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So you’ve decided to get healthy! You’re looking to get fit, lose weight, eat right, or enjoy life more - or all of the above! So you turn to the internet for help and discover…
WOAH…everyone and their cousin Fred is talking about health and wellness, and they all have a blog! The advice is flying (and so are the sales pitches) as well as the 7, 12, and 30-day challenges – because who has time to wait for results these days! Oh well, you’ll just have to sift through all that noise to get the information you need to succeed.
Wait! What?! You don’t have that kind of time!
That’s why we’ve done the work for you and identified the Top 100 blogs in existence on fitness, nutrition, dieting, weight-loss, and mind-body health. These are the best resources for your healthy-living arsenal – the 100 blogs with the soundest science-based information, the best free workouts and recipes, and the most kick-ass motivational content and inspirational people to support you on your journey.
We’ve assigned some handy icons to each of the blogs on our list so that you can immediately see which blogs have the special features that you’re after, like: nutrition facts and advice, recipes, entertainment value and humor, weight-loss info, exercise tips and workouts, emotional and psychological support, and inspiration of all kinds (including some jaw-dropping before and after weight-loss pictures). Especially look out for our Top Pick icon! That’s reserved for the truly exceptional blogs on our Top 100 List! And now, in alphabetical order, please enjoy the list!
Founded by a cookbook collector who finally started cooking, this blog is full of healthy recipes, great photos and tales from travels. This is not a diet blog, so some discretion is necessary if your diet is restricted in any way - but Heidi Swanson's concentration is on whole, natural food preparation and dishes that nourish the body with the best possible ingredients. Search her recipes by category, ingredient or even season.
What began as a place of mutual diet support for sisters Suzanne, Jennifer, and Amy in 1997 is now a comprehensive diet, fitness and lifestyle information hotspot. While it's no longer a personal-story-format blog run by the three women who founded it, you will find information on everything from recipes, success stories, the latest food news and fitness routines to reviews, beauty tips, and fashion ideas for fuller figures.
Emotional eating is a problem for many people who struggle with their weight. When food is no longer simply nourishment, weight-loss becomes a battle that is about so much more than cutting calories. A Weight Lifted is a valuable resource for those looking to tackle emotional eating and find support while doing so.
Whether you go to Anytime Fitness, any other gym, or no gym at all, the Anytime Fitness Blog is loaded with fresh content and tips for fitness, nutrition and weight-loss. Spice up your fitness routine with various workouts written by personal trainers or grab recipes for your next meal. Go to "Start here" and find the "beginner’s corner," which is a great resource for those new to weight-loss and fitness with workout and food basics explained.
Having a large amount of weight to lose can be absolutely daunting but it helps to garner inspiration from real people making real progress like Emmie of Authentically Emmie, who's on a self-professed "journey from 455 pounds to healthy (whatever that number ends up being on the scale)." Her blog is especially supportive for those looking to lose 100+ pounds but is a great read for ALL those on a health journey. As an added bonus, she also regularly posts about fashion and links to the cutest threads for plus-size women to wear along their journey.
Do you have issues with body image and self-esteem? Are they tied to your eating and exercise habits? You may need to "redefine your beauty," according to Lindsay Kite and Lexie Kite, identical twin sisters with PhDs in the study of media and body image. These two are also activists for positive images of women in the media and post about their research and practical ways to recognize, reject, and resist harmful messages about female bodies.
Becky Williamson has been a devoted exercise industry professional for nearly 25 years. But underneath it all she is also a typical woman in her mid life dealing with the challenges of maintaining her health just like her many readers. Her mission is to encourage "boomer" women to be "fit and fabulous" with her coaching advice. She strives to teach women how to fight postmenopausal weight gain with smart eating and smart exercise.
Practicing a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be boring! At least, that is, according to Brooke at Bitchin Nutrition. Her site just had a complete overhaul and though she is slightly more focused on building her business, her blog is still a wealth of information and makes learning about healthy living FUN. We love her posts on practical tips for healthier social drinking, portion control in a Froyo World, and even a discussion about whether cereal is breakfast or dessert in disguise - all from the perspective of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. There's always something interesting to read and tips you can put to use in your everyday life.
Black Girl's Guide to Weight-Loss is one woman's journey from obesity to personal trainer, nutritionist and bikini model! Inspiring? Yes! Entertaining? You bet! But let's not forget the vast amount of nutrition knowledge she has to share with readers. Spend some time on this blog and you will gain a wealth of basic nutrition information to help guide you on your journey. And on the lighter side, if you like to celebrity watch (read: body covet) you'll enjoy her section devoted to some up close and personal examinations of celebrity bodies. Sometimes those celebrity bodies belong to her readers - whose success stories are just as compelling - no, they are definitely more so - than those of the Hollywood elite. Her articles are creative, entertaining, and informative, which earns her a Top Pick spot.
In an online magazine-style format, Mode Media brings us a collection of health and wellness posts from all over the web (plus original Bliss content) on a variety of topics. Categories include: recipes, fitness, beauty, wellness, and a spotlight section where featured posts are located. There's of course a link to a shop for Bliss products, but the media group has put a lot of effort into the blog side of their web presence, so it's worth the visit. “Magazine-style” means that your read won't be free of product features or sidebar advertisements, but the clout of a larger company backing the blog also means there is a lot of fresh, entertaining content daily.
Chef and self-proclaimed "former-hippie" Aron David Bradley shares healthy and delicious meals along with some helpful tips to help baby boomers get back on the road to wellness. If you are overweight, diabetic, gluten-free, have high blood pressure or cholesterol or are just looking to get back to good health, this blog was designed for you. With over 40 years of culinary experience, you are in good hands on Boomer Cuisine - try out hundreds of healthy recipes.
Adam Bornstein is devoted to quieting the noise in the fitness industry and bringing you the information you need to lead a healthy life. He is a fitness professional who has worked with the best and brightest in the industry during his career and he knows how to make health information accessible to the average reader looking for advice on getting fit. Adam is smart, experienced and heavily relies on science to back his advice.
If you are looking for inspiration and another dramatic weight-loss transformation to motivate you, look no further than Cat Bowen of the blog Breakfast to Bed. Her weight once held her back from her dreams of becoming an actress (not anymore!) Enjoy journal-style posts and lots and lots of recipes. She even has a search function on her blog that allows readers to browse by category, alphabetically, or search by ingredient or keyword. Her inspirational story (including her struggle with gastric bypass surgery), and her quality content earns her Top Pick status!
Brooke is convinced that you don’t need the latest fitness fad or weight-loss supplement to lose real, significant weight - she not only believes it, she's proved it. You can see her weight-loss success journey documented here. But she's not done yet! Brooke is perpetually not on a diet as she learns new things every day about embracing her healthy lifestyle and shares it all with her readers. She's one of our Top Pick blogs because her story and journey are so inspirational that you can't help but draw positive energy and insights from her blog.
Cait of Cait's plate believes that a balanced lifestyle is the healthiest lifestyle and she helps those who are looking to lose weight live healthfully rather than by the scale. You won't find recipes for those with highly restrictive diets here (though she does have a vegetarian section), but what you will find is balanced recipes that include as many whole, fresh and clean ingredients as possible and we love that. For those who are finding that healthy eating is breaking the bank, you'll also love her "Healthy Eating on a Budget" section. We would love this site even more if it included nutrition facts, but we still give it two thumbs and a Top Pick award cup up for its focus on balance and whole foods.
Andie Mitchell is one of our Top Pick bloggers and is going to be your new best friend! She's a 100+ lb loser AND maintainer, a recipe developer, chocolate lover, and a talented writer (plus newly published author with another book on the way!) who shares it all with you on her blog. She knows how to lose weight and developed wonderful recipes along the way for all of us now to enjoy. If you visit her blog, you MUST read her heartfelt posts in the series: What I miss from 135lbs ago. Her candid thoughts about what she misses (and doesn't miss) about her obese life are touching and poignant.
Named one of 15 Fitness Gurus You Need To Follow On Twitter by Shape Magazine (alongside Jillian Michaels and Oprah’s trainer, Bob Greene!), professional trainer Carla Birnberg is a fitness force to be reckoned with, an inspiring blogger, and one of our Top Pick award cup holders! Her fitness blog hits on all topics and you'll be equally entertained by her world as a whole as she writes about life and motherhood too. You can actually feel her energy through the computer screen (so much so that it's contagious). If you need a boost, bookmark this site!
Do you love dessert? Would you love to satisfy your cravings in a healthier way? Say hello to Chocolate-Covered Katie, a Top Pick rated, healthy dessert blog! Enjoy healthified versions of your favorite desserts - we're talking cookie dough, brownies, milkshakes and more. She is the author of a best-selling cookbook and you can subscribe to receive all her newest recipes hot off the presses via email. So if you are someone who refuses to give up dessert in the name of health, you'll want to check her site out right away.
Choose Veg is a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle advocacy site that is a one-stop resource for all things vegetable! Choosing to eat vegan or vegetarian can be a difficult transition. Learn what to eat, how to make the switch, and how to ensure that your diet is free of holes. Find recipes, learn about animal product substitutes, how to dine out, and even get your daily dose of cute and lovable animal videos and pics!
Life by DailyBurn is a blog dedicated to helping its readers live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. With content generated by health and fitness professionals and contributors from all over the web, this magazine-style blog offers readers a wide range of content each day from workout routines, health news and product reviews, to recipes and even resources for better sleep, stress reduction and overall mental health.
Yoga practice is a great addition to your healthy lifestyle, so here's a blog that's full of ideas, information, and inspiration. Daily Cup of Yoga documents the yoga journey of founder, Brian, who discovered the practice 9 years ago and continues to learn new things and share them every day. Brian also happens to believe that yoga and running are a match made in heaven, so you'll find plenty of posts and info about running as well.
Do you think middle age makes it impossible to get fit? Nonsense! The year Debby turned 50 she began a weight-loss journey that culminated in her losing 100 pounds. She's currently maintaining a 75-pound loss and taking her readers along for the ride as she continues to work on eating a healthy diet and striving for her goal weight. She is showing readers that being over 50 does not mean it's too late to get into the best shape of your life, and that's why we think she's a Top Pick blog. Check out her recipe section. She loves to cook and has healthified many favorites. Oh, and if you love to quilt, you'll doubly love Debby's blog (click on over and you'll see why). Weight-Loss over 50 is challenging, but it sure helps to draw inspiration from someone who's done it.
Losing weight is one thing. Maintaining weight-loss is a whole other animal. And even after incredible weight-loss victories there will be bumps in the road to report. That's where you'll find Michele, an aspiring loser maintainer working to keep her free Lifetime Status at Weight Watchers (that she earned when she hit her goal weight) and maintain the healthy life she has built for herself. She's also a therapist and social worker who partially specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy for weight-loss, so look forward to a good dose of emotional support when reading her posts.
The Eat Drink Better tagline is, "sustainable food for a healthy lifestyle." The creators of Eat Drink Better talk recipes, food policy, food justice, and everything in between. They put it best in their bio where it says, "it all comes back to caring about what’s on our plates and its impact on our bodies, society, and the planet." Think “big picture” healthy living for both individuals and the planet. You'll find interesting articles, recipes and tips for eating local, healthy, sustainable food.
The Eat Simply blog is all about helping people eat more REAL food in a processed-food world. Enjoy nutrition education and delicious whole-food recipes by founder Ayla Withee, as she shares science-based nutrition info, her favorite real-food recipes, and even some fun stories about her kitchen mishaps.
Teresa Marie is skinny - which she defines as healthy, happy, fit, confident and strong! She's so fresh-faced, happy and fit, you'd think she was certainly just born that way; but although she had an interest in health and wellness most of her life, it took almost 30 years before she really found her way - and it seems that she just keeps getting better with age! She's a self-proclaimed fitness fanatic and nutrition nut and you'll find a little of everything on her blog - anything and everything that supports a "skinny" lifestyle.
Neghar Fonooni is a health coach who strives to teach women how to live fit, happy, empowered lives without stress and shame. The, “Eat. Lift. Be Happy," motto explains the blog quite well. As you read the articles you are encouraged to live healthfully in order to enhance your life, not detract from it. While visiting the blog will give you access to wonderful tips for developing certain muscles or reducing fat, you are also given a healthy dose of motivation, encouragement, and reaffirmation that you are so much more than your body shape. Get ready for many uplifting articles, quickie workouts and recipes too. For her incredible attention to the heart and mind along with the body, we give this blog a Top Pick rating.
Health Coach Brittney Mullins was raised on rich, Southern cooking, but as a young adult learned new ways of eating that she realized didn't weigh her down quite so much and made her feel fantastic (she lost 20 pounds in the process - practically without trying). She shares her tips on eating and healthy living for readers on her blog, including yummy recipes that we promise taste nothing like eating bird food - like the site name might suggest! She also shares workouts and info about health products she's currently enjoying.
Life is all about balance, and so is healthy eating, according to this recipe blog. On Eighty Twenty, you'll find inspiration and ideas for maintaining an 80/20 lifestyle, which is 80 percent healthy and on track and about 20% "controlled indulgent" for a nice balanced diet. Recipes? Yup! And each are clearly identified as either "80" or "20" depending upon how decadent. The genius behind the food is registered dietitian and Health and Fitness Specialist Lindsay Kay Kordick. Visit the site for her credentials, as she has too many to list! All her recipes include nutrition info and are fabulous, which is why Eat 80/20 is one of our Top Pick blogs!
Everyday Health is a large commercial website designed to become a hub for health professionals, consumers, (and yes, marketers) who have an interest in their personal wellness and/or promoting healthy living. As opposed to simply being a collection of articles on many topics, you'll find that Everyday Health also provides tools like a calorie counter, meal planner, and challenges you can join. You'll also find medical information on various conditions and a drug look-up.
Anne of fANNEtastic Food is a Registered Dietitian and on this blog you’ll find a mix of healthy recipes and quick meal ideas, health tips, fitness, running and racing recaps, travel adventures, and more. Again, the focus here is on healthy living, NOT dieting. Anne is a dietitian but not a master chef, which is awesome, because that means her recipes are simple and quick. As an avid runner, yogi, cross-fitter, and lover of the outdoors, you'll also find fun fitness info and tips on her blog.
FemFusionFitness is the brainchild of Doctor of Physical Therapy Brianne Grogan. After struggling with anxiety, depression, and poor health, she set to work to find her way out. Her site houses a business that holds exercise classes in Germany and California, but her blog is a resource that women anywhere around the world can enjoy. Her motto is to eat clean and move every day and each article on her blog circles back to those basic concepts, from her recipes to workout tips and challenges. Some specialty topic categories highlighted regularly on the blog include: Back Pain, Healthy Aging, Motherhood, and Pelvic Floor.
If you want to get your butt in gear, then you need to read the Fit Bottomed Girls and their sister blogs Fit Bottomed Mamas and Fit Bottomed Eats. The blog offers workout and product reviews, personal accounts of exercise endeavors, info about healthy foods and even workout music and fitness humor. If you are after some entertainment as well, you can enjoy the hot topics section for celeb articles, giveaways and fun links. The Fit Bottomed Girls Blogs are collectively a powerhouse of info and support and we give them a Top Pick spot!
Lee Hersh of Fit Foodie Finds is a recipe creator, photographer, full-time blogger and yoga sculpt instructor from Minneapolis, MN. What you'll find on her blog? Recipes (mostly gluten-free), fun workouts, and lifestyle topic favorites like fashion and travel. Lee stresses that her blog is not just about food and fitness but about feeling good in your own skin and living your life in a way that makes you happy. And before you think Lee is just another young, bubbly beauty with naturally skinny genes (with the designer variety to match), know that she has overcome her own struggles with food as she explains in a post she called, "How I Overcame Binge Eating," and she understands from experience what it takes to build a healthy relationship with food. Fit Foodie Finds is a Top Pick blog!
"Our bodies are built in the kitchen, sculpted in the gym." Those are the wise words of Kevin Curry or Fit Men Cook. As are these, "Hard work and remaining active are vital; but in the end, it all comes down to diet" - and that's why "fit men cook!" Oh, and don’t' think this site is just for dudes. As the about section states, "Fit (Wo)Men Cook is the "fit" story of all of us." Find nutrition info to get started, recipes, meal plans and even a community to share with. We love that nearly every post is available as an entertaining video (in both English and Spanish!), which earned FMC one of our Top Pick spots!
Diane Carbonell's site earns a Top Pick rating because she is truly inspirational and her site is a great support to all those struggling with weight-loss and weight-loss maintenance. She herself successfully dropped 150 pounds and has kept it off for 16 years! If you think she must have had some special cushy life or circumstances that made her success easier, you'd be wrong. As a wife, mother of seven, blogger, and weight-loss coach, she is a testament to what we can accomplish when we put our hearts and minds to something. She is prolific, writing several times each week, so she is there for her readers offering regular support, encouragement and advice based on her vast personal experience and success.
As an online coach and athlete, Heather believes that food is fuel but should be tasty, that healthy nutrition is key to overall health, and that the most important part about fitness is finding what movement makes you happy. When each of these things can become fully integrated into your life, your wellness will follow. Find recipes (typically two new recipes each month), workouts, and lifestyle extras like fashion and travel.
As an avid traveler and a Swedish personal trainer (now living in London) Fitness on Toast founder, Faya, offers readers unbiased info on fitness, nutrition and fashion. (Her site also includes BEAUTIFUL photography). With new posts each week, there’s a ton to enjoy. We also love that the European influence on this blog means a wide range of recipes, some with unique flavors we may not have previously thought of. If you have an interest in travel, this blog has a special flare that will keep you motivated and engaged through its exquisite destination photography and travel-journal-like blog entries, which pair beautifully with the solid nutrition and fitness advice that the site offers readers all over the world.
Gina is a certified personal trainer, group instructor, and weight-loss specialist. Her blog, Fitnessista, features quick workouts and healthy recipes as well a dose of her personal adventures as a military wife and mom. This is not a diet blog. Instead Gina focuses on healthy living, through fitness and recipes that utilize lean protein, fruits, veggies, and grains (though mostly gluten-free). If you read her blog enough, you'll realize that Gina is the trainer we all wish we had - warm, supportive, positive, challenging and one who loves her clients and can't wait to give them high-fives for a job well-done. While you may not be able to hire her, her blog is the next best thing, and that's why she earned our Top Pick - enjoy!
Do you want to know what's really in the foods you are eating? This blog examines food products so you can learn what's really in that new breakfast sandwich you saw on TV, or the new healthy-looking crackers on the grocery shelf. Log on to the FoodFacts.com site and you can get even more individualized information. Site founder Stan Rak has a highly technical, data-driven background and has used his expertise to create a database of over one hundred thousand food products so that his readers can get full ingredient lists, PLUS color coded information and a grading system that identifies harmful ingredients and highlights healthy versus not so healthy options. You can even create your own profile and then each item you view will also alert you to ingredients that are on your own personal avoidance list.
With all the information we now have about the food we eat available to us, do you ever feel like it's not safe to eat anything? Do you feel more confused than ever in the grocery aisle and lost about what is really healthy and what is not? Fooducate attempts to inform and make sense of all the choices on the store shelves and recent news about food. Read up on the latest research and science about food or recent nutrition discussions in the news.
You've heard of girls gone wild…this is nothing like that. Girls Gone STRONG's mission is to educate and inspire women of all ages to maximize the strength of their body, mind and character. The site contains articles written by eight very well qualified advisers on- count them- 13 different topics of interest to women! From strength training and fat loss, to pregnancy and hormones - the list is comprehensive. The articles are fun but most of all informative. If you are interested in learning how to get stronger inside and out, check it out. The site impressed us enough to get a Top Pick designation.
Greatist is a blog created by gathering articles written by "greatists" all over the web including health and fitness experts, and even regular people (all verified by experts prior to posting). Their pool of contributors generate daily articles, which fit into the following categories: Move, Eat, Grow, Play, Discover, and Connect - all in an effort to help generate more "greatists," which they define as, "Someone who chooses healthy because they want to." With a focus on happiness and healthy living rather than weight-loss, we thought this blog deserved a spot on the list.
HelloHealthy is the fitness and health blog of myfitnesspal, a calorie counting app provider. On this blog, you'll find a few posts each day about healthy cooking, fun workouts, nutrition info and more. Articles are divided into four categories: Eat, Move, Live and Learn so you'll easily find exactly what you’re after whether it's a new fun at-home ab workout, the latest news about GMOs, or some motivation to stick to your goals.
After hitting rock bottom (and then beneath rock bottom) with her own personal health, Holli Thompson went on a journey of nutritional re-education, attending culinary school and gaining nutritional training, as well as trial and error on her own. What she discovered is what you'll find now on her blog. Recipes, skin care tips, and nutritional education that will help you transform your life and body too. The focus is on overall health and wellbeing, rather than weight-loss. The site will invigorate you and the photography and recipes will really make you want to be a whole foodie too.
Do you have a "crazy" relationship with food? Isabel Foxen Duke did. But when she stopped acting like a crazy person, she started eating like a "normal" person and began to get control of her binge eating. This blog is an entertaining, spunky, slap in the face of great support for over-eaters. She believes that a new way of thinking, NOT a new diet, is what is needed to change your relationship with food permanently, and is not afraid of attacking difficult topics head on (or using a few 4-letter words while doing so). She should probably invest in a line of motivational weight-loss posters too, because you won't find a shortage of gems like these: The weight loss / weight gain cycle is an impossible game to “beat.” The only way to “win” is to not play the game. Isabel's poignant words and examination of over-eating will keep you seriously motivated to turn the tables on food's control over your life. Did somebody say Top Pick? Oh, wait, that was us!
Hungry Girl is a valuable spot for tons of healthy recipes and recipe makeovers. That's when Hungry Girl (a.k.a Lisa Lillien) takes one of your all-time favorites and gives it a healthified makeover. You may know Lisa from her television show, Hungry Girl on both the Food Network and Cooking Channel. She also has a neat feature on her site which allows readers to ask her a question, which she answers on her blog.
If you are not afraid to turn inward and really deeply examine your mind-body connection, then the Intuitive Body blog might be for you. Lisa Claudia Briggs is an intuitive mentor, holistic psychotherapist and spiritual guide. Her blog (along with a cup of her metabolism-boosting tea) is a great way to start your day with intention and focus on growing and healing your soul above all else. Feed your spirit and find an inner peace on this blog.
Eat well, run often, travel far! That's the philosophy of Iowa food blogger Kristen Porter. She loves to gather local foods, make healthy dishes, and travel the world. Find recipes, workouts, fun travel updates - and if you are mom, she's got a section about her young family as well.
You might know Joy Bauer from her role as nutrition and health expert for NBC's TODAY show, or from her monthly contributions to Women's Day magazine. Or maybe it's from one of her #1 New York Times bestselling books? OK, you get the point. Check out her blog for equally stellar coverage of health issues and information, archive of recipes and healthy living tips.
Maui native and fitness enthusiast Joyce Cherrier is living healthfully while having a blast. Her blog is filled with inspiration and motivation to live a healthy lifestyle - from nutrition and meal ideas to mind and body fitness. She encourages her readers and clients to eat well and move often; and most of all, have fun while doing it. This site is a peaceful place to visit that will make you feel like petting a horse, raising your own chickens, and walking with your toes in the sand. We can't all do that - but take a break from the daily grind and have a sweet daydream for a daily dose of inspiration.
Kath of Kath Eats is a registered dietitian and full-time blogger, sharing everything from nutrition info and recipes to slice of life snippets from her own world as a wife and mother in Charlottesville, Va. Don't forget to pop over to her video section for even more great cooking tips. This is not a diet blog, but it does come up from time to time as Kath migrates through various stages of her own life. But above all, she focuses on balance and "real food," of which there is never a shortage of yummy ways to prepare.
Jane Cartelli of Keeping the Pounds Off believes that even massive natural weight loss can be maintained. She herself maintains an over 200-pound weight-loss and inspires and works with others to do the same. If you have weight to lose, especially significant weight, come visit Jane's blog for some wonderful inspiration and support and see how even what seems impossible can be attainable.
Kim of Kim's Cravings is on a mission to show readers that clean, healthy eating can be delicious and easy. She does this by taking you along for the ride as she provides those healthy meals to her own family. Browse her "recipage" alphabetically, or by date, ingredient, course, and even dietary requirements like gluten-free or vegan. Outside the kitchen, learn about Kim's favorite workouts, reviews, and her favorite healthy products.
Nia Shanks of Lift Like a Girl teaches women simple ways to strength train and eat to build a better body. This is not simply a diet/exercise website, in fact, it focuses mostly on strength from within and switching your mindset from dieting to nourishing and from working out to getting strong. If you want to discover what your body can do, Nia would like to help you learn how. You'll find workouts, recipes and motivational articles. You'll also find some articles that are about similar topics to those you might find in popular women's magazine like cleanses, cellulite, and fat loss, only this time, with science and research to back it up. Spoiler-alert, there's a lot of debunking.
Audrey Johns was frustrated by fad diets, low calorie starvation, and frozen "diet" meals that never brought results. But then, at 275 pounds she finally discovered what worked: real, clean food. When she stopped eating processed foods, chemicals, preservatives and artificial sweeteners and concentrated instead on whole, clean foods, the weight started to fall off. She is a remarkable weight-loss success story and has devoted herself to sharing what she has learned with others who want to do the same - no gimmicks, just real food. You'll also be surprised to learn that because of a rare nerve disorder, she also attained her goal without much focus on intense exercise. She is for that reason a unique resource for those with disabilities, injuries and other challenges to exercising for weight-loss, which earned her a Top Pick spot.
The Loving Fit blog is all about promoting a love of healthy living rather than focusing on any one specific body shape outcome. Tatiana (Tati) believes in whole body health and as a former professional figure skater and certified personal trainer, she prides herself on promoting exercise routines that focus on proper position and execution (with variations provided for beginners). Her site is an especially great source for those in search of at home-workouts or ways to enhance or spice up a gym routine. She includes nutrition, fashion, and beauty information as well.
Maria Marlowe is a Health Coach and for the past eight years, she has dedicated her life to food and nutrition, drawing the connection between our ailments and our diets. She now teaches people how to decipher their digestive issues, weight that won’t budge, low energy, and acne, and then how to choose the right foods for their unique body to support an ideal weight, flawless skin, and most importantly, vibrant health. Mostly on her blog you'll find delicious recipes using foods that will treat your body VERY well. If you are bored with "diet" food, we assure you, you won't be anymore. Check out how delicious healthy can taste.
Take yourself from restrictions and binges to whole-self nourishment with Viki, a holistic health therapist and Mind Body Wellness expert. You'll find lots of recipes on her blog that allow you to enjoy rather than forbid your favorite flavors and foods. You'll also find advice and tips for simplifying and enjoying life more while finding a balance between your mind, body and food.
Mind Body Green is a magazine-style site with content from contributors all over the Internet. And as the name would suggest, on MBG, you'll find articles about mental health and happiness, fitness and wellness, as well as ways to nurture a thriving, healthy planet and better lives while living on it.
My Journey to Fit documents the weight-loss journey of Shelley, a 50-something mother of two who ultimately lost over 100 pounds and has successfully kept it off despite the ups and downs along the way. Shelley loves to run and knit, so you'll see lots about both on her blog. Her diary-style blog posts keep you up to date on her running adventures, healthy eats and the things that keep her motivated (and us too!)
As far as food blogs go, this is a winner. The photography is amazing and the recipes are beautiful and unique. The founder of My New Roots, Sarah Britton, does an excellent job of exposing readers to a variety of healthy recipes made with whole foods, many plant-based in nature. She proves that eating healthfully does NOT have to be boring or tasteless. When we think healthy food, we often think diet meals, but the dishes featured on this site are the kind to be savored so you can experience the fine flavors of REAL food.
Nerd Fitness, created by Steve Kamb, is a humorous and informative blog, aimed a bit more towards men (or as he puts it, "desk jockeys, nerds, and average Joes), but it’s far from a dudes only site, we promise. With a focus on weight lifting, Paleo, and a smart approach to maximizing the science of weight-loss, the information is straight-forward, supported by research, and never intimidating. If you are scared to start weight-lifting, you need to read Steve. He can start you on your journey to weight-loss with just a milk jug and a dining room chair if you're up for it, all the while keeping you completely entertained (and he'll help you learn the basics of healthy cooking too)! This site had us laughing and learning and we enthusiastically award it a Top Pick designation.
Eating more plant-based, whole foods is a main focus of Nutrition Stripped. Coach, foodie, and health enthusiast McKel founded the site to share her passion for healthy food and support her coaching career. She is a Registered Dietitian and loves science so she shares as she learns of new research too. Click over to her Pantry section for a really neat look into some foods/spices that you may not be all that familiar with, and why she considers them super foods. Look forward to an entertaining nutrition education and a beautiful designed site that is easy to read and filled with wonderful photography.
The creator of Nutrition U, Paula Martinac, M.A., M.S., is a nutrition educator and holistic health coach. She spent the first 20 years of her career as a writer, editor, and journalist, until a cancer diagnosis forever changed the way she viewed health and wellness. She is a part-time blogger, but a few times each month you can enjoy her posts on many of the things she has learned about healthy living as a cancer survivor. She teaches her readers ways to feel better, stronger, calmer and more energized, while enjoying a longer, more vibrant life.
This blog is devoted to from-scratch recipes made with mostly whole, seasonal ingredients. Oh, and no eggs or dairy here! These recipes are vegan, occasionally gluten-free and every once in a while, raw - even the cakes! Lady Cakes is actually a reference to founder Ashlae 's nickname given to her by her hubby years ago - how cute is that?! Did we mention that this food travels? A lot. So if you have an interest in travel, that section of the blog brings an added layer of enjoyment for readers. The site is exquisitely designed and the recipes are vast and unique - for this, we give it two thumbs up and a Top Pick spot.
If there's one thing we've learned from reading well over 150 blogs in order to compile this list, it's that those who are most successful with weight-loss find a place where healthy living becomes a lifestyle, exercising is done for fun and good feeling, and food becomes nourishment and support for a happy life. It is those who truly learn to "glow from within" that finally find peace with their external body. In 2008, Angela started Oh She Glows to write about her recovery from an eating disorder, her journey to health, and the amazing transformation that food can make in our lives. On Angela's blog you'll find lots of vegan recipes, most of which are also free of gluten, soy, and processed foods. But the real success and shift she experienced was in her attitude towards fitness and food and she shares her knowledge with readers so that they too can find "that place" where...ohhh, she glows! And that's why she's one of our Top Pick bloggers!
Julie, the Founder of Peanut Butter Fingers, is a group instructor, personal trainer and blogger who shares “healthified” versions of indulgent meals, sweaty workouts and quick and simple recipes. If you are looking for ways to swap out ingredients from your favorite comfort dishes to make them fit into your healthy lifestyle, you will love this blog. This is not a diet blog, but if you are looking for a relaxed and fun place to read about maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, this is the spot.
We know how important veggies are to our wellness and diet success - so how about a blog completely devoted helping us eat our greens? (And reds, and oranges…well you get the idea!) Peas & Crayons site founder Jenn is INCREDIBLY creative and her recipes are only rivaled by the tantalizing pictures that accompany them. Be prepared to be engaged for hours just looking through her history of recipes. This site receives our special Top Pick designation for taking one of healthy-living's biggest challenges (eating are veggies) and making it easier and more delicious too!
If you are looking for some leisurely fitness reading that reminds you a bit of your favorite magazine, then POPSUGAR is your place. As a global lifestyle brand, the POPSUGAR site itself is packed with much more than health and fitness articles, but as for that section, the blog is fitness info with a pop culture spin, delivering tons of content daily on a variety of topics. This site is for gals and you'll find workout ideas, recipes, health news, product reviews, humor, and lots of how-to's. The site won't be free of ads or product placement (similar to that magazine we mentioned earlier), but is an entertaining read for sure.
Even as a seemingly healthy young adult, raised in a household that taught her how to eat and exercise healthfully, Kasey found herself looking healthy but living unhealthfully. She feared food, avoided many things, dieted obsessively and felt horrible. How she turned her life around and what she learned along the way is the meat of what you'll find on Powercakes. She broke up with her scale years ago and can teach you to do the same. At such a young age, she is truly inspirational to her readers while providing a fun source for the latest on fitness and nutrition.
Precision Nutrition is a company offering coaching services to men and women all over the world. It is also, incidentally, a resource for coaching professionals. Their blog is an extension of that service (but free of course!) filled with articles from their experts on various topics regarding exercise, nutrition and mind-body wellness. We love that this site does not push unrealistic ideals and even frankly discusses what is necessary to reach fitness goals that are reasonable. "Even if you think you’d like that six-pack," one article notes, "it might turn out that you actually want something else a little bit more. And we wouldn’t blame you." It's about finding what's right for you, and there are great resources here to help you do that.
Theodora lost 50 pounds four years ago and along that journey discovered her own path to healthy living that she's proud to share with others on her blog. Her inspirational weight-loss story will draw you in and her candid journal-style blogging will keep you coming back again and again as you see how she manages to maintain her weight loss and stick to healthy living day after day, and year after year. She's a busy city girl who doesn't always cook - so no recipes here! Just a real woman staying fit and happy in NYC. Theodora completely opens up to her readers, posting her weekly workouts and sharing the ups and downs of maintenance. If you need motivation, inspiration and moral support - you'll find it here.
Prevention is one of the world's most established healthy lifestyle brands. The magazine is incredibly popular, but now with, you know, the internet and all, the health giant can also be found at prevention.com, which is a 24/7 health information source. It's based on a magazine, so it's magazine style - LOTS of information on many different topics in an entertaining format. Read the content, search for recipes, or watch weekly exercise videos featuring their fitness experts. There's so much there, we're giving it Top Pick status.
On this blog you'll find a real story about a real woman who has lost weight and gotten healthy completely on her own. She's experienced setbacks to success and even multiple skin removal surgeries - and she's documented it all for her readers. The site has recently been expanded to include the stories of many "prior fat girls," and currently features the healthiness journey of Liz. This site receives our Top Pick designation for its ability to inspire and support people of all backgrounds at any stage of their weight-loss journey.
Michelle and Lori, of Purely Twins are sisters in life and in fitness who have created a presence online devoted to helping women live their best lives (through strength aerobic home workouts). They offer fitness advice, including TONS of video workouts, plus yummy recipes for gluten-free & grain-free treats with a mix of raw, vegan, and low sugar dishes as well. Sister Lori recently had her first child so you will find a new series of workouts completely devoted to pregnancy and postnatal fitness.
At such a young age, Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth's Catherine has had a tremendous weight-loss journey - a dramatic transformation, plus a story of going too far and coming back again that is not only motivational but inspiring. She is wise beyond her years and shares all that she has discovered about herself, weight-loss, and healthy living so that she can motivate and inspire others to achieve their goals. She shares healthy recipes, workout tips, inspiration, fun fitness fashion, and fitness DIY projects to inspire and motivate readers to reach for their goals. Enjoy this Top Pick blog!
Remodel Fitness is a place where you’ll find two very important things – science-based fitness information, and body-positive inspiration. As personal trainer, fitness expert, and site founder Jessi Kneeland puts it, “I want to always be unabashedly, unapologetically Me, and I want you to be unabashedly, unapologetically You.” She calls it radical authenticity. In addition to her great motivational attitude, you’ll find sound fitness tips and advice for tapping into your full potential. So many times when we start a weight-loss journey (and plenty of additional times along the way) we lack confidence – confidence that we know what we are doing, confidence that our hard work will actually pay off – heck – confidence just to show our body to others while at the gym or perform an exercise we’ve never done before while “everyone is watching,” (Don’t’ worry, by the way. They never are). If you are looking for that confidence, you’ll find it at Remodel Fitness and it’s probably one of the most valuable elements on the site.
Roni is a recovering dieter, runner and CrossFit lover who has her own amazing weight-loss journey that you can read about here. She's living life with her family while doing her best to stay healthy and happy and she shares all her adventures large and small with her readers. There's always something interesting to read. She has ups and downs and plateaus just like the rest of us but her positive outlook is inspiring and always a pick-me-up.
Gina likes food. A lot. On her blog you'll find tons of wonderful recipes along with a sprinkle of fitness and sarcasm. We love Gina. We wish she was our friend after a few minutes of reading - I guess we like the sarcasm! And we are definitely running to the kitchen to try recipes like No Bake Raspberry Sandwich Cookies, Rosemary Sea Salt and Vinegar Beet Chips, and Slow Cooker BBQ Peach Pulled Chicken. We love this site so much that it's one of our Top Pick blogs. We especially love her guides and how to section. Because, let's face it, eating healthfully sometimes necessitates learning new terms, tasting new foods, and learning how to prepare them deliciously - and we appreciate the assist, Gina!
Runs for Cookies founder Katie is truly inspirational Top Pick blogger. (We're talking drop-your-jaw before and after photos that will launch your butt into gear inspirational). And she didn't just drop the weight; she's maintained it successfully for over two years. She knows what it's like to have a difficult health journey ahead and she also knows how to maintain healthy goals once you get to your destination. Enjoy her journal-style blog for a boost of motivation and get a first-hand look at what life as an "after" is like.
At SkinnyTaste you'll find tons of low fat recipes (several each week) that are lower in fat, but have not sacrificed the flavor of their full-fat cousins. Founder Gina Homolka focuses on eating seasonal, clean, whole foods and portion control - hey, we love that! Her recipes also include full nutrition info, which earned it a Top Pick designation. As an added bonus, her site allows you to save your favorite recipes in your recipe box, as well as generate shopping lists.
Snack Girl delivers fast, easy, and delicious recipes and encourages readers to feel good about your body now, while your health journey continues. You'll find much more than recipes on Lisa Cain's site though - she takes reader's questions and answers them via video (like her recent one about how to order "safely" at McDonald's), and you'll find a variety of posts on health-related topics like How to Get Your Partner to Get Healthy, and Are Eggs Evil? She has a section especially devoted to weight-loss as well as one for reviewing healthy pre-packaged snacks that get her seal of approval.
Are you gluten-free or looking to incorporate more low-carb meals into your diet? Check out this blog for the recipes you are looking for and much more. EA Stewart (a.k.a The Spicy RD) has a philosophy that is simple: No one diet fits all, but a healthy, delicious diet is built upon mostly whole, fresh, minimally-processed foods. Her blog is chock-full of new recipes, recipe ReDux (where she takes existing recipes and adapts them to be healthier and gluten-free), weekly meal plan ideas, and science/research news.
Eating seasonally is a fantastic way to enjoy delicious foods at the peak of freshness while also doing a body good. Sprouted Kitchen is a delightful Top Pick blog site featuring dishes that are a bit more art than cooking. Founder Sara Forte even admits in her bio that she doesn't really measure - so the recipes are usually educated guesses. The photography, all done by her husband Hugh, is beautiful, making the blog a piece of art in itself. We wouldn't call these everyday recipes, but this blog is gorgeous and captivating; and for the adventurous whole foodie, it is a goldmine of inspiration. Get inspired to make some delicious and beautifully healthy food.
Summer Tomato is one of our FAVORITE Top Pick blogs! And that's because we've never seen a site that so wonderfully addresses the brain's role in dieting. If you want to get a better insight to the emotional side of dieting or your eating habits, or learn how you can shift from dieting to living healthfully, you'll love this blog. Site founder Darya Rose has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and it shows. The focus of her blog is teaching readers to "get healthy and lose weight without dieting." The thing we love about her blog is that she CONNECTS THE DOTS for readers - not only does Darya point out how our brain works and what we should do to work with it, she tells us HOW with strategies that actually work. Seriously...check this blog out ASAP!
Susan B. Dopart, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., is a nutrition and fitness expert who has been in private practice for more than 19 years. Her blog is absolutely filled with expert advice about food, nutrition, and how to optimize how your body works through what you eat. And when health news gets confusing (like recent controversy about fish oil, for example) Susan is there to examine the hot issues and share her professional opinion. Ever confused by food labels? Be sure to check out her "not to shop" list in the recipe section. All those long names are often just a hidden ways of saying: MSG, sugar and sweeteners, or genetically modified sources. This site is full of valuable nutrition information and is a Top Pick blog.
Lindsay of the Lean Green Bean is a new mom, Registered Dietitian and Top Pick blogger. She loves sharing her passion for nutrition and healthy living with her readers. On this blog you’ll find healthy recipes, nutrition information, tips for new moms, workouts and more. You will find recipes GALORE - in fact, four whole years' worth! Check out the "best of the bean" for her favorites. You can also learn all about "food prep" on her site, of which she is a huge advocate. She also loves CrossFit, so if you want some workouts or want to learn more, the site is a great resource.
Growing up as an obese teenager, Dai Manuel "The Moose" brings his unique perspective to his wellness advice for others. He's now a self-proclaimed health junkie and an accountability coach to many. You'll gain not only fitness and nutrition tips from his blog, but you'll also draw inspiration. Dai is a family-man and a dad too, so if you've got a family and want to make your new healthy lifestyle a family affair, you'll find advice on that too. If you are interested in CrossFit, it happens to be Dai's favorite form of exercise, so you'll find lots of resources and info here.
If ever there was a way to sense a smile though text, it's definitely happening when you read Cammy's blog, The Tippy Toe Diet. Her positivity and sense of humor is infectious and makes you want to get up and run after your goals and dreams. After years of trying and failing to lose weight, Cammy found her secret which was gradual changes towards health and ditching her old diet habits. The Tippy Toe Diet is a journal-style blog that is a great source of motivation and support after a long day of working hard to get healthy.
Post weight-loss surgery, Michele "Shelly" of The World According to Eggface had to completely rethink her love of food and cooking to support her post-surgery journey. She was afraid that post-surgery her creativity in the kitchen would be stifled by diet restrictions, but lucky for all of us, it's been quite the opposite! She shares her ever-inventive meals and snacks with her readers - as well as some humorous ramblings about her world.
Amanda Kessler recently lost 40 pounds and is working every day to eat healthfully and stay fit with a heart condition. One fabulous thing you'll find on her blog is motivation, and lots of it, in many different forms. She's an avid (slow) runner and racer and following her adventures is inspiring. When it comes to health blogs, she's the girl next door. She's positive, strong, and inspiring, but she's not perfect - and we love that.
Nourish your mental health and happiness with Tiny Buddah, a source for meditation, inspirational quotes, motivation, and in short, a place to center yourself daily. There are several categories to browse: Happiness and Fun, Love and Relationships, Meaning and Passion, Mindfulness and Peace, Change and Challenges, Letting Go, Healthy Habits, Work Fulfillment, and Tiny Wisdom. Ditching stress and negative thoughts and energy are key to our health, wellness, and even weight-loss efforts. That's why Tiny Buddha is one of our Top Picks for helping deliver a vital piece of the puzzle to health-seekers everywhere.
Meet Jody - a force to be reckoned with who blogs about healthy aging and living. Staying fit changes as we age and even individuals who were fit at 30 or 40 may need to switch things up at 50. Jody of the Truth2BeingFit has years of fitness experience and brings a unique perspective now that she is applying her knowledge to an ever changing and shall we say maturing body.
Well and Good is an online publication in every sense of the word. Founded by two journalists, Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, Well and Good has a full professional masthead and delivers reporting (not just writing) on the healthy living beat. It's their job to know what's new and relevant in the world of health and deliver it to readers quickly and accurately. Find info on exercise, fitness fashion and gear, wellness advice (both body and mind), nutrition tips and coverage of fitness events. But all that being said, don't assume that reporting equates to boring and dry - the site content is fresh and highly entertaining. For being the best of both, we gave it a Top Pick designation.
Wellness Today is a site/blog that aims to bring together the most valuable health and wellness content from around the web. Affiliated with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, their editors hand-pick articles from the web's most trusted sources in order to bring readers what they believe to be the best of the best. Topics include: nutrition, fitness, spirit, beauty, recipes and videos. With at least one new post daily, you'll enjoy leisurely reading their varied content like your favorite magazine. For sheer volume of interesting content, this site is a great one to bookmark and is one of our Top Pick blogs.
Marissa is a health and life coach who inspires her readers to develop a healthy relationship with food and set goals to get to "where they need to be." She's an NYC gal, and her health journey began in a tiny Manhattan studio apartment living a food life that revolved around microwaves, take-out, and street carts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She also had a wicked sweet tooth. She finally learned to embrace whole, real food (and cooking!), and discovered that sweetness can and should come from more than food. Her blog is journal-style and you'll find that she entertainingly delivers information in real time as her life unfolds.
Shannon is a Health Coach and Whole Foodie Booty founder. Until she learned to cook, she used to fear food. Through her love of her cooking practice, she fell in love with whole food, and discovered that she also completely changed her relationship with food all at the same time (resulting in 20+ lb weight loss). If you are looking for some healthy and delicious recipes to add to your week in order to incorporate more whole foods into your diet, you will love this blog. All there is left to say is yum!
Calling all moms! Pregnancy and raising children can add unique challenges to a woman's pursuit of healthy living and this blog is devoted to helping navigate those unique challenges. You'll find an emphasis on short but intense workouts that fit into busy lives, exercises that can be done at home with everyday objects (or ahem child-shaped weights), family-friendly healthy living tips, and interviews with inspiringly fit moms. You'll also find a good dose of humor. Prior to having children, site founder Lisa, was a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, marathon runner, and overall fitness junkie who thought nothing would change once she became a mother. Once she learned that a few (cough) things would, the site was born. She discovered a way to fit her healthy lifestyle into her new life and wants to help others do the same.
Josie is a fit mama, but she wasn't always. It took dedication and time for her to find what worked for her and gain the confidence and will to go after her "after." Yum Yucky is about finding the balance between healthy living and indulgence. She shares recipes, home workout tips and her full weight-loss pictorial journey. Her writing is entertaining and usually allows us a little peek at her life and world like her recent post entitled, "My child is ruining my fitness life."
Author: Chrissy Doremus
Chrissy is a Diet-to-Go editor and contributor and co-owner of Two Clever Sisters, LLC. She is enthusiastically raising a whole-food-loving family in the suburbs of NYC with her husband, where her guilty pleasures include Pinterest and half-baked brownies (preferably together). When it comes to fitness, she simply likes to move often and lift heavy things, but has been known to stop mid-workout to pop into a Zumba class when she hears her favorite song - because healthy living should be FUN!