At the heart of the plan is the High-Metabolism Workout, five supereffective strength moves that build firm, lean muscle tissue—the key to a robust metabolism. Muscle burns up to seven times as many calories at rest as fat does, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. That’s just the beginning. Each stage of your life presents special metabolism-slowing risks, including disrupted sleep and even seismic hormone shifts....
Here at Prevention, we’re crazy about walking. We could go on and on about its benefits (and we often do!), but the bottom line is this: Walking is the simplest and easiest form of exercise. There are no expensive gym memberships, no fancy equipment, and no hassles. What’s not to like? Check out some of our great walking articles to help get you moving—and keep you there: 14 Walking Workouts Whether you’re looking to clear your head, tone your tush, or shed a few pounds, one of these reader-tested routines is sure to be the perfect fit for you....
Weeks 1 and 2 Walk 10 to 15 minutes, most days of the week. Stretch your calves every day to prevent heel pain. (Stand at arm’s length from a wall, and gently lean into the wall, keeping your feet flat. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.) [sidebar] Weeks 3 and 4 Walk 20 minutes, most days of the week. Walk on your heels, and tap your toes for a few minutes as a warm-up to stretch and strengthen your calves and shins....
Nuts, fatty as they are, are a key component of slimming diets. According to a brand-new study from Loma Linda University in California, as little as an ounce of nuts per week was associated with a 7% drop in metabolic syndrome. “We found that those who eat nuts on a regular basis have lower odds of being obese or developing metabolic syndrome,” said Joan Sabaté, lead investigator of the study and professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the unversity’s School of Public Health....
In life, there are very few quick fixes, and even less so with hair, which can be notoriously prone to damage and breakage. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to get your hair looking and feeling better right away. Check out five easy solutions below.
In a study of nearly 200 obese, non-diabetic adults, researchers from Tel Aviv University found that a 600-calorie breakfast that includes dessert can help dieters lose weight and keep it off over the long term. Indulging in the morning—when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and can work off the extra calories during the day—may be a key factor in weight loss, say researchers. Plus, a sweet indulgence in the morning may help stave off cravings....
New research of 96,000 children in Denmark shows that pregnant women who had flu while they were pregnant were twice as likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism. Those who had a fever lasting a week or longer were three times as likely to have an autistic child. Experts say the study raises as many questions as it answers, but it does fit in with a growing body of evidence suggesting that a link between the mother’s immune system during pregnancy and the developing child’s brain....
Shedding some weight—whether through exercise, diet, or both—can help improve the quality of sleep among people who are overweight or obese, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins. Study participants who lost about 15% of their belly fat over a six-month period improved their overall sleep score by about 20%. (Need help slimming your middle? Join our Flat Belly Diet Online!) What Obama’s Win Means For Health Care [WebMD] President Obama’s victory last night ensures that his health reform law will move forward—something his opponent vowed to repeal and replace if he became president....
If you’re looking for a way to curb your spending, this could be it—after all, you’re not even going to want to touch your credit cards, let alone use them. A new study from England reveals that as many as one in 10 bank cards have fecal bacteria on them. And one in seven bills are contaminated with the bacteria. The contents of your wallet aren’t the only filthy things in your purse: Last year, a study showed that nearly one in six cell phones have fecal bacteria on them....
You’re a perfectionist. A tendency to (literally) pull at your hair, brows, or lashes when you get stressed can signal a perfectionist personality, suggests a Canadian study in the Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. The researchers explain it this way: When you don’t meet your own impossibly high standards, hair pulling can be a way of alleviating the frustration and dissatisfaction. But this coping tactic goes a little deeper than run-of-the-mill perfectionism—it’s a compulsive disorder known as trichotillomania, and if you’ve got it, cognitive behavioral therapy (learning a less overwhelming way to organize your workflow and deal with frustration) may help....
Filling4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened¼ c sugar2 Tbsp liquid egg substitute Muffins1¼ c all-purpose flour½ c whole-wheat flour¼ tsp salt¼ tsp baking soda¾ tsp baking powder1 tsp ground cinnamon2 Tbsp canola oil¼ c low-fat sour cream2½ Tbsp brown sugar2½ Tbsp sugar1 egg1 tsp vanilla1 c freshly grated carrots½ c drained crushed pineapple PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.2. FOR THE FILLING: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg substitute in a small bowl....
Chances are, your collegiate years weren’t as healthy as you remember them. Nearly 66% of students don’t get the recommended amounts of nutrients, because—let’s face it—beer pong and vegetables don’t mix. But researchers found that with some simple communication, you can vastly improve the habits of your college kid, according to their new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The researchers analyzed data from 746 first-year college students for two weeks straight and measured how often they talked with their parents via text, phone, or e-mail....
Healthy Eating: Trans Fat-Free Shortenings Thinking of making holiday cake or cookies with your old family recipes? Chances are your favorites are made with vegetable shortening, a major source of dangerous trans fats. We tested new trans fat-free shortenings from Spectrum Organic Products and Crisco; both gave us sweet, soft cookies just like the originals. Spectrum Organic shortening costs $3.79 for a 17-ounce tub in natural food supermarkets; Crisco 0 Grams Trans Fat shortening is $3 for three premeasured sticks or $2....
Thankfully, this correlation doesn’t mean you need to go amputate any tattooed regions of your body, but if you’re on the fence about your next tattoo, it’s something to consider. At the very least, do your research to make sure the salon is hygienic: An artist who cares about hygiene will review the entire procedure with you and show you that the needles are new and sterile, and the ink bottles are single use, as to reduce the risk of infection....
, from the mouthful to the spoonful. If that sounds like you, consider a higher-tech type of food diary: Snap a photo of every meal or snack before you eat it. In a study published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies, researchers had 43 people keep a traditional, on-paper food diary and take photos of their meals and snacks with disposable cameras for a week. Both before and after the experiment, the researchers interviewed the volunteers about their eating habits and their thoughts about the experience....
The research: Researchers from Wake Forest University Medical Center monitored the systolic blood pressure in 4,480 people with hypertension (aka high blood pressure) every three years during a 21-year span to see whether a lower systolic blood pressure would be associated with lower occurrence of cardiovascular events, specifically heart attack, stroke, heart failure, angina. “We hypothesized that lower blood pressure would be associated with fewer events, and that as the blood pressure went up, there would be more events,” says Carlos Jose Rodriguez, MD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology and medicine and associate director of research at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest School of Medicine....
A recent study from the University of Maryland showed that lung cancer patients who were married had significantly better survival rates than their single counterparts. In fact, the researchers found that three years after treatment, 33% of married patients were alive and well while only a tenth of unwed patients were still going strong. Lead researcher, Elizabeth Nichols, MD, believes that a spouse plays a big part in post-cancer treatment for a few reasons....
After monitoring 110 adults’ daily heart rate activity and noise exposure, German researchers found that as a person’s exposure to noise increased, so did their heart rate. On the other hand, their heart rate variability, or the time interval between heart beats, decreased. But the lesser the variability, the greater the risk of heart attack, says the study. Interestingly enough, when the noises stayed below 65 decibels—a hearing safe zone per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards—participants’ heart rate still went up....
People who spend the most time sitting have a higher risk for colon, endometrial, and lung cancer compared to people who sit the least, finds a large new analysis published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. After reviewing 43 studies involving nearly 4 million individuals and 70,000 cancer cases, researchers found that each 2-hour increase in sitting time is associated with a 10% increased risk for endometrial cancer, 8% increased risk for colon cancer, and 6% increased risk for lung cancer....
