There's waking up early to work out… and then there's waking up to work out at 4 a.m. (If you're not a morning person, you just died at the thought alone.) Truth: It takes a special type of person to wake up at the crack of dawn for a sweat session. But with the end of the year sneaking up and the holiday season in full swing, your work calendar and social schedule are about to blow up. If you're a strictly-sweat-at-night kind of girl, now might be the time to embrace the morning workout. It doesn't have to be before the sun rises, but consider signing up for a 7 a.m. class at your go-to studio, and you might come away with a new favorite instructor. (Not to mention, science says waking up earlier can change your life.)

Not sure how to get started? Below, seven women who get up nearly every day at 4-in-the-freaking-morning share how they find the energy to break sweat while we sleep—without hating their lives or falling asleep at the office.

RELATED: How to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym on Cold, Dark Days

"I keep my alarm in my bathroom."—Macy Vonderschmidt, 22

After graduating from college, I realized I had absolutely zero motivation or energy to lift or run after a full day of work. So I started experimenting with what it would be like to get it out of the way super early. It took me about a month to adjust, but my biggest tip? Put your phone out of reach. I keep my phone in my bathroom, so when the alarm goes off I'm FORCED to wake up and get out of bed to turn it off. (Also try this snooze-proof Red Bull alarm app.) I would say 95 percent of the time that works for me—and the other 5 percent? I cozy back up in bed. Because sometimes it's just not happening—and that's okay. I feel amazing coming into work knowing that my workout is already done, I'm caffeinated, and have taken my dog for a nice walk. Then, I can use the rest of the day to focus on everything else in my life.

RELATED: This Gym Makes It Hard to Breathe for a Better Workout—So I Tried It

"It's when nothing can get in the way of my workout."—Kayla Coffey, 28

I work out in the morning because nothing gets in your way at 4 or 5 a.m. except yourself. Not family, not partners, not work, not chores. The first couple of weeks I was tired, but I just did it. After a few weeks, I was able to get up earlier and earlier without hesitation. It helped me develop discipline that's carried over into the rest of my life. My advice: Stick with it for at least two weeks by signing up for early morning classes with a cancellation fee, finding a morning accountability buddy, writing down your goals, packing your bag the night before, and drinking water first thing in the morning. Trust me, there's no better feeling than being done your workout at 6 a.m. before the world is even out of bed.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Mornings Are the Best Time to Work Out

"I remind myself that it's the only chance I have for my WOD…

If you've had your eye on a new Fitbit (or you were thinking of giving one as a gift this year), you're in luck. The bestselling fitness tracker is *seriously* marked down for Black Friday—so you'll be able to monitor your heart rate, steps, sleep, and workouts for a lot less. Here are all the Fitbit Black Friday deals we've seen so far, including discounts on new models like the FitBit Versa and FitBit Charge 3. We'll continue to update this list as new sales are announced, so keep checking back.

Black Friday Fitbit deals at Target

• Fitbit Versa ($149, marked down from $199 on target.com). Target has the popular Fitbit Versa for $50 off, available in four different band options (we love the periwinkle and rose gold). This is one of the pricier Fitbit models out right now, but it's well worth the splurge, thanks to a slew of cool features like syncing up to smartphone calls, personalized on-screen coaching, and the ability to make payments. This deal begins at 5 p.m. EST on November 22.

• Fitbit Alta HR ($79, marked down from $129 on target.com). This sleek, slim model is great for minimalists who don't want too bulky of a tracker on their wrist. But not to worry: The small-but-mighty gadget still delivers all the useful health insights you'd expect from a Fitbit.

• Fitbit Charge 3 ($119, marked down from $149 on target.com). The Charge 3 is an impressive tracker: 24/7 heart rate monitoring, more than 15 different exercise modes, smartphone notifications, and a seven-day battery life.

Black Friday Fitbit deals at Walmart

• Fitbit Versa ($149, marked down from $199 on walmart.com). Walmart also has the Fitbit Versa for $50 off. The sale will begin at 10 p.m. on November 21 and includes both the black and rose gold models.

Black Friday Fitbit deals at Kohl's

• Fitbit Versa ($149, marked down from $199 on kohls.com). Yet another Versa sale! This is one of Kohl's Door Busters and will be available starting midnight CT on November 23.

Black Friday Fitbit deals at Jet

• Fitbit Versa ($179, marked down from $228 on jet.com). The special edition Fitbit Versa will be $49 off at Jet.com starting at midnight EST on November 22. We love the water-resistant, lightweight design on this model.

• Fitbit Charge 3 Advanced Heart Rate + Fitness Tracker ($119, marked down from $149 on jet.com). Not only is this gadget waterproof, it's actually swimproof up to 50 meters, so you can use it to monitor your laps in the pool. This sale also begins at midnight EST on November 22.

Black Friday Fitbit deals at Amazon

Although we don't officially know whether or not Amazon will have Fitbit deals, we strongly suspect they will, since the trackers were discounted on Prime Day and last Black Friday. For now, continue to check Amazon's Daily Deals page here—we've spotted limited-time sales on other fitness trackers and on Fitbit accessories there…

ICYMI, Victoria's Secret is in hot water this month following commentary from the brand's chief marketing officer Ed Razek, the creator of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, in his now-infamous interview with Vogue.

Not only did Razek objectify women and offend plus-size and transgender people while speaking with the magazine, he also directly called out startup lingerie brand ThirdLove. ThirdLove offers a huge supply of sizes and colors of bras for women with various skin tones and body types — seems like a no-brainer, right?

RELATED: Rihanna Low-Key Threw Shade at the Victoria's Secret Exec Who Said the Brand Won't Cast Trans or Plus-Size Models

"We're nobody's third love," Razek said to Vogue. "We're their first love."

As a result, ThirdLove's co-founder Heidi Zak is responding to Razek's distasteful words about women in an open-letter to Victoria's Secret, which ran in today's New York Times as a full-page ad.

RELATED: The 10 Best Sports Bras for Large Breasts

"I was appalled when I saw the demeaning comments about women your Chief Marketing Officer, Ed Razek, made to Vogue last week," she begins her message, pulling out specific excepts from Razek's interview that were particularly damning.

"I’ve read and re-read the interview at least 20 times, and each time I read it I’m even angrier," says Zak. "How in 2018 can the CMO of any public company — let alone one that claims to be for women — make such shocking, derogatory statements?"

Zak continued: "You market to men and sell a male fantasy to women. But at ThirdLove, we think beyond, as you said, a '42-minute entertainment special.'"

"Your show may be a 'fantasy' but we live in reality," she adds. "Our reality is that women wear bras in real life as they go to work, breastfeed their children, play sports, care for ailing parents, and serve their country."

RELATED: These New Wireless Bras for Cup Sizes DD+ Are Ridiculously Comfortable

Zak goes on to school Razek about the real definition of inclusivity, as ThirdLove serves all women. "Haven’t we moved beyond outdated ideas of femininity and gender roles? It’s time to stop telling women what makes them sexy — let us decide," she says. "We’re done with pretending certain sizes don’t exist or aren’t important enough to serve. And please stop insisting that inclusivity is a trend."

The co-founder of the upstart brand then explains her reasoning for launching the company in the first place, which was essentially out of necessity. "I founded ThirdLove five years ago because it was time to create a better option," Zak says. "ThirdLove is the antithesis of Victoria’s Secret. We believe the future is building a brand for every woman, regardless of her shape, size, age, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation…

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like your friends or colleagues are going to discover you’re a fraud, and you don’t actually deserve your job and accomplishments?

If so, you’re in good company. These feelings are known as impostor syndrome, or what psychologists often call impostor phenomenon. An estimated 70% of people experience these impostor feelings at some point in their lives, according to a review article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science. Impostor syndrome affects all kinds of people from all parts of life: women, men, medical students, marketing managers, actors and executives.

What is impostor syndrome?

Impostor syndrome—the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications—was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. In their paper, they theorized that women were uniquely affected by impostor syndrome.

Since then, research has shown that both men and women experience impostor feelings, and Clance published a later paper acknowledging that impostor syndrome is not limited to women. (She also created an impostor syndrome test.) Today, impostor syndrome can apply to anyone “who isn’t able to internalize and own their successes,” says psychologist Audrey Ervin.

Impostor syndrome expert Valerie Young, who is the author of a book on the subject, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, has also found patterns in people who experience impostor feelings:

“Perfectionists” set extremely high expectations for themselves, and even if they meet 99% of their goals, they’re going to feel like failures. Any small mistake will make them question their own competence.
“Experts” feel the need to know every piece of information before they start a project and constantly look for new certifications or trainings to improve their skills. They won’t apply for a job if they don’t meet all the criteria in the posting, and they might be hesitant to ask a question in class or speak up in a meeting at work because they’re afraid of looking stupid if they don’t already know the answer.
When the “natural genius” has to struggle or work hard to accomplish something, he or she thinks this means they aren’t good enough. They are used to skills coming easily, and when they have to put in effort, their brain tells them that’s proof they’re an impostor.
“Soloists” feel they have to accomplish tasks on their own, and if they need to ask for help, they think that means they are a failure or a fraud.
“Supermen” or “superwomen” push themselves to work harder than those around them to prove that they’re not impostors. They feel the need to succeed in all aspects of life—at work, as parents, as partners—and may feel stressed when they are not accomplishing something…

One of the best perks of working at Health is that I'm lucky enough to test a lot of activewear. As a result, I've become very, very opinionated about leggings, and prefer different brands for different activities: supersoft Manduka leggings are my go-to for flights; Onzie leggings are lightweight, making them ideal for an outdoor run; and Visakai leggings, with their built-in underwear, help me flow through my weekly vinyasa yoga class.

Recently, though, I had the opportunity to try leggings from Core 10, Amazon's newest private athletic brand. The line includes both sports bras and tights, but it was their Build Your Own Bottoms that caught my eye. The tool lets you customize your own perfect pair of leggings by selecting the length, waistband, and style of your choice. Prices range from $59 for capris to $69 for full length. I went with the high-waist leggings in the 7/8 length.

To buy: from $59; amazon.com

My order arrived a few days before I was scheduled to go on a two-week vacation, and since I'd already packed most of the leggings in my regular rotation, I decided to debut the Core 10 bottoms on the five-hour flight. Let me tell you that they were incredibly comfortable—the perfect amount of stretch, a high waistband that sat comfortably on my midsection (no annoying digging!), and a fit that hugged my curves but never felt like my circulation was cut off.

RELATED: The 7 Best Workout Leggings With Pockets

They were so comfy, in fact, that I kept wanting to re-wear them throughout my trip, even though I had my other faves stashed in my suitcase. My Core 10 leggings carried me through multiple hotel gym workouts, a three-mile hike, and two flights (don't worry—I laundered them between wears).

There is one catch, though: The Core 10 line is a Prime exclusive, meaning you must have a subscription to the service to order them. If you aren't a member already, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial here.

This video is part of Health’s #RealLifeStrong series, where we are celebrating women who represent strength, resilience, and grace.

When Sydney Mesher tells people she's a dancer, they're often surprised, she says. The 20-year-old was born without a left hand, but that hasn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams in an industry known for its rigid body standards: "I get to be that person that kind of breaks that barrier, of that mindset."

Mesher’s left arm ends at the base of her wrist due to symbrachydactyly, a rare condition that causes the underdevelopment of limbs in the womb. "Growing up, I dealt with a lot of bullying," says the Portland, Ore., native. But she eventually recognized that the way people reacted to her was really all about them: "What's happening is someone's acting out of their own fear."

RELATED: Why This Ballerina With Panic Disorder and Depression Refuses to Apologize for Her Mental Illness

Mesher is currently studying dance at Pace University in New York City. "With dance you are constantly growing. There's no stopping point," she says. "There's always a place to be better." After college, she hopes to become a Rockette or a backup dancer for Lady Gaga.

“I’m very grateful that I’m at a time in this industry where we’re starting to accept different body types," she says. "I know I am different. Especially as an artist, it's so important to have those differences."

Her individuality shines through her work: "This is part of who I am. It’s not who I am, but it’s part of me. I want to share who I am and what I love, and celebrate that.” For more of Mesher's story, check out the video above. 

We want to hear about more #RealLifeStrong women. Nominate yourself—or a friend or family member—here. We’ll be sharing the most inspiring stories we receive in the months ahead.

A U.K. surgeon is under investigation after he allegedly removed a woman’s ovaries without her consent. The woman committed suicide four years later.

Lucinda Methuen-Campbell, then 54, went to the private Spire Hospital in Bristol, England in 2014 for surgery to repair a bowel disorder. The surgeon, Anthony Dixon, allegedly decided to take out her ovaries during the procedure because they were “in the way,” reports BBC News.

Methuen-Campbell told BBC News before her death that Dixon never mentioned anything about removing her ovaries before the surgery, but if he had, she at least would have been “vaguely prepared.”

“He said he thought he’d done me a favor. And he said, ‘I thought you know, a woman of your age wouldn’t really need her ovaries,’ ” Methuen-Campbell previously said. “I said ‘Why did you remove them?’ and he just said ‘They were in the way.’ ”

She added that while she was in pain from the bowel disorder before the surgery, what came after was much worse — both from the removal of her ovaries and from what she believes to be a botched surgery.

“My life is absolutely ruined but you know, I can’t say that it’s Mr. Dixon [that’s] ruined my life,” she said.

Four years later, in January 2018, Methuen-Campbell committed suicide. The assistant coroner, Aled Gruffydd, believes that the pain she was in following the surgery led to her decision to take her life.

“The operation on Mrs. Methuen-Campbell was unsuccessful and made her pain worse and it affected her mental health,” he wrote in his report, according to BBC News. “I’m satisfied without doubt that she intended to take her own life. The pain she was in led to her taking her own life.”

Her son Angus, 19, also believes that the surgery led to her suicide.

“She was in a great deal of pain after the operations and she was very upset that her ovaries had been removed,” Angus said.

Methuen-Campbell’s partner, Philip Chatfield, added that she also underwent a follow-up operation that “made things even worse.”

“The pain continued to get worse and nobody seemed able to solve the problem,” he said.

Dixon is now suspended from two hospitals in Bristol, and under investigation by the U.K.’s National Health Service for his surgery methods, according to BBC News. In a statement to PEOPLE, Spire Hospital confirmed that he is restricted from working.

“We were shocked and deeply saddened by Lucinda Methuen-Campbell’s death and offer our sincere condolences to her family at this extremely difficult time,” they said. “Mr. Dixon is currently suspended from practicing in our hospitals, and we have been fully supporting and cooperating with North Bristol NHS Trust while it conducts its investigation into his practice. Due to these on-going investigations, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage…

One teenager in Houston, Texas, said a weightlifting session gone wrong led to his hospitalization. Last Thursday, 17-year-old Jared Shamburger talked to ABC affiliate KTRK about how he felt “super duper sore” after a 90-minute strength-training workout at the gym.

“Everything hurt,” he said. “It hurt to the touch. It was swollen.”

After a call to his doctor, Shamburger was hospitalized for five days with rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo, a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down so severely that the contents of the muscle fibers leak into the bloodstream and cause a kidney blockage. Unchecked, it can lead to kidney damage and even death.

RELATED: This 25-Minute Strength Workout Activates Every Muscle Group

While Shamburger is expected to make a full recovery, this alarming condition is something we’ve seen before. In January 2017, a University of Oregon football player was also hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after enduring a tough “military” style workout. Vijay Jotwani, MD, a primary sports medicine physician at Houston Methodist, explained how rhabdomyolysis happens.

“It’s a product of pushing well past your limits,” he told Health in a previous interview. “You’re working hard, feeling the burn and go that next step—and another step, pushing far past the point of pain. Later you have extreme muscle pain and swelling—much worse than delayed muscle soreness. You may also have dark colored urine. That’s because the [protein] myoglobin from your muscles has flooded in your bloodstream and your kidneys are overwhelmed.”

Rhabdomyolysis is not a common diagnosis, but it is known to affect those who do grueling workouts, such as the kind army recruits or CrossFit devotees take part in. If you push yourself hard during intense workouts, be aware of the symptoms and how you can avoid rhabdomyolysis. Part of rhabdo-related kidney damage is caused by dehydration, so staying hydrated is crucial. And if you develop severe muscle pain, swelling, stiffness and/or dark colored urine, go to the hospital.

RELATED: What Exercise Actually Does to Your Body

Shamburger’s mother Judy said the “mama bear” in her kicked in when her son explained his condition. "If he hadn't caught it, if he hadn't told me, if we had just gone out of town about our way, I can't even imagine,” she told KTRK. “And I don't want to, about what could have happened."

On a sunny April afternoon in 2004, Brett Bainter came home from work around 3:30 p.m. and found his almost-4-year-old, Jake, riding his green bike in circles in the family’s driveway.

Jake’s babysitter was still there and it was a nice day, so Brett decided to mow the lawn. Brett reached a dead-end at the side of the house, but when he reversed the mower to turn around, he felt a bump. He didn’t know that Jake had gotten off his bike and followed him.

Brett accidentally ran over his son’s leg. Now, 14 years later, Jake is thriving — and his family is reflecting on the split second that changed their lives.

The aftermath

“That haunts me still. I looked down and his upper torso was coming out of the mower deck,” Brett, now 51, tells PEOPLE. “I lifted the mower off of him and I scooped him up and I had him in my arms. I was screaming more than he was. But he was screaming a lot.”

Jake was hospitalized for 28 days immediately following the accident. Over the next four years, he underwent 15 surgeries to try to save his leg.

Then, at age 9, Jake decided — and proudly announced to his classmates — that he was going to become an amputee. But the morning of his amputation, February 19, 2008, his parents were still on the fence about whether they were making the right choice. They asked God to send them a sign.

And they got one: Driving to the hospital, Jake spotted a biker on the side of the road with a prosthetic leg. Brett quickly made a U-turn and the family stopped to talk with Bill Hansbury. Then 71, Hansbury had lost his leg to a MRSA infection only the year before, after a lifetime of athleticism.

“I knelt down and talked to Jake,” Hansbury, who was on a 30-mile bike ride that fateful day, tells PEOPLE. “I told him, ‘If I can do it, you can. You’re seven and I’m 10 times older than you. If I can do it, boy, you can fly.’ ”

Hansbury visited Jake in the hospital, and helped coach his parents through his recovery. “He was like another dad,” Jodi Bainter tells PEOPLE now. “We love him. He’s family.”

Making connections

The years that followed brought many other changes.

Jodi began using a blog to document Jake’s journey, and in 2012 self-published a book called Make it Morning. As a result, she became a frequent resource for other parents whose children were injured in lawn mower accidents.

“I was tired of talking to these families after their kids were already amputees,” Jodi says.

So in August 2015, she started a foundation called Limbs Matter, which aims to encourage parents to keep their children indoors while they mow the lawn.

“That’s an important message for parents of young children,” says Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

One child is admitted to the emergency room every hour for lawn mower-related accidents in the U…

Everyone responds to grief in a different way. And everyone finds their own way of dealing with grief. Here, 13 people share the strategies that helped them cope with loss.

I screamed

“When my mom died in 2013, I was 21 and it totally shattered my world. I felt so trapped and suffocated during the first days and weeks of my grief and I kept trying to think of a way to release the pain I was feeling. Eventually, I climbed into the passenger seat of my dad’s truck and just screamed. I yelled at God, swore a ton and really let it all out. I screamed until I didn’t have a voice anymore. In that moment I felt so exhausted and so full of pain but also so relieved because that pressure that had been building up inside of me finally was released.” —Shelby Forsythia, Chicago

I made a list of the good

“The way I found comfort after I lost my dad to leukemia 20 years ago is by making a list of all the good things that came out of his sickness and death. For the longest time, my memory of my father was of him in the ICU, feet swollen, unable to communicate, and me the day after his death sitting in my dark bedroom, crying. But by writing this list, I focused on the better memories. For example, when my dad was initially diagnosed, a family friend introduced us to a doctor. We went for dinner at his home and I met his daughter who was my age. She became my best friend, and introduced me to my now-husband! I truly believe my father has been with me every day and has provided this goodness and so much more.” —Aneela Idnani, Minneapolis

I wrote in my journal

“When I lost my father to murder, journaling gave me a way to express myself both to my father and to the man who murdered him. It gave me a way to put feelings into words privately so that I didn’t need to fear being judged by other for expressing things that were sometimes ugly, mean, and even self-destructive, the kind of thoughts I don’t often linger on and don’t like to share. At times, I’d begin writing when I felt sad and, by the time I finished, I discovered that what was really going on was anger, loneliness, or some other feeling that I needed to spend some time thinking about.” —Susan Fekete, Santa Rosa, California

I returned to triathlon training

“When my daughter died unexpectedly, exercising was the most tangible tool for processing my grief and it gave me a focus for my anxious energy. I had participated in sprint triathlons before she was born, and after she died, competing in another triathlon helped to reclaim a part of myself that felt like it had died, too. Having the goal of the triathlon gave me structure and intention to my training and the event itself was a celebration of all my hard work. It was proof to myself that I was still strong. Also, being in the fresh air exercising outside felt healing.” —Amie Lands, Windsor, California

I found strength in tai chi

“I went through a six-year period recently where my husband and I lost seven close family members…

Bachelor alum Jade Roper Tolbert was brave enough to put her love life on national television. But when it came to posting a social media photo of herself and her baby that she felt highlighted a post-pregnancy body flaw, she had to talk herself into hitting the share button. 

In an Instagram photo from last week, Tolbert explained how she held back from posting the image, which had her beaming as she holds her daughter, Emmy.

“Almost didn't post this cuz of the stretch marks on my hips (from pregnancy), but then I was like wait, that's silly, we are cute AF,” she captioned the photo, which shows the mother-daughter duo in coordinating pink one-pieces.

While many were supportive of her decision to embrace her stretch marks, others expressed their disapproval. In an updated version of the post, Tolbert addressed those who were critical of her message.

RELATED: 8 Women on the Weird Symptoms That Made Them Realize They Were Pregnant

“To those leaving eye roll emojis and telling me I’m what’s wrong with body image issues—telling me my stretch marks aren’t good enough for you for me to be self-conscious about them is what is wrong with body image issues.”

This isn’t the first time Tolbert has been vulnerable on Instagram. Along with selfies and photos with Emmy and her husband Tanner, she regularly shares messages about how her body and skin have changed since giving birth. Back in December, she talked about another moment when she almost felt too insecure to post.

“One thing I've noticed is how much collagen loss in my face there is and how my skin has changed,” she captioned a photo. “It's something I stared at in this picture, and it almost made me not post it out of feeling less than."

RELATED: Fitness Star Kayla Itsines Shares Why She's Embracing Her Stretch Marks

"But it's funny, because when I jump out of that mind-frame, I remind myself I've never loved myself or my body more (I can honestly say that's true) since it gave me Emerson," she continued. "Such a [newfound] respect for my body even through all the changes. Our bodies are amazing.”

Cellulite is—wait for it—normal. It’s a simple fact that's now gone viral, thanks to 25-year-old Nienke Kampman. The dietitian from the Netherlands says she’s received an overwhelming response from women everywhere since she posted a series of photos on her popular Instagram account, @nienkke.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Cellulite

On the left, Kampman shared an image of her backside with the caption, “How Instagram makes me think I should look.” The photo on the right is almost exactly the same, except for one thing: It’s unretouched. “How I actually look,” she wrote over the image, which shows cellulite on her upper thighs and butt.

“Cellulite, some girls have more of it than others but almost every girl has it,” she wrote in the post. “But we often seem to forget that it’s so normal having it.”

For Kampman, it was important to tell her nearly 90,000 followers about the difference between Instagram and reality. Like her fellow fitness influencers, she shared this body-positive reminder: “Don’t be hard on yourself by wanting to look like the models on the pictures. Having cellulite, stretch marks, or whatever doesn’t make you less attractive or less worthy. So don’t be afraid [to] show them.”

RELATED: 4 Times Instagram Stars Proved Cellulite Was Totally Normal

Kampman tells Health that her post was inspired by her own experience scrolling through her social media feed.

“All over Instagram were these ‘perfect’ fitness models with ‘perfect’ smooth bodies, so I wanted that too,” she says. “But along the way I became so insecure and ashamed about my body, because I wanted to have something that was impossible for me to achieve. When I looked around in real life, I saw that almost no women had really smooth and tight skin.”

Since going viral, Kampman says she’s gotten thank you messages from women for making them feel more comfortable with their bodies. It's “just incredible,” she tells us—and an important message every woman should keep in mind as she gears up for bathing suit season.

Ever find yourself having a good cry in the shower—partly because it's the only place you feel free enough to let go your feelings? Brittany Latham knows what that's like.

This 30-year-old photographer from Mobile, Alabama, decided to share an image of a woman crying in the shower on Instagram, captioning it with inspiring words that has hit such a chord, it's already racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

RELATED: 5 Shower Habits That Can Wreck Your Skin

“For the woman whose husband makes an ‘extra stop’ after work every evening,” she started the post. “For the woman who is mourning the loss of a pregnancy that nobody else knew about.”

Latham continued calling out other cry-worthy scenarios, like losing a job after staying home with a sick child, breaking up with a partner, or enduring unsuccessful IVF treatments. She made it clear that she understands the stress and heartache of these and similar situations.

“For the woman that lives with quiet anxiety because nobody understands what you could possibly be stressed out about,” she wrote. “For the woman that gives to her family all day everyday and just needs a break.”

RELATED: 5 Tips That'll Make the Shower Your New Favorite Place to Have Sex

Latham ended her post with a message directly related to the photo. “For every single woman that cries in the shower so that nobody else can see. Because if you aren’t strong, nobody is. Just because the water washes your tears doesn’t mean that you don’t cry. I am you. I see you. I am with you, I cry with you.”

Her emotional post struck a nerve. Within days, it went viral on Facebook and has garnered nearly 400,000 reactions and more than 400,000 shares.

Latham tells Health that she was motivated by her own life and other women’s experiences. “The inspiration behind [this] was a collection of various things that I have experienced as a single mom, married mom, and mom of two babies lost to miscarriage,” she says. “I spend a lot of time with my friends and hear their struggles and I thought how resilient women must be sometimes. A lot of times we are the only backbone.”

RELATED: This Explains Why You Might Cry After Sex

In more than 60,000 comments, people celebrated the beauty and power of her words and image. “Wow…I saw myself in many of these words and yes the sun did shine again on me,” one respondent wrote. “This is truth,” said another.

Latham told us that she was shocked her post connecting with so many strangers. “I write a lot of pieces and very few make it out of my journal, so I was just as shocked as anyone when this thing went viral,” she says.

You've heard that sitting too much just might kill you, mainly because the lack of movement translates into an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. To add insult to injury, it turns out that spending your day hunched over a computer also has major ramifications for your mental well-being.

The issue: Poor posture can put you in a lousy mood and make you feel more stressed and depressed.

"We're a very forward-leaning society—we drive forward, lean forward, slouch over our desks all day," says William Smith, an exercise physiologist in Morristown, New Jersey and co-author of Exercises for Perfect Posture. You probably spend a lot of time craning your neck over your smartphone, too.

RELATED: 12 Types of Depression, and What You Need to Know About Each

No evidence proves that poor posture directly causes serious problems like clinical depression and anxiety. But a number of studies have suggested that it may exacerbate the symptoms of these disorders. Even if your mental health is generally solid, there are good reasons to think that you'd be happier—and healthier—if you simply sat and stood up straighter.

Here are three ways improving your posture will improve your emotional health, and exactly how to do it so you begin scoring the benefits.

You'll feel happier and more energetic

"Over time, sustained slumped-forward posture creates unnecessary stress and strains your spine," says Steven D’Ambroso, PT, DPT a physical therapist with Professional Physical Therapy in New York. "That can make you feel heavy and achy, which leads to being tired and irritable."

RELATED: 14 Reaons You're Always Tired

This isn't just a theory; research has actually verified the connection between poor posture and fatigue, especially in people who have depression. One study, published last year in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, found that patients with mild to moderate depression felt more alert after simply keeping their back and shoulders upright while sitting. They also reported less anxiety.

Another study, published in the journal Biofeedback, came to a similar conclusion: Participants who slouched while walking felt more depressed. When they shifted to a more upright position, their outlook and energy levels increased.

You'll get a confidence boost

When you want to project a confident and comfortable persona (like on a job interview or first date), your stance is key. "If you carry yourself in a certain way"—shoulders back, abdomen in, spine aligned—"it exudes confidence and an affable demeanor," says Smith. The converse is also true: Just picture a sullen teenager whose slouchy posture instantly conveys a sense of apathy.

Maintaining good posture won't only make you look more confident; research shows that you'll actually feel better about yourself. A study in Health Psychology found that people who feel stressed can kick their negative mood and even boost their self-esteem by sitting upright…

Back fat, bra bulge … whatever you call it, it’s frustratingly stubborn. What's more: Your desk job can actually mess with your efforts to sculpt your rear view, says Ideen Chelengar, a master instructor and Tier 3+ trainer at Equinox Sports Club Boston. That's because when you sit hunched over all day, the way your shoulder blades function during exercise can change—and it may become even tougher to target your upper-middle back. Read: Ugh.

Of course, even if you were targeting those muscles properly, exercise alone wouldn't blast away back fat: “In reality, losing fat comes down to your diet more than exercise,” Chelengar points out. But a challenging fitness routine—one that combines cardio and resistance training—plays a key role as well. And the benefits of back workouts go way beyond weight loss.

For starters, training your back the right way can actually help combat "computer posture." It can also help balance out your body, Chelengar adds, since "[w]e tend to use our shoulders and chest muscles more often than our back muscles."

So next time you hit the gym, try these eight moves and start building up strength in those hard-to-tone spots.

Thoracic Spine Extension

Start with knees on a pad, 1 to 2 feet away from a bench. Prop elbows on the bench. Sit back into hips (similar to how you would in Child’s Pose). With elbows propped and hips bent, drive chest toward ground. From here, keeping chest down, lift head up as high as possible. Then tuck chin down as though trying to lengthen neck. While keeping chest down, drive back of neck toward ceiling. You should feel this in middle of back, between shoulder blades. You may also feel some tightness through upper arm and armpits. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

Why it works: When you live your days hunched, your shoulders don’t function as they should, making it tricky to target that lower trap and rhomboid area everyone wants to tone, says Chelengar. The first step to hitting those areas? Teaching your body how to extend from the thoracic spine and not the lumbar spine, he says. This move does that.

Cross Band

Start on back with arms up and hips, knees, and ankles at 90 degrees. Cross a resistance band around soles of feet so that right arm is pulling at left foot and vice versa. Start by reaching right arm as far as possible overhead. While you reach, make sure your legs stay still, ribs stay down, and that subtle arch in low back is unchanged. Bring right arm back to center. Switch sides. Complete 2 sets of 15 to 25 reps.

Why it works: "Maintaining proper posture is key to getting the middle-back muscles involved, and that means getting your core to participate," says Chelengar. "This is a great way to teach your body the relationship between your arms and spine."

RELATED: This Is Tracy Anderson’s Go-To Arm Workout

Back-to-Wall Band Vertical Retraction

Pull band lightly apart, maintain that tension…

In the age of the Kardashians, it seems like everyone wants a plumper pout. Luckily for us, there are ways to get there without committing to lip fillers. While glosses work great for a temporary effect, a new at-home device actually builds up your own collagen, leaving you with fuller looking lips.

ReVive Light Therapy Lip Care ($99; walmart.com) utilizes red LED lights to boost circulation. This, in turn, lessens the appearance of fine lines and creates a plush pout. Over time, it helps boost your natural collagen and elastin. Both deplete as you age, which is the primary cause for wrinkles and sagging. 

The first order of business is to charge it with the USB cable it comes with. Once mine was powered up and ready to go, I popped the silicone mouth tray onto the light portion and stuck it in my mouth. I have to note that it fit comfortably and didn't feel as though I had to clamp down my teeth to keep it in place. I pressed the power button on front and it beeped as the red lights came alive—they were surprisingly not distracting at all as I sat with it in and binge-watched old episodes of Gilmore Girls.

To buy: $99; walmart.com

I didn't feel much while the device was in my mouth, but after the three minutes were up and the lights dimmed, I could feel a subtle tingling. I removed the device and immediately checked my reflection, where I saw a considerable difference in the size of my lips—they were actually bigger! I also had some marks from where the tray was, which wasn't great, but when I tried the device for a second time, that didn't happen. You can also see that my lips were pinker and the lines less noticeable (and this is without any lip balm on).

While the plumpness certainly deflated over the next few hours, I was impressed that with after just one use, I could see such a change. With daily use, I imagine that the results would rival that of lip fillers, if going for a natural look.

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At age 14, Dominique Moceanu was part of the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win Olympic gold in 1996, becoming the youngest Olympic gold medalist in U.S history. After years of abuse, she now advocates for the safety of athletes.

I love gymnastics with all my heart. It’s a beautiful sport and has been part of my life as far back as I can remember. It’s that very deep appreciation for the art of gymnastics and the athletes who perform it that drove me to do what was once considered a cardinal sin in my sport: Criticize it in public.

To clarify, it wasn’t the sport of gymnastics itself that I criticized—it was the system and the people running it. About a decade ago, with the U.S. national women’s team at the top of its game, and with the linchpins of gymnastics, Bela and Marta Karolyi—owners of the Texas ranch where the Olympic team trained—basking in public adulation, I chose to speak out about what was wrong. I knew that what I had to say was going to be unpopular with many, including my former coaches and fans of our sport. But I also knew that there were hundreds of young girls dreaming of Olympic gold who deserved to train in safe environments.

RELATED: Olympic Gymnast Aly Raisman Reveals Sexual Abuse By Team Doctor

Coming up through the system and being personally coached and trained by the Karolyis, I knew first-hand what a scary and unhealthy place the famed Karolyi Ranch could be. I knew what it was like to be grabbed by the scruff of my neck and dragged across the room by Marta. I knew what it was like to be so scared to ask to use the bathroom that I peed in my leotard in practice.

It was in this unhealthy environment that at the age of 14, while training for the 1996 Olympics, I was told to continue practicing through severe, nagging leg pain. As punishment for complaining, I was made to do my routine an increased number of repetitions, performing it over and over until I literally collapsed on the mat. Only then was I was given a closer look, leading to the discovery that I had been training on a fractured leg.

RELATED: Aly Raisman Had the Perfect Response to a Body-Shaming Airport Experience

With child athletes living at the ranch for weeks at a time without the supervision of their parents or any adults other than USA Gymnastics (USAG) employees, an atmosphere was created where verbal and emotional abuse became commonplace. I believe this, coupled with fear of retribution for saying anything negative about the Karolyis or their ilk, made abuse possible. It later came out that the ranch was the site where numerous young gymnasts were molested by team doctor Larry Nassar.

In 2006, after a career that included being part of the first U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to bring home gold and being the youngest gymnast to win a U.S. National Championship, I left the competitive gymnastics world. I was moving on, building a family life, working as a coach to young gymnasts…

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Setbacks. We all have them. But how you choose to handle those stumbling blocks is what sets you apart from the pack. If anyone can attest to this, it's Olympians. After all, they push themselves to the limit day in and day out, just for the opportunity to compete on the world’s stage—and come out on the other side with a nice piece of shiny bling! Of course things don't always work out in their favor. Yet they always seem to know how to pick themselves up, and go on to compete another day. So what's their secret?

Ahead of the 2018 Olympic Games in Peyongchang, South Korea (which you can watch on NBC starting tomorrow) we chatted with five athletes to find out. In the video above, past and current Olympic competitors offer their advice on turning setbacks into success.

RELATED: 13 Olympic Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Staying Motivated

Check out the highlights below:

Elena Myers, Bobsled, 2x Olympian

“The biggest thing is realizing that stuff will often not go your way. I just really look to the people around me. I surround myself with really strong people—my husband, my family—and use their strength to help me get through everything.”

Lolo Jones, Bobsled/Runner, 3X Olympian

“Just utter grit. I would like to finish what I started. I’m a runner and so you know you may struggle in the race, but when you see the finish line you are like, I am determined to get to that finish line.”

Oksana Masters, Nordic Skiing/ Cycling/ Rowing, 3X Paralympian

“The way you deal with setbacks in a race would be to start off with a good cup of coffee first, and make that, and make sure I am back to my happy place. I thrive off the word 'no.' I’ve been told so many times in my life that I would never walk. I would never be an athlete. I don’t have the right build to be an elite-level athlete. Every time I was told 'no,' it was kind of like putting a little wood to the fire, and it was making that fire brighter and brighter. Finally I was like, I can do it, I am going to prove them wrong.”

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Ashley Wagner, Figure Skater, 2014 Olympian

“Setbacks are inevitable, especially in my sport. Ice is slippery. Life happens. But at the end of the day, you set a goal for yourself. If you can acknowledge that you are not just going to get there in a day and that it takes baby steps along the way, that makes it so much more manageable.”

Hillary Knight, Ice Hockey, 2x Olympian

“I think that's what's valuable about being a part of a team sport is that I am able to surround myself with amazing people. And I look for motivation and inspiration all over, in our locker room essentially."