It’s already two weeks into the New Year, and people are still being all motivated and productive and infuriatingly resolved. One friend is detoxing with her boyfriend, while another is spending five hours a week volunteering for Unicef. Another is playing the piano at his local nursing home, and yet another has upped her hours at work, in an attempt to snag a promotion. And then there’s your co-worker, who has stopped using credit cards, and can therefore no longer accompany you to Banana Republic after work. How insufferable! At a time when everyone is toiling and laboring and spending 40 minutes a day on the elliptical machine, isn’t it time you made a promise to yourself to be…unproductive? More after the jump…

We’ve all had those moments. First, you feel your face start to tingle, then your heart begins to pound, and then you ball up your fists and feel like kicking a wall (or at least tearing to shreds that “service agreement” that after three weeks brought you no service at all.) Anger can be powerful—but there are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with it. Handle your frustration properly, and it can get your blood flowing and spur you on to make positive changes. Here’s how to tame your inner raging bull…

Since gaining 40 pounds over the last couple of years, Oprah’s getting back on the wagon and kicking off 2009 with this week’s “Live Your Best Life” series. Featuring a bunch of experts on fitness, wellness, finance, spiritualism, and style, Oprah hopes the week-long series will inspire viewers to tune in and get proactive about their health and happiness. But you don’t need Oprah and her experts to help you live your best life. You just need to follow these 10 helpful tips, after the jump…

Style icon Tom Ford gives the latest issue of Details his personal rules of style. As the man best known for resurrecting the Gucci brand and bringing back glam and whose latest turn is as a Hollywood movie director, Ford knows a thing or two about cultivating personal style. While he gears this set of tips towards the fashionably-minded male population, many of his suggestions would be well-heeded by fashionistas, as well: being a good listener is sexy, dress yourself intuitively, and Botox can be a blessing. Of course, it wouldn’t be Ford if he didn’t offer up something totally outrageous. In his final tip on the list, he advises: “There’s one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime: If you’re straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you’re gay, don’t go through life without sleeping with a woman.” He adds: “In the end, it’s just another person that you are relating to in a physical way.” Oh, Tom. You’ll always be our number one HILF. So do you think Tom’s last tip should apply to women, too? Should a straight women sleep with a woman at least once in her lifetime, and should a lesbian sleep with a man at least once in her lifetime? [The Cut]

After months and months of a heated, nail-biting, historic presidential race, Election Day is finally upon us, and if you’re like a lot of us who are passionately invested in the outcome, chances are the pressure and anxiety at this point is downright overwhelming. So after the jump, ten tips for overcoming Election Day anxiety (or, ten tips to at least survive the day, regardless of who wins)...

Valentines Day may be for couples in love, but Halloween is for singles looking to mingle! (Hey, pagans knew how to party.) You definitely don’t want to miss your chance at action so sweet you’ll want to bag it up and give it all away! So, how do you get it done on this hot holiday? Five Easy Steps For Hooking Up On Halloween, after the jump…

In my last column, when I gave five tips for staying chic for cheap during this economic crunch (and beyond), I promised to tell you everything you need to know for throwing a kick-ass clothing swap. Not only is a clothing swap a great excuse to organize your closets, get rid of stuff you no longer want, and gather a group of girlfriends for an afternoon or evening of cocktails and clothes, it’s also an opportunity to score some totally free new-to-you outfits and accessories. I mentioned in my last column that I found one of my favorite dresses — a vintage summer maxi dress — at a clothing swap a couple years ago, but I’ve also scored some cool jewelry, a couple silk vintage slips, a few purses, and once I even nabbed a pair of barely-worn Seven jeans that fit like a glove (for once, I was grateful for my curvy hips). Hey, one woman’s trash is another woman’s favorite pants, so after the jump, my top six tips for throwing a successful clothing swap…

Sure, you may be broke as a joke since Wall Street has gone AWOL, but don’t worry, the best things in life are free! Just look at those Lehman Brothers posting on Craigslist for free love—they’re not even paying for online dating. So while your taste may be caviar and champagne, remember, there are simple pleasures out there that even the most fancy people can savor—like desire, lust, and nudity. Save your moolah for the things you gotta pay for and cash in on the things you really need with these five sexy freebies.

1. Back Rubs: Now that you’re stressed about your financial future, you need to relax.  Nothing will get you looser than a massage…especially if it comes with a happy ending. Hey, I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine!

Party girl alert: It’s National Singles and Unmarrieds Week! While the title seems redundant, the need to celebrate never is. After all, being a free agent is totally awesome for many, many very sexy reasons. So if you’re flying solo, here are some suggestions for how to honor yourself and this completely invented, yet rad, week long holiday.

1. Get Your Booty On The Floor Tonight: It’ll make your day! Dancing is the perfect way to get your adrenaline up and make the most of the money you’ve spent on booze. There’s just something magical about dry-humping strangers and you, my single friend, are free to do so! If you for some reason don’t feel like getting into the groove, this is the sure fire cure to catch dance fever.

While I am on this “break” with the man friend (it remains unclear how long this break will last, FYI), I’ve sworn off certain movies, TV shows, and songs out of fear that they’ll make me depressed. A friend of mine went through a breakup recently and all she did was listen to Morrissey, but wallowing is not really my heartbreak style. I like avoidance and denial. Obviously, I can’t avoid these aspects of pop culture forever and will need to work them gradually back into my life, but for now, there will be no “General Hospital”, or Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend”, or Reese Witherspoon movies. See the rest of the list of Pop Culture No-No’s, after the jump.

Have you ever just not been in the mood to go out on yet another first date, but force yourself to do it anyway? You talk yourself into it, reasoning, “What if he’s the one and instead of meeting him, I stayed home to eat cereal out of the box and watch ‘Gossip Girl’?” So, being a trooper, you slap on some lipstick and head out. And then nine times out of ten, the whole evening turns out to be an exercise in humiliation and/or futility and you come home more miserable than you were beforehand.

That’s because while it can be fun, dating can also be brutal. To be at all successful you have to be at the top of your game. Do you think Serena Williams sits around drinking milkshakes and watching reality TV the week before Wimbledon? No. She trains, stretches, meditates and makes certain her cutest tennis whites are clean.

My relationship status is in limbo. Eight days ago I was engaged. Now I don’t know what I am. I’m not single, but I’m certainly feeling an aloneness that I haven’t felt in four and half years—it’s traumatizing and weirdly liberating all at once. During the first few days of this new stage of my life, I found it impossible to get out of bed, my bones ached, and I had a strong desire to sleep for the next 100 years. But since then I’ve discovered how to pick myself back up and offer to you 10 tips for surviving the first week of heartbreak.

10. Pop Pills: Obtained legally and under the advisement of your doctor, of course. Let’s face it, the first few days, it’s really hard to conceive of life being worth living. I don’t care if you’re all girl power strong and resilient—heartbreak can knock the wind out of any Calamity Jane. that’s why I can vouch for the effectiveness of a nice, doctor-prescribed dose of anti-depressants and sleeping meds to take the edge off. Sleep your ass off and after a couple deep dreams, you’ll wake up feeling refreshed.
 

While everyone on “Gossip Girl” is complaining of the intense heat, mid-blackout, nary a hair out of place, the rest of us know that though humidity is sticking it out, summer has come to an end. (Unless you are very, very wealthy and you can find summer any time of year.)

As Wall Street falters and the Presidential candidates politic their way into November, what is to become of your summer fling? Will you vote for him in the fall? Or will you change parties and send him packing? Sure you spent many a wine-filled eve, smelling of suntan lotion and getting sand in your pants—but is your romance seasonal? Or can it sustain Thanksgiving with your family (and the cold)?

Are you starting to wonder if whoever coined the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was ever involved in a long-distance relationship? The truth is, when many miles separate you and your honey, keeping your connection strong is tough regardless of your fondness for each other.  By establishing a few ground rules and engaging in creative methods of communication, however, you can make a long-distance relationship thrive, says DeAnna Lorraine, a San Diego-based dating coach. Before you give up on fanning the flames of your long-distance romance, consider employing these strategies to keep your long-distance love hot.

There are so many things involved in attraction. From clothing to chemistry, a never-ending list of items can be turn-offs.  But sometimes differences are a turn-on, from magnets to men, you know what they say: opposites attract. Still, some things are so repellent, they’re deal breakers.

I truly believe that the number one reason to get a boyfriend is to let yourself go. Not like “let yourself go” in a Britney kind of way – that’s scary – but let yourself go in a “let’s get a little fat together” kind of way. You get to do things in a couple that you don’t get to do when you’re single. Like get popcorn at the movies. Or spend an entire day drinking beer and eating buffalo wings any time between, I don’t know, September and January (football season). Good, wholesome, highly caloric activities that involve a lot of sitting. That’s high quality couple time.

It is with this mentality that I enter most relationships – which is why when I began dating a Manorexic, I quickly recognized the symptoms and got the eff out of there. My Manorexic—let’s call him Craig (as in Jenny)—seemed great. He was smart, handsome, gainfully employed, drank in moderation, and still had both balls – I was sold.

When it comes to men, I have a type. Physically, he’s tall and lean. He’s also the soft-spoken intellectual and creative type. And more often than not, he’s emotionally unavailable and self-absorbed. And yet, I date him over and over again, like a broken record stuck on one false note.

This might be why there’s an entire dating industry geared toward women. And as much as you might want to blame it on Sex and the City, the truth of the matter is that many women, myself included, don’t always go for the right type of guy. You may now cue the latest romantic comedy that you don’t want to believe is loosely based on your life.

Having been around the block….over and over again, we thought we had heard it all when it came to male sexual fantasies. So, when Men’s Health Magazine posted an article with the title “8 Monumental Sex Experiences You Must Have”, we figured at least one was anal. But much to our surprise, the choices were actually kind of, well, sweet. Number One is “wedding night sex”.  Really? Aww. The top choices go on to include ways to at least recreate similar situations to the “first time”, “Honey-I’m-Home”, “breakup”, “birthday”, and “baby-making” sex. Needless to say, we learned a few things from the list. After the jump, a couple tips men suggest that will wow you…

Hair colorist to the stars, Rita Hazan, dishes out 10 rules for those lookin’ to go red.

1. Never pick a color that looks or sounds fake, like “Cherry Bomb.” Pick colors that are soft and natural.

2. Make sure you change your makeup; going red means making the necessary adjustments to your makeup!

3. As a redhead, it is also important to wear clothes that compliment your hair color. Fiery hair requires less details on clothing, you’re already making a bold statement with that color!

4. In the Fall and Winter, I suggest taking your red to a deeper, richer shade.

The weekend’s finally here!  And in the summer time, that can only mean one thing, it’s time to put on your bathing suit and hit the beach, pool, backyard, hood of a car…whatevs, you’re getting into a swatch of spandex and it’s time to show off!  How to look your best in a bikini may seem like an existential crisis, forcing you to question everything from your food intake to how deep you need to go into the water.  But we’ve distilled down the strutting your stuff essentials into a few easy steps so you can step out and confidently show some skin!

1. Ooze with Attitude Be confident and casual—that’s always sexy. If you know you look good, so does everyone else.