Victoria Justice high energy girl

Giving a taste of her dancing and singing abilities, Victorious star Victoria Justice performed in her first music video Freak the Freak Out with her cast mates: "The atmosphere was a lot of fun. The whole cast was there and it was like one big party. I loved the choreography and I love the song. It has such high energy that it'll make you want to get up and dance. I really hope everyone loves it." Justice, who also sings and dances on her TV show, described her taste in music to Justine magazine: "My musical style is pop with a little bit of rock."



Left, Victoria Justice all warm and cozy in the Winter 2010-2011 issue of Glitter magazine. Victoria is a part-Latina girl originally from Florida and told Girls' Life magazine: "The beaches there are crystal clear, and the water is so much warmer. When you go to the oceans in California, you feel like you're stepping into the Arctic." Right, Victoria Justice in Seventeen magazine supporting the 'Girl Up' program: "I've always been interested in what life is like for girls in other countries.....Girl Up helps fund programs that get girls into school, teaches them how to use computers, and provides them with a yearly health checkup. American girls can be forces of change by spreading the word and recruiting others to help."



5'5½" tall Victoria Justice started out as a model and her first ad was for Ovaltine. Here Victoria Justice promotes the 'Got Milk' campaign. Describing her diet and eating habits to Popeater, Justice says: "I wouldn't consider myself a 'foodie,' because I'm not an expert on gourmet cuisine, but I do love to eat. I just enjoy really good food. It can be as simple as a perfect strawberry or a steak cooked just right. Some of my favorite things to eat are lamb chops with mint green jelly, roasted red pepper hummus with pita bread, and chocolate cream pie with real whipped cream. What can I say? I find eating to be one of the great pleasures in life. Also, there's nothing better than sharing a great meal with people you love, like on Thanksgiving."



Victoria Justice in the December 2010 issue of Zooey magazine. Obviously her skinny body comes from all that high energy dancing, and Victoria will be doing more of that singing and dancing in the future. "As the show continues, I would love to focus on my solo career. I know so many people are doing that right now - you can't escape all the new teen singers - but I really do love music." And by the way, Victoria Justice's bare feet aren't just pretty. She told Girl's Life about her excellent reflexes and talents of different body parts: "I can pick up anything with my toes, including small things like pennies. And I can do the eyebrow wave, where I make my eyebrows move in a slow wave like the ocean. And this one is the weirdest ever. I'm really good at catching flies. My reflexes are good. I just lurk and get them."

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Lisa Edelstein Yoga

44-year old actress Lisa Edelstein attends the 2nd Annual David Lynch Foundation's "Change Begins Within" benefit celebration at The Metropolitan Museum in New York, on December 13, 2010. The organization brings yoga and meditation to underprivileged children, the homeless, war veterans, and other people who would benefit from stress-reduction. Lisa Edelstein came to the event with her yoga teacher, Eddie Stern, and is a long time practitioner of the ancient health system. Interestingly her character Cuddy on the popular TV show House MD, is also shown doing yoga.

House returns to Fox on January 17 and Lisa Edelstein's female co-stars like Jennifer Morrison and Olivia Wilde are also into yoga. But as Edelstein told movieline, she has very few scenes with them: "I don't know but I've had very few scenes with Jennifer [Morrison]. Very few scenes with Olivia [Wilde] and now very few scenes with Amber."



Lisa Edelstein with her rescue mutt Kapow in the June 2010 issue of Prevention magazine. "I've been doing Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga for 14 years," Lisa told the magazine and described the moment she gave up eating meat. "I became a vegetarian at 15....I had a dream that I was eating chicken. But in the dream I understood that it was actually miniature human legs and arms. My brain was connecting muscle and bone to another animal. Once I had made that connection, it just wasn't something I wanted to eat."

Edelstein, who is often mistaken for CSI:NY actress Melina Kanakaredes, admits though that she isn't vegan. "I do eat dairy a bit. I'm not a perfect vegan by any stretch of the imagination, but I am vegetarian. Politically, I agree with veganism. I mean, nobody dies making milk, but the dairy industry has some very cruel practices." Among Lisa Edelstein's favorite green things to eat: "I love vegetables. My favorites are broccoli, kale, carrots, brussels sprouts, string beans, sugar snaps....I love hearts of romaine and avocado. One of my favorite things to make is lemongrass soup."

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Kara Tointon wins Strictly Come Dancing 2010

Kara Tointon's dancing and fitness training comes good! The British soap star, seen here in the iconic '80s movie Flashdance look of a skimpy leotard, fishnet tights, and leg warmers, has won BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing contest. Kara Tointon with Russian dance partner Artem Chigvintsev, beat out runner-up Matt Baker and third-placed Pamela Stephenson to lift the 2010 Strictly Come Dancing trophy.



Kara and Artem lift the trophy after the last performance of the evening: the American Smooth dance to Cry Me A River. They opened Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing contest with a Rumba performed to an instrumental number. Their other performances were: dancing to Don't Stop Me Now, and performing the Viennese waltz to If You Don't Know Me By Now. Getting a rapturous applause for her dancing, and high points from the judges, 28-year-old Kara Tointon said: "Strictly is like some kind of life camp - you learn so much about yourself. I will look back at this experience as one of the biggest and most amazing experiences of my life, and I never thought I'd say that."

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Look in the mirror for motivation

A mirror is a girl's best friend.....if that girl is a beautiful model like Jenna Pietersen! Most other girls like mirrors only for their face and hair. Put on some makeup, brush and style the hair, and a prettier, more confident girl is looking back at you. The dreaded bit is looking at the body! Girls develop a negative body image by looking too long at the parts that are not in good shape: muffin tops, chubby thighs, cellulite, etc. A 2004 study at University College London showed that the human brain has a shorter and slimmer image of the body than what is seen in the mirror. Dr Michael Longo, the neuroscientist who led the research, said: "Some people look in the mirror and receive information which tells them they are not fat, but they still can't use that to over-ride their distorted body model and make themselves believe it."



Mirrors are everywhere and you can't escape looking at yourself. So instead of being self-critical, why not use mirrors for motivation? One good thing about mirrors is that we instinctively straighten up to a better posture when looking at ourselves. Look at the whole body and not the parts. Adopt a better posture and put on a smile; that's half the battle won towards looking positive and confident. Another trick on the brain: oval shaped mirrors with their soft curvy lines mimic the shape of women's body parts, and reinforce femininity.



Mirrors are also useful in fitness routines like yoga and weight training. "A mirror is a teaching tool. It gives feedback for form and posture," says fitness trainer Todd Durkin. Putting up a photo of a pretty model or athlete next to your mirror can motivate you in religiously following a fitness regimen.

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Brisk walking winter boost

Winter is that time of year when some people suffer a mild form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and don't like getting out in the cold. With all its physical and mental health benefits, brisk walking is the natural antidote to the winter blues. Not only does it give you a mood boost, but the cold makes your body burn more calories to stay warm. But your still have to keep the extremities of your body, hands and feet, covered up. And because winter air is very dry, keep sipping a little water while walking.

Brisk walking requires little motivation and is the most cost-effective way to exercise....it costs no money! And now, brisk walking is getting a boost from governments. In the UK, the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, will unveil the walk-for-rewards initiative to tackle childhood obesity. In a pilot scheme in Wimbledon, south west London, teenage girls received a £5 Topshop voucher if they walked to school eight times within a certain period, and an Odeon cinema ticket for five days of walking. Meanwhile a Spanish study reveals that walking boosts mental powers. The study found that girls who walked or rode a bike to school did better in tests than those who took the bus or were driven.

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Hilary Swank body changes

Hilary Swank said in an interview with Marie Claire: "My relaxation has always been my animals - going to the dog parks with them, going to the beach. I always try to carve out time in my day to be with them." The two-time Oscar winner is an animal rights advocate and adopts pets from shelters. In the photo, Hilary Swank poses for CosmoGirl! with her dogs: corgi-Jack Russell terrier Karoo and Labrador retriever German shepherd mix Lucky.

5'7" tall Swank was a natural athlete doing gymnastics, swimming, and basketball, while in school. For her Oscar-winning role as a boxer in Million Dollar Baby Hilary Swank followed a punishing fitness regimen that included weight training and two hours of daily boxing and sparring, to pack on 19 pounds of muscle. This is not the only time that Hilary Swank has done body changes for a movie role. She had to put on weight for her role in Conviction, currently in theaters. Hilary told the New York Post: "I personally have difficulty keeping weight on, and for this role I had to add 15 pounds. My character, a single mom, hadn't any opportunity to stay fit. For my own needs, I like working out......Normally I only eat until I'm full. On this shoot, I kept eating more. Even when I was full, I'd eat more. With nowhere to go, the weight stays on you."



As an animal lover Hilary Swank was vegetarian for several years, and only took up eating fish to pack on muscle for her role as a female boxer. Swank had to reduce her consumption of seafood because of elevated levels of mercury in her blood, and she has been eating meat since last year. But despite these dietary changes, Hilary Swank's favorite food choices remain vegetarian: "One of my favorites is Cafe Colonial on Houston Street. Love it. I usually get what's called the Brazilian beans; it's rice and beans. And the kale! They make the best kale ever. I love Indian food — Surya is where I do a lot of my interviews. If I'm feeling like a breakfast or lunch thing, I go to Bubby's for vegetarian chili, huevos rancheros. I like to see a play and have dinner afterwards at Joe Allen. They have really good corn on the cob. I love dessert, and I love Magnolia Bakery. They need to use less sugar in their icing, though. It gives me a headache."

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Fantasy anxieties

A new study on sexual fantasy by Harold Leitenberg showed that sexual fantasies occur most often in people with the highest sexual satisfaction and the healthiest sex lives. The Journal of Sex Research published a study reporting that 98 percent of partnered men and 80 percent of partnered women said in the previous two months, they had fantasized about someone other than their partner during sex. Fantasizing helps you to overcome sexual anxieties, become aroused, and reach orgasm. Male sexual fantasy is very explicit and focused: specific sexual acts, and visual content. Female sexual fantasy can be as simple as just kissing a crush and are usually more descriptive. Women also have more anxieties about fantasizing and what it means for the relationship. However a Canadian study in 2000 found that 87 percent of male and female participants have fantasies involving someone other than their current partner. So it can't be bad if almost everyone's doing it!

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