers

X-Acto knife

Templates

Masking tap

Wood skewer

Ink roller (from 99¢; Joann.com)

Speedball Fabric Block Printing Inks ($5.39 each;

Build your own Mother's Day casserole.

On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The day was designed to recognize and honor all mothers, both living and deceased, for their immense contributions to family and country. Mother's Day is a day for spending time with family, and being stuck in the kitchen isn't what creator Anna Jarvis had in mind.

To start your day with great food and family fun without stressing over a hot stove, try this wonderful Build-Your-Own Mother's Day Casserole. It can be assembled the night before and tossed in the oven on Mother's Day morning, freeing up your time for hugs and smiles. Even better -- hand the recipe over to your husband or older children to get the job done. Be sure to check out all the variations at the bottom so you can customize this recipe to your family's preferences.

Basic Mother's Day Casserole Recipe (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

Cooking spray or margarine

3 cups frozen hash browns

3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack

A few simple movements can greatly improve your mood.

Do you ever find yourself slouching in your chair or walking with hunched shoulders and a droopy neck? We're all guilty of these posture no-nos from time to time, but new research reveals that poise is not the only thing lost when we give in to the temptation to slump. Such postures can send "sad" signals to our brain, darkening our mood. On the other hand, acting out certain "happy" movements has the opposite effect, brightening our outlook and lifting our spirits.

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"When we make a gesture and the movements are related to a specific emotion, it can elicit or create that emotion in us," says Tal Shafir, Ph.D., a specialist in dance movement therapy and neuroscience at the University of Haifa in Israel and lead author of the 2013 paper in the journal Brain and Cognition.

What's more, Shafir and her colleagues found that we don't even have to enact these so-called happy and sad movements in order to experience the corresponding emotions. Simply observing someone