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Trawling through her Instagram, there isn’t really a ton of evidence that Kendall Jenner spends a lot of time at the gym—except for, you know, her abs. However, we do know that she works out with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, and every now and then the paparazzi will snap her dressed in activewear, so the girl must get some exercise in somewhere.

In a recent post on her website, Jenner admitted that she hates cardio and fitness classes, and listens to a “chill” playlist when she’s working out, which she also shared with readers. “For me, my perfect workout is either alone or with a private trainer and doesn’t involve a lot of cardio. I don’t usually love classes because, to be honest, I feel kind of weird with other people around and watching me. So, I created an ideal chill playlist for just hitting the gym alone to tone,” she wrote.

Jenner’s playlist includes tracks by Nelly, Akon, James Blake, Ashanti, and Ciara and, seeing as there’s actually plenty of research to show that playing a killer song at the gym can actually improve your workout and make you feel more motivated, might be worth subscribing to. In fact, the music you listen to when working out actually stimulates the motor area of the brain as to when to move. So, basically, a solid tempo can help keep your own speed in self-paced movements like running.

With that in mind, take a look at the model’s workout mix and shakeup your own exercise playlist. Hopefully you’re a fan of contemporary R&B and hip-hop, because Kendall sure is:

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In true DGAF fashion, the ageless Christie Brinkley says she swears by booze—and likes a three-glasses-on-the-daily routine. “I’m really, really happy because I love prosecco and champagne,” she told The Coveteur. “Two weeks ago The New York Times came out with a huge study that says that the bubbles of sparkling wine and champagne … helps to prevent Alzheimer’s. Doctors’ orders, three glasses of champagne a day! So I’m on it!”

Straight from the horse’s mouth (presumably soon to be full of bubbly beverages): She is on it. She’s also on her fitness game, starting every morning “with some sun salutations,” with an exhausting-sounding gym situation afterward: “I get on my Total Gym—it’s a great eccentric and concentric exercise, which has been proven to be the best exercise for you, stretching and strengthening at the same time,” she said. “Then I’ll either jump on a Peloton bike or I’ll run—I live out in the Hamptons most of the time, so I’ll take a run down to the beach or I’ll go to a gym to lift some weights.” Note to self: To look the way she does at 62, you have to kick things off with a little yoga, do some “Total Gym,” whatever the hell that is, and round things out with some Spinning, running or weight-lifting. Also, you have to be Christie Brinkley.

When it’s time to officially face the day, she’s all about … hair extensions. “I have two sets of [hair extensions] in today,” she said. “They’re so easy. I mean, literally I will either let my hair dry as I’m running around or blow-dry my hair and snap them in and it’s like, whoa, instant!” So her lustrous mane of flaxen gold is actually fake, at least in part. But no one would ever have to be the wiser, except for the fact that Brinkley is pretty open about it. “You cannot tell that there’s any fake hair in there—it looks like you have the thickest head of hair,” she said. “I think it’s one of my best hair secrets. It gives you the chicest ponytail you can imagine.” You heard her: Sun salutations, hair extensions, and three glasses of champs a day make Brinkley’s world go ’round. Doesn’t sound like a bad life.

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It’s been a few weeks since my first sound bath, and I’ve been back a couple of times. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to tell everyone about my *life changing* new hobby, but based on the cynical reaction I received from a test group of colleagues, friends, my boyfriend, even my sister (“Um, you’re doing what now?”), I kept this one mostly to myself. Because yeah, sound bath meditation seems fucking weird, but it’s also really great. I promise there’s no bath tub or actual bathing, and I really think you would enjoy it, if you just tried it.

But first, let’s back up a bit. For the past seven years, ever since I first fell in love with fitness, music and exercise have gone hand in hand. A rotation of electro house and modern R&B when I’m sprinting on the treadmill, the odd ’90s track when I’m working out outdoors, Beyoncé everything when I’m in the weights room, and hip-hop for yoga. I’m definitely not alone in feeling this way—in fact one study shows that working out with music makes the exerciser less aware of their physical exertion (read: pain), and can benefit athletic performance by an impressive 15 percent. Really, the only thing I ever did at the gym without music, was meditate—until I was invited to a sound bath meditation, and promptly realized that duh, of course music makes that better too.

My introduction to the (admittedly new age sounding) world of sound bath meditation was through The Big Quiet, an event that happens every few months in New York.  At the particular moment I arrived, I was the mental equivalent of a train crash after running (very) late, slightly hungover, realizing I didn’t have my ticket, and taking a frantic tour of the building to have a new one printed. After taking a seat I was told to kick off my shoes—so, don’t do what I did and wear over-the-knee boots, k?—and switch off my phone, we began. Other sound meditation that I went on to try have similar rules, and begin with the teacher giving some spiel about feeling or enjoying the vibrations, and inviting you to use your own mantra, or a new one they suggest.

What makes sound bath meditation from regular old meditation, obviously, is the sound, which usually comes from drumming, tuning forks, gongs, bowls, chimes, and/or singing. They’re not just making subtle background noise the entire time either, for 15 minutes two instrumentalists played their hearts out on an assortment of bowls, chimes, gongs, and symbol-looking things. “We use gong baths in our practice,” meditation guru Gabrielle Bernstein told me when I was preparing for my first session. “A gong bath can be very therapeutic because you’re literally bathed in sound waves. The gong bath can take you into a theta brainwave state of deep relaxation and healing.” Which brings me to the point of all this: Relaxation. Did my “sound bath” leave me feeling totally zen and euphorically blissed out? Yes and yes.

Sound bath meditation uses bowls, gongs, and other instruments. Getty Images

Basically, the sound vibrations are supposed to help shift your brain into a more relaxed state, to make it easier to experience a deeper meditation, what Bernstein described as a “theta brainwave”—which it did. If you’ve ever attempted to meditate, you’ll know that the second you try not to think about stuff, is exactly when your brain decides to mentally write a grocery list or remember a person you forgot to text back. With a bit of external noise, I felt that internal chatter quieten down quite a lot. I felt zen, chilled, good, and that feeling didn’t change on the crowded subway home or went I woke up for work the following morning. It followed me right through the next day and into the night, at which point I decided I should probably be doing this daily. And yes, you should be too.

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“He’s going to ruin my life,” my friend wailed. “He’s going to waste another 10 years, and I’ll be childless and single,” she said furiously, practically spitting the words through the phone. She’s deep in the trough of an “off” phase with her on-and-off boyfriend of 13 years, who also happens to be the love of her life and—a very tired cliché, I know—terrified of committing to her, despite the fact they’ve dated for almost all of their adult lives, are now in their 30s, and have lived all over the world together. Let’s call my friend Cara (fake name, obvious reason).

We’ve had this conversation before, Cara and me, so I know there’s no point in telling her to swear off him and move on—she probably won’t, not for good anyway. Instead, I offer up what I consider to be helpful, practical, solid advice: “Why don’t you get your eggs frozen, and buy yourself some time?” My suggestion was met with a curt click as Cara, offended, disconnected our call.

I understand it’s a sensitive topic, but egg freezing for women with medical issues, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, has been available for decades–then four years ago the American Society for Reproductive Medicine gave the go-ahead for all women anywhere to have their eggs frozen in a procedure called oocyte cryopreservation, and that changed everything. According to the fertility clinics I spoke with, more than 8,000 babies have been born from eggs that were retrieved, frozen, and fertilized. Now—as long as you have around $7,000 to $10,000 cash—putting your fertility on ice is a literal option for millennial women who aren’t quite ready to have kids for reasons that include career, social lives, or the fact they haven’t found the right person to reproduce with yet. Or you know, happen to be dating a guy who refuses to grow up.

Specialized clinics are popping up all over the country that focus on just this, like Shady Grove Fertility in Washington D.C. and Genesis Fertility in New York—and practitioners are reporting an increase in the number of young women choosing to have their eggs frozen. “We have seen a significant increase in the past two years,” Dr. Tomer Singer, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York told me, citing improvements to the risks and side-effects of the procedure as reasons for the shift. 

The procedure itself sounds pretty simple, less painful than some of the more out-there beauty treatments I’ve tried, even: Eggs are “retrieved” from your ovaries, quickly frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored for years until you decide it’s time to swap happy hour margaritas with prenatal yoga and birth classes. There’s not even any downtime. Dr. Alan Copperman, Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Mount Sinai Medical Center (mouthful!), cautioned that there are some checklist items like hormone levels and pap smears, but the procedure itself is straightforward. “It involves taking a week or so of hormone injections and then a 10 minute procedure (done under sedation) to remove the eggs. During that week, the woman needs to come into the office several times for an ultrasound and blood test to monitor her progress,” he explained. “Most women are back to work the very next day after the egg retrieval, and then the eggs appear just as viable if they are frozen for a day, a week, or maybe even a decade.”

As you might expect, the earlier you have your eggs frozen, the better your chances of having a healthy baby with the same eggs down the line, information that Dr. Copperman says has motivated a wave of twentysomething women to undergo the procedure recently. “A women is born with all the eggs she is ever going to have, and oocyte decline can be seen in as early as a woman’s 20s, so we are seeing women come in to freeze their eggs at a younger and younger age,” he said. “When a woman is in her 40s, up to 90 percent of eggs can be abnormal, so we would need to freeze a lot of eggs in a 40+ year-old to have enough to have a high likelihood of having a normal egg that effectively freezes, thaws, fertilizes, and implants.”

One woman I spoke with—a patient of Dr. Copperman’s who wants to remain anonymous, so let’s call her Amanda—told me she had her eggs frozen at 34 years old after finding out her (now ex) boyfriend didn’t want kids. “That was a deal-breaker for me and also part of what inspired me to freeze my eggs. I knew I’d have to date again, build a relationship again. It’s an exhausting process for someone who just wants to be there already. Yet, while I don’t want to waste time, I also don’t want to rush into another relationship simply because I want children,” she told me.

After zoning in on building a killer career and finishing her master’s degree during her 20s and early 30s, she decided it was now time to invest her money and time into a different goal—to have children one day: “I pursued academics and career with everything I had, and somewhere in that pursuit lost focus on the pursuit of building my own family,” she told me. “But at 34, it came time to face reality that my fertility is not eternal.”

She doesn’t have plans to start a family alone using her frozen eggs, but opted for oocyte cryopreservation to buy some time until she meets the right guy. “I’m now in a place where I’m ready to build that family I’ve dreamed of, but I don’t want to do it alone. I’m willing to wait for the right partner—my fertility, however, might not wait, I decided to buy myself some time.”

She assured me the process itself is fairly painless and easy, and just like Dr Copperman said, she had no downtime: “When the eggs are just the right size—about seven to 10 days into the injections—you take a final shot to prep for retrieval. At this point, you may feel a little bloated and I was tired of injecting myself, but it wasn’t too bad. Retrieval is painless except for a little cramping—I even went out to brunch afterward.”

Rachel, a 36-year-old LA-based blogger I spoke with told me how she regrets not freezing her eggs earlier, despite being prompted by her gynecologist during her late 20s and early 30s. “When I was 30 she brought it up again, telling me how viability decreases with age, that I am getting older and that I don’t need a man. I didn’t do it, and I was mad at my doctor, like she was giving up on me,” she said, adding, “In retrospect, it was just the opposite. I wish I had done it then.”

Here’s why: Last year, at 36 years old, Rachel decided to go ahead and try for a baby on her own, using a sperm donor. The next year was filled with disappointing attempts at falling pregnant, and left her wishing she’d followed her doctor’s advice almost a decade earlier. “After nine failed IUIs (intra-uterine inseminations) with an anonymous sperm donor and my natural eggs, timed perfectly each cycle, I felt officially defeated to become pregnant in the most natural way I could in my situation. So I moved on to IVF,” she said.

IVF involves the same preparation and harvesting process needed to freeze your eggs, except instead of being stored, they’re fertilized. “My first round of IVF was unsuccessful, I had three eggs, out of which one fertilized, but it didn’t work in the end. It was utter heartbreak.” She then decided to invest time, money, and emotional effort into harvesting and freezing seven eggs while she took a break to let her body recover.

Now 40, Rachel is seven months pregnant using her frozen eggs, and has some advice for anyone considering having their eggs frozen: “If you can swing it financially, I say do it. And do it now, it’s worth it. Freezing your eggs doesn’t mean you are giving up on your daydreams or plans. It gives you the peace of mind and the power to make decisions later on, with no pressure of a ticking clock.” Did you hear that, Cara?

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There are so many ways to justify skipping the gym, and time constraints are just one of them— locking down 30 minutes or an hour of your day to hit up a $35 barre class or get acquainted with the treadmill is a commitment. But new research out of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, has found that just one minute of “all-out” exertion may have the same benefits as 45 minutes of more moderate exercise. Impatient types and begrudging gym-goers, rejoice.

The 12-week study recruited 27 sedentary men, some of whom were assigned sprint interval training (SIT) and others assigned moderate intensity continuous training (MICT). SIT entails three 20-second “all-out” cycle sprints, a 2-minute warmup, a 3-minute cool down, and two minutes of easy cycling between the sprints for a total of ten minutes, whereas the 50-minute MICT method required 45 minutes of consistent moderate-pace cycling with a 2-minute warmup and 3-minute cool down.

Researchers found that the training methods produced extremely similar results as far as cardiac health and insulin sensitivity despite the dramatic difference in actual time spent exercising. “Most people cite ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not being active,” says Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster and the lead author on the study, “[but] brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective.”

So instead of forcing yourself to spend half an hour plugging away at the elliptical at a medium pace, hop on the bike and give it a ten-minute go instead for the same fitness results. Uh, best news ever?

Chloe Hollywood

The jury’s out on who created humans, but what we do know for certain is that the human body simply was not built to stay seated for extended periods of time. Sedentary behavior, the technical term for sitting on your ass regardless of whether it’s at your desk (productive!) or in front of the TV (not so much!), can raise your risk of heart disease up to 64-percent. It can rob you of six years of quality life. It can make you more susceptible to certain types of cancer. Your metabolism slows down. You lose bone mass. Your bad cholesterol goes up. Your blood sugar levels do, too.

Sitting, aka the new smoking, is killing us all, and the worst part is that for most of us, it’s unavoidable. A standard 9-5 desk job translates to eight hours of sedentary time, five days a week—and not even the daily recommended 30-50 minutes of vigorous exercise can undo the damage. It doesn’t matter if you spent two hours doing vinyasa after work (why are those classes always so long?); it’s just not enough to offset the physical risks. The only way to avoid the negative effects of sitting all day is to not sit all day in the first place.

Rewind: I’m not saying you should quit your job and become a kitesurfing teacher (not that you shouldn’t, if that’s what you want for yourself), or that you should take full advantage of the hour-long lunch break mandated in your work contract that you usually spend doing… well, more work. You don’t even have to give up on your dreams of watching all three original seasons of “Arrested Development” in one weekend. You just have to stand up once in a while. (Fidgeting helps, too.)

It’s so, so easy to get so wrapped up in your day to day that you forget to eat or pee, let alone step away from the computer every half an hour to stretch your legs, crack your neck, touch your toes, etc. etc. Even when you tell yourself you’re going to. Even when you know it may mean the difference between life and death (eventually, probably not right now). Even when you’re convinced that your butt composition has changed for the worse since you started working for the internet (seriously, I swear this is happening to me). So set an alarm.

MORE: ONE Minute of Intense Exercise May Be All You Need

More specifically, set an alarm you cannot ignore. Not the gentle hum of your iPhone vibrating on your desk, an occurrence quickly dismissed by a single touchscreen swipe, but something that’ll really get you out of the spinning chair and at least into the other side of the office to, like, refill a water bottle or something. Cut the technology umbilical cord with even more technology: an app, like my personal favorite, StandApp, which will remind you that you’re a human alive in this world who needs to stand up and use their body from time to time. Groundbreaking!

I am of the mind that anyone and everyone who works at a computer full-time should equip themselves with one of these reminders. I’m partial to StandApp because you can set custom alarms in addition to intervals, which means it will always force me to drag myself out of my 3:30 PM I-am-one-with-the-MacBook bell jar, and because it shows you some easy, safe-for-work exercises that you can do to occupy yourself if you want. I also use Time Out because it pops up on the computer screen, rendering you helpless in ignoring it. It dims your screen for as long as you want, as frequently as you want, and can play some soothing music or show a cool picture or something if you tell it to. Set it to show you some eye exercises, so you don’t go blind in addition to getting heart disease. (These are all worst-case scenarios.)

It might seem ridiculous that one would need an entire app to remind you to do something as simple and deeply ingrained as standing up, or embarrassing to get up from your desk to do leg stretches in the vicinity of your coworkers. I get it. But if that’s something you’re worried about, consider this: What could be more embarrassing than suffering the adverse health effects of sitting down too much?

“Happy Young Woman on Beach with Coconut,” Getty Images, 2016

The year is 2010. Regular water, the kind that springs from the earth and flows from the heavens (rain), is no longer good enough; nor is Gatorade, the go-to post-workout drink of actual athletes and anyone who’s ever been devastatingly hungover. We need something new, something vaguely “healthier,” something trendier and more expensive. And then, like a thief in the night, coconut water swoops in, and it is all of those things. “Why Is Every Celebrity Drinking Coconut Water?” asks E! Online. “Is Coconut Water the Celeb Drink of the Summer?” People wants to know.

Answer: Yes. Coconut water, which has been favored in tropical countries for centuries, suddenly becomes the celeb drink of that summer and beyond. Marketed as a low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie, potassium-rich, electrolyte-packed alternative to traditional energy and sports drinks for replacing nutrients lost during exercise, the health and fitness-crazed crowd goes wild. They conveniently ignore its sugar content on par with high fructose corn syrup, and the actual nutritional facts, which show that its electrolyte value is not, in fact, particularly high.

MORE: 10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Sweat

The flood of backlash arrives soon after, when one of the first mass-marketed coconut water vendors faces a class action lawsuit over their false advertising claims, which totally blows up their spot. Super-hydrating? Nutrient-packed? Mega-electrolyte, with 15 times more sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium than the leading sports drinks? Lies, lies, and more lies—enough lies to cost them $10 million. “They’re loco for coco,” quips the New York Post, somewhat disparagingly. “Celebrity-endorsed coconut water may be less healthy than you think!” crows the Daily Mail. Whoops.

Coconut water may no longer be the celebrity fad drink of choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone out of vogue completely; it’s just been gently shoved aside by a seemingly endless parade of beverages proclaiming themselves to be “the new coconut water.” There is birch water. There is maple water. There is cactus water and watermelon water and and so very many more. Below, all of the equally hydrating, equally nebulously “good for you” beverages you can now drink instead of coconut water for your paparazzi-friendly post-gym kicks.

1) Birch water

2) BIRCH water

3) Humble birch sap

4) Rose water

5) Aloe vera juice

6) Sugarcane juice

7) Sugarcane juice

8) Maple water

9) Maple water

10) Maple water

11) Maple tree sap water

12) Cactus water

13) Cactus water

14) Cactus water

15) Beet juice

16) Watermelon water

17) Watermelon water

18) Watermelon water

19) Artichoke water

20) Gatorade

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to care about issues impacting women in sports. Hell, you don’t even have to be female. Any human with a fairly basic understanding of math can see why it’s a problem that our women’s soccer team was awarded $2 million in prize money after taking out the World Cup in 2015, while the men’s team (who failed to win anything) earned $9 million.

What you do need, though, is an Internet connection, in order to see the body-shaming strong athletes such has record-breaking gymnast Gabby Douglas have to deal with on social media. Once you’re done reading those comments, switch over to male gymnast Samuel Mikulak’s account to see the kind of positive attention his medal-winning muscles get.

MORE: A Comprehensive Guide to Hollywood’s Die-Hard Sports Fans

Finally, a television would also provide a little insight, because then you would notice that women’s sports—particularly at the Olympic games—get far less prime airtime than the guys’ events. One study out of the University of Delaware found that in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, men received almost 23 hours of prime-time coverage, versus a little less than 13 hours for women. Another study discovered a more even split at the 2008 games: 46.3 percent of airtime went to women, but even then, coverage of women’s events mainly included what researchers dubbed “socially acceptable” sports for women—i.e., events where the competitors wore tight or short clothing.

There’s really no better time to talk about these issues than right now, as the countdown to the Rio Olympic Games in August closes in. With that in mind, we spoke to seven female sporting champs to find out what they considered to be the biggest issues facing women in their industry. Keep clicking to read what they had to say.

MORE: These Workout Leggings Will Change the Way You Exercise

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As far as workout tips go, there really isn’t anyone better equipped to dish advice than an Olympic gold medallist like track star Allyson Felix. The 30-year-old athlete won gold at the 2012 Olympics (the 200-meter sprint is her jam), and took out another two silvers. For those results, Felix trains hard—as in 30-hours every week kind of hard—and sticks to a high protein diet filled with salmon, peanut butter, and steak.

This Mother’s Day (it’s tomorrow, order flowers now), Felix partnered with P&G on a campaign thanking her mom for helping her become one of the world’s best athletes, which gave us an opportunity to chat with the sprinter. In addition to saying she wouldn’t be where she is without her mom’s help (cute), Felix also shared a peek inside her strict fitness and food schedule, the ab workout she swears by, and the fitness app she uses religiously. Here’s what we learned.

For breakfast I had:
Toast and peanut butter, I normally eat breakfast around 7:30 a.m.

For lunch I had:
A salmon and butter lettuce salad. I grab lunch in between workouts and today that landed at 1 p.m.

For dinner I had:
Tonight I cheated my diet a little and had a steak from Ruth’s Chris to celebrate my aunt’s birthday. Normally I eat dinner around 7 p.m.

Today I snacked on:
I love snacking on almonds, they’re easy to carry with me, taste great, and are filling.

The one thing I would never eat is:
I don’t think I would ever try sea urchin, the consistency would be tough for me.

MORE: The Biggest Issues Impacting Women in Sport, According to Female Olympians

My all-time favorite workout is:
I love a really great core workout. Planks, v-ups on a fitness ball, crunches with a medicine ball, and Russian twists with the med ball.

Each week I usually work out:
Six times and that includes a total of 15 hours on the track and 15 hours in the weight room.

At the beginning of most days I:
Pray and focus on what’s coming up that day.

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I think the health and fitness trend that will dominate in 2016 is:
Spin has been having a really long moment and I think it will probably remain a front runner. I’ve been hearing a lot about the class with Taryn Toomey and hope that will have a moment in 2016.

The health trend I just can’t get behind is:
I know I’m probably going to lose some friends over this, but I just can’t get behind Zumba. Maybe I’m just not coordinated enough for it.

MORE: 7 Female Olympians on the Biggest Issues Impacting Women in Sport

My favorite healthy takeaway spot is:
I really like Sweetgreen, they do a great job on their salads.

My favorite healthy snack is:
I love grabbing a Chobani yogurt as a snack.

My go-to smoothie ingredients are:
I’m not too huge on smoothies, but I like strawberries and raspberries in a smoothie.

Some of the fitness blogs and websites I follow include:
I like searching through MyDomaine, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Fitness on Toast for healthy living and fitness tips.

My favorite Instagram accounts are:
Beyoncé, Nike, and Mahogany Curls for inspiration.

Nike

The three ingredients you’ll always find in my kitchen are:
Hot sauce, avocados, and oatmeal.

The health app I couldn’t live without is:
Nike’s Training Club app is a go-to of mine, I use it on the road to try and keep my core in check.

The top three songs on my workout playlist right now are:
Right now I’m feeling anything Beyoncé, Drake‘s “Summer Sixteen,” and “Panda,” by Desiigner.

The best part of my job is:
Inspiring young kids to pursue their dreams passionately. I’m just a girl from L.A. and if I can do it they can do it too. And I love my job even more if I’m winning.

Getty Images

Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt is my favorite after dinner—perhaps three or four squares, perhaps half the block if I’m really feeling it. If that’s not available, it’s Lindt dark chocolate with mint, which I think pairs well with peppermint tea. If that can’t be found, I’ll move to Rittner dark chocolate with hazelnut from the convenience store near my apartment. On very special occasions, I allow myself a Cadbury Creme Egg. Tim Tams when I visit my family in Australia. Those are the best days.

Over the past six years I’ve become really interested in health and nutrition, but there’s just one habit I can’t give up: chocolate. So although I no longer pretend that a protein bar and Diet Coke are acceptable lunch foods (I was heavily in denial throughout most of 2009), and I’ve purged my life of soda, greasy takeout, and processed foods, my daily chocolate ritual has stuck like glue. A sweet, delicious glue.

This all changed for me about three months ago after I visited medicinal herbalist Daniela Turley. After a few tests and a long chat, she explained that craving chocolate can sometimes be more than just a desire for your daily sugar fix, and eating it in healthier amounts doesn’t just have to come down to sself-control “First there is is a sugar-craving element and second the chocolate component. There may be a nutrient that is in chocolate that the body is craving,” she told me, recommending a magnesium supplement and sending me on my way.

After taking that supplement for three months, I had not touched a piece of chocolate. Nothing. Not even a square of Lindt sea salt dark chocolate with my peppermint tea after dinner. Not even a Cadbury Creme Egg over Easter. Nada. And here’s the thing; I didn’t even realize I wasn’t eating chocolate until I hit Whole Foods and realized I had not replenished the stash for nearly a month. (That never happens!) Somehow, without conscious effort, my lifelong obsession for sugary cocoa just vanished. It could be a coincidence, but I’m putting this down to the addition of two magnesium capsules every night after the gym and before dinner.

MORE: How to Eat to Balance Your Hormones (and Never Have PMS Again!)

I went back to Turley for answers, and she told me that magnesium deficiency is very common and impacts more than half of all Americans. “We need magnesium for more than 300 biological reactions in the body, including blood sugar balance,” she said. Apparently, there were some telltale signs early that made Turley think I could be deficient: “Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include agitation, restless leg syndrome, irritability, insomnia, and PMS. As chocolate is high in magnesium, chocolate cravings can be a sign of low levels, especially if you have some of the deficiency symptoms.”

This is the obvious part, but if you want to start taking a supplement, it’s always helpful to consult a professional to make sure you’re taking a safe amount. “The [recommended dietary allowance] for women over 30 is 320 mg, but you can take less and get good results,” she said, recommending a type of magnesium called L-threonate. “It is a form of magnesium that crossed the blood-brain barrier and is deeply relaxing, I suggest taking 150 mg at night.”

There are some other welcome side effects of the supplement too, especially if you’re stressed out or struggle to relax at night. “Quite often people feel calmer almost immediately, especially with magnesium L-threonate.” When it comes to killing chocolate cravings, that can take a little longer, as “you are dealing with hormonal and receptor changes.” Turley suggests taking magnesium for two months to make the correction. At the same time, there are apparently other nutrients you can focus on to help beat cravings for candy including zinc, chromium, fish oil, magnesium, and herbs such as cinnamon, bitter melon, billberry leaf, and ginseng.

It’s been months since I started on the magnesium, and I will preach its virtues to anyone who will listen. Right now there is a full packet of chocolate Tim Tams—my favorite, all the way from Australia!—sitting in my fridge and, for once, I feel nothing toward them. There’s no overwhelming desire to polish off the packet with my friends after dinner or to snack on just one when I get home from work. And trust me, even the most disciplined person couldn’t achieve that without a little supplemental help.

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Let me preface this by assuring you that while working out is a big part of my life, I am no athlete. I’m a regular gym-goer who dabbles in group fitness, Pilates, yoga, and—my favorite—running outside, which I find torches more calories and leaves me more invigorated than anything else. Lately though, even a five-mile run is plagued by shooting pain through my knees and a dull ache for days after.

Since my early days as an amateur runner, my mom warned me to be careful, not to push it. She worked as an aerobics instructor throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s and has always been an active person, a virtue by which, as a current fiftysomething, she’s paid for with intense knee pain. My grandmother was also plagued with knee problems, having had later-in-life surgery, so it’s always been a given that mine will eventually cause me some grief (or double knee reconstruction, knock on wood.)

I’m now several days shy of 26 and have been told by just about every personal trainer I’ve ever worked with (six and counting), an herbalist, and my mom (again) that I really, really should stop running, and I’ve finally decided to quit. Because aside from my family’s genetic propensity for dodgy knees, the facts are that up to 70 percent of runners sustain an overuse injury each year, 50 percent of which occur in the knee. So statistically speaking, running regularly is probably going to cause you a problem in the middle of your leg at some point.

Yusuf Jeffers is a specialist running coach and trains clients at Tone House in New York, and he explained that it’s the repetitive nature of running that can cause you to overuse the joint and exacerbate knee pain, either resulting in long-term damage or short-term issue. “The type of knee pain depends on the source—it could be temporary like tight muscles or tendon strain, in which case you can treat, or it could be knee pain due to cartilage damage—meniscus—that needs a permanent fix,” he said, making me feel particularly uneasy about my ongoing discomfort.

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Jeffers added that while, yes, running is a great way to burn calories, it’s probably not worth pushing through any joint pain in your 20s if you want to avoid damage when you’re older: “Each person is different and each injury is different, but ultimately you can run the risk of knee pain later in life you don’t take preventative measure.” He also recommended I avoid a bunch of exercises at the gym, including box jumps, heavy squats, stairs, or any type of movement that is causing pain. “Any localized sharp pain is a signal you have an injury versus a dull pain that could just be fatigue,” he said. 

The most common recommendation I receive from experts is to swap running for power walking—which to someone who loves the adrenalin rush of a good cardio push, sounds like the worst idea ever. Knowing this, Jeffers suggested I use the elliptical machine, row, or swim to try and re-create that runner’s high without damaging my body. “Stretching before and after is really important too,” he added.

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Of those options, swimming is out of the question with my current gym membership, and I personally don’t find the elliptical delivers the same rush as a hard run, so over the past couple of weeks I settled on rowing in the evenings and even the occasional rowing class, which I’m surprised to say I haven’t been hating. (Jeffers promised it’s a comparable cardiovascular exercise to running, and that I shouldn’t expect to see a dip in my fitness levels.)

To switch out your own running habit for low-impact rowing, try and cover one-and-a-half times your usual distance to burn the same amount of calories—that’s what Jeffers recommended and what I’ve been doing. “If you’re accustomed to a steady-state run for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, then a similarly moderate rowing pace will put you anywhere between one to 1.5 times the distance you’d cover when running.” Yes, you can literally get the same benefits, in the same amount of time, without the risk of injury.

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If your idea of a detox involves skipping the Bellini with brunch or choosing takeout from the organic restaurant rather than your usual dinner order, then you’re probably doing it all wrong. The dangerous toxins you should actually be avoiding are found in everything from cleaning products to your beauty cabinet, so it might be worth shifting your attention.

There are a few simple things you can switch up to avoid overexposure to toxic chemicals every day, and to find out how, we spoke with Sophia Ruan Gushee, who spent the last nine years researching household toxins and just released a new book: A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures. Here’s what we learned.

Watch out for toxins and toxicants.

When you talk about detoxing your life, what you really mean is cutting out exposure to man-made “toxicants” as well as toxins that come from nature and can be dangerous. The word toxins usually refers to naturally occurring exposures that can cause harm, like lead. Toxicants are man-made toxic exposures, such as phthalates, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in things such as plastics and personal care products. “I use the term toxicants to include both man-made toxic exposures and naturally occurring ones that exist at unnaturally high levels due to human activities,” Gushee said. For example, while lead is found naturally in the environment, you could experience unnatural exposure based on your lifestyle.

Avoid these cleaning products.

The trouble with many popular cleaning products for your home is that it’s hard to really understand exactly what chemicals are in them. “Manufacturers are not required to disclose them, and they generally don’t,” Gushee said.

One offender is the ingredient “surfactant” that’s often listed on different types of cleaning products such as all-purpose and hard-surface cleaners, carpet and upholstery cleaners, and the detergent you use to wash up after dinner. Also, look out for phthalates, triclosan, chlorine, PFCs (perfluorochemicals), formaldehyde, sodium benzoate, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). “These toxicants are found in nearly every type of cleaning product, such as laundry detergents, liquid soaps, carpet cleaners, dishwashing liquids, fabric softeners, household cleaning wipes, metal cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, glass cleaners, dry-cleaning fluids, odor removers, oven cleaners, and spot removers,” Gushee said, adding that the toxicants are linked to “a wide range of adverse health effects.”

Specifically, some studies link VOCs with respiratory illness, and there are concerns about trihalomethanes (which occurs when chlorine combines with something else) being linked with bladder, rectal, and colon cancer. Triclosan (found in everything from socks to cleaning products) is actually classified as a pesticide and can affect the body’s hormone systems, particularly your thyroid hormones, and may even disrupt breast development. Scary.

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Make your own natural cleaning agents.

While ridding your life of nasty toxicants, you still need to find a way to, you know, clean your house. Gushee recommends making your own solutions using materials that are actually safe, such as vinegar, baking soda, water, lemon, hydrogen peroxide, and castile soap.

STYLECASTER

Purge your beauty cabinet.

Gushee says that, like some cleaning products, cosmetics can include preservatives (such as formaldehyde and parabens), triclosan, lead, and fragrance, which can contain lots of chemicals, including toxicants. These toxicants are found in a ton of beauty products, so be sure to check the ingredients of some of the biggest offenders like concealer, foundation, eye shadows, moisturizers, and nail polishes. In 2012, the FDA found that almost all of the 400 popular lipsticks it tested contained lead. Another FDA investigation discovered that some skin creams may contain toxic levels of mercury, which can damage the kidneys and the nervous system.

Common chemicals in nail polish can even disrupt the way your endocrine system works and potentially impact your fertility and exacerbate symptoms of PMS. Specifically, it’s these names you need to watch out for: toluene, formaldehyde, DBP, resin, and camphor. 

Concerned? Try switching to clean beauty products and go for nontoxic nail polish.

Adjust your diet.

Detoxing your diet doesn’t just refer to switching over to organic foods; holistic health obsessives also suggest reducing the amount of plastic food and beverage containers you use, switching instead to glass and stainless steel. Environmental benefits aside, this line of thinking ensures that you avoid exposure to phthalates—a chemical found in plastic— which can disrupt your hormones.

MORE: 10 Detox Recipes You Need in Your Life

Candace Napier

Switch to organic tampons.

“Most women don’t think about the materials and ingredients that comprise feminine care products, like tampons and maxi pads,” Gushee said, suggesting switching to natural or organic brands instead. However, while there are allegations that some tampons contain toxic amounts of dioxin (which actually refers to a number of related chemical compounds), studies have found that dioxin levels in tampons are at or below the detectable limit, and don’t pose a health risk.

In saying that, while the FDA doesn’t actually regulate the organicness of something like a tampon, new natural brands such as Lola and Tom Organic are 100-percent cotton—which means they’re 100-percent natural and biodegradable, unlike other brands, which are made from synthetics like rayon and polyester. Considering there isn’t a ton of research into the long-term impact of artificial fibers in tampons, it may be safer to go with a natural option.

Don’t wear shoes in the house.

This is an easy one: Leave your shoes at the door. “The bottom of shoes can track in pesticides, coal tar, and other threatening exposures,” Gushee warned. One EPA study estimates that leaving shoes at the door and using a large doormat can reduce lead dust and other contaminants by up to 60 percent.

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I have this one petite friend—she’s probably a size zero—who is very into health and fitness. Jess is in her early 20s, lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend, works in PR, and, like me, exercises most days of the week. Unlike me, however, Jess goes to the gym and lifts 200-pound weights—and her body is amazing because of it. Case in point:

Before I met Jess, I had some thoughts around weight lifting, none of them complimentary. I generally leave the heavy weights to the dudes at the gym for fear of bulking up, and I’ve always associated lifting with getting bigger, which is literally the opposite of my fitness goals. So instead, my own routine mostly involves body-weight training or cardio-based classes using the embarrassingly pink small dumbbells or an occasional 10- or 15-pound weight. Lately, though, I’ve started thinking that working out like a dude could be the key to a more toned, defined body. 

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Like me, Jess wasn’t always into lifting, and her weekly schedule used to include three long runs and two yoga classes. She describes her figure during that time as “skinny fat,” a term used for someone who is visibly slim but has a high body-fat percentage and low muscle mass. Now, after four years of heavy lifting, Jess says she’s visibly more toned and physically in the best shape of her life. “My body has definitely adapted to be stronger in order to be able to lift weights,” she told me. “I’ve gained a bunch of muscle mass.” Before, she couldn’t do a push-up or a pull-up, but now can deadlift a staggering 210 pounds. And, just so we’re clear, this is what a petite woman lifting 210 pounds actually looks like.

Keen to try it out myself, I asked celebrity trainer Joey Thurman for some pointers—and to help ease my concerns. “Lifting weights as a female will not cause you to become big and bulky [because] women simply do not have enough testosterone, one of the main hormones responsible for muscle growth, as their male counterparts do,” Thurman explained.

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He explained that, yes, this method is the best way to get a firm and fit, cellulite-free-looking body, and unlike my current cardio-filled routine, can actually change your shape. “If you look like a large pear and you only do cardio, your body will get smaller, but in the end you will only look like a smaller pear. If you do not provide enough stimulus for your muscle tissue to develop, you will have a hard time developing the lean feminine physique with those nice tight arms, abs, and ass.”

To become familiar with this style of working out, he recommends picking a weight where you can perform 15 to 20 reps for several sets, and do this over a few weeks to gain “muscular endurance.” Then, choose a heavier dumbbell with which you can only manage to complete six to 12 reps, failing on the last repetition. “Failure simply means where you can’t complete one more repetition of a certain exercise,” he said. If you’re not failing on the last rep, go heavier. After this becomes easier, increase your weight and try for two to four sets per body part and one to two exercises per part.

For the fastest, best results, Thurman told me to include a deadlift, dumbbell row, and push-up set into the workout—and to step far, far away from the pink dumbbells, naturally.

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It is truly amazing what a bit of cold weather can do to shatter my motivation levels. During winter I was satisfied with infrequent workouts, and excuses seemed to magically appear to eat all and every single comfort food available. Vietnamese noodles two nights in a row? It’s too cold not to use Seamless! Grilled cheese for dinner? It would be rude to expect someone to deliver in this weather! Dessert, again? Why not? Wouldn’t make a difference at this point.

So in spring, while attempting to hit reset on my diet/exercise/life, it’s useful to lock down some actionable nutrition and fitness tips from women who are busy living the healthy life. Today, that woman is “Vampire Diaries” star Kat Graham, who shared the fitness apps and Instagram accounts that fuel her at-home workouts, the foods she eats every day, a superfood smoothie recipe, and more insight into how she keeps a healthy balance.

For breakfast I had: A yogurt parfait. Usually I’m traveling between different time zones, so meal time always varies; but I [normally] like to start my day with a fruit smoothie and protein, usually eggs or a veggie omelet.

For lunch I had: Since we’re at an event, my lunch today has been snack-inspired light bites. I’ve been loving the truffle mac and cheese and tuna tartare.

For dinner I had: Last night for dinner I went to Momofuku and had their amazing ramen noodles.

Today I snacked on: Protein bars, granola bars, and I’ve been making sure I hydrate with plenty of water.

The one thing I would never eat is: Pork.

Some of the fitness blogs/websites I follow include: Most people don’t know this about me, but I’m a big foodie at heart. I follow more food blogs than anything. When it comes to fitness I like the following IG accounts for motivation.

My favorite Instagram accounts are: @home.exercises, @home.abs, and @fitnessgirlsmotivation.

The health app I couldn’t live without is: SWORKIT.

Each week I usually work out: Four or five times a week. My workout often includes running two to five miles.

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My all-time favorite workout is: Dancing my butt off.

I think the health and fitness trend that will dominate in 2016 is: App-at-home workouts.

The health trend I just can’t get behind is: Anything that promotes an unhealthy body image.

My favorite healthy restaurant is: Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles. Everything on the menu is good.

My favorite healthy snack is: Wasabi snap pea crisps.

My go-to smoothie ingredients are: Kale, spinach, apple, banana, cacao, and coconut oil.

MORE: A Case for Working Out Like a Dude

The three ingredients you’ll always find in my kitchen are: Truffle oil, gnocchi, sage.

My signature healthy dish is: Watermelon and mint salad with feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

The top three songs on my workout playlist right now are: “Work Bitch” by Britney Spears, “Spark the Fire” by Gwen Stefani, and “Black Skinhead” by Kanye.

The best part of my job is: Connecting to people.

At the beginning of most days I: Play with my dogs! My day starts off with drinking a bottle of water—I’m always hydrating. I like to shower in the morning too using the Caress Forever collection—the fragrance in the body wash is touch-activated. So, I just touch my skin (like a rub on the wrist) throughout the day to reactivate the scent. The fragrance lasts for up to 12 hours, which is amazing for me since I’m running to a million appointments on any given day. I’m also really big on moisturizing. I like to put on my moisturizer and let it sit for a while before applying my makeup.

At the end of most days I: When I get home I’m diligent about removing my makeup, and if there’s time, I also like to unwind with a bubble bath. I keep it simple.

My career highlight so far has been: Seeing myself in stores and on shelf. Blows my mind!

My career low has been: It was an end of an era for me when A&M Records folded. And being an extra wasn’t much fun either.

MORE: How Fitness Pros Get Themselves Out of a Workout Rut

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There’s a salon about three blocks from my apartment in New York’s Greenwich Village, and among the usual list of pedicures and facials, there’s a service on its brochure that caught my eye: “The Bitch Massage,” also known as a treatment that targets a variety of women’s PMS-induced symptoms.

Putting aside the incredibly sexist name for a sec, I learned “specific massage strokes” are used on “pressure points,” and a therapist works some magic on your blood circulation, nervous system, and stress levels. It’s $140 for 60 minutes, and it’s supposed to make you feel more relaxed while easing cramps, lower back pain, and fluid retention. You know, all the stuff that makes me a bitch for a few days a month. In all seriousness, I do suffer from pretty heavy PMS, so I scheduled an appointment. Worst case, it’s an expensive publicity stunt, but at least I can lie down in a dark room for an hour on a Thursday afternoon.

The appointment itself started with herbal tea and a bathrobe while my massage therapist explained that the Bitch will help my PMS-induced “emotional distress” as well as the physical symptoms listed on the website. “Who doesn’t feel better after a massage?” she asked, making me realize that this has approximately a 90 percent chance of being a gimmick.

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The first few minutes involved some admittedly delightful aromatherapy and breathing techniques (relaxation, tick!), before the therapist held my neck with a tight grip and worked the fingers of her other hand up underneath my skull. I don’t know how or why, but this feels amazing. A hot towel was slowly draped over my neck, shoulders, and lower back, and she then started massaging her way down my back, arms, and legs, stopping frequently to focus on pressure points on my back, legs, and hands. After about 45 minutes, I turned over to have my stomach massaged, which felt a little weird at first but did help with the cramping. The acupressure combined with the heat did take the edge off my period pain a little, and the entire experience was certainly relaxing.

After my appointment, I probed the woman who created the massage, Lara Katsman, about the acupressure points used, keen to take notes and then beg my boyfriend to re-create this aspect of the massage at home, because he’s much less expensive. Apparently the points directly relating to PMS are on your feet, legs, knee, and stomach, and she explained how women can get massage results at home.

“One spot is on the top of the foot in the webbing in between the first and second toe,” she said. Another point is on the inside surface of the leg, four fingers’ width above the inner ankle bone, and another sits four fingers below the kneecap toward the outside of the shinbone—this one I found super ticklish. The other main spot is on the midline of the abdomen two fingers’ width below the belly button, which explains all the stomach massaging. “According to beliefs of Chinese medicine, those points are communicating with energy channels, which are meridians, by balancing the qi flow in corresponding areas,” Katsman explained. “It helps to alleviate and control pain symptoms due to PMS.”

I’d probably go back for this treatment next month, but did the Bitch cure me of all PMS symptoms? No. Did it make me feel less emotionally distressed? Yes. Plus, the combination of heat and acupressure did help with the cramps, so even if you’re nowhere near a professional treatment, it’s worth trying those techniques out at home.

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I guess it’s entirely plausible that you’re a self-actualized person who laughs at the thought of self-improvement. If that’s the case, I guess we don’t have much more to talk about—because I, on the other hand, can rattle off a dozen self-destructive things that I do daily. Habits like staying up way too late on work nights, procrastinating when it comes to paying bills, forgetting to floss, and always running 15 minutes late for any appointment. While these aren’t life-altering addictions, some subtle adjustments and a little self-discipline would mean I never feel stressed about leaving a friend waiting for me at brunch, and I might even stop waking up tired most mornings. My dentist would be happier too.

If you’re in the same boat, meet celebrity interventionist Brad Lamm, a recovered addict and founder of Breathe Life Healing Center in Los Angeles, which deals with drug abuse and food addiction disorders. He’s Dr. Phil’s on-air interventionist, has produced an eight-part docuseries about food addiction with Oprah, and has worked with both celebrities and nonfamous people to stage interventions and help beat addictions. I spoke with Lamm to pin down how anyone flirting with the idea of breaking a bad habit could get started. 

Know the difference between a habit and an addiction.

Unlike addiction, a bad habit is what Lamm calls “situational.” So, while an addiction is more habitual and interferes with your daily life, a bad habit isn’t quite so severe. “Smoking weed to take edge off is a bad habit, while an addiction would be smoking all day long because you’re conditioned to do this in order to always keep the edge off,” Lamm explained. Or: “A bad habit would be masturbating twice a day and not having enough energy for your partner, while an addiction would be continuously cheating with random partners and breaking up your relationship.” Once you’ve identified your issue as a habit rather than an addiction, you can get to work on breaking it. Not sure if yours is a habit or an addiction? Talking with your doctor is a good place to start.

MORE: How I Quit My Liters-a-Day Diet Coke Addiction

Set an intention.

The first step is setting an intention by picturing yourself in the future and seeing what your life would be like when you quit your destructive habit. “Imagine yourself already having broken the habit and visualize what life would be like,” Lamm said. Let that vision be your motivation and write it down somewhere you can refer to easily whenever you’re lacking the desire to follow through on your intention.

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Set a stop date.

Contrary to what you might think, just deciding to stop one day and, for example, throwing out all of your cigarettes, isn’t actually how most people manage to cut out a bad habit, such as having a social cigarette when you go out on Saturday nights. “Change is best done when you have a plan instead of trying to quit cold turkey,” Lamm said. “You are far more likely to be successful if you put a manageable plan in place.” Decide upon a stop date a little further in the future and then go about setting some daily or weekly goals to slowly wean yourself off the behavior.

Utilize social media.

There’s a reason why health-related challenges on social media like #IQuitSugar, and #BikiniBodyChallenge are so popular: By putting your intention and your plan out there, you’re enlisting the people that would make up “your circle of change,” according to Lamm. If posting about your habit feels too personal (or, um, narcissistic), tell a group of friends about your plan so that they can help hold you accountable.

Address your cravings.

When you’re feeling an urge to re-engage your nasty habit, Lamm suggests using this technique to get through it: “Urges will come to pass, so visualize cravings as something temporary that you’re able to move through and will not stick with you forever.” Remember that studies show it takes 66 days for a changed habit to become automatic, so just try and stick it out for at least a couple of months.

Wenn

Like pretty much everyone else who has ever lost weight in a healthy way, Olivia Munn credits diet and exercise for her noticeably slimmed-down physique. But not just any old workout, and not just eating well. She told Women’s Health that she completely revamped her routine while shooting “X-Men: The Apocalypse,” and her whole body changed.

In the past, she’d sweat with a trainer regularly and try to avoid crap, but she pulled a 180 when filming began. “When I started on ‘X-Men,’ I had been … doing regular personal training and trying to eat in a healthy way, but more about getting into shape, to me, was just doing regular personal training, and I was so wrong,” she said. By “so wrong,” she apparently means that putting a few hours in at the gym weekly and eating well doesn’t cut it. She started a grueling routine when production began. “I started working out every single day, and then i also started getting into eating … 20/80, where 80 percent of your diet is fruits and vegetables and 20 percent is whatever. So, that can be any kind of meats or breads or anything else, but mostly fruits and vegetables.”

Just to be clear, that is super hardcore, and for the record, the 80/20 rule usually refers to making smart food choices 80 percent of the time, and allowing yourself to order that burger and fries for the other 20 percent of life. Even Miranda Kerr follows that version of the 80/20 rule. But Munn is not the only celebrity who has tried such a severe diet—Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady eat 80 percent veggies, according to their personal chef, Allen Campbell.

In any event, Munn said that she didn’t mean to get so skinny—she was just gunning for feeling and looking her best. “My intention was to just get as fit and as healthy as I could be, for myself,” she said. “By the time I was finished, I was 12 pounds less than I started.”

Wenn

Since production wrapped, she hasn’t stuck to the 80/20 thing perfectly, but “the thing that I’ve kept up since ‘X-Men’ is eating organically,” she says. “That’s been a big part of, I think, feeling healthy, feeling fit, feeling clear. Knowing that you’re putting only clean foods into your body, that’s been a really important thing for me.”

As long as she’s healthy! The actress sparked rumors when she showed up looking “alarmingly thin” to the Oscars in February, as Page Six reported, but she has been looking healthier of late.

All photos by Tom Medvedich

Aruj Shah, the proprietor of a small store in Manhattan’s Union Square crammed with crystals, aromatherapy oils, and singing bowls for sound meditation, wrapped my small selection of crystals carefully in white tissue while she detailed the virtues of every stone. “You want to hold this one in your hand so that you feel nurtured. Like a hug,” she said, picking up a smooth, pinkish rock. With the certainty of a doctor prescribing antibiotics for a chest infection, she picked up a different shiny mass—agate—and recommended I carry it with me every day to “open up my communication.”

While everything Shah told me sounds just lovely, I’ve always believed myself to be way too practical to buy into this kind of stuff. To me, agate is a translucent variety of microcrystalline quartz. It’s a semi-precious stone formed in the cavities of igneous rocks, period. I’ve never really thought about stones—even those of the semi-precious variety—having life-enhancing properties. But you know who does? Kylie Jenner, Miranda Kerr, Jaden Smith, and a league of other celebrities and non-famous people across the world who are carrying shiny rocks in their bags, meditating with them each morning, and basically swearing by the virtues of crystal therapy.

Proponents like Jenner and company believe crystal healing is a legitimate type of therapy centered around vibrations. Azalea Lee, an LA-based crystal healing facilitator told me that the practice is an “ancient metaphysical art” that can help you bring balance and prosperity to your life through vibrations. She did some explaining that I’m not even going to attempt to paraphrase: “The vibratory harmonics of individual crystals and stones are used to help calibrate the vibrations in an individuals psychic aura, much like a tuning fork can help one find the correct pitch.” Basically, the vibrations of crystals are supposed to help with your own out-of-whack vibes stuck in your “auric field.” Lee also said her clients turn to her—and her rocks—for a range of reasons like anxiety, bad breakups, or to try and find a deeper purpose in their lives. “The healing is different for everyone and depends on what they most need to shift in their energies,” she added. 

Intrigued, but with my skepticism fully intact, I spoke with both Lee and Shah to find out exactly how carrying different crystals will make your life better. For the full effect, you’re supposed to carry one with you, or meditate while holding it or sitting the stone on the floor in front of you. Or, if you, like me, just enjoy the way a shiny quartz looks on your bookshelf and aren’t too worried about the good vibes, you could keep it there too.

Agate

This stone I like a lot—it’s the one Aruj was talking about when she said I should carry a crystal that will “help me open up.” It’s the communication stone, and is also supposed to help connect you with nature. Personally, I just think it’s quite cool to look at.

Rose Quartz

When a fellow editor casually pulled a phallic-shaped rose quartz crystal out of her bag on a recent press trip, I nearly spit out my wine laughing. “It’s for love,” she told me while waving her pink talisman about, which did not help. Apparently rose quartz is, indeed, for love, which Lee told me is the highest vibration of the universe. When in its geode form (the cavity-style of crystal shown above in the agate photo), the stone combines the properties of rose quartz (unconditional love) with those of the geode, which are all about “looking within.” The end result is a crystal that, in the words of Justin Bieber, will help you love yourself: “Rose quartz geodes want you to look within yourself and understand the ways you have not loved yourself and the many, many ways you can be kind to yourself,” Lee explained 

Prehnite

This almost-clear green stone is called prehnite, and it “bridges the energies between the navel and solar plexus chakras.” For those of you who have not yet completed a 101 in chakra healing, that sentence means that you will gain better understanding of how the emotions play a role manifesting your dreams. “Prehnite is also a wonderful stone for those dealing with low self-esteem and self-worth,” Lee added, explaining that it can be helpful for people recovering from addictions to gain encouragement in believing in themselves.

Manganoan Calcite

There seems to be some kind of very convenient theme between the color pink and properties of love in crystal therapy, so I wasn’t surprised to learn manganoan calcite radiates vibrations of nurturing and love, allegedly. According to Lee, manganoan calcite is helpful if you’re finding it difficult allowing others to love you. “Perhaps one is good at giving love but not so good at allowing someone to love you back, leading to unbalance in circulating love between one another,” she said. This makes the crystal (allegedly) good for mothers, those who are imbalanced relationships, and singles who want to avoid imbalanced relationships. 

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Lepidolite

This is the stone of calm, trust, and acceptance and is supposed to bring a relaxing, balancing and calming energy to your life. “Lepidolite with its lithium content helps balance the mind is a ‘chill pill’ in energetic mineral form,” Lee told me. “This is the stone I use often in crystal healing for people who have a hard time making decisions because of the unhelpful anxiety questions like ‘what if,’  create.” Perhaps just store it on the shelf where you keep the Xanax and Ativan. 

Hematite

Can’t decide on a stone? Go for hematite, the biggest crowd-please in the crystal family. Also know as root chakra stone, Lee says that hematite is the number one stone she recommends, and that it’s useful for everyone. “Hematite helps ground one’s energies and keep them connected to the supportive energies of Mother Earth; especially useful living in our modern world where we spend so much time in our heads and very little time actually touching the ground,” she said.

Green Flourite

If you’re trying to make up your mind about a tough question this could help, I mean, as much as a colored stone can help with that kind of thing. Apparenly green flourite creates with mental order and clarity, and is said to help with decision making. And really, it can’t hurt to try.

Amethyst

I’d be lying if I told you I wanted to include amethyst for any reason other than the fact it’s so damn pretty. In saying that, it does serve a purpose in crystal therapy to promote physical and emotional healing, and spiritual growth.

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Green Calcite

Green calcite is for money and prosperity, but can help with all kinds of success success in areas like your career, business, and fertility.

Fenster Quartz

PSA: You should not put too many of these in your hand at the same time! They have a high frequency and if you’re super sensitive it may make you feel unbalanced. I carried several at once and felt a normal amount of balance, but this is what the crystal experts say, so consider yourself warned. This quartz is characterized by the complex interior that has many windows, chambers, and pockets of air. Light reflects through all of these little windows, making the crystal literally sparkle in your hand. They’re said to support the evolution of your spirit, helping you vibrate at a higher level, and restore balance and energy flow.

Black Tourmaline

Another crowd-pleaser, Lee recommends black tourmaline to many of her clients to help keep them ward off bad vibes and negative energy. The thinking here is that the crystal gains a charge through squeezing or temperature change, developing electromagnetic poles in the process. This ability to polarize is significant to crystal healing as this process allows the energy to shift. Essentially that means bad energy is transformed into neutral energy, and can be shifted to positive energy. “Black tourmaline is exceptional in dealing with recycling negative vibes directed toward you from other people, or even yourself and making the negative energy into something positive into your life,” Lee said, prompting me to consider carrying one every time I use the subway.

To buy some crystals for your own stash, check out Namaste Bookshop, who supplied all the stones for this story.

Getty Images/STYLECASTER

It’s no secret that where Hollywood goes, the rest of the world loves to follow, which is probably why there’s a sudden interest in (and desire to get) round, perky, curvy butts. You can thank Kim Kardashian and her round derrière, as well as the rise of big booty anthems by Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, and Iggy Azalea, for that.

Butt workouts are trending particularly hard on YouTube, and no one knows that better than celebrity trainer and AKT founder Anna Kaiser. Kaiser has trained women like Kelly Ripa, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shakira, and Emmy Rossum, and today shares a butt-sculpting workout that will give your booty major lift. Another perk (had to, sorry), is that her fitness videos are equipment-free, so you can try these out at home any time.

Lunge variations: Complete a regular lunge by stepping forward, then step to the side for a lateral lunge, and finish the sequence with a curtsy lunge. Repeat the sequence eight times on each leg, pausing briefly between each repetition.

After your lunge and side lunge, step back on the diagonal for a curtsy lunge.

Curtsy lunge pulses: Pulse eight times on each leg in the curtsy lunge position.

Plank leg extension: On all fours, keep your shoulders over your wrists and abs engaged. Lift your left leg directly behind your body, slightly turning your leg out and pointing your toe. Lift the leg up and down while engaging the glute. Be careful not to arch your lower back. Repeat eight times on each leg.

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Plank leg extension pulses: In the same position, pulse your leg three times. Keep to turned out and pointed, and complete three repetitions four times on each leg.

Knee to elbow taps: While on all fours, extend your left leg out and then bring it in to tap your elbow. Repeat eight times on each side.

Start on all fours and then bring your knee to your elbow and repeat.

Side taps: While on all fours, lift your leg up and then lift your leg outwards to tap the side, and lift it back behind your body to your starting position. Repeat eight times.

Lift your leg up and then extend to the side.

Leg circles: While on all fours, lift your left leg up and move it in a circle diagonally away from your body and back to the starting position. Repeat eight times on each leg. Next, rotate your circle the opposite way and repeat again for eight times on each leg.

Plank leg and arm pulses: While on all fours lift your leg and opposite arm and pulse eight times. Repeat on the opposite side.

Side leg lift: Lie down on your side, with your arm propping up your upper body and hips stacked on top of each other. Left your top leg up while pointing your toe. Repeat eight times.

Want more workout videos? Check out AKT Motion and start streaming.

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There’s a part of every yoga class that usually causes me to cringe inwardly—it’s when the teacher talks about “unblocking chakras” or uses Sanskrit words that no one understands to talk about energy healing. When I’m feeling virtuous, I’ll occasionally smile and think that the idea of spiritual healing is so quaint, but cynical Jasmine prefers to shoot a meaningful look at the least alternative-looking yogi in the class, or to roll my eyes. However, 2016 has been a year of exploration in the alternative health realm for me; there was the week that I dabbled in crystal healing, and the Sunday I spent at a sound bath. I even tried reiki. So by this point I’m really drinking the Kool-Aid (slash kombucha) and finally thought it time to look into the concept of chakras. 

L.A.-based energy healer Azalea Lee gave me the inside word, explaining that chakra is Sanskirit for wheel, and the seven we refer to are different “vortex points” of energy in your body. According to Lee, chakras are involved in everything that we do, and it’s important to create a balance so that no one point is over- or under-active. Lee told me there are a multitude of ways this can be done, which include, “using color, sound, physical exercises such as yoga, and crystals.” As you’re probably beginning to realize, chakras and energy healing are much more conceptual than other alternative therapies that might use massage or physical touch for healing. 

Pain, discomfort, restlessness, and general unhappiness are signs that you’re experiencing an imbalance. And to determine which chakra is out of whack, you need to learn about the emotions that govern all of these points in your energetic body. Lee also suggests visiting a good energy healer—or you could just keep reading this beginner’s guide to the seven chakras. I’m not saying I totally buy into this, but that doesn’t make the concept any less interesting. 

Root chakra

Lee explains that this point, located at the base of the spine, near your tailbone, governs survival issues such as money, food, and financial independence, as well as your physical connection with Mother Earth. “When energy healers and spiritual guides speak of grounding, this is the chakra they are talking about,” she explained. Lee says the root chakra is connected to the “energy of being in a physical body” with its immediate needs of food and shelter, the most basic needs to survive physically. It’s thought that because we need money to meet our physical needs for survival, financial issues are triggered by root chakra issues and not your lack of self-control when using a credit card. Bridge pose is the yoga move tasked with helping to open your root chakra, and eating spicy foods is also supposed to help. (Alternative: Seek assistance from financial advisor.)

Sacral chakra

It’s thought that those really warm, open, grounded, genuinely nice individuals are not that way due to any genetic disposition toward friendliness or emotional stability, but rather because they have a well-balanced sacral chakra. The reverse could be said of a person who is either cold and disconnected, or annoyingly needy. When this important emotional center, located about one or two inches below your belly button, is out of whack, the symptoms could include hypersensitivity, trust issues, and general emotional volatility. Alternative-health experts recommend hip-opening yoga poses and dancing to restore balance—although if that doesn’t work, you might just want to go ahead and consider therapy.

Solar plexus chakra

This point is located slightly below your solar plexus, or above your belly button. It’s the third chakra, and is often associated with the color yellow. Your self-worth and self-esteem are linked to the solar plexus chakra, as is the ability to exercise will and turn your ideas and dreams into reality. If this chakra is blocked, the yoga position “boat pose” can allegedly help, as can eating yellow-colored foods like corn (seems legit?), or peppermint and chamomile tea.

MORE: Your Complete Guide to Crystal Healing

If you learn nothing else today, walk away knowing that the heart chakra is basically considered the MVP of chakras—it’s the most powerful energetically, as it’s governed by what’s considered the highest vibration in the universe: love. “There are different perspectives on this topic, but in my experience, the heart chakra is the most important, as it is the bridge and translator between the higher spiritual chakras and the lower physical chakras,” explained Lee. She says that the heart chakra is the “fulcrum to all the other chakras,” meaning that it has a profound effect in in making sure all of the points are balanced. 

Throat chakra

Crown chakra

Located at the crown of your head (does the name make sense now?), this is the highest chakra and represents spiritual connection. The crown chakra deals with issues of inner and external beauty, bliss, and spirituality, and it is supposed to be balanced by both meditation and running or cardio styles of exercises.

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