Next Page: Try 4 Butt-Booster Strength Moves that shape your glutes and help speed up your walk! Download the complete Strong Strides Workout here. Butt-Booster Strength Moves Do these exercises 3 times a week (or on days 3, 5, and 7 of the Strong Strides Workout) You’ll work all your glutes—from the big gluteus maximus, which powers you forward, to the smaller medius and minimus muscles, which ensure a smooth stride—from every angle for a firmer, curvier posterior....
Even though studies prove we’re less productive when multitasking, we keep at it because it makes us feel good, says study author Zheng Wang, PhD, of Ohio State University. Dr. Wang and her colleagues had college students check in three times a day for four weeks, each time reporting what they were doing and why. The results? Most reported doing several activities at the same time—even though it made them less productive—because it gave them a boost of happiness....
Although you can’t make your breasts bigger, you can give them a lift (and create sexy cleavage for that low-cut dress) with exercises that firm the pectoral muscles beneath your breasts. These chest fly and push-up exercises are two moves that do just that. I’ve made them more challenging by showing you how to do them on an exercise ball (available at sporting goods stores). Other muscles, including your abs, also get a miniworkout as they stabilize you....
“I store fudge” “Freezing ice-cube-size portions of my homemade fudge sauce—made with the very best organic ingredients—lets me add a special touch to desserts, without too much guilt! You can also puree seasonal fruit like raspberries or strawberries to create a simple, no-sugar-added sauce. Thaw a cube whenever you want a drizzle of sweetness.” –Bev Shaffer, author of Cookies to Die For! “I prepare pesto” “When basil is abundant in my garden, I make pesto (without cheese), then line a tray with plastic wrap to prevent staining, fill it with the herb mixture, and freeze....
But now, two new animal studies from the U.K. show that a diet rich in nitrates can actually improve cardiovascular health by thinning blood and widening blood vessels, lessening the risk for clots and stroke. Recent human trials have also shown that meals heavy in nitrates can lower blood pressure and improve athletic performance. Wait, what? So are nitrates and nitrites good or bad? To answer that question, you first need to understand how they’re different....
Overweight women face a multitude of hardships—such as discrimination in the workplace—that arise from the stigma surrounding obesity. While weight loss may seem like the solution for women hoping to escape anti-fat prejudice, it may not be that simple after all.New research out of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, The University of Manchester, and Monash University, has revealed that anti-fat prejudice still persisted against former obese women, even after they had lost a significant amount of weight....
The new research, published in The Cochrane Library, involved a review of a collection of other studies that analyzed the effects of taking omega-3 supplements on cognitive function—the brain’s ability to process thoughts, including making and retrieving memories—over time. Combing through nearly 2,000 existing studies, the researchers looked for studies that compared cognitive function in healthy people without dementia taking omega-3 supplements to those taking a placebo for at least six months....
To get a better idea of how Americans choose their healthcare providers, Healthgrades, a website that provides information about physician and hospital quality, conducted a national survey of more than 7,700 adults 18 and older. The results? Many Americans spend way more time researching what car to buy than they do choosing a doctor. Plus, while more than 90% of adults say it’s important to make the right choice when selecting a physician or hospital, nearly half of adults feel they’ve made the wrong ones....
Peaches, which are peaking right now, are high in antioxidants like vitamin C and lycopene, making them a beauty food and an immune-system booster. So if stress from the week (or packing for vacation) is making your skin dull and your head throb, let the free-radical-fighting fruit give you a boost. Basil elevates both the flavor of the fruit and your mood with its anti-anxiety benefits. (FYI: Holy basil lowers cortisol or stress levels....
Why the big fuss over gardening? Aside from pretty shrubs and scenery, it’s a way to boost your health, save money, and even lift your mood. So if you’ve been itching to flex your green thumb—or grow one at all—here’s everything you need to know to get started, from safeguarding against joint pain to fielding flowers without a yard. Happy planting! The health benefits of gardening We’ve already mentioned how gardening can boost your health and mood, but that only begins to, ahem, rake the surface....
First Steps Success Story #1: Vickie Balasek Lost 4 lb and 5 inches Increased her speed to a 13-minute mile Success Story #2: Dru and Michael Fiorot Lost 8 lb and 43/4 inches Cut cholesterol 31 points Lowered triglycerides 35 points Increased energy and speed Lost 14 lb and 5 inches Cut cholesterol 34 points Lowered triglycerides 82 points Reduced heart disease risk from high-average to low-average Increased energy, speed, and endurance Success Story #3: Sharon Stauffer Lost 10 lb and 6 inches Cut cholesterol 35 points Lowered trigylcerides 500 points!...
A recent study by British company Initial Washroom Hygiene found that handbags are SERIOUS hot spots for disease-causing microbes. They looked at items from 25 handbags and compared it to research on workstations, keyboards, mouses, and workplace restrooms. The results are enough to make you stash last year’s hobo for the time being: the average handbag was three times dirtier than office toilet seats, and the dirtiest handbags (read: the giant one you carry about a week’s worth of stuff in and just can’t seem to throw away, because it just goes with everything) were 10 times dirtier....
2 minutes: In the morning, stand in front of the mirror facing sideways. Make sure your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles all form a straight line. Notice how your body feels when it’s aligned correctly. 1 minute: Check your chair at work. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor and that your eyes are level with your computer monitor. If you have a tall chair and desk, use a footrest to keep your feet resting flat....
To prove it, authors Maryjane Fahey and Caryn Beth Rosenthal cowrote the new book DUMPED (www.dumped411.com, $14.95), which is billed as a “grown-up guide to gettin’ off your ass and over your ex in record time.” It’s filled with empowering messages, quotes from kick-ass women like Mae West, and—most important—tons of laughs. Naturally, we wanted to pick their brains. Here, why there’s an upside to your heartache—and how to embrace it....
More from Prevention: 7 Scary Exercises for WomenEver since a few Sandbells made their way into our office a few months ago, I’ve been keeping a 10-pounder under my desk. On days I can’t get to the gym, I jot down the following categories on a Post-It: Squats, Torso Twist, Overhead Press, Squat Toss, and Triceps Press. Whenever I get through a set of 10 reps of one move, I make a little hashmark under that category....
4 New Sunscreen Rules When applied consecutively for several days, sunscreen can actually accumulate on your skin enough to raise the SPF level, resulting in even better protection against sun damage, according a new study from the Department of Dermatology at the Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen. Twenty-five volunteers applied sunscreenon their backs for five days. One group put it on once a day, while and the other group applied it three times daily....
But new research published in the journal Scientific Reports finds that plastic in fish is a serious problem, and one that threatens the purity of seafood, thanks to plastic’s ability to attract other toxic chemicals like a magnet. Before this study, scientists didn’t really know much about plastic’s chemical hitchhikers. “We were able to answer this question using an experimental design that was ecologically relevant,” says study author Chelsea Rochman, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California–Davis....
