I rarely get sick or feel “under the weather,” but late this past weekend, something hit me. It wasn't really the flu or a cold necessarily, I honestly think it was just a case of plain old mom exhaustion ... Imagine that! I just felt really, really tired and achy, and after preparing an entire dinner, I asked my kids' "permission" to go get into my bed! They willingly and lovingly agreed to completely clean up the kitchen together so I could rest my weary bones! I was thrilled, but admittedly, I was a bit skeptical!

So ... with my door open to listen closely to the “goings on,” I retreated to the restful haven that I call my bed. After resting tentatively for a short while, I received a knock at the door. It was one of my smiling children coming to ask if I needed anything. I actually did need something, so I asked for a few crackers from the kitchen. Moments later, they appeared! So nice!

A recent study shows that when we don’t get enough sleep, it actually alters our genes, and can lead to degenerative disorders. When we sleep, our bodies get to work repairing themselves, and if we don’t let them, it can damage our immune systems. Our cells have to replenish and replace themselves, and sleepy cells don’t like to work.

Lead researcher Colin Smith said, “There was quite a dramatic change in activity in many different kinds of genes … clearly sleep is critical to rebuilding the body and maintaining a functional state, all kinds of damage appears to occur—hinting at what may lead to ill health. If we can't actually replenish and replace new cells, then that's going to lead to degenerative diseases."

When Jennifer Lawrence isn't making award-winning or action-packed flicks, she's, well, preparing for them. Or preparing to win awards for them. Although her Hunger Games workout was a whole different ballgame unto itself, Jennifer has a "whole body" plan to keep her looking and feeling Hollywood glam during awards season. Aaaand her personal trainer Dalton Wong recently dished about it to Grazia!

What I find especially cool about her pre-red carpet plan is that it doesn't call for the usual grueling, two-hours-at-the-gym and eating kale soup schtick we tend to hear about from stars. The steps she takes to looking and feeling so amazing are actually not only doable, but they sound like they'd work for anyone! Check it out ...

New year, new you. Isn't that what they say? Yeah yeah, we've all been there -- making absolutely ridiculous resolutions that are impossible to stick to. What if I told you there was only ONE resolution you should make in 2013? Yep, one. I resolve to do everything I can to live longer.

Believe me, it's a lot easier than you think. There are loads of small changes that you and I can make to our everyday routine to add weeks, months, and years onto our lives. That's what we all want anyway, right? The longer we live, the more memories.

Check out these 10 easy things you can do in 2013 to live longer, here:

Being a parent is a tough gig. Whether it's staying up all night with a teething baby or trying to juggle time between soccer practice and a gymnastics meet and getting your kids fed, there's a ton of stress. Sometimes, it seems never ending.

"They grow up so fast," people exclaim, when you tell them how tired you are, as though that's somehow going to negate the guilt you already feel for not enjoying every! second! of parenthood!

In that vein, here are the top five new year's resolutions each parent should make this year.

Oh my god, are you ready for some amazing news?! Hmmmm?! Well, here goes: Your days of looking like hell and feeling like crap are over, because Gwyneth Paltrow is coming out with another cookbook, and it's all good! No, seriously -- the cookbook is called "It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great." Just when we were about to give up and resignedly accept our collective fate as ugly, fat, fast food-eating slobs! Gwynnie to the rescue!

And lest you think this is just another load of inaccessible, fishmonger-y/overpriced t-shirt Goop, Paltrow's second book du cook was inspired by her own real-life health challenges, harrowingly detailed in the book's description on Amazon ...

I don't know about you, but it's not the ticking of my biological clock that haunts my dreams, it's my circadian clock. You know, the body's complex internal timer that somehow controls our entire phyiscal and mental well-being BUT is extremely easy to screw up? By sleeping in or getting up early or staying up late or going to bed early or breathing, it seems?! Well, turns out there's yet another way you're probably maybe messing with your circadian clock. According to a recent study, the best time to exercise is in the afternoon, because early morning and late night workouts set your circadian alarm right off, and that's a bad thing (assuming you don't particularly feel like increasing your risk for "diabetes, obesity, certain types of cancer, memory loss and mood disorders, including depression.")

Granted, this theory is currently based on animal research, but I believe it. Based on my own personal ill-timed exercise experiences.

When celebs -- especially celebs who have made a name for themselves thanks to reality TV -- give advice about diet and exercise, there's a relatively high chance that advice will sound like nails on a chalkboard. But sometimes they manage to hit one out of the park. Somehow, Real Housewives star Kelly Bensimon (who came out with her book, I Can Make You Hot! The Supermodel Diet earlier this year and is probably still promoting it) managed to do just that when she recently spoke with Celebuzz about keeping holiday weight gain at bay.

The mom of two's tips, while not exactly rocket science, are so right on ...