“You guys, did you hear that somebody was murdered in the basement here?” Lindsey Vonn asks her cover shoot glam squad, who are gathered in the kitchen of California’s famous Sowden House, the rumored site of the unsolved 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia.Fortunately, Lindsey—the four-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medal-winning skier—is bringing some positive energy to the alleged crime scene. She is in a good place: Her recent ankle injury (more on that later) is fully healed, she just took a much-needed girls’ vacation, and she’s been training her butt off—with the 2018 Winter Olympics, in South Korea, firmly in sight.A competitive skier by the age of 10, Lindsey is used to growing up in the spotlight. But recently, the 31-year-old has had to endure a new level of public scrutiny, thanks to a nearly three-year romance with pro golfer Tiger Woods that ended in May 2015. While the tabloids speculate about her love life, she chooses to focus on her actual passion: The Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which she launched this year to help empower girls. Turns out, girl power is very much on her mind these days.You’ve been spending more time on the red carpet. Do you feel comfortable out there?At first it’s kind of awkward standing there while people take pictures of you; now it’s fun—although I definitely don’t fit in on the red carpet.RELATED: Check out Lindsey’s intense lower-body workoutWhat do you mean?I’m, like, twice the size of anyone, in both height and weight! I’m five-foot-ten, but I’m definitely quite a bit heavier than everyone else. I feel like the odd man out sometimes, but that’s even more reason to be confident, to show girls that you don’t have to be a size 2 to be beautiful. Any size is beautiful as long as you’re confident in yourself.You’ve worked hard at putting out that message, especially with your foundation.I’m really proud of it. I’ve always wanted to start my own foundation, but with skiing I didn’t think I had the time to do both. I don’t ever want to do something and not put all my energy into it. But when I got hurt the second time, it was honestly a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity. We’ve got scholarships, camps. The main goal is to teach young girls about self-esteem and teamwork.Have you ever experienced body image issues?It’s kind of funny because before I was 17, I was incredibly skinny. I was made fun of and called “chicken” and “chicken wings”—I was super tall and probably weighed 30 pounds less than I do now. Then I gained weight because my metabolism slowed down, and I kind of was on the other end of the spectrum. I’m normal-size, but when I started to do well and do events and photo shoots, I felt like I was too big.Any advice for women reading this who might be having body image issues?The most important thing is to eat healthy. When I’m eating really clean and splurge on something really sugary, I feel like I’m gonna vomit. So eat what your body wants, and try to be as active as you can…

Jennifer Lasher 41, 5’6″ Hauppauge, N.Y. Before: 210 lb.Dress size: 16 After: 135 lb. Dress size: 6 Total pounds lost: 75 lb. Sizes lost: 5 Growing up Italian, I had carb-heavy meals as the usual dinner fare. And while I exercised at times in high school and college, my weight would continually flip-flop: down a few pounds one month, then back up two months later. Once I married and had kids, any interest in going to the gym was gone; the baby weight never went away. By March 2013, I was 210 pounds, my highest ever, and it struck me that I would soon be 40, overweight and unhappy. So I decided it was time to drop the weight for good.RELATED: 16 Ways to Lose Weight FastReal food = real energyUsing all the healthy lifestyle tips I’d learned from magazines and my girlfriends, I cleaned up my diet, swapping deli sandwiches with high-sodium meat and mayo for Tupperware containers of big butter-lettuce salads topped with carrots, walnuts, feta and homemade dressing. Tracking everything I ate held me accountable, and I found that ditching processed foods left me with more energy, a clear head and better skin, too.Couch to 26.2Next, I tackled a longtime goal: running. I had wanted to start my entire life, but I never had the confidence to lace up my sneakers. With a friend, I slowly moved from power walking to hitting the trails for 10-milers. It was overwhelming at first—I was often out of breath—but I quickly gained strength. Thanks also to my healthy eating, I dropped 35 pounds in four months. I reached my goal weight of 140 in September 2014, and now I’m happily at 135 pounds! I’m even running my first marathon next May. I’m not out there to break any records, just to run and love it.RELATED: 15 Eating Habits That Make You Live LongerJennifer’s Weight-Loss JournalTo lose big, Jennifer got advice from friends. Now she’s sharing her own hard-won secrets. Find even more tips at health.com/weight-loss-stories.Set scary goals My goal is to run 100 miles in a month. I finally hit it (and then some) this past August, with 104.Spiralize it! As an Italian-American, I find it tough to cut out pasta, but I use zucchini linguine or spaghetti squash instead. It’s just as delicious!RELATED: 7 Ways to Eat More Veggies Carry a Mary Poppins purseMy bag is always packed with nuts, apples and hard-boiled eggs. It stops me from getting so hungry that I overeat.Become an early birdMy old excuse: I have no time to exercise with two kids and a full-time job. Now I fit in a two-mile run and strength training at 5 a.m., long before my children get up and I head to work.Share your transformationDid you reshape your body? Tell us about it at health.com/i-did-it and let us know what diet and fitness strategies worked for you.What Jennifer is wearingGapFit gFast Print-Panel 21″ Capris ($60; gap.com); Space-Dye Running Pullover (gap.com for similar styles); and Interlace-Back Tank ($40; gap.com)

Just as human friends can make you happy in the deepest ways, so too can the furry variety, research shows. “One of my earliest studies found that dog owners are as emotionally close to their dogs as they are to their closest family member,” says Sandra Barker, PhD, professor of psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University and director of the university’s Center for Human-Animal Interaction. While your sister might not be pleased to hear that, it’s good to know that pet ownership has many benefits—like the ones here.RELATED: The Best Pets For Your Health1. They keep your stress in checkWhen your dog starts wagging his tail, it’s hard to obsess about that pile of work you just left on your desk. In fact, in one of Barker’s studies, her team had people complete a stressful task, then measured their brain waves, blood pressure, heart rate, salivary cortisol and self-reported stress after 30 minutes with their own dog or a therapy dog. “We saw a consistent pattern of stress reduction across all measures,” says Barker. “Other researchers have found reduced stress in owners interacting with their dogs after stressful tasks, compared with interacting with friends and spouses.”2. They get you movingEspecially if you have a pup. “Dogs require at least 30 minutes of exercise a day,” says Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention, “and that just so happens to be about how many minutes humans need, too.” Dog owners are 34 percent more likely to meet federal guidelines for exercise, according to a 2011 study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. And exercise is a proven mood booster: In a Norwegian study, people who exercised had better mental health than those who were sedentary. Another study suggested that walking briskly for 30 minutes could have a significant impact on mild to moderate depression symptoms.RELATED: 13 Fun Ways to Work Out With Your Dog3. They combat lonelinessIn the age of FOMO, having a pet to keep you company can prevent that “Am I the only one who doesn’t have plans tonight?” feeling. “Researchers have found a reduction in loneliness in pet-owning women living alone, while others have seen reduced loneliness in nursing home residents after animal-assisted activities,” says Barker. But then, if you’re an animal lover, you don’t need us to tell you about that comfort you get when you’re working late into the night and your cat cozies up by your side, or when your dog gleefully greets you after a long, solitary commute.4. They boost your confidenceSure, getting a promotion at work can give your self-image a lift—but so can owning a dog. According to one study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, dog owners scored higher in certain well-being categories, including self-esteem, than nonowners. “Because pets can decrease loneliness, anxiety and depression, there’s a good chance dog owners will feel more self-assured,” explains Barker. The same authors also found that when faced with social rejection, dog owners were better able to stay upbeat—and keep negative feelings at bay…