A demanding career, a new husband, and life in the spotlight doesn’t stop actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher from staying balanced and in control. And she’s joined forces with global healthcare leader Merck in the Let’s Go There campaign to make sure other women are able to do the same.

As modern women, we often find so much on our plates that it can be difficult to prioritize and balance the aspects of our lives; the Let’s Go There campaign aims to challenge women to get real about their wants and needs. Although a new study shows that 72% of women refuse to settle for anything less than what makes them happy, there is one health decision that often gets pushed aside: birth control.

When half of women using hormonal birth control admit they rarely evaluate how it fits their lifestyle needs, and a staggering 70% of women would change something about their current hormonal birth control, it’s obvious that most women have some serious thinking to do about their own methods.

The Let’s Go There campaign invites women to join their Facebook community to learn more about this important health decision, learn a few tips on how to speak to your doctor about your options, and to check out JoAnna’s story in this exclusive video below.

As Candy Pratts Price so colorfully said in The September Issue documentary, “September is the January of fashion.” We think she should add fitness on to the tail-end of that quote, as fall is a fantastic time to start fresh as well.

That’s why FITiST.com created a one-off package to help you kick your fitness regimen into high gear. Introducing the Special September Plan, a mix of classes curated by Sharon Richter, FITiSTs in-house Nutrition Expert, AEROSPACE, and EBoost. For $430 you get six classes (2 Indoor Cycling, 2 Core/Pilates, and 2 Performance), one personal training session with Leila Fazel (co-founder of AEROSPACE), a one-on-one session and meal plan with dietician Sharon Richter, and a 30-day supply of EBoost.

Learn more about FITiST and their 10 plans here; and sign up for the Special September Plan here.

Our parents have been shoving multivitamins down our throats for years. The first ones we recall were Flintstone chewables in a variety of shapes and flavors. Eventually we moved on to decidedly more grownup gigantic vitamins. Although 90 percent of women under forty don’t get the vitamins and minerals they need from their diets alone, almost half of women under forty don’t take a multivitamin to make up for it. If you’re active, your body requires more vitamins and minerals than the average person, so you’ll need it even more. Not only will popping a multivitamin every day give you energy and curb cravings, but it will also lower your risk of breast cancer, keep your heart healthy, and help you stay fertile. The amount of multivitamins on pharmacy shelves can be overwhelming, so when choosing one, be sure to pick one with at least 600 IU’s vitamin D, 18milligrams iron, and 400 micrograms folic acid—all of which are important for women. And if you’re scared of swallowing large pills, you’ll be happy to know that chewable vitamins (even in gummy bear form!) are widely available.

You’ve probably heard by now about the numerous health benefits of green tea: heightened mental alertness, weight loss, lower cholesterol levels, UV protection, and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. It even protects against cancer, Boston University researchers concluded. The scientists conducted a study of the effects of green tea on breast cancer development in rats, in which they found that the rats given green tea developed tumors later than those who were water-fed, and their tumors were lighter and less invasive. The Boston University study is just one of many that have found that green tea has anti-tumor effects. However, it’s important to note that in order to receive the benefits, you’ll have to consume five cups of green tea per day. If you can do that, drink up! If you don’t love the taste of green tea, or if five cups seems like overkill, don’t worry—it’s available in pill form as well, even caffeine-free!

Popular diets like Atkins and South Beach have tricked us into thinking that carbs are the enemy and hence have led us to become a nation plagued with “carbophobia.” We’re severely affected.

However, The CarbLovers Diet—from the editors of Health—is a book based on a study conducted at the University of Colorado Health Science Center for Human Nutrition, which reveals a surprising side to the anti-carb craze. The book suggests that by increasing your intake of resistant starch carbs, you’ll burn and shrink fat cells, curb cravings, regulate blood sugar, and your lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

So what are these magical resistant starch carbs? A few include whole-grain pasta, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Go get yourself The CarbLovers Diet and start making healthy (yet not self-depriving) changes for life. What are you waiting for? Eat up!

We were recently in a health food store satisfying our intense craving for a smoothie when the owner asked, “Have you had your fish oil yet today?” “Umm, no,” we replied curiously. Before we could object, we were presented with a goopy, nearly glowing yellow substance on a plastic spoon. Not wanting to be rude and refuse the foreign fish oil that had been poured, we reluctantly tried it.

It really wasn’t that bad (and didn’t taste the slightest bit fishy)! We know that fish oil has an endless number of heart-healthy benefits, but did you know that it also promotes joint, immune, eye, and skin health, as well as healthy bones, hair, nails, and mental health. And apparently it even relieves PMS?! Not surprisingly, we didn’t notice any immediate differences in our health from the single spoonful we sampled, but we’re eager to add it to our diets. The supplements also come in pill form, if the thought of spoon-feeding yourself the oil irks you out a bit.

We’re sure there are many of you who, like us, have a sweet tooth that has a mind of its own. More often than not, we’ll find ourselves craving all sorts of sweets after we’ve just eaten! We’ll try to beat the craving by brushing our teeth or popping a piece of gum into our mouths, but it usually doesn’t fully sate our cravings. We recently discovered cinnamon sticks—a sweet and slightly spicy, calorie-free treat that may curb cravings. And what’s great about the sticks is that they’re not difficult to make at home! All you need are toothpicks, cinnamon oil, and a glass jar. Simply soak the toothpicks in the oil overnight (any longer might make them too hot to handle), lay on a nonabsorbent surface to dry! Keep in mind that besides working as a great diet trick, the toothpicks are popular with people trying to quit smoking, and they serve as a great calorie-free breath freshener. And they’re so small that you can carry them anywhere! Tote them in a lipstick holder for a discrete, fashion forward look.

Picture this: yoga class begins at 6:30PM, thirty minutes after you’ve left the office. The studio is right by your office, but you live across town so you don’t want to go home in between work and class, plus you’d like to get a small bite to eat. So you lug your yoga mat from home in the morning to work, then to class, and finally home again. Don’t you resent its bulky, awkward shape when it bumps the person next to you in the subway, or as you walk down the street? (We’re sure you do.) But with Yoga-Paws—small pieces of yoga mat that attach to your hands and feet, this is no longer be an issue. Not only do they provide plenty of traction, they also offer thick, comfortable padding. The tops of the paws are mesh and the insides are lined with a towel-like material, both of which wick excess sweat. The only drawback is if you wear shorts and perform a pose where your knees are down, as your skin will be in direct contact with the floor. Even so, Yoga-Paws seem well worth the $36.95 investment. (If for nothing other than not having to lug your mat around ever again!)

Acupuncture has been persisting as a treatment for weight loss, especially in Western countries. However, it’s important to understand that acupuncture alone will not magically help you shed pounds. Acupuncture reduces levels of anger, depression, and anxiety, so in turn you relax and collect your emotions. It’s this increase in self-control that acupuncture offers that may help control eating habits. Additionally, it can aid in suppressing the appetite. While acupuncture is meant to serve as a support system and extra push for those who are trying to lose weight, not as a means to an end; people who used acupuncture in this way stated that it did make their struggle to lose weight easier! So if you’re looking for a little boost to help you along, give acupuncture a shot (pun totally intended).