If you suffer from tight hips, it doesn't just affect your hips and hip flexors. The tightness radiates up into your spine and into the thighs, which can cause soreness and pain when exercising or even when sitting or standing. Runners, cyclists, and desk-bound folks commonly complain of tight hips that cause lower back pain, and stretching this area is one way to alleviate tightness.

Butterfly Pose is one of the most effective stretches you can do, and if you've done this pose a million times, try these variations to get an even deeper stretch. Begin with five breaths in regular Butterfly, and then move on to these:

In the beginning of a weight-loss journey, kilos melt away like ice on a hot Summer's day. But as you get closer to your goal, it's not unusual to hit a plateau. Here's how to keep those kilos dropping and keep the weight off for good. 

• Beef up your workouts: If you've been steadily working out and following the same routine, your body has probably grown accustomed to the routine. Rattle your body's chain a little and kick up the intensity of your workouts to further challenge your muscles. Work out longer or harder, increase the size weights you're lifting, do more reps of strength-training moves and vary the order, or try doing two workouts in one day. Keep reading for more tips!

If you suffer from tight hips, it doesn't just affect your hips and hip flexors. The tightness radiates up into your spine and into the thighs, which can cause soreness and pain when exercising or even when sitting or standing. Runners, cyclists, and desk-bound folks commonly complain of tight hips that cause lower back pain, and stretching this area is one way to alleviate tightness.

Butterfly Pose is one of the most effective stretches you can do, and if you've done this pose a million times, try these variations to get an even deeper stretch. Begin with five breaths in regular Butterfly, and then move on to these:

Hands on knees: Instead of resting your hands on your feet, place your palms on your inner knees. Gently use your arm strength to push your knees down toward the ground to stretch the inner thighs.

Clasp hands on the neck: Elongating the spine can intensify the stretch and change where you feel the opening in your hips. Clasp your hands with bent elbows and place your palms on the back of your neck. Keeping the elbows pressing behind you to prevent the spine from rounding, gently pull your head away from your hips as you fold over your legs.

Interlace hands behind you: Before folding forward, interlace your hands behind your lower back, pressing the heels together in a double fist. As you fold forward, raise the arms overhead to not only add a little downward pressure but to also offer a nice shoulder and chest opener.

In the beginning of a weight-loss journey, pounds melt away like ice on a hot Summer's day. But as you get closer to your goal, it's not unusual to hit a plateau. Here's how to keep those pounds dropping and keep the weight off for good.

• Beef up your workouts: If you've been steadily working out and following the same routine, your body has probably grown accustomed to the routine. Rattle your body's chain a little and kick up the intensity of your workouts to further challenge your muscles. Work out longer or harder, increase the size weights you're lifting, do more reps of strength-training moves and vary the order, or try doing two workouts in one day.
• Go for fiber: Since your metabolism is already working pretty efficiently, eat fibrous foods that take longer to digest, so your body has to expend more energy to break them down. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and legumes are where it's at, but focus on these foods with the highest amounts of fiber.
• Include these foods: Imbalances in your digestive tract have been linked to weight gain, so to restore the balance of bacteria in your gut, eat nonfat yogurt for the probiotics. Lack of calcium as well as vitamin D can also make it harder to lose weight, so be sure to eat dairy products and these calcium-rich fruits and veggies, as well as these foods high in vitamin D. Omega-3s are also vital for a healthy metabolism, so include fish, eggs, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds in your diet too.
• Get your z's: Not getting adequate sleep (at least six hours) can also decrease leptin, the hormone that makes you feel satiated, while it increases ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Research shows that feeling sluggish the following day causes you to eat an average of 549 extra calories without even realizing it. Lack of sleep also slows down your metabolism, making you burn 20 percent fewer calories a day.
• Cut out the cocktails: Boozy beverages not only offer your body empty calories, but since your body is working so hard to get rid of toxins, they also inhibit the production of glucose, which is needed for maintaining normal blood sugar levels and in turn slows down your metabolism. Not to mention, getting a little tipsy also clouds your judgment so you're more likely to say yes to another cosmo and a slice of cheesecake to go with it. Go for water or metabolism-boosting green tea instead.

If you want to torch calories and tone your tush, running is one of the most effective forms of exercise. The problem is, it leaves your upper body and core high and dry, and if you forget to stretch, you're left with tight, tense muscles that could suffer an injury that keeps you from lacing up your sneaks. Here's a 60-minute running workout that includes one-minute strength-training intervals as well as a short stretching session at the end.

0:00 - 5:00 — Warmup — brisk walking
5:01 - 15:00 — Run (fast pace)
15:01 - 16:00 — Push-Up Walks
16:01 - 21:00 — Run (fast pace)
22:01 - 23:00 — Plank With Arm and Leg Reach
23:01 - 28:00 — Run (fast pace)
28:01 - 29:00 — Mountain Climbers
29:01 - 34:00 — Run (fast pace)
34:01 - 35:00 — Burpees
35:01 - 40:00 — Run (fast pace)
40:01 - 41:00 — Three-Point Touches
41:01 - 46:00 — Run (fast pace)
46:01 - 51:00 — Cooldown — walking
51:01 - 60:00 — Stretch session

Keep reading to see the six essential postrunning stretches.

Whether you run on a treadmill and glance at the display, or keep track of your run outside with a GPS, you understand that it's nice to know how many calories you're burning, especially if weight loss is one of your goals.

Here's a nifty chart to let you know what your pace and workout time translates to in calories burned. It can also help you figure out how intensely and how long you need to exercise in order to negate the cupcake you savored at lunch.

*Calculations based on a 130-pound woman

Inversions already work your core, since the ab and back muscles are what help to hold the lower body steady and balanced. To work your core even more, here's a strength-training yoga move that will tone your entire torso as well as your upper body — you just might give up traditional crunches forever!

You'll need to have a strong Headstand, so if you haven't quite mastered this inversion, then work on this Headstand Sequence before attempting these Headstand Crunches.

• Begin on your hands and knees. Lower your elbows to the floor and interlace your fingers, bringing your lowest pinkie in front of the other pinkie, forming a semicircle with your hands.
• Place the back of your head against your palms, and the top of your head on the mat, so your skull is vertical with the floor. Once your head and forearms feel stable, straighten both legs and walk you feet toward your face as far as you can.
• Shift your hips over your shoulders, and keep your elbows planted firmly on the mat. Lift both legs into the air, coming into Bound Headstand.

• Stay in Headstand for five breaths, relaxing the jaw as well as the shoulders away from the ears. Take a breath in, and as you exhale, slowly lower both feet toward the mat so they are parallel with the floor. Hold here for another five breaths.
• Inhale and then exhale to raise the legs back up into Headstand. Repeat four more times.

Up for a bigger challenge? See an advanced variation after the break!

If Friday night means heading to the nearest pub for a beer and a burger, you probably don't want to know that your simple order of a burger and fries can run you over 1,400 calories. That's a day's worth of calories in one meal, not even counting the added calories of a beer or dessert. You don't have to give up on your burger entirely — just follow these calorie-saving tips.

Make it a veggie patty (100) instead of beef (306):
Calories saved: 206

If going veggie doesn't do it for you, eat half the beef patty instead of the whole (306):
Calories saved: 153

Skip the cheese:
Calories saved: about 100 per slice

Can't enjoy your burger without cheese? Add a slice of provolone (98) instead of cheddar (113):
Calories saved: 15

Side salad with dressing (140) instead of fries (395) with ketchup (20):
Calories saved: 275 calories

Only eat half the bun instead of the whole (160):
Calories saved: 80

Two tomato slices (7) and mustard (5) instead of ketchup (20) and mayo (90):
Calories saved: 98

You sit down to a huge salad complete with mesclun greens and an array of veggies such as carrot shreds, cucumbers, diced red peppers, and cherry tomatoes — you even add chickpeas and sunflower seeds for protein. The fiber is supposed to fill you up and the protein sustains your energy, but an hour or so later, you feel famished.

If your salad is leaving you hungry, then add some extra fiber and protein by scooping a cup of cooked whole grains on top. Quinoa, barley, millet, buckwheat, or rice will beef up the calorie amount by about 200 calories, but you'll also be getting three to eight grams each of extra fiber and protein. Cook your whole grains in veggie broth for extra flavor, and add beans or chopped veggies while cooking for interesting texture and added nutrition.

Check out the chart below to see how these whole grains compare.

Yoga may be blissful, but it isn't cheap! Depending on where you live, classes can run you an average of $15 to $20 a pop. Dropping $50 or more for yoga classes each week isn't an option for everyone, but we can all benefit from a regular practice. The Internet is bursting with free full-length classes or shortened yoga routines. If you're willing to pay a little, then you'll be able to view a greater variety of videos. Here are some sites to check out.

• Yoga Today: This site offers one free class each week, and if you're itching for more, download other classes for $4 each. You can choose ones geared toward your ability level, or choose by instructors you like. If you're really into it, pay $90 for a yearly membership, which includes unlimited classes. Store them on your computer, and follow along anywhere you happen to be.
• Yoga Journal: For beginners and advanced yogis, these videos, ranging in length from five to 35 minutes, are the high quality you'd expect from Yoga Journal. Some of my faves include the hip-opening sequence Bird by Bird and Heart Wide Open, full of chest openers.
• My Yoga Online: These videos may not be free, but they're dirt cheap. Pay $10 per month or $90 for a year for unlimited access to the entire library of videos for yoga, Pilates, dance, martial arts fusion, meditation, and workplace wellness. The site also offers samples of popular yoga DVDs such as Shiva Rea's Surf Yoga Soul and David Life's Transform Yourself With Jivamukti. Another plus: you can sample a clip before you buy.

Keep reading for more websites that offer inexpensive yoga classes.

Sweet and creamy ice cream pints fly off the shelves in the Summer months, and while Ben & Jerry's is a popular brand, you might like the more basic yet scrumptious Häagen-Dazs flavors. Below shows what 100 calories of raspberry sorbet looks like, but chances are one little scoop just won't be enough. Check out the chart below to see how many calories are in your favorite flavors of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt, so you can arm yourself before polishing off an entire pint.

Don't see your favorite flavor? Keep reading to find out the calorie amounts of other ice cream flavors as well as gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.

If it's been a while since you've been sun-kissed, you probably can't wait to jump into a bikini and soak up the warmth. You know it'll be quite a shock to your skin, but you think, "Hey, what's the harm in a little sunburn?" Well, unfortunately sunburns are like cigarettes — just one can increase your risk of cancer. The red, irritated, and painful skin may seem temporary, but even a slight sunburn can cause long-lasting damage. Every single sunburn you have experienced — from that excruciatingly tender burn you got visiting the Jersey Shore as a kid to the lobster-like face you got at your sister's wedding in Mexico last year — increases your risk of skin cancer down the road. In fact if you've had five sunburns in your life, your risk for melanoma doubles.

Persons with fair skin don't have much UV-protecting melatonin in their skin, so they burn easily, rarely tan, and are at a greater risk of skin cancer since they're more susceptible to severe, blistering burns. But those with dark skin can also develop skin cancer on paler areas of their body such as the palms of their hands, fingers, and feet.

Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer, and the best way to reduce your risk is to never get a sunburn. Do that by seeking shade during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and when you're in the sun, wear lightweight layers and a hat to protect your skin. Apply two tablespoons of broad spectrum (UVA and UVB protecting) sunscreen 30 minutes before heading outdoors, and reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating. Aside from reduced risk of skin cancer, you'll also have fewer wrinkles and age spots.

Once a month inspect your skin, paying close attention to skin-cancer prone areas such as your nose, cheeks, ears, neck, and shoulders so you'll be able to notice any changes or abnormal discolorations. See a dermatologist once a year to be fully checked and don't wait to make an appointment if you notice something suspicious. Skin cancer can be fatal, but if you take precautions, you can enjoy the Summer sun without having to worry.

Inversions already work your core, since the ab and back muscles are what help to hold the lower body steady and balanced. To work your core even more, here's a strength-training yoga move that will tone your entire torso as well as your upper body — you just might give up traditional crunches forever! You'll need to have a strong Headstand, so if you haven't quite mastered this inversion, then work on this Headstand Sequence before attempting these Headstand Crunches.

• Begin on your hands and knees. Lower your elbows to the floor and interlace your fingers, bringing your lowest pinkie in front of the other pinkie, forming a semicircle with your hands.
• Place the back of your head against your palms, and the top of your head on the mat, so your skull is vertical with the floor. Once your head and forearms feel stable, straighten both legs and walk you feet toward your face as far as you can.
• Shift your hips over your shoulders, and keep your elbows planted firmly on the mat. Lift both legs into the air, coming into Bound Headstand.

• Stay in Headstand for five breaths, relaxing the jaw as well as the shoulders away from the ears. Take a breath in, and as you exhale, slowly lower both feet toward the mat so they are parallel with the floor. Hold here for another five breaths.
• Inhale and then exhale to raise the legs back up into Headstand. Repeat four more times.

Up for a bigger challenge? See an advanced variation after the break!