Sunny days are here again, which means a long season of shorts, bikinis, and skirts. Showcase your gams with these lower-body workouts that’ll have your legs looking toned and strong. The basics: Simple, everyday lower-body exercises that you can do anywhere are the keys to your success. Once you’ve got the moves down, you can add lunges, squats, and deadlifts to your everyday routine, or even stop and do them when you have a minute to spare throughout your day. Read our tips on how to do the most effective basic lower-body exercises here . Inner thighs: Strut your stuff in your bikini with strong, toned inner thighs. Classic moves like side lunges and pliés help to really target this area; find more ways to tone your inner thighs here . Outer thighs: Target saddlebags with moves that tone and whittle your outer thighs. Check out our video on how to do a clam series to work your core, glutes, and outer thighs, and try these killer toning moves to help slim away your saddlebags . Glute exercises: Target your derriere with moves that will tone and lift your backside just in time for beach weather. Try our 10-minute video glute workout or try these butt exercises that are straight from celebrity trainers.

Several of the most pressing health care issues of the moment can be vastly improved by making a few minor alterations to the modern diet. The addition of more dietary fiber, omega 3 fatty acids and phytochemicals into our daily menu plan is a great starting point. An economical and simple way to do so Related posts: Polypill News and Research Artificial Sweetener Research Cranberries and Flax Fenugreek Research Questions and Answers May 2011

As women, we tend to have more fat in our legs, butts, and bellies - darn that dimply skin! When the fat cells push up against our skin, and the fibrous tissue that connects our skin to our muscle pulls down, we’re left with orange peel-looking flesh. Although you can’t get rid of cellulite completely – and just about all women have it – here are five things you can do to reduce its appearance. View Slideshow ›

Online workout programs promise the fitness results of a gym routine with the added benefit of privacy and convenience – you do the workouts whenever, wherever. Several sites offer a range of wellness tools, too, including nutrition advice, exercise logs, and social platforms for networking with other members. Prices vary, but most dip well below the average cost of a gym membership. Workouts For You offers a range of programs – from $2 to $11 a month – that include meal plans, audio podcasts, streaming videos, direct contact with a trainer, and personal profiles similar to those on social networking platforms. Another site, Yufit , charges a $10 to $15 monthly membership fee and provides access to 10 on-demand fitness classes that are updated twice a week. Online fitness programs certainly present quick and simple ways to find fresh workouts and healthy eating advice, but the resources found in a gym environment – expert trainers, a variety of equipment, and a full sensory experience – may offer something that a screen can’t quite capture. What do you think? Would you consider following an Internet workout program? Yes, in addition to my gym routine. Yes, instead of my gym routine. No, I don’t think it’s for me.

Up to the States: The onus is on the states to make the tough decisions about what treatments must be covered by individual and small-group plans under the health-care overhaul law, the WSJ reports . The Obama administration said states would be able to align coverage standards with those of popular federal- and state-employee plans, large plans offered to consumers in small-group plans or the biggest HMO in the state’s market. Some disease-advocacy groups expressed concern that treatment for their particular disease wouldn’t be uniformly covered, the paper says. Gulf War Ailments Funding: Congress has approved $10 million for research into the conditions and ailments affecting veterans of the Persian Gulf War, USA Today reports . Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who supported the funding, tells the paper that about 25% of veterans of that war have developed ailments including chronic headaches, memory and concentration problems and GI problems. Some research suggests that bug sprays, anti nerve-agent pills and sarin gas may have caused health problems, the paper says. No More Testing of Hepatitis C Drug: Pharmasset, which said last month it was selling itself to Gilead for almost $11 billion, announced Friday it had discontinued use of a hepatitis C drug, PSI-938, in a trial due to worries about liver function, the WSJ reports . The compound was not its lead drug candidate for the disease, and Gilead says it is committed to closing the purchase, the paper says. Arrest Stats: Research published in Pediatrics suggests that almost 30% of Americans have been arrested at least once by age 23 for a non-traffic violation, Bloomberg News reports . An author of the study tells BN that risk factors in children for a subsequent arrest include poor concentration, bad relationships with parents, and a history of abuse, neglect or being bullied. Image: iStockphoto

Health Suit Complication?: A small-business owner who is a key plaintiff in the 26-state suit against the Obama health-care law has closed her business and filed for bankruptcy, which may complicate her legal standing to be part of the suit, the WSJ reports . The suit relied in part on the financial burden the plaintiff, who owned an auto-repair shop, said she’d experience under the law starting in 2014, but experts say it will be harder for her to now argue that she will be harmed. A lawyer representing the woman and the National Federation of Independent Business says if her standing is questioned the group could sue on behalf of other small-business owners. The Supreme Court will hear and rule on the case in 2012. Mom U Shld B Reassured: A study published in Pediatrics suggest that “sexting” by teens may be a lot less common than previously thought, with only about 1% of 10- to 17-year-olds passing along explicit images, the Associated Press reports . Another study suggests that it’s relatively rare for kids to be prosecuted for sexting. Patent Dispute: The Supreme Court will this week hear a suit dealing with Prometheus Laboratories’ patents on a test to set drug dosages for Crohn’s disease patients, the WSJ reports . The Mayo Clinic, which wants to offer its own test, claims Prometheus improperly wants patent protection for the right to observe the body’s response to treatments. Dispute Over Anti-Abortion Tactics: There’s a rift in the anti-abortion movement, with some groups pursuing the aggressive tactics epitomized by the recent (and failed) Mississippi personhood amendment and a state bill in Ohio that would make abortion illegal once the fetus’s heartbeat is detected and other groups continuing a more gradual approach, the New York Times reports . The Ohio bill would effectively ban abortions six to eight weeks into a pregnancy and critics say it would clearly conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe vs. Wade, which established fetal viability — now at around 24 weeks — as the cutoff for abortion, the paper says. Image: iStockphoto

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Dance workouts kick your ass while you shake your moneymaker – Blisstree Big changes coming on the new season of The Biggest Loser – Prevention Another sign of Autumn: protein pumpkin pancakes – Peanut Butter Fingers Gym memberships are at an all-time high; how does your state rate? – Huffington Post Just how many pairs of sneakers do you really need? – Health The gross things found in hot dogs may help you skip these sausages – Shine It’s not selfish! Run a half marathon or two for yourself – Fit Bottomed Girls

I’m a sucker for anything related to dancing – especially if it’s fun, is put to good music , and is said to help shed the pounds! Something else I’m addicted to? Dancing With the Stars . So I knew I had to get my hands on dancing pro Julianne Hough’s Cardio Ballroom ($10) workout DVD. I’ve taken a few ballroom dance classes in the past, but what I love about this workout DVD is it caters to both beginner and advanced dancers. Right from the start, Julianne’s upbeat personality gets you excited about the warmups and choreography, and before you know it, you’re doing the cha-cha, the jive, and paso doble. Keep reading my review and check out a sneak peek of the video.

Even as more and more people become overweight, fat gets a bad rap. Between the ever-thin actresses and prominent healthy-living campaigns , most know that being fat isn’t something to be proud about. But this increasing nonacceptance for the overweight is not just in our celebrity-obsessed American society – a recent study found that most people view obesity in a negative light , especially ones in cultures that usually view bigger bodies as attractive. The study asked 700 people around the world what they thought about overweight people by responding to statements like “Fat people are lazy.” or “A big woman is a beautiful woman.” They found that societies that traditionally value larger bodies actually had the most negative opinions about the overweight. An increasing global fat stigma can be a double-edged sword. While it does help encourage people to lose weight, it doesn’t factor in the fact that being overweight is caused by a number of factors, not all of which have to do with lifestyle habits – which can make the obese feel even worse about themselves. But is it needed? Do you think a global fat stigma, like a smoking stigma, will help us become a healthier society? Source: Flickr User tobyotter