If you want to go to graduate school

Great. Now let’s say you do need to take it. Unlike the ACT/SAT, which a lot of people didn’t bother studying for back in the day, the GRE tests you on what Educational Testing Services think graduate students should know before grad school. This means you will actually have to study. Remember probability, slope-intercept form, and all those equations from math you thought you were done with years ago? Remember analogies and memorizing flash cards and five paragraph essays? You better hope so, because the GRE brings it all back with a vengeance.

There’s four sections on this bad boy:

1. Verbal – Vocab. Lots and lots of vocab. Go buy some flash cards right now – they will be your best friends soon.
2. Quantitative – Not calculus, thank gosh. But they’re talking all the way back to math you learned in middle school. This includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and quantitative comparison.
3. Analytical Writing – Haven’t taken a writing class since freshman year? You may want to refresh your writing skills because you’ll have to write two essays in one sitting: one argumentative and one issue.
4. Experimental (maybe) – This experimental section might show up on your GRE exam, but it won’t count toward your score. ETS wants to do research on future questions on you, and they unfortunately do not let you know. So basically, you might end up taking two Verbal sections and not knowing which was the random experimental part that didn’t count. I was devastated to hear that I would be wasting my time in this manner, but there’s really nothing we can do about it.

Deciding which study materials to use is entirely up to personal preference. I bought three books to study with because I hate math, I need a great score on verbal, and I didn’t want to shell out the extra cash for a Princeton Review or Kaplan prep course. The reviews on Amazon really helped me understand how effective a book would be or how boring it might be before buying it – some are definitely easier to read than others. If it’s not your learning style, you obviously won’t learn as much. Oh, and make sure you’re buying a NEW book if they promise access to free online practice tests, or else the codes might not work!

In terms of freebies, all Windows users out there can also take advantage of free PowerPrep software from ETS. You should start reading the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or sign up for Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day emails to help expand your vocabulary. You can always do prep classes if you want to spend more money and if you need a more structured study schedule, but with a calendar and some willpower you should be fine!

One of the most important things you should do is familiarize yourself with how the GRE works. It’s a Computer Adaptive Test, which means that the difficulty of the questions change as you answer questions correctly or incorrectly. To get a feel for the test, you should do as many electronic practice tests as you can! For example, you need to be more cautious at the beginning of the test because those early questions have greater weight in terms of your score.

In terms of scheduling, you should know a few important facts:

• Most test prep materials recommend 1-2 months to study a few hours everyday
• Remember that you can’t take the GRE more than once a month
• On average, it takes about 4-6 weeks for scores to get to the grad school of your choice
• Your GRE scores are valid for five years after taking the test

Once you’ve got the test scheduled and you’re prepared, here are some tips for actually taking the GRE:

• Arrive to the testing site early and bring a legit photo ID
• Know which schools you want to send your scores to (the first four schools are free!)
• Bring a snack – four hours is a long time to go without food when your brain is working that hard
• Be careful on the early questions!
• Pay attention to time
• Answer EVERY question – on the GRE, guessing is always better than nothing
• Use your scratch paper wisely

Most importantly, don’t stress – they’re testing how well you can take a GRE, not how smart you are or how successful you will be in a master’s program. Grad schools realize this, and typically take your GRE score into account along with your GPA, resume experience, and personal statement.

Hope this helps you get ready for the GRE! What’s helping you study?

Should you go for natural or artificial? Low-cal or all natural? Corn syrup or aspartame? Honey or agave nectar?

Here’s your guide to satisfying your sweet tooth in the healthiest way possible.

What It’s Called
There are secret code names for sugar that you’ll find in everything from crackers to vegetables. Look for: Sucrose, Fructose, Glucose, Corn Sugar, Sorbitol, Dextrose, Maltose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, Lactose… and more.

What It Does To Your Body
Carbs and sugars turn into glucose, which gives us energy to function. Glucose determines your blood sugar level, which affects your appetite, emotions, athletic performance, and more. You do not want to screw with this system – ideally, you want your blood sugar level to stay pretty even all the time. Usually people do this by eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and things that get metabolized at a steady rate in your body.

Sugar has two parts. Besides the glucose, there’s fructose, which is in added sweeteners, and in smaller amounts in fruits and veggies. Either way, eating too many calories from glucose or fructose is a sure way to gain weight and mess up your blood sugar level.

Real Sugar
Anything that we can easily trace to its natural source fits in this category. Check out these facts on natural sources of sweetness:

Sugar (granulated, raw, brown, powdered, etc.)
Made from sugar beets & cane
Spikes your blood sugar levels
48 calories per tablespoon

Honey
Has some natural antioxidants
Metabolized same as sugar, but doesn’t spike your blood sugar level quite as much
64 calories per tablespoon

Agave Nectar
Made from same plant as tequila
Keeps your blood sugar level stable
Sweeter than sugar, so you’d use a lot less
60 calories per tablespoon

Truvia/Sweetleaf/PureVia
Comes from stevia plant
No calories and doesn’t screw with your blood sugar levels
Used in South America and Japan for awhile
Brain does not recognize it as sugar, so it probably won’t satisfy your sweet tooth

Fake Sugar
Tastes like sugar, made with similar ingredients to sugar, but it’s just not natural. Oh, and contrary to what you’ve heard, it doesn’t cause cancer! Here are some surprising facts about non-natural sugar products:

High Fructose Corn Syrup (pop, crackers, cereal, granola bars, almost everything, etc.)
Contains near same percentages of fructose & glucose as sugar, so gets broken down in the body almost the same.
In study of obese people, found that it can increase bad cholesterol as they needed more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.
May make it harder to associate sweet taste with high calories, so harder to keep track of calories.
45 calories per tablespoon

Aspartame (diet pop, Equal, breakfast cereals, desserts, candy)
May cause headaches and stomach aches
No links to cancer after further research
Almost no calories
Doesn’t react with heat well, so you can’t cook with it

Sucralose/Splenda (diet pop, protein bars, low-cal anything, etc.)
Derived from sugar (chlorine replaces some stuff in the normal sugar molecule)
People have reported side effects like cramps, headaches, weight gain, fatigue, bloating, etc.
No links to cancer after further research
Almost no calories.

What Kind of Sugar is for YOU?
In general, staying away from the sweet stuff is the best idea because it’s usually high in calories and low in nutrients. Less than 10% of your daily calories should come from sugar, and you already get a good amount of natural sugar from fruits and vegetables! Remember, though: sugar-free items don’t mean healthy – just empty calories! So which is best for you? Well, like most things, it all depends on which situations you usually find yourself in. Do you:

Need Coffee in the Morning? You can’t imagine your morning java without sugar! Go for Stevia-based options since it usually comes in packets, has no calories, and isn’t associated with any side effects.

Look for All-Natural Antioxidants? You want a sweetener with the most nutritional value possible. Date sugar and blackstrap molasses, although unmentioned because they aren’t as common and are kind of expensive, provide the most antioxidants. Honey would be your next alternative because it has more antioxidants than any of the other sweeteners mentioned here.

Count Calories? You’re a girl on a weight loss mission! Use Stevia-based options if you can, since they have no calories and don’t have any side effects that could de-rail your exercise and weight loss plan.

Love to Cook? You can use agave nectar or applesauce as your secret weapons for making healthier desserts. If the recipe is no-bake, you can replace the sugar with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce or agave nectar. If the ingredients will be heated, you can usually replace up to two thirds of the sugar with these healthier substitutes.

Stay on Budget? Honey and agave syrup are expensive. Don’t go for organic versions – the label will jack up the price significantly. You can usually buy the cheapest sweeteners, like Stevia, Splenda or regular sugar if you want, in bulk to save money!

Have a Major Sweet Tooth? Try to stay away from artificial sweeteners like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, and Splenda because they won’t satisfy your sweet tooth! You need legit sugar to satiate cravings, so if you’re making a dessert, try substituting some of the sugar for applesauce. If you’re buying sweets, go for quality rather than quantity. Make sure it’s made with actual sugar and only eat it in moderation.

OK, so I might be mixing up my analogy here (I don’t think sodium wears cut-offs or weird kids make you retain water), but you get my point: sodium is annoying, it’s bad for you and it happens to be in everything. Which might be tasty, but is also a problem when we’re only supposed to consume around 2,300 mg of sodium a day (which is basically a teaspoon of salt). Besides the other harmful effects sodium has on the body (think high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, etc), the biggest offender – especially in bikini season – is bloating.

Blah. Bloating. Even the word sounds fat.

Summer bloat is every girl’s worst nightmare. No matter how hard we hit the gym to get fit for summer, that extra water retention always manages to come back and haunt us right before we hit the beach. So how can we prevent it? Easy, avoid sodium. And how do we avoid sodium? Well, you gotta know where to find it….

On average, only 5% of our daily sodium intake is from adding salt into our foods. The real culprits are processed and prepared foods. A whopping 77% of our daily sodium intake comes from these foods! In my personal war against all bloat-inducing-foods (BIFs?), I’ve come across a few unlikely salt culprits that you should consider before slipping on your bikinis this summer – and probs during the rest of the year too.

Dairy foods.
Unprocessed dairy products have pretty low amounts of sodium, but once they are processed the sodium is way higher than expected!
- 1 cup low-fat milk = 107 mg
- 1 oz. slice American cheese = 406 mg
- 1 cup cottage cheese = 851 mg

Condiments.
Who knew mustard and ketchup contained this much sodium? Not I. And that low-sodium soy sauce we’ve all been reaching for? Yeah, don’t let that green cap fool you.
- 1 tbsp. mustard or ketchup = 190 mg
- 2 tbsp. fat free Italian dressing = 430mg
- 1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce = 600mg
-  1 tbsp. soy sauce = 1,000 mg

Soup & Sauces.
These stats are borderline obscene.
- 1 cup Cream of Chicken soup = 1,047 mg
- 1 cup Chicken Vegetable soup = 1,068 mg
- 1 cup tomato sauce = 1,284 mg

Frozen/canned/packaged foods.
I was expecting these to be high, but not for canned beans to have nearly the same amount of sodium as a chicken pot pie! Cray cray.
- 2 slices deli turkey meat = 450 mg
- 1 cup canned beans = 856 mg
- 1 frozen chicken pot pie = 857 mg
- 1 cup mac & cheese = 1,061 mg

Snacks & Grains.
Bread & cereal are never places I expected to find sodium! But that stuff is hiding (in major amounts) everywhere. Even dessert. What’s the deal, pudding!?
- 2 slices whole wheat bread = 268mg
- 1 cup Honey Nut Cheerios = 269 mg
- 1/2 cup pudding = 470 mg
- 10 pretzels = 1,029 mg

Fast food.
These numbers really makes me rethink my love for Taco Bell.
- Cheeseburger = 1,108 mg
- Egg & sausage biscuit = 1,141 mg
- Large taco = 1,233 mg

Clearly we can’t just NOT eat any of these foods anymore, so here are simple ways we can get around the high sodium problem until the food industry shapes up:

1. Limit the toppings. Get the dressing on the side, use unsalted butter if you have to use butter, and leave that extra sauce on your plate. You do NOT need to lap it up with bread, peeps.

2. Get creative. Instead of lamenting your lack of sodium, you could be discovering an entirely new world of herbs and spices! Think garlic, vinegar, basil, cilantro, pepper, etc., which won’t put your tummy (literally) over the edge (of your bikini bottoms).

3. Pick fresh over processed foods. Unsalted peanuts have 8 mg of sodium. Three ounces of steak has 55 mg of sodium. A plain baked potato has 5 mg of sodium. Yes, you can eat well sans salt. And if you need something pre-made, just look for the low sodium options.

4. Skip the fast food. But really, sodium is the least of the problems with this stuff!

Whether you want to make these changes in the long run or not, you might need a quick fix. Maybe you’re about to catch some rays, go to a pool party tonight, or you’ve just annihilated a half a box of Cheez-Its while reading this article. Never fear. You can prevent and/or alleviate bloating by:

1. Eat fiber & probiotics. Eating fiber-rich foods like spinach and whole grains will help regulate your system. Also, anything with probiotics (like yogurt) helps too!

2. Drink water! Not enough will definitely cause water retention, and drinking a little more than usual can help flush sodium out of your system.

3. Consume anti-bloat foods. Incorporating a mild diuretic like parsley or pineapple into your meals can ease bloating considerably. Bananas and chamomile tea are purported to ease symptoms as well.

In the end, check your labels! Knowledge is power and in this case, knowledge is the power to beat the bloat.

I make spectacularly healthy (or so I thought!) turkey sandwiches for lunch every day. Fresh bread, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, turkey…. they are beautiful and healthy works of art. I’m constantly thinking of new ways to spice ‘em up. Sliced avocado? Swapping out provolone for some swiss? Perhaps a few slices of green apple? Turkey is my daily go-to; a healthy dose of protein that can be dressed up or down depending on what is (or, more likely, what isn’t) stocked in my fridge.

But it’s starting to look like my turkey days are dwindling. Sob. Researchers at Harvard and the more than one million research participants have found that much like tanning, drinking, watching TV, sitting on the computer and everything else I do in my daily life, turkey and other processed meats are officially BAD for us.

What the heck are processed meats? The powers that be define these as “any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives.” Unfortunately, this covers bacon, deli meats, hot dogs, and more. Like Slim Jims and jerky. [Although, don't act surprised – did you really think Slim Jims came straight from chickens or cows or… wait, where do Slim Jims come from? Exactly.]

Anyway, they found that eating hot dogs, deli meat (even the super lean stuff!), salami, sausage, and bacon can increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes. And it doesn’t take much. Only two ounces of these processed meats per day will increase your risk of heart disease by 42% and diabetes by 19%! For your reference, two ounces is…

-  A few strips of bacon
-  One hot dog
-  Two slices of deli meat

And two ounces to me is an end to tasty breakfasts, pre-game chow and, of course, my lunchtime mainstay.

The good news in all this? Burgers and gyros are still OK; red meat doesn’t carry the same risks as our smoked and processed friends. Renata Micha, a researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health, says that on average, processed meats have “four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives” than red meat. So there’s that….

RIP, turkey sandwich. I already miss your smokey flavor, versatility, and how good I felt when I was making “healthy” lunch choices. I guess I will now just have to turn to other great sources of protein for my mid-day meal: grilled chicken, hummus, beans, and, I guess, the old elementary school favorite, peanut butter.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/dont-bring-home-the-bacon/?src=me&ref=health

Finding it hard to make your health a daily priority? Can’t stick to that diet? Are you letting a day off turn into a few days? Or a few weeks? Join the club – I know I’m not jumping for joy at the thought of going to the gym either.

Take today, for example. I simply decided that I didn’t feel like sweating. I just didn’t feel that it was necessary… and I opted out of some much-needed gym time in favor of less perspiration. I guess you could say my motivation’s pretty low.

It’s not like we’re not trying. We set goals, make a plan; but after awhile that goal is hard to remember and it takes a bit more motivation than we originally thought… or more motivation than we feel we have. But that goal is important (why would you have set it in the first place?) so we must dig deep to reach it. Sometimes, real deep.

Whether your goal is to run a half-marathon, lose ten pounds, eat healthy, etc., here are some surefire ways to keep you motivated!

1.  Keep your skinny jeans in sight.
First of all, buy them. Who cares if you can’t fit into them now? You will be able to after you’ve accomplished your goal! Then hang ‘em in a place you can see them. Every day. Try them on after every workout if you really want to. Whatever your goal is, put a reminder in plain view so you have something to strive for.

2.  When and where?
Set your date with victory right now. When can you legit accomplish this goal? Be honest with yourself (you don’t want to set yourself up for failure), but don’t set that date so far off that you won’t stay on task. And write that ish down. Then make a countdown so you always know where you stand. (I love the free Countdown Widgets on my Macbook and Droid).

3.  Treat yourself.
Buy those killer heels. Get a new hair cut. Read for pleasure. Reward yourself for resisting sugar cravings for the last week or making yourself go to the gym for the last month! These little treats will keep you fresh and motivated. After all, you are making a positive change, so you want to reward yourself periodically for sticking to your plan!

4.  Gossip… about yourself
Tell ALL of your friends about your goal. Hell, try to guilt trip your friends or roommates into joining the cause too. Tell the homeless guy on the corner. Tell your cute new neighbor (maybe he’ll go running with you!) The more people know about what you’re trying to accomplish, the less you’ll want to let them all down!

5.  Don’t just say it – scribe it.
Write it down. It makes it all more real. Why are you doing this? Who are you doing this for? What will be the fabulous end result? Write it and read it daily so you’ll remember what you did and how far you’ve come.

6.  Get ready for failure.
That’s right. You already know you’re going to trip up eventually! We all do. But if you are aware of it from the start, it won’t be as devastating. When the time for a negative attitude or laziness rolls around, you’ll be prepared to deal with it because, hey, you’ve been expecting it! And after you’ve dealt with whatever it may be, you’ll be stronger and more focused on your goal!

What strategies do you use to keep yourself on track?

And, of course, studies show that women are at a higher risk for stress-induced eating and consequent weight gain. Blame it on cortisol – probably the suckiest hormone I’ve ever heard of. It’s a stress-related hormone that’s linked to weight gain (especially in your abs!). Cortisol also makes your metabolism slow down and increases your appetite. It ALSO leads to a tendency to consume high-fat foods. Ugh.

There are ways to avoid weight gain and unhealthy habits even when you’re scrambling to finish that paper at 4am the night before. What does a girl gotta do to stay healthy and avoid gaining weight during these super stressful times?

Build a support system.
Friends and family are there for you – feel free to vent! Unloading your stress and frustrations will keep you focused… and prevent you from stress-eating.

Snack smart.
Avoid sugar and caffeine. They’ll seem like a good choice… until you crash a few hours later! And when you’re making your 2am food run, keep healthy snacks closest (front of the cabinets and fridge) so that’s the first thing you see and grab. If you have time to cook, put food away right after you make it so you’re not mindlessly eating seconds and thirds while studying. Also, no matter what hours you keep during exam week, try to keep your eating schedule as close to normal as possible. Eating when you should be sleeping increase your chances of gaining weight.

Take breaks.
It’s been proven that exercise relieves stress, so do it! You don’t have to give up an hour to hit the gym, either. Try meditating and focusing on your breathing for 10-20 minutes. Play music, get out of your chair and dance between chapters. Or, now that the weather is starting to get nice, get outside and take a 10-minute walk. Simply moving around will ease your mind and make you feel better.

What are your healthy ways you cope with stress during finals?

OK, so it’s not like your back is flabby like your thighs and you don’t crave the definition like you do in your abs, but you can’t neglect your back muscles; they help you maintain good posture, give you a smaller waistline, and enable you to carry a 30-pound backpack to class (thank you, Ancient Psych professor). They’ll also help you move boxes into your new apartment and, of course, with the bend-and-snap. So let’s focus on bringing sexy backs back (you had to know the J.T. reference was coming)!

Before starting any hardcore back exercises, be careful! Because our back muscles tend to be weaker, they are really easy to injure. (It’s a strange cycle, I know.) Remember to warm up beforehand with cardio, some good back stretches, and light back weights if you can. Also, do the exercises slowly to make sure you’ve got the correct form and technique down. Try them out in front of a mirror before making your confident back debut at the gym!

Here are some easy exercises to tone the OTHER side of your waistline:

Bridge
You can do this exercise anywhere, any time. No need to hit up the gym to strengthen that back!

1. Lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the ground.
2. Lift your hips and squeeze your butt, creating a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Hold for two seconds, and then lower slowly.

Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Back Extension
This is another great exercise that you can do at home.

1. Lay on your stomach with your legs together and your hands behind your head.
2. Lift your chest off the ground slowly, then slowly lower down without resting.
* To increase difficulty (which I recommend), lift your legs (straight out) at the same time as you lift your chest.

Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-16 reps.

Back Extensions in the Gym
This exercise requires either the back weight bench [available at all gyms] or an exercise ball. I’ll explain it on the bench; modify as needed.

1. Stand in the middle of the bench, facing the larger pad.
2. Use the handles to help you lean forward and adjust so that your hips are across the large pad and the backs of your ankles are under the smaller pads.
3. Cross your arms over your chest or put your hands behind your neck.
4. Bend forward at the waist as far as you can then slowly bring yourself up until your back is parallel to the floor, only using your back muscles. Do not to arch your back!

Repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Dead lift
All you need are some dumbbells to do a dead lift. Start with lighter weights (7-10 pounds total) and work your way up.

1. Stand up your with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing inward.
3. Bending at the hip, slowly lower your torso. Stop when the dumbbells reach your shins.
4. Slowly return to the starting position, keeping back straight and abs tight.

Repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Pullover on Stability Ball
You’ll need a stability ball and dumbbells or a medicine ball for this one!

1. Lie on the stability ball with back, neck, and head fully supported.
2. Hold the dumbbells/medicine ball over your chest, arms straight up, palms facing inward.
3. Keeping the elbows slightly bent and abs tight, slowly lower your arms towards the floor until they are parallel to your shoulders.
4. With control, slowly lift arms back up to the starting position.

Repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps.

But that happy feeling won’t last if you don’t eat a little something after all that exercise. You need something to replenish your body, girlfriend! You want to get stronger, not burn yourself out. Your friends have suggested everything from protein shakes to lemon juice.What should you really eat after you workout? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not lemon juice.

Let’s start out simple. First, drinking water is essential for replacing what you  lost in that intense cardio sesh! Everyone knows you should drink 8 glasses of water a day, but you should increase that to 10-12 on days you’re working out.

Now for food: when it comes to eating after a workout, the key is getting a snack in within 45 minutes of finishing. But that doesn’t mean chowing down on a piece of cake or snacking on a few celery sticks. Post-workout snacks should have both carbs and protein in them. The carbs help replenish glycogen, and the protein helps rebuild and rehydrate muscle tissue, as well as stimulate your immune system to keep you healthy.

So it’s CRUCIAL that you eat after a workout. If you miss that 45-minute time period, you risk slowing “carb replenishment by 50 percent and protein repair by 80 percent.” Not only does that make your workout less effective, but it also leads to that so-sore-I-can’t-cough-without-crying muscle pain that we all know and loathe. Getting that protein keeps your muscles happy so you don’t have to hold your obliques to laugh after a difficult Pilates class.

So what would the ideal carb/protein snack be? Ideally, you need a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, as too much protein right after a workout can slow rehydration and glycogen replenishment. (So no 20-ounce steaks….)

Here are some tasty, easy and healthy carb-protein suggestions:

* Yogurt with fruit (Greek yogurt is best as it has more protein than your usual stuff)
* Peanut butter on whole wheat bread
* A handful of nuts
* Banana protein shake (bananas are an excellent source of potassium, which is great for those muscles)
* Peanut butter and banana on rice cakes
* Hummus and pita
* Turkey, cheese, and apple slices
* Tuna on whole wheat bread
* Pasta w/ chicken and spinach

I know many of us tend to skip out on eating after a workout – why gain back all those calories we just burned off? – but don’t! Eating will keep you healthy, strong, and actually increase those workout results.

Happy snacking!

Hate how all the guys you know only lift weights a few times a week, skip the treadmill, eat twice as much as you, and still manage a 6-pack while you struggle to reveal any pack at all? Maybe it’s time to take a few tips from the boys!

As members of the fairer sex (holla!), we have some major obstacles to staying slim that guys will never have to deal with. The bloating and hormonal changes that come every month obviously suck. And the cravings don’t help us lose those extra pounds, either. While it’s true that both guys and girls get cravings, women are more likely to crave chocolates and sweets, whereas guys are more likely to crave meat (which happens to be filled with protein, makes you feel full longer and is generally better for your body). See the problem here? We should take a hint from the boys and switch to more protein-oriented snacks! Before reaching for the chocolate, go for some string cheese, a turkey and cheese wrap, or cottage cheese with fruit. If you’re still craving sweets after that, try mixing some protein with it – like almonds and chocolate chips.

While most ladies prefer free weights (or just skipping weight-lifting entirely), guys opt for the larger machines and weights. Unfortunately for us, this means that most guys burn 30% more calories every day because they have more muscle mass. If you’re still under the misconception that you will get larger and more masculine from lifting, never fear. They’ve done tons of studies that show no increase in size – only an increased muscle to fat ratio, which translates to more calories burned while you’re just sitting there! Again, more muscles = more calories burned. So how do you know how much weight to lift? You should only be able to do 10-12 reps at a time with a weight. If you can do more, it’s too light. If you can do less, it’s too heavy.

But it’s not just our hormones and our workouts that differ from the guys – it’s our overall mindset, as well. The MSNBC article says women are more likely to try to become “perfect overnight” and give up everything cold turkey. Guys tend to stay away from perfection. If they accomplish 80% of their weight loss goals for the day, they are satisfied. And allowing themselves the chance to “mess up” now and then is what keeps them successful in the long run. If we ladies can accept the fact that some days will be great and others will just be OK, we’ll see more success (or leaner, more toned bodies) in our future. Stop feeling guilty after eating some junk food – no one’s perfect. Enjoy the flavors and tastes, and get back to trying to eat healthy right after! The all-or-nothing mindset will backfire, guaranteed.

Finally, the way we women tend to look at food is also holding us back from our goals. For many women, eating is a more emotional experience. A University of Minnesota study found that “women are twice as likely as men to binge because they’re depressed.” This becomes even more important when you also know that “women are also twice as likely as men to be depressed” in general!  I blame those stupid yogurt commercials… Either way, food means comfort for a lot of women. Guys don’t view it in the same way. Food is for sustenance and other activities – like playing basketball, running or playing video games – are for entertainment. Take a hint from the boys and find something active to do to lift that mood. Take a dance class, go for a long walk, read a book… Whatever you do, stay away from the kitchen!

If you want to lose weight like a dude, you need to think, eat and exercise like a dude. It’s that easy.

Your cheat sheet to losing weight like a dude:
1. Don’t deprive yourself
2. Do something active when you’re upset
3. Eat protein when cravings hit
4. Lift weights

In honor of President’s Day, here are some tips on staying healthy and fit from  the most powerful couple in the world:

Presidential Tip #1: Always schedule time for exercise.
You know it’s important, so schedule it like everything else in your life!  You can always find ways to fit it in – Michelle used to work out at 4:30am and Barack starts most days in the gym.  Not even constant traveling deters him; during his presidential campaign, Obama’s aides “arranged workouts for him in several dozen states. The staff called gyms a few days before his arrival and persuaded them to close late or open early to oblige the candidate’s schedule.”

Gyms on campus are usually open pretty early and late, so we don’t have to worry about making special arrangements (or having assistants to do so)! Still feel like you don’t have time? Even if you’re losing a bit of precious sleep, the benefits of exercising probably outweigh the half hour of sleep you might lose (or less if you work out right!). Obama has the same problem with the “trade off  between sleep and working out,” but insists that a workout makes him feel much better throughout the day.

Presidential Tip #2: Don’t let bad habits stop you from exercising.
Did you know that Obama smokes the occasional cigarette when he’s stressed? He knows it’s unhealthy, and he’s practically quit, but sometimes he slips up. Clearly he’s not perfect, and neither are we. If our president doesn’t waste time beating himself for a bad choice every now and then and doesn’t let it deter him from continuing to try and live a healthy lifestyle, we shouldn’t either. Get out there and exercise – forgive and forget your bad habits.

Presidential Tip #3: Plan what you’re going to do beforehand.
Obama has his routine pretty set in stone – 4 days of weightlifting, 2 days of cardio. So when he gets to the gym, he knows exactly what he’s going to be doing. He’s even been spotted following exercises written on a sheet of paper. Why would we go to the gym without a presidential agenda of our own? Having a list ensures you won’t be there all day deciding which muscles to work, which cardio machine you want to use, or how many reps you should be doing. And you’ll feel much better after accomplishing the items on your list!

Presidential Tip #4: Find out what you love and use it to exercise!
Obama loves basketball. While on the campaign trail, he “got in the habit of shooting hoops with friends on the days of primary elections, and that carried over to such major events as his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention…” Clearly, exercise doesn’t have to be all treadmill and free weights. Just find out what kind of exercise you actually enjoy doing and you’ll find yourself wanting to stick with it!

Presidential Tip #5: Work out with friends.
…It’s just more fun that way! Michelle worked out in the wee hours of the morning with a friend, and Barack had some friends fly in to play basketball with him. Having workout partners keeps you motivated and accountable.

Presidential Tip #6: Eat mostly healthy, but don’t feel bad when you slip up.
Michelle’s got our backs on this one! She goes by the 90-10 rule. If 90% of the time you’re eating healthy, don’t feel bad about a relatively unhealthy 10%. The Obama’s live by this mantra – they know sometimes you need to treat yourself! To help maintain this healthy lifestyle, they keep a ton of healthy food around (such as bowls of apples) and only eat out once every few weeks.

Presidential Tip #7: Know why you exercise and let that be a natural motivation.
If you are more aware of the reasons you exercise, you’ll be more likely to continue exercising. Take out a sheet of paper and write down reasons you exercise. How do you feel during? How do you look afterwards? How do you FEEL afterwards? Obama is well aware of his reasoning. He says exercise is his “key to remaining fresh and focused in the face of a punishing schedule.” He also says he uses exercise “to clear my head and relieve me of stress.” Why do you exercise? Post it somewhere you can clearly see and let it motivate you everyday!

And there you have it – a workout fit for a President.
Seriously, if the leader of our country can find time to get fit, so can you.