Perhaps signing up for yoga classes was one of your healthy New Year's resolutions? I have found that yoga can be practiced by anyone at any age and it does a body good . . . both inside and out. And contrary to popular belief, yoga is so much more than just stretching — it's a union of the mind, body, and spirit. Here are some tips I've learned after years of practice that should help you get started.

1. Inhale and exhale: Breathing is an integral part of yoga. It's easy to become so focused on achieving a particular pose that we tense up and forget to breathe. Proper breathing in yoga keeps you mindful of your practice and aware of each movement. Once connected to your breath, balance improves, muscles relax, and you're less prone to injury — hello, oxygen! The best way to breathe during yoga is deep down in your diaphragm (the large muscle right below your lungs). Slowly expand the lungs, pressing down the diaphragm, and causing your abdomen to expand as your lungs fill with air.

Keep reading for more tips.

If your New Year's resolution is to get fit, chances are you might be shopping around for a gym or fitness center, which is not as easy as it sounds. Here's criteria you should try to check off before signing up for any gym membership.

1. Location, location, location: Don't kid yourself into believing that you'll drive halfway across town to go work out. If a gym is closer to where you live (or work), you'll be more inclined to visit. Also, check to see if there's cost-effective parking, nearby public transportation, or if you can't walk to it. Also make sure it's in a safe neighborhood in case you want to pop in later in the evening.
2. Ask for second opinions: Get on Yelp, and ask your friends, family members, co-workers, husband's cousin's girlfriend — anyone! — what the best gym is in your neighborhood. Tell them what you're ideally looking for and see if your research, plus your mini-interviews, point to one locale.

Here are some more tips.

Zumba certainly took 2011 by storm. And what's not to love? The Latin-dance-inspired cardio class helps tone and sculpt the body while celebrating your backside region — thank you Zumba! If your workout routine could handle more rhythmic high-energy dance moves, or you just want to spice things up for 2012, you may want to check out Batuka. This new dance workout is considered by some to be one of the things to watch for the year ahead, as teacher training courses launched in North America this past Fall and European expansion is on the horizon as well.

Keep reading to learn more about Batuka.

Well here's a new year's shocker for you — The Annual Summary of Vital Statistics has just announced that New York City has surpassed national figures with its all-time high life expectancy of 80.6 years. That's right, New Yorkers are living longer than ever before, and not only that, but they are living, on average, two years longer than the rest of the country. "By investing in health care and continuing to encourage more New Yorkers to take charge of their own health, we've experienced dramatic improvements in life expectancy," says Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Here are the secrets behind New York City residents' longevity.

I started the New Year with a cold that has knocked me right off my feet. I was fine staying home for the midnight countdown, but what I'm not looking forward to is having to board a plane with this bad bug — traveling when you're sick is the worst! If you need to fly and are suffering from a cold, here are some survival tips to help alleviate the annoying symptoms associated with being sick.

• Sore throat: Before you get to the airport, gargle with warm salt water using 1/2 teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water. Once you get to the airport, sip on hot tea or warm water sweetened with honey, which can help soothe an irritated throat. While on the plane, drink plenty of liquids and come prepared with hard candies or throat lozenges, which can be very soothing since they increase saliva production and help keep the throat moist.

Keep reading for more tips.

If you're the type of person who likes to set New Year's resolutions each year, then you've probably already come up with some fitness-related goals to add to the list. With the holidays soon coming to a close, it can be difficult to carve out some time to plan for the next 12 months, which is why I've come up with some easy tips to help you get your workout plan underway. Just make sure your list doesn't include some of these unrealistic resolutions, which are pretty much guaranteed to fail!

• Get Calendar Crazy: Don't stress about filling in your calendar for the entire year, but what can be helpful is to plan out the next two or three months. Is there a yoga or spin class you've been wanting to try? Find the class time each week and add it to your calendar so you instantly block off that time. If you know you want to get back into running, carve some time out of your calendar for scheduled running sessions. Also pencil in marathons and anything else fitness-related that interests you and is happening in 2012.

Keep reading to check out the rest of the plan!

It's hard not to stare at the scale after resuming your fitness routine once the holidays are over. Dinner tables covered with scrumptious dishes, and festive drinks and treats can quickly do a number on your overall body weight. But getting back in shape after indulging during the holidays shouldn't just be about the number on the scale. Here's why muscle mass is the secret to optimal health and staying slim.

1. More than just calories: Building muscle mass helps strengthen connective tissues, which increases bone density. By doing this, you're reducing your risk for injury, and your chance of getting osteoporosis later in life.

Here are more reasons why muscle mass is important .

You know you're getting into the holiday spirit when the movie Elf is on repeat in your DVD player. If this is the case, let's just hope you aren't influenced by Will Ferrell's bad dietary habits, which include copious amounts of candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup! We may not be guzzling down bottles of syrup, but when confronted with tables full of cookies, candies, chocolates, and cake, what's a girl to do? Other than exercising some restrain, here are some helpful tips that will help curb your sweet tooth during the holiday season.

Gone are the days of taking a few basic ingredients and throwing them into a blender. Bananas, strawberries, and yogurt? So last year. Now that you've discovered the wonderful world of kale, chia seeds, and spinach, it's time to expand your smoothie-making skills even more. The following five food items are guaranteed to increase the nutrient (and flavor) quotient of your smoothies.

• Avocado: Besides the nutrient content, avocados help add a creamy, smooth texture to smoothies. If you are not an avocado fan, add only one-half of an avocado to a smoothie — you'll barely taste it (yet still reap all the health benefits). Here's a basil avocado smoothie recipe to help get you started.

Here are more nutritious ingredients to add to your shakes.

It's inevitable that the snack table is one of the most popular socializing zones in the house during the holiday season. Due to their close proximity to the television, treat-filled coffee tables are prime targets for unconscious nibbling — and who doesn't like snacking while watching a sporting event or a favorite Christmas movie? This year, try removing the bowls of candies and chocolates and replacing them with healthier snack options. Here are some of my favorites that are just as tasty, and your guests won't even know the difference!

While we'd all love to be more conscious of portion sizes to help reduce holiday weight gain, all it takes is a cheese ball here, and a pigs in a blanket there, and those innocent bite-sized holiday treats can produce an explosion of heartburn and bloating in your belly. If you went a little overboard at the hors d'oeuvres table (or the main course), and are now feeling the negative side effects, here are some quick remedies to help ease the pain.

• Walk it off: No need for a brisk, speed-walking session, but around 20 minutes after your meal, a leisurely walk can assist in dispelling gas from your abdomen. What walking does is help to relieve overall intestinal pressure and therefore will reduce that uncomfortable bloating feeling. Walking also helps to get the blood flowing, which aids in the overall digestion process. Fresh air in itself can make you feel better too!

Keep reading for more tips.

I've somehow managed to trick my brain into thinking that as long as I'm eating healthy, there's still room in my diet for hot, delicious beverages — especially at this time of year when a warm drink in your hands feels heavenly. But who am I kidding, most hot bevvies are full of sugar and calories. You don't need to give up on warm sippables, just try these calorie-cutting tricks on your favorite wintry drinks.

Some may leave their gym shorts and running shoes at home when they jet off for a vacation, but FitSugar readers make it a point to sneak fitness into their schedules while traveling. And I commend you for doing so, because when you've got a mai tai in one hand and a gripping novel in the other, it can take a lot of willpower to head to the gym.

Working out while on vacation can actually be an exhilarating and rewarding experience — especially if you try a new class. Here's why trips afar are the best time to switch up your fitness routine