Looking to tone up before the Summer? FitSugar reader (and certified trainer) JessicaSmithTV created the following ab workout for just that! She shared it in our 10 Pounds DOWN! community group . Get ready for swimsuit season with this supershort, but effective, total-body summer shape-up workout created by fitness expert Jessica Smith that you can do anywhere - no equipment required! View Slideshow ›

Wikimedia Commons Curious to know which counties are the healthiest—and least so—in every state?   How about where your county ranks in terms of smoking and obesity rates, physical inactivity, air pollution, numbers of fast-food restaurants, and other contributors to public health? The 2012 County Health Rankings report, the third annual, is out today and provides a treasure trove of such data—29 measures in all—for each of the 3,005 counties in the U.S. The report , which draws on data from the CDC, the Dartmouth Health Atlas, the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources, is user-friendly and free. Information junkies, beware:  you can spend hours on this site. The project, a collaboration of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aims to help local leaders and residents see not only where they rank on factors that determine health, but also specific ways to improve. “Our goal is to move the conversation from asking the question, ‘Why is my county unhealthy?’ to ‘What can we do about it?” says Patrick Remington , Associate Dean for Public Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. A new section this year, called County Health Roadmaps, suggests specific measures counties can take to improve.  For the first time, the program is offering up to six prizes of $25,000 to reward communities that make changes to improve public health. In many ways, the rankings reflect socioeconomic conditions. Wealthy counties tend to be healthy, and vice versa.  Counties with large urban areas also tend to be healthier than those that are rural, as I wrote about in a Health Journal in July. But there are exceptions. Some border counties in Texas, for example, have high rates of poverty and low rates of education, but very long-lived residents. “Even healthier counties may have high rates of smoking, excessive drinking and high rates of teen birth,” says Mr. Remington. “There is still room for improvement, no matter where you live.” Making a community healthier can start with small changes.   Chip Johnson , mayor of Hernando, Miss., (population: 6,812)  says that as a response to the rankings, his community removed vending machines from city hall and made sure that the local farmers market was located within walking distance of some poorer neighborhoods. He also challenged local fourth-graders to run a marathon, one mile at a time, with him and the local police captain, and convinced a local bank to donate 37 acres of foreclosed land to make a park. Mayor Johnson says he looks at the data, in part, as an economic-development tool. (Hernando is in DeSoto County, ranked No. 1 in health outcomes in Mississippi). “We’re seeing that people are very literally moving to our county and our town because they perceive it to be a healthy town.  That’s the best compliment you can get,” he says.

At 36, Reese Witherspoon always looks amazing. Strong, sculpted, lean, yet feminine. How does Reese do it ? She told Us Weekly : “I work out all the time anyway just to stay healthy. I don’t believe in crash dieting or anything like that.” From yoga sessions to running, this Oscar-winning actress loves to get her sweat on. Regular exercise offers a slew of health benefits , including improved sleep, increased energy and brain function, a happier mood, a stronger immune system, and prevention of health issues like heart disease and diabetes. But not everyone loves exercise, and some just use it as a weight-loss tool. What about you? Do you exercise to stay healthy or just when you need to slim down? Yes, like Reese, I work out mainly for my health. No, I only exercise when I need to lose weight.

Next September tobacco companies were due to start using graphic warnings on cigarette packs and in ads that highlighted the consequences of smoking and of secondhand smoke. That may not happen now that a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction keeping the FDA from implementing the changes. As the WSJ reports , U.S. Judge Richard J. Leon sided with five tobacco companies — including Lorillard and Reynolds American — in their request that the new rules be put off until the court can actually rule on the merits of the claim. The companies filed suit against the federal rule in August, saying the large, graphic warnings violate free speech. Here’s the judge’s ruling. In it, Judge Leon says the five tobacco companies that are party to the suit “have demonstrated (1) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; (2) that they will suffer irreparable harm absent injunctive relief; (3) that neither the Government, nor the public, will suffer any comparable injury as a result of the relief sought; and (4) that the public’s interest in the protection of its First Amendment rights against unconstitutionally compelled speech will be, in fact, furthered.” A Justice Department spokesman tells the Washington Post the department is reviewing the decision. Image: Associated Press

Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously kept quiet about his illness and while a rare form of pancreatic cancer was at the root of his struggles, the company’s announcement of his death yesterday didn’t include information about the precise cause. But if you ever question what someone can accomplish after being diagnosed with cancer, consider this. In the seven years since Jobs underwent surgery to remove what doctors call a neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor and — except for one medical leave — remained at the helm of Apple, the company: Broadened the product line of the ubiquitous iPod Introduced the MacBook Air laptop Created an online retail phenomenon with the opening of its app store Transformed the personal digital technology landscape with the introduction of the both the iPhone and the iPad The high-tech visionary clearly never embraced a role as a cancer survivor and whether he’ll ever be seen as an inspiration in that regard remains to be seen. But his illness has focused attention on a tumor with widely varying prognosis about which little is known. “We all call these neuroendocrine tumors,” Michaela Banck, a pancreatic cancer expert at the Mayo Clinic, tells the Health Blog. But “if you have 50 patients, you have 50 different tumors with 50 different prognoses.” As the name implies, the tumors can affect levels of insulin and other hormones produced by the pancreas, but Banck says more research is needed to better understand how the cancer’s impact on hormones affects prognosis. The encouraging news is that while the much more common form of pancreatic cancer, affecting 95% of cases, is especially fast moving and lethal, neuroendocrine tumors are often slow-growing and can be effectively treated with surgery — even cured in some cases if caught early enough. ( As the WSJ reports today, Jobs’s disease ran a fairly predictable course.) Two drugs — Afinitor from Novartis and Sutent from Pfizer — were approved for neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors early this year. No information is available on whether Jobs was treated with the drugs. Jobs also had a liver transplant in 2009, though its connection to the cancer wasn’t disclosed. One worry about the role of transplants for cancer patients is that drugs used to prevent rejection of the organ depress the immune system, potentially opening the door for the cancer to return. Interestingly, Afinitor is a member of a class of drugs originally developed to prevent organ rejection. Mayo’s Banck is hopeful that the explosion information about cancer in general from genetic analysis of tumors will soon unlock some of the mysteries of the disease that struck Jobs. Photo: Getty Images

I like to think of food as preventative medicine: what you eat daily affects your long-term health. Eating foods known to calm the body’s inflammatory response, like fermented soy products and cold-water fish, are a great way to combat long-term health problems like heart disease. This inflammation-fighting salad from Dr. Weil ‘s True Food Kitchen restaurant will satisfy your palate while helping to keep your midsection lean. Learn how to prepare the salad, then print the recipe to make it at home. Enjoy!

Summer is here, which means showing a bit more skin. Our tushes can never be too toned, so here’s an intermediate yoga sequence that will strengthen your seat and make you feel proud prancing around in your bikini bottoms. After going through all eight poses with the right leg, repeat this sequence again on the left side. View Slideshow ›

Bob Harper’s must-do moves to get you bikini ready – Shape Strawberries in a sandwich? You betcha! – DailySpark Cool off with frozen desserts under 250 calories – Health How to freeze those brown bananas for future smoothies – Peanut Butter Fingers Proving 30 is the new 15: celebs over 30 rockin’ their bikinis – Blisstree Airport asanas to keep you flexible in flight – MindBodyGreen After losing the baby weight, what comes next? – Fit Bottomed Girls

Many of us have basic gym memberships, but still pay a little extra to go to our favorite classes outside of the gym – does Saturday vinyasa at a studio up the street sound familiar? I’ll be the first to admit that it took awhile for me to wrap my head around the fact that my gym membership also includes access to cool classes like kickboxing, yoga, boot camp, and more. The gym I go to is pretty basic, and I associate it with workouts that consist of cardio and weights, that’s it. I’m sure if I went to a fancy gym , I’d consider signing up for their classes, since higher quality often equals experienced instructors and a better experience . . . right? Am I overreacting or should I give my gym’s classes another shot? (I have attended a few but wasn’t overly impressed.) I’m just not sure that I’ll be able to budge on my yoga classes - I love my dimly-lit, incense-smelling, yoga studio! Where do you stand on this topic? Source: Flickr User familymwr Do You Take Specific Exercise Classes at Your Gym? Yes – I love my gym’s classes. Never – I prefer going to a specialized studio. I mix it up.

Known gripe: fitness gear can be expensive! Even “free” activities like running or swimming can carry a hefty price tag once you start adding up all of the gear you need to get started. After splurging on a new pair of shoes or a high-tech sports bra , I’m incredibly reluctant to make another fitness-related purchase for a while. The downside, though, is losing that sense of euphoria and momentum that new sneaks or other gear gives you! Since every day can’t be new sneakers day, here are three small and inexpensive ways to look forward to your next workout; minimal cash required! To see what they are, keep reading