By Stephanie S. Saunders

Elvis Presley, the king of rock 'n' roll, pelvic thrusts, and peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, was rumored to have once heavily sedated himself for 2 weeks in an attempt to continually sleep and lose weight. While he might have removed the bags from under his eyes, Elvis' crash diet did nothing to help him cram into that jumpsuit, and he ended up gaining 10 pounds. As far back as the binge-and-purge bacchanalias of ancient Rome, people have been trying to lose weight in the fastest and sometimes strangest ways. With tactics ranging from subsisting on baby food to ingesting live tapeworms, crash diets promise quick and efficient weight loss, but at what price?

What is a crash diet?

A crash diet is any nutritional plan that severely reduces calories, is nutritionally restrictive, and is supposed to promote quick weight loss. Often the diet focuses on one food group or type, and is not usually intended for long-term use. Any diet that goes below 1,000 calories a day is considered extremely dangerous, and just one step away from starvation.

What is the benefit?

Do crash diets actually work? According to Dr. Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University, crash diets are (at least temporarily) effective for "disinhibited eaters," or those who are easily tempted by food. (That's all of us, isn't it?) According to her study, by dropping weight quickly, those who are easily discouraged by slow and steady weight loss get instant gratification, and therefore, results. The problem, of course, is that you can't maintain a crash diet forever. Donald Hensrud, chairman of preventive medicine at Mayo Clinic, said: "People could eat nothing but jelly beans and if they were eating just a small amount, they would lose weight. You might be able to get away with it for a period of time, but the more restrictive the diet is—and the longer you follow it—the greater the risks."

What are those risks?

The first issue is usually nutrient deficiency, as one cannot get all of the nutrients he or she needs from a bowl of cabbage soup. It is difficult to get a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamin D, or iron on a very low-calorie diet. You can do permanent damage to your organs by not providing them with their required fuel. If you lose too much fluid, you can damage your electrolyte level, and become easily dehydrated. We know low levels of potassium and sodium can cause cramping, fainting, and even heart failure.

The next thing you're looking at is a slower metabolism. Your body is an extremely efficient machine and will slow down its resting metabolic rate in order to survive longer. This is how our ancestors made it through famine, floods, and sometimes, just winter. Over time, you will lose lean muscle without the proper nutrients to maintain it, which will lower your metabolism even further. With that slower metabolism comes decreased energy. Not only will that affect your home and work life, it will destroy your workouts.

Should you continue on the super low-cal path, you are likely to suffer catabolic reactions. You would expect to lose weight as long as your metabolism uses up more chemicals and energy than it is replacing, right? In fact, weight loss may occur for a short period resulting not from fat loss, but from breakdown of cell structures, organ tissue, bone, and muscle. The body then uses up structural proteins in order to survive. So, yes, your body will begin to consume itself.

Your emotional state will usually alter with the lower number on the scale, which is not quite low enough to compensate for how yucky you feel. Irritability, depression, and lack of patience are very common with calorie restriction. Your sleep state will be affected, as severe caloric restriction often disrupts sleep patterns and can cause insomnia. Lack of sleep, in turn, will not assist in muscle recovery, your mood, or your energy. And eventually when you return to a rational eating plan, your body will be all the more likely to store everything you eat, as it thinks it has been starving for the last few weeks.

Why, why, why?

So, why on earth would anyone do this to themselves, especially if it means only drinking lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper? The quick fix. We are a drive-thru nation that believes instant gratification is our birthright. If we can get it in a pill or hire someone to do it for us, we will. We also live in a culture obsessed with thinness, and we seldom take into consideration how much lean muscle can actually do for us, and how much better it looks than "skinny fat." So we torture ourselves with the "path of least resistance" and end up right back where we started, often before that high school reunion or Christmas party actually happens. And we still can't fit into that darn dress.

What is the answer?

The answer is, as it has been for centuries, to make a decision to change your life, and then to have the motivation and discipline to stick with it. Eat a clean diet, somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 calories depending on your needs, split up over 5 to 6 meals a day with an appropriate balance of protein, carbs, and fats. Perform intense exercise that burns 500 to 800 calories a day, creating a greater caloric deficit, and speeding up your metabolism. Drink lots of water; get 8 hours of sleep; and try to avoid alcohol, refined sugar, and processed foods. Losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is not really hard to figure out, but it does take hard work and commitment to a plan.

Conclusion

Cyril Connolly, the famous writer and critic, once said, "The one way to get thin is to reestablish a purpose in life." And truly, that is the kind of commitment it takes. If weight loss were easy, everyone in the world would pop a pill, subsist on only bananas, and walk for just 30 minutes a day. If weight loss were easy, we would not be inundated with Jenny Craig® commercials and weight loss-based reality shows. If weight loss were easy, all of those New Year's resolutions would have come to fruition. But diets alone, especially the crash variety, do not work. So stay off the diet merry-go-round and stay committed to the control of your health and your appearance. Just because Elvis couldn't lose weight without extreme means doesn't mean you can't. Of course, you probably can't get paid thousands to wear a rhinestoned spandex jumpsuit, so it evens out.

By Amy Ludwig

Choosing a healthy lifestyle is not, unfortunately, one of those "set it and forget it" decisions. Don't we all wish it were? Instead, it's a result of many smaller choices we make every day—with every meal. Every snack. And every workout.

You always start the day with the best intentions. You eat a thoughtful breakfast. You pack a sensible lunch, and even remember to bring it with you to work. But then comes mid-afternoon, a dip in energy, and lowered self-control. If you're already in that weakened state and you hear that there are cupcakes in the office for someone's birthday, well, in the words of Donnie Brasco, "Fuhgeddaboudit."

Healthy habits only become habits when you do them more than once.

Instead of setting yourself up to fail, you can set yourself up to make good choices by planning ahead. That will give you a fighting chance to succeed. So where do you begin?

Identifying your weaknesses is the first step. Figure out where you're likely to slip up, and you can take action to prevent it. Here are 10 common problems that derail many of us, and suggestions for how to fight back.

1. Avoid eating late at night. Your metabolism slows down when you sleep, so late-night calories are harder to burn off.
   
   Fight back: Eat small meals or snacks every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. Time your meals so that you stop 2 to 3 hours before you go to bed.
2. Don't grab fast food on impulse. You're already on your way to avoiding this one if you're eating regular small meals and snacks. You'll keep your brain fed, so it doesn't shut down.
   
   Fight back: Pack healthy snacks and bring them with you. These can be simple—a small handful of raw almonds is a better choice than a greasy burger.
3. If you shouldn't eat it, don't put it in your shopping cart. Seriously. If you put it in your shopping cart, it comes home with you. And you know it's there.
   
   Fight back: It's much harder to eat junk food in a moment of stress or weakness if it's not in your house.
4. If you're tempted by junk food, look in the mirror. Think it through—those calories will go somewhere. And probably somewhere you've spent hours in the gym trying to slim and shape. So a bad choice now will just mean more effort later.
   
   Fight back: Reach for a piece of fruit instead.
5. Don't eat for comfort. If something gets you stressed or upset, take a breath, not a bite. Knowing that you're taking good care of yourself, even when you're down, will help you to feel better more quickly.
   
   Fight back: Try calling a friend, taking a 10-minute walk around the block, or playing with your pet. Or working out.
6. Find healthy versions of your favorite guilty pleasures. Stock your kitchen with those instead.
   
   Fight back: Craving ice cream? A creamy low-fat yogurt could hit the spot. Want the crunch of chips? Try snacking on fresh red peppers, sliced jicama, or baked kale chips (they're easy to make, and astonishingly tasty).
7. Pay attention to portion size. You don't need to eat heaping helpings.
   
   Fight back: If you absolutely must have ice cream, grab a teacup instead of a bowl. You'll get the taste you crave, but in a much smaller serving.
8. Make exercise a priority. It's easy to let it feel optional and get lost in the shuffle.
   
   Fight back: Plan your workout schedule for the week and stick to it. If that feels too daunting, start by committing to 1 day. Then try planning for 2 days, and build from there. When you start seeing results, you won't want to stop.
9. Just work out—don't ask yourself if you want to. Most people (myself included) would answer "No."
   
   Fight back: Just commit, get in your workout clothes, and Push Play. You'll be sweating, happy, and proud of yourself before you know it.
10. Must have chocolate? Reach for chocolate Shakeology^®. It's made with real cocoa, so it hits that chocolate nerve—as well as providing essential vitamins and minerals to nourish your body, and cleansing prebiotics to gently eliminate built-up toxins from eating processed foods.

Overall, keep your larger goal in mind: to live a healthy, fulfilling life. Let that aim inform your individual choices. They'll transform from problems into stepping stones on your path to success.

A great way to remind yourself to make good choices throughout the day is to start it off with Shakeology for breakfast. Not only is it a nutritious, healthy meal, it will help curb your cravings and increase your energy.

By Jeanine Natale

When I turned 40 this past February, one of the pledges I made was to look and feel much better than I had at 39, or at 38, 37, or 36, for that matter. I'd become pudgy and very out of shape through a combination of a badly broken toe that stranded me on crutches for months, terrible eating habits, and, of course, no exercise other than stumping around on those sticks.

Even after I got off the crutches, it was several more months before I could really walk and move around normally again. Sick of how I was feeling and looking, I made up my mind that by the Big 4-0, I was going to be fabulous! Here are 11 tips that have helped get me to where I want to be.

1. Favorite sports, new activities. My big transformation happened over summer, which meant I got to surf free of my wetsuit! Even without the effort of struggling into a suit, it takes good overall fitness, especially solid core strength, to carry that longboard over long stretches of sand, paddle, and master the all-important pop-up maneuver. If surfing isn't your thing, think about the kinds of activities and workouts that you loved doing when you were younger, or perhaps always wanted to do and never got around to. And if you've got kids, take a look at the kinds of things they like to do for fun. Okay, maybe learning to skateboard at 40 isn't such a bright idea, but playing basketball or soccer are both great workouts, as are ballet and martial arts.
2. Solid workout. While trying new activities is always a thrill, it's also a good idea to have a solid, regular workout program for developing overall fitness. Programs like Power 90^®, Slim in 6^®, and Turbo Jam^® provide an excellent system to get yourself back in shape if you've let yourself go, so you can get back to those activities you love to do without the frustration of struggling to catch your breath in the middle of a game, when everyone else around you is raring to go. Then, too, the workouts are challenging—and fun—in their own right! Remember, you're as young as you feel, and as aging causes us to start losing muscle mass and bone density, getting back in shape doing something you love is a great way to fight back.
3. Take a hike and do some yoga. Getting back on my feet, I found that doing a daily low-impact walk was a great way to get rid of specific sore spots in my feet and knees from limping around on crutches. And warming up before and after any kind of walk or run is a good way to avoid undoing your efforts at exercise by just being stiff and sore for days after. There are several studies showing yoga to be one of the best stretch exercises around at any age, but especially for those of us 40 and over. Even my own mom and dad, who have NEVER been fitness buffs, have discovered yoga and stretching at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively. I've seen the positive changes especially in my dad, who suffers from osteoporosis, peripheral neuropathy, and now Parkinson's disease. My mom, recently recovered from a broken hip, makes a great yoga buddy for my dad, and as the two of them have been at it for the last 6 months, I see my dad up and taking walks now, and eating healthy (something he also never did before!). And my mom isn't limping anymore or getting stiff knees. They're smiling more, too. I took an informal poll, and I found that at least 85 percent of people I know over the age of 20 who are in good health and good shape do yoga on a regular basis.
4. Get a little color in those cheeks (but not too much!). Taking a walk on a sunny day is one way to do that. However, it is crucial to be safe and smart about it. That baking-sheet-style, lie-out-roasting tan isn't good for your skin at any age! Wear sunglasses with UV protection and carry sunscreen with you at all times when you are out in the sun. Apply it liberally and often! If you are working up a sweat, or you're walking on the beach splashing in the waves, sunscreen washes off—even the waterproof kind. Also, if you're taking a calcium supplement such as Beachbody's Core Cal-Mag^™, a moderate amount of sunshine is one good way to get the vitamin D necessary to help your body absorb calcium. But I repeat, do NOT forget sunscreen!
5. Moisturize! No matter what time of year it is, I'm finding that my skin really is more sensitive to humidity levels, and dries out much more quickly. Do some research and find the products that are suited to your skin type—you'll be able to tell pretty quickly which lip balms and lotions are right for you—and use 'em! For summer especially, make sure they contain a strong enough sunscreen. Keep a little sample-size bottle in your car, another in your backpack or purse, and don't leave home without it!
6. Truly healthy juices, truly healthy shakes. And I mean serious juice—the kind with dark leafy greens, beets, ginger, carrots, etc. I do love my juicer. Why? Because it leaves all the fibery goodness in my cocktail and I can get a heaping plateful of summer-fresh fruits and veggies in one glass—I always replace at least one meal, if not two, with a big 16-ounce glass of juice. But if dealing with a juicer and prepping veggies and fruits sounds too time consuming to you, check out Shakeology^®, the Healthiest Meal of the Day^®. This is a new discovery for me, and it contains everything I love about my juices, plus so much more.
7. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, supplements. Feel free to explore the vast world of supplements, vitamins, and minerals. I tend to have a very sensitive stomach when it comes to taking the pill form of some vitamins and herbal remedies, but recently a 46-year-old friend of mine, who is an excellent massage therapist and yoga buff, made me a juice with the following supplements: echinacea, goldenseal, ginseng, gingko, biotin, spirulina, chlorella, blue-green algae, yerba santa, grapefruit seed extract, acidophilus, 5-HTP amino acid complex, and bee pollen. I washed down a handful of probably 20 pills and capsules with that juice, and was very pleasantly surprised that it gave me no trouble whatsoever and had me feeling good all day. Do your research and find the mix that works for you.
8. Be nice to your body—it needs you. Pulling all-nighters, eating junk food, and hunching over the computer for hours moving nothing but your fingertips: Ahhh, the good old days! If you still love doing this and you've been out of college for more than a decade, at least trade in the junk food for a healthier choice. And your body will thank you profusely if you just stand up every half hour to move around and stretch, even for a couple of minutes. In all honesty, recovering from those late nights—whether you're out partying or fervidly working on an important project—becomes much harder to do as our bodies age. If you have to be at work in the morning after a rough night, it shows up under your eyes, in your back, in your knees, in the heavy fog coating your brain—you get the picture. You can't always be on an optimal stress-free schedule, but being mindful of your body really does help.
9. Avoid late-night meals and midnight snacks. If you've been active on a beautiful long summer day, you'll be good and ready for bed. If you want the experience to be a restful one, avoid eating a heavy late-night meal. While there are many studies and opinions on the actual long-term health effects of this, the general consensus is that if you do eat just before bed, keep it light and simple. As Chris Idzikowski, Director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, says, "A heavy meal can sometimes lead to heartburn-type or reflux symptoms as you're lying down with a full stomach."
10. Get a good night's sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep needs change over a person's lifetime, and older adults may produce and secrete less melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. Being active during the day and getting enough exercise goes a long way to not only keeping you healthy, but leaving you feeling more relaxed and, well, ready for bed.
11. Be proactive and be proud of your active self! Whether you've always been in shape and are now beginning to feel the effects of aging, or were out of shape and reached 40 with more of a beginner's outlook on fitness, the fact that you are taking steps to get fit and get healthy both inside and outside is a major achievement that takes time, commitment, sweat, and effort. The payoffs are many, including less time feeling out of sorts and less time in the doctor’s office. With all the science and knowledge we have so readily available today, there's no reason to despair about old age. Age truly is just a number. In fact, a recent 2010 study by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research showed that, overall, people aged 70 and older who had a positive mental attitude about aging and who were physically active reported feeling much younger than their years. Conversely, those who had a more negative attitude about getting older tended to be less active; and reported feeling at least their age, if not older; and reporting more health problems than the younger group did.

Way back when, a friend of mine commented that he just couldn't keep up like he used to on the volleyball court—that he was perhaps getting too old to do that sort of thing anymore. We were only 27 years old! It was probably the first time I had heard anyone my age mention something like that, and then—as now—I simply refused to accept it. Don't get me wrong, there is always the (unwelcome) possibility that some underlying health issue is a contributing factor, in which case serious medical attention must be sought. Fortunately, it wasn't so in this instance. But I remember being surprised by my friend's statement. He was in great shape—probably in better shape than I was—and at the time, I was riding at least 20 miles a day on my bike and was, indeed, quite healthy! Now at the ripe old age of 40, having "let myself go" only to make some much-needed and welcome improvements, I believe there's a lot to be said for being and feeling as young as you think you are, and there's no time like the present to be your best.

By Omar Shamout

While dating is technically supposed to be fun, in reality, it's kinda hard work. In the early phases, the stress of waiting for phone calls, the anxiety over what to wear or how to do your hair, the tension of awkward silences during the calamari appetizer—all can be brutal on the ol' ticker. Later on, trying to find fresh ways to keep the bloom of love alive can often seem like equally hard work. Plus all that wining and dining can be your wallet's worst enemy, not to mention your waistline's. With all this in mind, we'd like to suggest a few fun, healthy—and inexpensive—ways to incorporate fitness into your efforts at romance, whether with someone new you're trying to woo, or someone with whom you'd like to continually keep rekindling the fires of desire.

1. The Sand-in-the-Toes Date. Yup, everyone's favorite romantic cliché is actually quite good exercise. Since we're used to wearing shoes, we generally don't engage most of the muscles in our feet for everyday use. Walking barefoot on sand will force you to use all the muscles in your feet, making it a surprisingly challenging workout that'll help prevent injuries in other activities. (And if you want to take things up a notch, running on sand burns 30 percent more calories than running on pavement does. Start out on wet sand—it'll help better acclimate your feet to the surface.) So after you've had your lovely candlelit dinner, you can walk off that dessert on the beach. If you get tired, stop, sit under the moon, listen to the waves and, well . . . you get the picture.
2. The Check–out-Your-Town-on-Foot Date. Now that you've built up those foot muscles, use them to explore your city! Be it New York, where commuting on foot is a given, or Los Angeles, where walking is practically verboten, there are a plethora of walking tours designed to cater to a variety of different interests—gastronomic, historical, and everything in between. Whether you live in a sprawling metropolis or in Smalltown, USA, in this virtual age, it's important to remember that we live in actual physical spaces, each with a story all its own.
3. The Great Outdoors Date. Next time you feel the urge for a romantic weekend getaway, consider sleeping under the stars instead of under the roof of a five-star resort. Sure, we all love room service, but sometimes it takes the vastness of wide-open spaces to create true intimacy. Guys, go from ordinary Joe to knight in shining armor as you protect your lady from lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). Gals, impress your beau with some dazzling tree-climbing skills, or with your ability to start a fire with a couple of sticks. Resourcefulness is very sexy!
4. The Nine-Hole Date. Not only is walking (no cart, please!) nine or 18 holes of golf great cardio, it's also a good way to add some competitive spirit to a relationship. Public courses won't overtax your bank account, and you can usually rent clubs for a reasonable price, too. If the prospect of an actual round of golf seems too daunting, a driving range is also a great way to have some fun while being active. If things are a little tense between you and your significant other, it might actually be therapeutic! And if even a driving range seems beyond your skill set, there's always mini-golf. You heard it here first: chasing a ball down before it enters the wrong windmill door and falls in the moat counts as exercise.
5. The Water Date. It's the end of summer, and chances are it's still pretty warm where you live. Too hot for a lot of clothes. So why not take your P90X^®-toned bodies down to the local watering hole and go for a swim? It's a great full-body, low-impact cardio workout that's easy on the joints. Because you use more muscles 'n' limbs to move your body when you swim, you'll also be burning more calories. If you live near a beach, lake, or river, make a whole day of it and lounge on the shore as you discover new ways to get sand in places you didn't think it was possible for sand to even go. If you're feeling extra-festive, bring a portable BBQ and grill up some lean protein (ideally fish, maybe even fish you caught yourself!) and a few fresh veggies. Exercise and heart-healthy food—they just seem to go together, don't they?

If you put your mind to it, there are countless ways to have fun-filled adventures with your loved (or soon-to-be-loved, if you play your cards right) one that are good for your body, easy on your wallet, and conducive to helping you learn about each other in a setting that's slightly more imaginative than a dinner table or a movie theater. And from a wooing perspective, the further outside the box you think, the more it'll seem like you're really trying to make your time together special, which is never a bad thing. So give these suggestions a try, or use them as springboards for something that works better for you and the object of your affections. Remember, fitness can have a place in all aspects of your life—including your love life!

By Elizabeth Brion

When you think, in a general sense, of fruit, what image comes to mind? A still life? A farmers' market? An orchard? The produce section at your supermarket? Probably not war, though. Or tanks. Or generals. I've done a lot of historical research over the last year or so, though, and guess what kept turning up? Wars. Tanks. Yep—even generals. See if you can guess which fruit is responsible for which colorful story.

1. Apricot – Its mere presence is treacherous to military vehicles. It seems that in World War II, the Marines noticed that every time a tank broke down, Ration-C apricots were in the vicinity. You obviously don't want your military transport giving out on you, so a foolproof protection plan was put in place—to this day, you can neither possess nor mention apricots in or near an armored vehicle. I found a story of one WWII vet who flouted this rule and snacked on apricots constantly; other men refused to ride with him, considering him reckless. I consider him a genius; I imagine it's not easy to get any privacy when you're fighting a war.
2. Cherry – Without this fruit, life simply isn't worth living. The Roman general Lucullus has gone down in history as a foodie as well as a military man. It's said that he spent the last decade of his life in madness and decadence, which is a robust environment in which to plant the legend that he committed suicide when he realized he was running out of cherries. I don't wish to downplay the obvious point here, which is that cherries are completely awesome, but do keep in mind that Roman generals were, as a group, much more gung-ho about suicide than we are today. This might have qualified as a wholly sensible reason.
3. Rhubarb – Could the threat of its absence have prevented an entire war? Chinese Commissioner Lin Tse-Hsu, in his famous open letter to Queen Victoria regarding England's export of opium to China, contrasted England's addictive wares with China's wholesome ones with the dubious claim that the English could not survive a single day without tea and rhubarb. Unfortunately, it appears that the Queen never read his letter; had she been apprised of this threat to her people's existence, she certainly would have acted to avoid The First Opium War, avoiding many fatalities from both combat and (I assume) the rhubarb shortage that resulted.
4. Watermelon – Makes an excellent weapon—and an excellent defense. Roman Governor Demosthenes was widely considered one of the greatest—if not the greatest—orators of his time. Indeed, you'd have to be pretty quick on your elocutionary feet to handle having a watermelon hurled at you during a political debate with such grace; Demosthenes placed the watermelon hull upon his head and thanked the thrower for giving him a helmet to wear into battle against Phillip II of Macedonia (a foe he seems to have regarded much as Snoopy did the Red Baron).