6 Tricks to Fight Post-Holiday Fatigue

After weeks of sipping eggnog and relaxing with family, the holidays are finally over and it's back to your normal routine. Yet, rather than stepping into high gear, you may find yourself feeling less than energized. Could it be all that holiday turkey still weighing you down, unwinding from family time or is it post-holiday fatigue?

"After any big event -- a vacation, a wedding or the holidays -- there can be a lull after," says New York-based clinical psychologist, Linda Smith. Here, she shares her tips on fighting post-holiday fatigue: 

The Best Masturbation Tips Ever

BY DIANA SPECHLER

The maxim "He knows me better than I know myself"? Well, it probably doesn't hold true when it comes to pleasure centers. If you're like many women, you have had a long-term relationship with a vibrator and, with concentration, can get the deed done during a commercial break—without even muting the TV—if you so choose.

Exercise makes low-calorie food more appetizing

By Shereen Dindar | Shine On

As many of us pledge yet again to make this the year we finally get to the gym and banish those unwanted pounds, some new research might give us a little incentive to keep at it.

New research shows that physical activity makes low-calorie foods seem more appetizing.

In a small study published last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the University of Birmingham found that after exercising the brain regions associated with reward were more active when viewing images of healthy food verses unhealthy food.

"Exercise increases neural responses to images of low-calorie foods and suppresses activation during the viewing of high-calorie foods," write the researchers.

Is face yoga the key to a youthful appearance?

By Shereen Dindar | Shine On 

Face yoga is the latest beauty trend with endorsements from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston, who claim it is their weapon against wrinkles and signs of aging.

Founder Annelise Hagen, a New York yoga instructor who has written The Yoga Face and beenfeatured on American daytime television, says that making specific facial expressions until the muscles feel stretched and relaxed is the key to a youthful appearance.

"The exercises themselves help to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, so you're definitely going to get more tone, firmness and resilience," Hagen tells a CBS-affiliate news station.

10 Weird Beauty Tricks that Really Work

By Augusta Falletta, Beauty High
At our office, we're always hearing of ridiculous beauty tricks that sound too good (or crazy) to be true, but there's no better feeling than making a weird beauty discovery that really works. After spending some time with the most common beauty problems everyone encounters, we've put together all of our favorite weird beauty tricks that do what they say they'll do. Our hope is that some of your most frustrating beauty problems will be solved with these tricks!

1. To avoid stray mascara marks, hold a plastic spoon (curve out) over your eyelid when applying your mascara so the excess can go on the spoon, not your lids.

2. To reduce puffy eyes, cut raw, peeled potatoes in half and place over your eyes for 10 minutes. The potato will cool your eyes and any swelling will decrease.

8 Secrets Never to Keep in a Relationship

By Cari Wira Dineen, REDBOOK.

You've maxed out the credit cards and you're the only one who sees the bills every month.
"Secretly spending and trying to hide the purchases is a big indicator that there's not a lot of trust in your relationship," says Ian Kerner, a relationship expert and author of Passionista. Try to figure out why you're not disclosing what you buy: Do you feel that your decisions are being ridiculed? Does your husband tend to control the majority of the money or your relationship overall? Or do you have a problem with compulsive spending? Then, come clean. Explain that you know you spent too much, but that there's a reason you didn't share--for example, you haven't felt comfortable expressing your needs in general recently. Use this mistake as an opportunity to get on the same page about not just money, but also about how to effectively communicate and stand by your wants and needs. Kerner then suggests devising a budget in which you both allocate funds for personal discretionary spending, which will help set you up as financial equals. And make an agreement that any time you're considering making a purchase over a set amount, say $100, you'll discuss it with each other before you plunk down your credit card. 

13 2-Minute Stress Solutions

by Jessica Baumgardner, Prevention

When we were 5, we might have sucked our thumbs for stress relief. As adults, many of us self-soothe with junk food, a glass (or two) of wine, maybe some mindless TV. But those are fixes that don't actually fix anything. Luckily, recent studies reveal some easy ways to lift your spirits and lower your stress that actually create positive shifts in your brain and body.

"Stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, which can damage our brains and weaken our cardiovascular and immune systems over time," says neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, PhD, the author of Buddha's Brain. We asked experts for their best instant mood boosters, backed by the latest research in nutrition, psychology, and neuroscience. Follow these tips and you'll be saying "aah" in no time.

7 Surprising Ways You're Ruining Your Teeth

By Karen Springen

You only get one set of choppers, and repair costs more than prevention. So be kind to your teeth. Here are some mistakes you may not know you're making.

1. Brushing Too Hard
"If you brush too vigorously, you can wear away at your enamel and cause sensitivity and even gum recession," says dentist Nuntiya Kakanantadilok, director of the division of pediatric dentistry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Buy a brush with soft bristles and move it in small circles, not side to side, she says.