June marks the middle of the year and is a fitting month to reevaluate your fitness routine and aim to work a little harder. (It's bikini season, after all!) Renew your health and fitness goals this week by committing to small, but effective changes. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. Undertake an extra long workout — Plan an after-work hike in the fresh Summer air, challenge yourself to run an extra mile, or sign up for 90-minute yoga class instead of the usual hour-long class. You may feel rushed all week, but schedule a long workout like you would a social or work engagement to make it happen.
2. Plan your meals for the week — Keep unhealthy snacking and greasy takeout to a minimum by mapping out your food plan for the week. Try these handy meal-planning tips from Self magazine to make it possible.
3. Aim to get more out of your trip to the gym — Don't waste any time or effort at the gym with these efficient workout tips for working smarter, not harder.

Keep reading for more tips.

When temperatures heat up most of us flock to the movies (or stay indoors where it's air conditioned) for some refreshing down time. Traditional theater and TV snacks like popcorn, candy, ice cream, and chips can wreck your mindful eating habits, so we offered up some simple, nutritious, and satisfying snack ideas recently and asked readers to share their favorites. The suggestions are all scrumptious. If you're headed to see a blockbuster this weekend, pack these reader-tested treats.

• Pick something that takes effort: Gabriela Une Vie Saine says, "I love snacking on cherries or pistachios while watching TV. They're more difficult to eat than most finger foods, so I eat them more mindfully!"
• Get creative with flavors: Reader tea-bag snacks on roasted cauliflower heads dusted with Stevia and cinnamon! She reports the snack is addicting and "strangely reminiscent of kettle corn!"
• Take a sip!: FitSugar Senior Editor Susi May likes to have a big cup of Rooibos tea while watching TV. She says, "It's hot, so I drink it slowly and it's naturally sweet . . . I know tea is not food, but it sure is a good replacement for dessert." If it's hot out, put your tea on ice for an antioxidant-filled treat.
• Trade white for green: Andrennabird recommends kale chips. Even her Doritos-loving friend asked for the recipe. Ready to make your own? Try this kale chip recipe.

Need more snack ideas? Check out our Snack Attack: Healthy Snack group.

Source: Flickr User La Grande Farmers' Market

That lean and toned dancer's body is in thanks to Black Swan, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and the growing popularity of Bar Method, The Dailey Method, and Body Bar. The differences between the systems may seem subtle at first, but each has a unique focus and avid followers. The Dailey Method, which has locations across the US and studios in Canada and France, has released its first DVD: No Excuses With Jill Dailey ($25). Like the classes, the DVD promises to help you get "longer, leaner, stronger, and more fit" and focuses on ballet bar work, core conditioning, light weights, and stretching.

Keep reading for four reasons you should try it and a video preview of the DVD.

There's no reason to be an unhealthy couch potato, but sometimes you just need an hour or two to veg out in front of a screen and be entertained. Next time you sit down for a Game of Thrones marathon or finally clear the house so you can watch The Bachelorette in peace, opt for a light snack that won't ruin your appetite or mindful eating efforts. Here are some simple, nutritious and satisfying suggestions for any craving.

Nuts about nuts?: Mix 14 almonds (that's about 100 calories and 3.6 grams of protein) with one serving of your favorite dry cereal to make your own filling, but lower calorie trail mix.

For the traditional taste buds: Two cups of plain air popped popcorn packs about 62 calories. Dust with nutritional yeast, your favorite spice, or some salt and pepper for added flavor.

Craving the sauce?: Three small meatballs with tomato sauce pack 120 calories, which is celery sticks compared to chowing down a whole pizza. Plus, you'll get about eight grams of protein.

So fresh and filling: Serve yourself four tablespoons of Athenos' Original Hummus for just 100 calories and get two grams of protein. Use fresh veggies like cucumber, celery, and carrots to dip and fill you up with fiber.

Need a sweet treat? You can munch on 50 blueberries and take in just 39 calories. Add one container of Fage's Total 0% Greek Yogurt for an added 100 calories and 18 grams of protein.

Do you have a healthy go-to movie or TV snack? Share it in comments!

Source: Flickr User galant

Whether you're completely single, dating, living with your love or married, any semblance of a social life makes staying fit and maintaining an exercise routine that much harder. Directing your body to the gym or trail when your heart wants to gallivant with lovers or friends (or your children need your time and love) just isn't an easy task. I typically scoff at articles pegging weight gain to relationship status, but the data can't be ignored. One study found women who were dating gained an average of 15 pounds over five years, those living with a romantic partner gained 18 pounds, and the newly married women gained an average of 24 pounds.

No mater what your Facebook relationship status states, fitness and activity dates are a fun and wholesome way to get to know someone and a nice way to reconnect with someone you already adore — while working off that hearty brunch. Here are a few handy guides to inspire you to take time for yourself and to care for your body no matter who you're walking or running with these days.

1. Date Without Breaking Your Healthy Resolutions — Those delightfully decadent appetizers, simmering entrées, cocktails, and desserts add up quick, and it's hard to hit the gym afterward when there's fun to be had out on the town. Stay on track despite tempting invitations and fondue towers with these tips.
2. How to Avoid Gaining Weight While Dating — Being in a relationship is so exciting, but when you spend so much time together, your healthy lifestyle can fly out the window. You may even adopt some of your partner's unhealthy habits. That can add up to some extra pounds on the scale, so here are some guidelines to help prevent weight gain while dating.

Keep reading for more helpful tips.

Here's some not-so-sweet news: According to a new study, the signals from cell phones disorient honeybees and can actually lead to their death.

The study found that when mobile handsets were placed by honeybees they had a "dramatic impact on the behavior of the bees, namely by inducing the worker piping signal." In the natural environment, "worker piping" announces the swarming process of the bee colony or is a signal of a disturbed bee colony. As you can imagine, both get the bees buzzing.

This is a point of concern given our food crops are pollinated by honeybees, and the UN already reports that the bee population is dropping all over the world. Just another reason to unplug and turn off your phone when you can.

In honor of Mother's Day, we asked readers to share how they revealed their baby news to their own mother or mother figure. The stories were charming, inventive, and aww-inducing. If you're looking to dish up a big announcement this weekend — or just need a reason to smile — here's some sweet inspiration:

• I found out on New Year's day (1-1-11) and since I'm a nerd for number sequences I sent my parents a picture frame on 1-11-11 that said "Grandkids" and included a photo of the digital tests and another of them dancing in the aisle on my wedding day. My dad texted me when he got it because he was too choked up to speak! — Graze With Me
• I made my parents a video of photos from a recent vacation and revealed the surprise at the end. They had to watch it again to really get it. So fun! — KWM
• My due date with my first tot was right around my mom's birthday. I called them and asked them what they had planned for my mom's big day, to which they responded nothing (it was 7 months away). I asked them if they wanted to become grandparents that day and was met with total silence and then tears! — Rebecca M Gruber

Keep reading for more sweet tales.

Single in the city and a mom? Match.com has released its list of the Top 10 Cities For Dating Single Moms and it looks like Yonkers, NY, is the luckiest city to look for love. The list used Match.com's data to find the top cities where women with children have had more success meeting someone online. The dating site's top 10 cities for 2010 were: