Happy birthday, Ginnifer Goodwin ! The Once Upon a Time star turns 32 today, and to celebrate we’re taking a look at how Ginnifer stays active and fit in her daily life. Always on the go : Ginnifer often credits living in health-conscious LA for her active lifestyle. Whether she’s going to Ballet Body or The Bar Method, her workouts gravitate toward leotards, the barre, and pliés. She also turns everyday excursions into an excuse to power walk, “I’ll speed-walk a couple of miles, get a cup of coffee, speed-walk back. It’s so easy. Just break a sweat for 30 minutes and you’re fine.” It’s a lifestyle not a diet : An outspoken fan of Weight Watchers , she credits the diet program for helping her maintain a healthy weight in realistic ways. She told People , “It takes time because you lose the weight slowly . . . You don’t have to go through that horrible yo-yo cycle of binging.” Even when counting points, Ginnifer can indulge in treats like her favorite dark chocolate or a pasta dinner. Ginnifer maintains a sense of balance when it comes to eating, so she never has to feel deprived. Health is more than just weight loss : For Ginnifer, being healthy means being confident, feeling less stressed, and maintaining a well-rounded perspective in her life. She told Health , “Healthy is beautiful. Because what comes with health is a clear mind and a high spirit. When I’m not healthy, I can’t think straight, and I’m unhappy. I’ll realize that I’m an emotional mess, and it’s because I’m dehydrated. Or I’m cold and cranky, and it’s because I’m not exercising and my circulation is poor.”

Many a bride wants to look her best on the big day. And depending on her determination, she may even go to extreme measures to do so. Before you shell out major bucks on a juice cleanse or put yourself on a deprivation diet, follow these tips and tricks on detoxing naturally before the wedding . View Slideshow ›

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because of so many reasons. But you need to make sure that you’re doing it right. If you’re trying to maintain or lose weight, here are some things to consider when enjoying your first meal of the day. Eat it soon: Studies have found that eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, and not only that, it can help ensure that you don’t feel so starved later, you make bad eating choices for lunch or dinner. To take advantage of your body’s fat-burning potential, try to eat breakfast soon after waking up . Go for filling: Stay away from foods that can lead to a midmorning crash. Instead, opt for meals that are full of slow-digesting nutrients to help keep you satisfied throughout the morning; high-fiber, high-protein breakfast options are a good choice for feeling full and energized. And make sure your breakfast doesn’t have too much sugar in it – here are seven low-sugar, high-protein and fiber breakfast ideas that fit the bill. Watch out for portions: A big breakfast can help fill you up, but you don’t want to overdo it. Check out our handy chart of what servings sizes should look like , and keep calories in check with this list of the amount of calories in typical breakfasts .

After getting home from a busy day of work, especially if I hit the gym, the same question always pops into mind – what to make for dinner? Without a plan in mind, it’s easy to fall back on boxed mac and cheese or Chinese takeout, which aren’t the healthiest options. To prevent scrambling to whip together a not-so-healthy meal, take time to map out your dinner menu for the week. Knowing which dishes you’re making will also make you more efficient in the grocery store. Here’s a sample menu (complete with a grocery list) that you can follow to ensure your weekdays always end in a nutritious meal. Monday: Salad With Grilled Chicken and Fresh Strawberries What you’ll need: Chicken Fresh spinach Carrots Cucumber Green peppers Broccoli Strawberries (feel free to add other fresh or dried fruits) Avocado Goat cheese (optional) Your favorite dressing Continue reading for the rest of the week’s healthy menu and grocery list.

On one hand, knowing how to eat right can be simple – eat when you’re hungry, and stick to nutritious foods that fill you up and keep you satisfied. But another component of playing the weight loss game is when you eat, and that’s when things can get complicated. While studies have proven that eating late at night doesn’t automatically lead to your body storing more fat , a new study in mice has found a link between when you eat and weight gain. Researchers looked at two groups of mice, both of which were fed the same amount of a high-fat diet, and found that the mice who were only allowed to eat during an eight-hour period during the day ended up gaining less weight than the mice that were allowed to eat the same amount of food any time during the day and night. Researchers believe that the difference in weight gain is due to the fact that the body’s organs operate at peak efficiency at different times, so everything from your liver to your muscles may be burning more calories and working harder depending on the time of day or night. Frequent eating throughout the day and night, they say, may throw off your body’s metabolic cycles, so you may be more successful with weight loss if you stop eating at a certain point during your day (even if you are eating the same amount of food). This newest study is just one more piece of information in the late-night eating debate, but the theory hasn’t been tested on humans yet. And it’s important to note that this study doesn’t prove the myth that you shouldn’t eat past a certain time to avoid your food turning into fat – the study is just saying that restricting when you eat to a certain time period may help regulate your metabolic cycles. In any case, what’s your take on the issue: do you avoid eating late at night to prevent gaining weight? Do You Avoid Eating Late at Night to Prevent Weight Gain? Yes – I think eating at night makes me gain weight. No – I eat late if I want to, and it hasn’t been an issue. No, but I want to stop.

Miranda Lambert wants women to rock their curves – Self Prepare to be inspired by this 93-year-old yoga teacher – Shape 1 in 4 Americans eats fast food every day, and more sad food stats – Hungry Runner Another argument for going gluten-free, and it’s not weight loss – Mind Body Green The countdown to Summer is on; your 30-day shape-up plan – HuffPost Living Skip the chemicals and make your own all-natural insect repellent – Blisstree Belly blues? Use Ayurveda yoga to calm your tummy troubles – Yoga Journal 5 vegetarian-friendly gifts for your foodie dad on Father’s Day – Vegetarian Times

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar! By Sarah Robertson, Prevention Here are successful strategies to cut calories and burn fat that take 60 seconds or less. With about 1,000 waking minutes in every day, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to slip these tips into your routine and watch the scale go down . If you’ve already begun your weight loss, these tricks can maximize your efforts and speed results. Sip green tea before a walk The caffeine frees fatty acids so that you burn fat more easily. And the polyphenols (antioxidant compounds) in green tea appear to work with caffeine to increase calorie burn. (If you have high blood pressure, skip this tip.) Dip your bread Use olive oil in place of butter. It’s healthier and may also help you eat less. In a recent study, dippers ate a total of 52 fewer calories on average than those who used butter. Seven Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working Learn more one-minute diet secrets after the break!

If you’re getting in shape for a big event like a wedding , or want to look your best for bikini season, what you eat makes all the difference. Besides helping with weight loss, the right foods can also minimize bloating. Here’s where asparagus comes in: this Spring veggie encourages colon health and also stimulates the growth of probiotics in the body. From breakfast to dinner, help give your digestive system a little support with these healthy asparagus recipes. Spring Veggie Frittata Start your morning off with a asparagus-filled frittata. What’s great is that you can make this recipe on a Sunday and portion it out to enjoy over the course of the week. Omit the cheese to keep the recipe flat-belly-friendly. Marinated Mushroom and Asparagus Salad Vegan and gluten-free, this salad puts you in asparagus heaven. Earthy enough to stand up on its own, it’s also great when paired with tofu, fish, or chicken. See what’s for dinner after the break!

One motivating factor in reaching a weight-loss goal is to think about the skinny jeans, strapless dresses, and stylish shorts you’ll be able to wear once you hit your ideal body weight. Until that happens, use your current wardrobe to stay on track. Keep reading to find out how what you wear can help you drop pounds. View Slideshow ›

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone produced by your body during pregnancy (it’s what a home pregnancy test detects in your urine). As a drug, it’s normally used in fertility treatment. The theory behind the HCG diet is that combining injections or supplements of the hormone with a very low-calorie diet (500 to 800 calories per day) will trigger the body to burn stored fat for fuel. But HCG hasn’t been approved by the FDA for weight control, and experts Health consulted are highly skeptical. Sure, you may lose weight at first, but only because you’re eating so little; placebo-controlled studies do not suggest that HCG causes any more weight loss than diet alone. “There are no good controlled data,” says Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center in Boston. “If you have a drug that doesn’t clearly work, why would you take any risk?”