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If your balance isn’t great, start off using yoga blocks to steady yourself. But once you get the hang of it, ditch the blocks and reach your arms up to the sky for some extra stretch. Hold it for 5 to 10 breaths on each side. Your hips will thank you—or at least stop complaining so much. ​ ​

Often the causes of problems like dark circles and acne are more than skin deep, says holistically-inclined Vargas, who noticed her own skin improve after swigging green juice instead of coffee. “Great skin’s a reflection of what one puts in their body and their digestion.” So she created recipes like “Brighten Up” and “All Clear” as beauty boosters. By sipping a juice instead of a 4:00 Starbucks, clients started sending emails saying they were breaking out less, looking less puffy, and even digesting rich foods better, she says....

The idea of taking a pill to burn more calories may sound too good to be true. For the most part it is—you’ll never see the same calorie burn from supplements that you can get from your spin class. Nonetheless, the following substances can definitely boost metabolism. As always, talk to your doc before you start taking any supplement. CLAConjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a healthy fat found in meat and dairy, provides a double whammy when you’re battling the bulge: It helps burn fat and build muscle....

MAMMOGRAM What it does By taking x-rays of a flattened breast, mammography can detect 80 to 90% of breast cancers—even ones too tiny to be detected by a manual breast exam. A Swedish study found that regular mammograms can cut the death rate of women in their 40s by up to 29%. [sidebar]The fear factor Starting from near your underarm, a technician will tug your flesh until it’s positioned between two plastic paddles and then compress it, which can hurt, especially if your breasts are small, dense, or sensitive....

Forget the 8 glasses rule. Even though it’s been popularized in the press, there’s no scientific basis for drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid daily. Sixty-four ounces may be too much for inactive people or far too little for those who exercise or work outdoors. Hydration needs can change daily and are highly individual. One easy, anytime check of hydration levels is urine color. The darker it is, the more likely you’re dehydrated....

Beer mile records are not recognized by USATF or the IAAF, of course, but they are tracked at BeerMile.com, where a list of widely used rules can be found. The general idea is that competitors drink a beer, run a lap, and repeat the sequence three times. The beer mile originated in Canada in 1989, and for a while, was mostly run by college-aged males looking for some fun. But with several high-profile record attempts in recent years, combined with Flocasts putting on its first Beer Mile World Championship in Austin, Texas, on December 3, the event has become more popular than ever....

That’s the inspiration behind Flavor: Making It and Faking It, a brand new exhibition at the Museum of Food and Drink in Brooklyn, NY. It’s an interactive experience loaded with info on the history of artificial flavors and the science of natural ones, peppered with smelling and tasting stations to test your sensory prowess. And on my recent visit to the museum, I quickly learned that flavor is a hell of a lot more complicated than most of us realize....

Cream that isn’t cream “Cream” that doesn’t have to be refrigerated? Yeah right. The only thing even partially resembling dairy in most shelf-stable coffee creamers is something called sodium caseinate, a “milk derivative.” The rest of the ingredient list is usually comprised of a nutritionally empty blend of oil, sugar, and natural and artificial flavors—definitely not the best way to start your day. Ingredients: Water, sugar, hydrogenated coconut oil, less than 2% of: sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, salt, natural and artificial flavor....