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Raspberry-Lemon-Yogurt Bread

Miranda Lambert’s Raspberry-Lemon-Yogurt Bread

Raspberries are heart-health gems. Their fiber (8 g per cup) can help you live longer by slashing your risk for coronary death.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup nonfat lemon yogurt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries

PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 1-lb loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, zest and vanilla in a second bowl. Toss raspberries with remaining 1 tbsp sugar in a third bowl. Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely. Gently fold in raspberries. Scrape batter evenly into loaf pan. Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, 65 minutes.

The skinny

239 calories per serving, 6 g fat (3 g saturated), 40 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

From Self.com



Flat Ab Moves

Want Flat Abs ~  Check out these moves ~

Side Slimmer ~
Stand with feet hip-width apart, a weight in right hand. Resting left fingertips on left temple, bend at waist to right as far as you can (as shown); straighten and bend to left. Return to start. Switch weight to left hand; repeat.
  • works obliques

Bicycle Crunch ~ 

Lie faceup, hands behind head, elbows out, knees up at a 90-degree angle. Reach right elbow to left knee as you straighten right leg (as shown). Switch sides; repeat.
  • works abs, obliques

Butterfly Twist ~

Lie faceup, arms extended out to sides, knees bent, feet flat. Drop both legs to left, almost to floor (as shown), then lift back to center. Repeat on right side.
  • works abs

Sitting Pretty ~

Sit in a chair, a weight in each hand. Bend forward so torso is at a 45-degree angle to thighs (keep back straight). Draw elbows back slowly (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works biceps, upper back

Arm Flab Fighter ~

Lie flat on the floor or a bench, a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended toward ceiling, palms facing each other. Bend arms, lowering weights to ears (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works triceps

Super Shoulder Press ~

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees soft, arms bent, a weight in each hand, palms facing each other (as shown). Curl weights to meet shoulders, then straighten arms toward ceiling. Reverse the motion to return to start; repeat.
  • works shoulders, biceps

Skater Lunge ~

Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes turned out, hands on hips. Curtsy, stepping right foot back and to left (as shown) Return to start; repeat on opposite side.
  • works thighs, butt

Step it Up ~

Stand to left of chair, with chair seat facing you. Place right foot on seat; step up and cross left foot behind right leg (as shown). Touch left foot to floor on right side of chair. Without moving right foot, reverse move back to start. Switch legs; repeat.
  • works thighs, hamstrings, calves, butt

Reshaping Reach ~

Stand with legs straight and hip-width apart, knees soft, a weight in each hand. Keeping back and legs straight and weights close to body, bend forward and push butt back as far as you can (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works hamstrings, back, butt

If you do these moves 20 reps each set and 2 sets for the first 10-12 days then up it to 3 sets for the next 12-25 days you will see results!  Of course.. no eating candy and potato chips…. LOL!



Flat Ab Moves

Want Flat Abs ~  Check out these moves ~

Side Slimmer ~
Stand with feet hip-width apart, a weight in right hand. Resting left fingertips on left temple, bend at waist to right as far as you can (as shown); straighten and bend to left. Return to start. Switch weight to left hand; repeat.
  • works obliques

Bicycle Crunch ~ 

Lie faceup, hands behind head, elbows out, knees up at a 90-degree angle. Reach right elbow to left knee as you straighten right leg (as shown). Switch sides; repeat.
  • works abs, obliques

Butterfly Twist ~

Lie faceup, arms extended out to sides, knees bent, feet flat. Drop both legs to left, almost to floor (as shown), then lift back to center. Repeat on right side.
  • works abs

Sitting Pretty ~

Sit in a chair, a weight in each hand. Bend forward so torso is at a 45-degree angle to thighs (keep back straight). Draw elbows back slowly (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works biceps, upper back

Arm Flab Fighter ~

Lie flat on the floor or a bench, a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended toward ceiling, palms facing each other. Bend arms, lowering weights to ears (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works triceps

Super Shoulder Press ~

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees soft, arms bent, a weight in each hand, palms facing each other (as shown). Curl weights to meet shoulders, then straighten arms toward ceiling. Reverse the motion to return to start; repeat.
  • works shoulders, biceps

Skater Lunge ~

Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes turned out, hands on hips. Curtsy, stepping right foot back and to left (as shown) Return to start; repeat on opposite side.
  • works thighs, butt

Step it Up ~

Stand to left of chair, with chair seat facing you. Place right foot on seat; step up and cross left foot behind right leg (as shown). Touch left foot to floor on right side of chair. Without moving right foot, reverse move back to start. Switch legs; repeat.
  • works thighs, hamstrings, calves, butt

Reshaping Reach ~

Stand with legs straight and hip-width apart, knees soft, a weight in each hand. Keeping back and legs straight and weights close to body, bend forward and push butt back as far as you can (as shown). Return to start; repeat.
  • works hamstrings, back, butt

If you do these moves 20 reps each set and 2 sets for the first 10-12 days then up it to 3 sets for the next 12-25 days you will see results!  Of course.. no eating candy and potato chips…. LOL!



Steal His Mojo!

Steal His Mojo!

Swipe a few moves from your man’s sexual arsenal to make your next romp more fun and satisfying—for you both.

 
 
Even though I’ve been with my husband for 15 years, I don’t draw attention to my physical flaws moments before having sex. And yet the man I married will do just that. We’ll be cuddling in bed, and he’ll push his gut out, rub it lovingly and murmur, “You want a piece of this?” I, on the other hand, am still inclined to make a swift exit after doing the deed—stomach sucked in, of course. In addition to his utter lack of body anxiety, Joe, like many men, has a whole repertoire of beneficial sexual attitudes and behaviors: He’ll happily put an argument on hold to have a go at it, and he’s never rejected my advances because he needed to do the laundry. If it were women versus men in the sexual Olympics, ladies might take the gold in the foreplay, romance and pace categories, but we may not even place when it comes to body confidence, assertiveness and focus. With a little practice, though, you can master what men excel at in the sack and maximize your pleasure.

He’s unapologetic about his gut

Although most guys occasionally stress about their appearance—including my husband—a negative body image is unlikely to interfere with their sexual desire or performance. The reason he can get naked and ignore his hairy back while you obsess about your cellulite is both deep and shallow: Evolutionarily, it served guys well to get in and get out, so to speak. “The purpose of sex was solely reproductive, so the quicker a man could do it, the better,” explains Sharon Moalem, Ph.D., author of How Sex Works (HarperCollins). “He didn’t have time to worry about his love handles.” Indeed, the drive to get the job done seems to drown out any self-conscious thoughts. “Once a guy knows he can please you, his insecurities virtually vanish,” says Louann Brizendine, M.D., author of The Male Brain (Broadway Books).
How to borrow from the boys By adopting men’s utilitarian attitude toward the act, we can become less self-conscious as well as more fulfilled. When your attention drifts to the dimples on your thighs, redirect your thoughts to how good doing it feels. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the sensations of his hands caressing your body or his breath on your neck,” Moalem suggests. Even more incentive to stop sucking in your stomach: “Holding in your belly impedes blood flow from the heart into the pelvis and genitals, which makes it more difficult to become aroused and have an orgasm,” explains Stella Resnick, Ph.D., author of The Pleasure Zone (Conari Press). You don’t have to stick your belly out like Joe does, but at least relax it.

He gets busy even when miffed

Joe and I had been engaged in battle (about window screens) for two days, and I wanted an apology. I was sure all my husband needed was the space to give me one. So when the kids were away, I expected to hear, “I’m sorry.” Instead, I heard, “Want to get naked?” “Um, not really,” I muttered with disgust. How could he want to make love when we were so mad? “Men can be furious and horny at the same time because of their ability to compartmentalize emotions,” explains Catherine Birndorf, M.D., SELF’s mental health expert and coauthor of The Nine Rooms of Happiness (Voice). Another contributing factor: While fighting tends to shut down libido in women, it can light a man’s sexual fire, according to Dr. Brizendine. Why? Sex and aggression run on testosterone, and men have 10 to 15 times more of the hormone than we do.
How to borrow from the boys Women simply aren’t wired to compartmentalize, but you can try embracing my husband’s outlook: You’re going to like your partner again someday; why deny yourself a shag because you don’t right now? “Men don’t see having sex as giving in,” says Les Parrott, Ph.D., coauthor of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (Zondervan). “It’s a way for him to show he still cares for you despite the fight.” Not only is sex a physical means to express your desire to resolve things, but it’s a chemical salve, too. Your body releases bonding hormones during the deed that can encourage you to reconcile, according to Moalem. Getting naked when you’re ticked isn’t always a wise idea for women, though. Dr. Birndorf advises evaluating fights on a case-by-case basis. “An argument about window screens can mask a larger issue, so gauge how deeply upset you are before having sex,” she says.

He expects an orgasm—every time!

For me, sex is a lot like shopping: When I hit the stores, I don’t know if I’ll score, but I’m happy when I do. Joe shops the way a hunter approaches a field of buffalo: He’s there to bring something home. Our respective approaches apply to sex, as well. While I hope to have an orgasm every time, Joe expects one. Because men are biologically built to climax faster and more easily than we are, they count on fireworks every time. Women’s checkered success rate—only a third always have an orgasm, Dr. Brizendine says—means we aren’t surprised when we don’t cross the finish line. Guys also tend to be more results-driven in the first place. “Sexual gratification plays heavily into male reward centers in the brain, so men are more motivated to seek an orgasm,” explains Ian Kerner, a sex therapist and the author of Passionista (HarperPaperbacks). Women are apt to be more process-oriented: “When aroused, women produce added oxytocin, which stokes a sense of intimacy,” Kerner says. “So there’s more emphasis on enjoying the journey instead of the destination.”

How to borrow from the boys To score as many O’s as he does, start by assuming his entitled mind-set. Before you get busy, tell yourself, I deserve to have an orgasm! “If you go into sex with a conviction that you have the right to pleasure, that will empower you to communicate your needs to your partner, and you’ll be more likely to have them met,” Kerner explains. Once you have the right attitude, take some results-oriented action. Most men have no problem flipping us around dozens of times to find the most pleasurable position. So ask yourself what it’s going to take to reach your peak. A vibrator? Being on top? Some sexy tunes? Then reach into your nightstand drawer, switch positions or hit PLAY!

He drops everything for sex

Imagine this: You toss a come-hither look over your shoulder at your mate as you walk away, dropping clothes in your wake. “Sorry, honey,” he calls after your naked back. “I’d love to join you, but I really need to finish alphabetizing these DVDs!” Yeah, right. So why is it so hard for us to prioritize sex in the face of our to-do list? “The parts of the brain associated with stress need to deactivate in order for women to focus on sex,” Kerner says. Unfortunately, women often believe the only way to do that is to cross off every last task. And because we need to be warmed up more than men do, getting in the mood after a stressful day can be more of a challenge. “Foreplay for women is often the 24 hours leading up to sex,” Dr. Birndorf explains. “For men, it can be the few minutes before penetration.”
How to borrow from the boys Parrott suggests taking a two-week act-like-a-guy challenge. “For the next 14 days, see what happens when you drop everything to be intimate,” he suggests. For instance, leave that load of laundry in the washer until you get down and dirty, then dry and fold. Better yet, enlist your partner to help you finish those tasks. By the end of the 14 days, there’s a good chance most of those pesky chores will have gotten done, maybe even with a smile. To help sharpen your focus on sex—and not get distracted by that titillating wallpaper project or work report—take a cue from your very visual partner and fire up the mental movie projector. “Fantasizing relaxes the parts of a woman’s brain that process stress and anxiety, which can be fueled by to-do’s,” Kerner explains. Filling your head with sexy scenarios can help crowd out thoughts of boring chores.

He’s direct about what he wants

When a guy wants something—your time; your attention; you, naked, in bed—he generally comes out and asks for it. He’ll also make his sexual requests (“Do this to that body part!”) without hesitation. Women don’t always voice their desires as freely and easily. The source of our reticence seems to be overthinking. Often, we dance around our wishes out of an innate inclination to protect our partner’s ego. “Some women worry that asking for something implies that their partner is failing to deliver,” Moalem says. In other cases, unrealistic, romanticized notions of sex are to blame. “Women will say, ‘He should know what I like,’” says Gail Markle, who teaches sociology at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Men, on the other hand, don’t expect us to read their mind.

How to borrow from the boys If you want him to do something that will knock your socks off, you’re going to have to speak up—just like a guy. The trick: “Men don’t put their sexual requests in an emotional context,” Moalem explains. He doesn’t worry about hurting your feelings when he asks you to try a new position, so you shouldn’t stress about whether you’ll hurt his if you ask him to, say, take it slower. If you’re uneasy verbalizing your desire, write it down: Parrott instructs couples to keep separate journals filled with sexual fantasies, and regularly pass them back and forth. It’s a simple way of expressing your wishes if you tend to get embarrassed by pillow talk. Though men and women may have different approaches to sex, at the end of the day (or night), our ultimate goal is the same—satisfaction.



Steal His Mojo!

Steal His Mojo!

Swipe a few moves from your man’s sexual arsenal to make your next romp more fun and satisfying—for you both.

 
 
Even though I’ve been with my husband for 15 years, I don’t draw attention to my physical flaws moments before having sex. And yet the man I married will do just that. We’ll be cuddling in bed, and he’ll push his gut out, rub it lovingly and murmur, “You want a piece of this?” I, on the other hand, am still inclined to make a swift exit after doing the deed—stomach sucked in, of course. In addition to his utter lack of body anxiety, Joe, like many men, has a whole repertoire of beneficial sexual attitudes and behaviors: He’ll happily put an argument on hold to have a go at it, and he’s never rejected my advances because he needed to do the laundry. If it were women versus men in the sexual Olympics, ladies might take the gold in the foreplay, romance and pace categories, but we may not even place when it comes to body confidence, assertiveness and focus. With a little practice, though, you can master what men excel at in the sack and maximize your pleasure.

He’s unapologetic about his gut

Although most guys occasionally stress about their appearance—including my husband—a negative body image is unlikely to interfere with their sexual desire or performance. The reason he can get naked and ignore his hairy back while you obsess about your cellulite is both deep and shallow: Evolutionarily, it served guys well to get in and get out, so to speak. “The purpose of sex was solely reproductive, so the quicker a man could do it, the better,” explains Sharon Moalem, Ph.D., author of How Sex Works (HarperCollins). “He didn’t have time to worry about his love handles.” Indeed, the drive to get the job done seems to drown out any self-conscious thoughts. “Once a guy knows he can please you, his insecurities virtually vanish,” says Louann Brizendine, M.D., author of The Male Brain (Broadway Books).
How to borrow from the boys By adopting men’s utilitarian attitude toward the act, we can become less self-conscious as well as more fulfilled. When your attention drifts to the dimples on your thighs, redirect your thoughts to how good doing it feels. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the sensations of his hands caressing your body or his breath on your neck,” Moalem suggests. Even more incentive to stop sucking in your stomach: “Holding in your belly impedes blood flow from the heart into the pelvis and genitals, which makes it more difficult to become aroused and have an orgasm,” explains Stella Resnick, Ph.D., author of The Pleasure Zone (Conari Press). You don’t have to stick your belly out like Joe does, but at least relax it.

He gets busy even when miffed

Joe and I had been engaged in battle (about window screens) for two days, and I wanted an apology. I was sure all my husband needed was the space to give me one. So when the kids were away, I expected to hear, “I’m sorry.” Instead, I heard, “Want to get naked?” “Um, not really,” I muttered with disgust. How could he want to make love when we were so mad? “Men can be furious and horny at the same time because of their ability to compartmentalize emotions,” explains Catherine Birndorf, M.D., SELF’s mental health expert and coauthor of The Nine Rooms of Happiness (Voice). Another contributing factor: While fighting tends to shut down libido in women, it can light a man’s sexual fire, according to Dr. Brizendine. Why? Sex and aggression run on testosterone, and men have 10 to 15 times more of the hormone than we do.
How to borrow from the boys Women simply aren’t wired to compartmentalize, but you can try embracing my husband’s outlook: You’re going to like your partner again someday; why deny yourself a shag because you don’t right now? “Men don’t see having sex as giving in,” says Les Parrott, Ph.D., coauthor of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (Zondervan). “It’s a way for him to show he still cares for you despite the fight.” Not only is sex a physical means to express your desire to resolve things, but it’s a chemical salve, too. Your body releases bonding hormones during the deed that can encourage you to reconcile, according to Moalem. Getting naked when you’re ticked isn’t always a wise idea for women, though. Dr. Birndorf advises evaluating fights on a case-by-case basis. “An argument about window screens can mask a larger issue, so gauge how deeply upset you are before having sex,” she says.

He expects an orgasm—every time!

For me, sex is a lot like shopping: When I hit the stores, I don’t know if I’ll score, but I’m happy when I do. Joe shops the way a hunter approaches a field of buffalo: He’s there to bring something home. Our respective approaches apply to sex, as well. While I hope to have an orgasm every time, Joe expects one. Because men are biologically built to climax faster and more easily than we are, they count on fireworks every time. Women’s checkered success rate—only a third always have an orgasm, Dr. Brizendine says—means we aren’t surprised when we don’t cross the finish line. Guys also tend to be more results-driven in the first place. “Sexual gratification plays heavily into male reward centers in the brain, so men are more motivated to seek an orgasm,” explains Ian Kerner, a sex therapist and the author of Passionista (HarperPaperbacks). Women are apt to be more process-oriented: “When aroused, women produce added oxytocin, which stokes a sense of intimacy,” Kerner says. “So there’s more emphasis on enjoying the journey instead of the destination.”

How to borrow from the boys To score as many O’s as he does, start by assuming his entitled mind-set. Before you get busy, tell yourself, I deserve to have an orgasm! “If you go into sex with a conviction that you have the right to pleasure, that will empower you to communicate your needs to your partner, and you’ll be more likely to have them met,” Kerner explains. Once you have the right attitude, take some results-oriented action. Most men have no problem flipping us around dozens of times to find the most pleasurable position. So ask yourself what it’s going to take to reach your peak. A vibrator? Being on top? Some sexy tunes? Then reach into your nightstand drawer, switch positions or hit PLAY!

He drops everything for sex

Imagine this: You toss a come-hither look over your shoulder at your mate as you walk away, dropping clothes in your wake. “Sorry, honey,” he calls after your naked back. “I’d love to join you, but I really need to finish alphabetizing these DVDs!” Yeah, right. So why is it so hard for us to prioritize sex in the face of our to-do list? “The parts of the brain associated with stress need to deactivate in order for women to focus on sex,” Kerner says. Unfortunately, women often believe the only way to do that is to cross off every last task. And because we need to be warmed up more than men do, getting in the mood after a stressful day can be more of a challenge. “Foreplay for women is often the 24 hours leading up to sex,” Dr. Birndorf explains. “For men, it can be the few minutes before penetration.”
How to borrow from the boys Parrott suggests taking a two-week act-like-a-guy challenge. “For the next 14 days, see what happens when you drop everything to be intimate,” he suggests. For instance, leave that load of laundry in the washer until you get down and dirty, then dry and fold. Better yet, enlist your partner to help you finish those tasks. By the end of the 14 days, there’s a good chance most of those pesky chores will have gotten done, maybe even with a smile. To help sharpen your focus on sex—and not get distracted by that titillating wallpaper project or work report—take a cue from your very visual partner and fire up the mental movie projector. “Fantasizing relaxes the parts of a woman’s brain that process stress and anxiety, which can be fueled by to-do’s,” Kerner explains. Filling your head with sexy scenarios can help crowd out thoughts of boring chores.

He’s direct about what he wants

When a guy wants something—your time; your attention; you, naked, in bed—he generally comes out and asks for it. He’ll also make his sexual requests (“Do this to that body part!”) without hesitation. Women don’t always voice their desires as freely and easily. The source of our reticence seems to be overthinking. Often, we dance around our wishes out of an innate inclination to protect our partner’s ego. “Some women worry that asking for something implies that their partner is failing to deliver,” Moalem says. In other cases, unrealistic, romanticized notions of sex are to blame. “Women will say, ‘He should know what I like,’” says Gail Markle, who teaches sociology at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Men, on the other hand, don’t expect us to read their mind.

How to borrow from the boys If you want him to do something that will knock your socks off, you’re going to have to speak up—just like a guy. The trick: “Men don’t put their sexual requests in an emotional context,” Moalem explains. He doesn’t worry about hurting your feelings when he asks you to try a new position, so you shouldn’t stress about whether you’ll hurt his if you ask him to, say, take it slower. If you’re uneasy verbalizing your desire, write it down: Parrott instructs couples to keep separate journals filled with sexual fantasies, and regularly pass them back and forth. It’s a simple way of expressing your wishes if you tend to get embarrassed by pillow talk. Though men and women may have different approaches to sex, at the end of the day (or night), our ultimate goal is the same—satisfaction.



Prettier in a weekend!

Prettier in a weekend!

Want to appear five years younger? (Yep, us, too!) You could turn to lasers and fillers or you could use our easy 48-hour plan for smoother skin, whiter teeth and a head-to-toe glow. Start on Saturday; look amazing by Monday.

Reclaim your fresh, youthful radiance

Glow givers High school is long over (thank goodness!), but you can help skin act the way it did back then by sloughing off dull surface cells to uncover smoother, more resilient skin underneath, says Patricia Wexler, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. Try a microdermabrasion cream such as Estée Lauder Idealist Micro-D, $46. Unlike with a peel, results are instant. Use light pressure; the granulated texture does all the work. To make extra sure you’ll be carded for that mimosa over brunch, complement bright skin with an even tone: Blotchy pigmentation can add up to 12 years to your perceived age, a study in Evolution and Human Behavior reports. Tinted moisturizer, such as light-reflecting Olay Definity Color Recapture, $25, camouflages imperfections but appears natural. Apply a sheer coat of regular lotion first so tint won’t soak into dry spots, causing splotches. Wear the tint daily; repeat the exfoliation each weekend.

Reclaim your shiny hair and lustrous color

Gloss enhancers Wisdom, maturity, a nicer pad—luckily, the upsides of getting older far outweigh downsides such as dull hair—especially because plant oils so easily restore shine and color richness by replacing waning scalp oil. “Jojoba-based blends are light, like your own oil, and penetrate hair to moisturize and smooth the outer cuticle, so light bounces off,” says James Corbett, of James Corbett Studio in NYC. Try Aetó Botanica Olive, Babassu & Jojoba Fortifying Oil, $34, and this simple salonlike glossing treatment: Finger-comb oil through dry hair. (Water repels oil.) Blast with a blow-dryer for one to two minutes, don a shower cap, then curl up with a book as the cap traps heat, helping oil absorb. After a half hour, wash out excess, but don’t wet hair first: Mix shampoo with a splash of water, saturate strands, then rinse. Without a lot of extra H2O, shampoo can break down oil better so it rinses out easier. Head off tangles with only a little conditioner, but skip silicone-heavy serums altogether to help keep hair bouncy. Dry as usual and enjoy the head-turning results.

Reclaim your touchably smooth hands

Skin rejuvenators Pop in an old movie, indulge in this pampering routine and watch the drying, wrinkling effects of past sun exposure fade away as the heroine falls in love. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of whole milk or cream. (Or try the ready-made Sally Hansen Shea Butter Hand & Body Butter Scrub, $7.) Scoop up the wet sugar and exfoliate your hands, spending extra time on dryness-prone knuckles and cuticles, says Skyy Hadley, owner of As “U” Wish Nail Spa in Hoboken, New Jersey. Next, soak in the remaining liquid for five minutes to let the milk’s fat and lactic acid soften skin. Rinse and rub in a cream with petrolatum (to trap water) and dimethicone (which reduces greasiness and temporarily fills in fine lines). Massage cream into nail plates, too, then buff off with a towel for a quick shine. Heading outside? Try a moisturizer with sunscreen, such as Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30, $6.

Reclaim your snowy, bright smile

Whiteness restorers Signs you enjoy small pleasures in life—a glass of Merlot with dinner, a daily Starbucks fix—can build up on teeth, but erasing them is a snap. Stains respond better to whiteners if you remove surface plaque first, says Edmond Hewlett, D.D.S., a consumer advisor in Los Angeles for the American Dental Association. After lingering over a latte, try new Crest Weekly Clean toothpaste, $4. It has extra silica for a texture that’s similar to the polishing pumice dentists use. (A teaspoon of baking soda in ½ teaspoon water also works, although less effectively.) Load it on an oscillating brush, which removes more buildup than a manual, and spend about four seconds on each tooth. Floss, brush as usual (for the fluoride polishers don’t contain), then apply a whitener. Strips deliver pearly results, Dr. Hewlett says. Plus, they can be less messy and cumbersome than one-size-fits-all trays, letting you focus on the Sunday paper, not catching drool. Polish teeth once a weekend; more often is unnecessary.

Reclaim your soft skin from the neck down

Moisture savers These easy tips keep your body’s skin so supple, you won’t realize it’s producing less softness-preserving oil than it used to. You’ve heard that long, hot showers dry out skin. But temperature is actually less of a factor than duration, says David Herschthal, M.D., a dermatologist in Boca Raton, Florida. So you can warm up a chilly weekend with a steamy stream, but limit it to five minutes. Afterward, pat skin with a towel and apply cream while damp. This is oft-heard but frequently ignored advice, says Audrey Kunin, M.D., a derm in Kansas City, Missouri, yet it’s a crucial step: Sealing in water is the most effective route to naturally soft skin. Try a cream with lactic or glycolic acid, such as Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Lotion, $7, which contains the former. “These acids dissolve the ‘glue’ between dead surface cells so moisturizers penetrate better,” she says. Cozy cotton pj’s add another moisture-trapping layer. Go ahead, stay in them all afternoon! Come Monday, you’ll radiate a refreshed, been-away-for-days glow.



Prettier in a weekend!

Prettier in a weekend!

Want to appear five years younger? (Yep, us, too!) You could turn to lasers and fillers or you could use our easy 48-hour plan for smoother skin, whiter teeth and a head-to-toe glow. Start on Saturday; look amazing by Monday.

Reclaim your fresh, youthful radiance

Glow givers High school is long over (thank goodness!), but you can help skin act the way it did back then by sloughing off dull surface cells to uncover smoother, more resilient skin underneath, says Patricia Wexler, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. Try a microdermabrasion cream such as Estée Lauder Idealist Micro-D, $46. Unlike with a peel, results are instant. Use light pressure; the granulated texture does all the work. To make extra sure you’ll be carded for that mimosa over brunch, complement bright skin with an even tone: Blotchy pigmentation can add up to 12 years to your perceived age, a study in Evolution and Human Behavior reports. Tinted moisturizer, such as light-reflecting Olay Definity Color Recapture, $25, camouflages imperfections but appears natural. Apply a sheer coat of regular lotion first so tint won’t soak into dry spots, causing splotches. Wear the tint daily; repeat the exfoliation each weekend.

Reclaim your shiny hair and lustrous color

Gloss enhancers Wisdom, maturity, a nicer pad—luckily, the upsides of getting older far outweigh downsides such as dull hair—especially because plant oils so easily restore shine and color richness by replacing waning scalp oil. “Jojoba-based blends are light, like your own oil, and penetrate hair to moisturize and smooth the outer cuticle, so light bounces off,” says James Corbett, of James Corbett Studio in NYC. Try Aetó Botanica Olive, Babassu & Jojoba Fortifying Oil, $34, and this simple salonlike glossing treatment: Finger-comb oil through dry hair. (Water repels oil.) Blast with a blow-dryer for one to two minutes, don a shower cap, then curl up with a book as the cap traps heat, helping oil absorb. After a half hour, wash out excess, but don’t wet hair first: Mix shampoo with a splash of water, saturate strands, then rinse. Without a lot of extra H2O, shampoo can break down oil better so it rinses out easier. Head off tangles with only a little conditioner, but skip silicone-heavy serums altogether to help keep hair bouncy. Dry as usual and enjoy the head-turning results.

Reclaim your touchably smooth hands

Skin rejuvenators Pop in an old movie, indulge in this pampering routine and watch the drying, wrinkling effects of past sun exposure fade away as the heroine falls in love. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of whole milk or cream. (Or try the ready-made Sally Hansen Shea Butter Hand & Body Butter Scrub, $7.) Scoop up the wet sugar and exfoliate your hands, spending extra time on dryness-prone knuckles and cuticles, says Skyy Hadley, owner of As “U” Wish Nail Spa in Hoboken, New Jersey. Next, soak in the remaining liquid for five minutes to let the milk’s fat and lactic acid soften skin. Rinse and rub in a cream with petrolatum (to trap water) and dimethicone (which reduces greasiness and temporarily fills in fine lines). Massage cream into nail plates, too, then buff off with a towel for a quick shine. Heading outside? Try a moisturizer with sunscreen, such as Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30, $6.

Reclaim your snowy, bright smile

Whiteness restorers Signs you enjoy small pleasures in life—a glass of Merlot with dinner, a daily Starbucks fix—can build up on teeth, but erasing them is a snap. Stains respond better to whiteners if you remove surface plaque first, says Edmond Hewlett, D.D.S., a consumer advisor in Los Angeles for the American Dental Association. After lingering over a latte, try new Crest Weekly Clean toothpaste, $4. It has extra silica for a texture that’s similar to the polishing pumice dentists use. (A teaspoon of baking soda in ½ teaspoon water also works, although less effectively.) Load it on an oscillating brush, which removes more buildup than a manual, and spend about four seconds on each tooth. Floss, brush as usual (for the fluoride polishers don’t contain), then apply a whitener. Strips deliver pearly results, Dr. Hewlett says. Plus, they can be less messy and cumbersome than one-size-fits-all trays, letting you focus on the Sunday paper, not catching drool. Polish teeth once a weekend; more often is unnecessary.

Reclaim your soft skin from the neck down

Moisture savers These easy tips keep your body’s skin so supple, you won’t realize it’s producing less softness-preserving oil than it used to. You’ve heard that long, hot showers dry out skin. But temperature is actually less of a factor than duration, says David Herschthal, M.D., a dermatologist in Boca Raton, Florida. So you can warm up a chilly weekend with a steamy stream, but limit it to five minutes. Afterward, pat skin with a towel and apply cream while damp. This is oft-heard but frequently ignored advice, says Audrey Kunin, M.D., a derm in Kansas City, Missouri, yet it’s a crucial step: Sealing in water is the most effective route to naturally soft skin. Try a cream with lactic or glycolic acid, such as Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Lotion, $7, which contains the former. “These acids dissolve the ‘glue’ between dead surface cells so moisturizers penetrate better,” she says. Cozy cotton pj’s add another moisture-trapping layer. Go ahead, stay in them all afternoon! Come Monday, you’ll radiate a refreshed, been-away-for-days glow.



5 Moves to Kick Off Your Morning

I’ve never been a “hit the ground” running kind of girl. It’s not that I sleep in late or shutter at the sunlight; I just like to lay in bed and enjoy the warmth of my cozy down comforter before allowing my toes to touch the floor. With the chillier shorter days playing into my lazy hand, I’ve started doing some morning stretches right under my covers that are almost having me hopping out of the sheets and into my jogging shoes. Come check out the simple moves you can do to get your morning started.

From Head to Toe Reach your hands above your head and point your toes out as long as they go. It will feel like you’re a few inches taller and a few pounds lighter. After you finish this stretch, you’ll be able to swing your legs around and announce, “Hello world!”

Knees Up One of the most basic of all stretches, the knees to chest motion can get the joints juiced up and the muscles activated. Bring one knee to the chest and hold it for a few seconds. Switch to the other leg. Repeat the set three times. Hug both knees together for the last stretch.

Legs up Don’t stay horizontal. Throw your legs up against the headboard to get your blood flowing in a different direction. If you want a more intense hamstring stretch, you can scissor kick your legs with your flexed feet.

Make Like a Snake If you wake up on your stomach, you can easily tilt your head up and lift up onto your elbows for a cobra stretch. After holding a few seconds in the pose, you can drop the chin down to the chest and roll your head from side to side giving your neck muscles a nice wake up call.

Side to Side Get back to the basics with a simple side stretch. Take a deep breath, open up the rib cage and give the ol’ hamstrings a little oxygen. Bring it back to the center and bend forward reaching toward the edge of the bed. When the last exhale is over, crawl your way out of bed and get your day started!

~ Self Magazine



Panicked about portion size?

Q. I have trouble controlling my portion sizes mostly because I eat so fast. Growing up I was always shoving food in my face before a sports practice or a game.How do I slow myself down after years of racing to finish my plate?

A. You’re absolutely right: Eating too fast can definitely lead you to overeat. Recognizing the habit–and how you developed it–seems like a big part of the battle. Now you just need some strategies to help you develop healthy new habits! Here are some ideas–and I bet our readers will have more to add.

On your mark, get set, pause. Before you pick up your fork, put your hands in your lap and take a couple of deep breaths.Remind yourself that the meal is an experience to be savored and not a race to the finish.

Pay attention. This seems obvious but take the time to notice what you’re eating. See if you can really taste the ingredients, the seasonings. Observe the texture, the temperature, the flavor. Pretend you’re a restaurant critic and will need to describe the meal in minute and colorful detail afterward. Notice what you like and don’t like–although if you didn’t do the cooking, you might choose to keep your review to yourself!

Finish each bite. I often catch myself loading up my fork with the next bite before I’ve even begun to chew, much less taste, the bite that’s in my mouth. You can actually put your fork down between bites or simply rest it on the side of the plate but don’t make another move until you’ve swallowed. Have a sip of water or wine. Then think about what you’d like to put on your fork next.

Make each bite smaller. Cutting the size of each bite in half, and fully savoring each one, will also help slow you down.

Make meals media-free. Eating in front of the television or computer screen is a good way to lose track of what you’re doing. Call a moratorium on multi-tasking while you’re eating.

Out of sight, out of mouth. Serve yourself an appropriate amount of food and then put the rest away. Leaving serving bowls on the table (or eating out of them) encourages over-eating.

Down-size your dishes. As Dr. Brian Wansinck, the author of Mindless Eating, points out, the average size of a dinner plate has increased from 9 inches to a whopping 13 inches. When you use larger dishes, you tend to eat more. If you have fashionably oversized china, try serving your meals on the sandwich plates instead of the dinner plate.

Wait before heading for seconds. If you finish your plate in under fifteen minutes and you still feel hungry, wait at least five or ten minutes before heading for seconds. Often, the urge for more simply goes away.

From Self Magazine *



Panicked about portion size?

Q. I have trouble controlling my portion sizes mostly because I eat so fast. Growing up I was always shoving food in my face before a sports practice or a game.How do I slow myself down after years of racing to finish my plate?

A. You’re absolutely right: Eating too fast can definitely lead you to overeat. Recognizing the habit–and how you developed it–seems like a big part of the battle. Now you just need some strategies to help you develop healthy new habits! Here are some ideas–and I bet our readers will have more to add.

On your mark, get set, pause. Before you pick up your fork, put your hands in your lap and take a couple of deep breaths.Remind yourself that the meal is an experience to be savored and not a race to the finish.

Pay attention. This seems obvious but take the time to notice what you’re eating. See if you can really taste the ingredients, the seasonings. Observe the texture, the temperature, the flavor. Pretend you’re a restaurant critic and will need to describe the meal in minute and colorful detail afterward. Notice what you like and don’t like–although if you didn’t do the cooking, you might choose to keep your review to yourself!

Finish each bite. I often catch myself loading up my fork with the next bite before I’ve even begun to chew, much less taste, the bite that’s in my mouth. You can actually put your fork down between bites or simply rest it on the side of the plate but don’t make another move until you’ve swallowed. Have a sip of water or wine. Then think about what you’d like to put on your fork next.

Make each bite smaller. Cutting the size of each bite in half, and fully savoring each one, will also help slow you down.

Make meals media-free. Eating in front of the television or computer screen is a good way to lose track of what you’re doing. Call a moratorium on multi-tasking while you’re eating.

Out of sight, out of mouth. Serve yourself an appropriate amount of food and then put the rest away. Leaving serving bowls on the table (or eating out of them) encourages over-eating.

Down-size your dishes. As Dr. Brian Wansinck, the author of Mindless Eating, points out, the average size of a dinner plate has increased from 9 inches to a whopping 13 inches. When you use larger dishes, you tend to eat more. If you have fashionably oversized china, try serving your meals on the sandwich plates instead of the dinner plate.

Wait before heading for seconds. If you finish your plate in under fifteen minutes and you still feel hungry, wait at least five or ten minutes before heading for seconds. Often, the urge for more simply goes away.

From Self Magazine *

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