Posts

Your Sleek-Abs Plan MONDAY—Strength RoutineTUESDAY—Cardio: 30-45 minWEDNESDAY—RestTHURSDAY—Strength Routine, Cardio: 30-45 minFRIDAY—Cardio: Interval PlanSATURDAY—Strength Routine, Cardio: 30-45 minSUNDAY—Cardio: 30-45 min This routine is designed for all fitness levels, so you’ll get results whether you’re just starting out or are a regular gym-goer. It includes a combination of belly-shrinking toning moves plus fat-melting cardio. Do the strength moves 3 (nonconsecutive) days a week and cardio (including 1 interval workout) 5 days. [header=Part 1: Tummy-Toning Strength Moves] PART 1: Tummy-Toning Strength Moves The Plan: Do the moves in the order given; it’ll take about 15 minutes....

More than 2.5 million caregivers in the United States are in fair or poor health, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP. An estimated 80% of those in this role are on the job for 4 1/2 years, on average. The demands can cause them to neglect their health and suffer changes that increase the risk of heart disease, depression, and other ills. Protect yourself as you look after others: GET AN EDGE AGAINST ILLNESS Caregivers’ immune systems are 15% weaker than in those who don’t shoulder that responsibility, according to a review of 23 studies on older adults....

Every year the American Contact Dermatitis Society announces an “allergen of the year,” in order to make experts and consumers aware of an under-the-radar ingredient causing an increasing number of reactions. This year, it’s our not-so-well-known friend methlisothiazolinone. “Methlisothiazolinone has recently been introduced to cosmetics and toiletries, and the use of it increased dramatically in the past few years,” says Kathryn Zug, MD, professor of dermatology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and member of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group....

When sedentary adults in one study jogged for half an hour 2 or 3 times a week for 12 weeks, their memory and ability to juggle tasks improved by 30%. Just as important: Inactivity stops this process. When the participants returned to their couch potato ways, they lost 10% of the gain after 6 weeks. To create the ultimate brainpower workout, we developed this 7-day plan to wake you up above the neck while still delivering the calorie-torching, body-toning benefits of ordinary workouts....

You know what I’m talking about: artful photos of smartly portioned plates that promise to shave a couple hundred calories off your turkey dinner; a chart that tells you which pie is the least bad (pumpkin—it’s a veggie, after all!) and which one is totally off limits (pecan—SO MUCH FAT); and dietician-approved tips on the best breakfast and snacks to keep you from obliterating your calorie bank before the main event....

We are. It’s every bit as true as it is hard to see. Just as our homes are made from lumber without looking like trees, our bodies are made from the nutrients we extract from foods without resembling those foods. The nutritional content of what we eat determines the composition of our cell membranes, bone marrow, blood, and hormones. Consider that the average adult loses roughly 300 billion cells to old age every day and must replace them....

[sidebar]When looking at four year’s worth of bed bug incidents reported in the city of Philadelphia, researchers found that infestations occured the most in August and the least in February. Turns out warm weather primes the pests to grow at a quicker rate—even quicker if they’re grouped and not isolated, finds a separate study out of North Carolina State at Raleigh—while colder temps kills them. In fact, if you have a bug problem, researchers suggest sticking them in the freezer....

[sidebar]There are two ways to use it: Inhale it: When you’re up against a deadline, stuck in traffic, or just feeling stressed, try inhaling lemon balm to help lower your blood pressure and relax you. Shake a few drops of lemon balm essential oil onto a tissue and keep it handy to use as needed, or buy a car diffuser to infuse your ride with tranquillity. You can find both the essential oil and a diffuser that plugs into your car’s lighter online and in health food stores....

IBD, which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, involves the chronic inflammation of part or all of the digestive tract. Symptoms range from cramping and fatigue to abdominal pain, diarrhea, ulcers, and malnutrition. In this Danish study of more than 5 million adults, presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2014, researchers analyzed data and followed up with more than 23,000 IBD patients. They found that overall, patients with IBD have a 37% increased risk of heart failure hospitalization compared to the healthy population....

Rule 1. Be smart about cheese. Replace full-fat kinds with reduced-fat versions, and choose lighter types when possible: The switch from part-skim ricotta to 1% cottage cheese saves 90 calories and 8.5 g of fat per 1/2 cup—while maintaining creaminess. Rule 2. Make vegetables the star. Yes, tomato sauce counts! (1/2 cup equals one serving of veggies.) But why stop there? Try adding at least two other naturally nutrient-rich varieties to every dish....

Ingredients What to do: You can fry the burgers in a bit of oil on a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.If you prefer to grill them, pre-bake the burgers for about 15 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden and crisp on each side.

But no one should ever claim with a straight face that it represents what people actually ate in the Paleolithic, an era that started roughly 2.5 million years ago and lasted until the rise of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. What those and other hunter-gatherers ate, according to historians and anthropologists, would make you gag. Here’s a rundown: Rumen Noodles “Chyme” is a sweet word for a food source that’s objectively sour: the semi-digested stomach contents of animals....

[sidebar]Yes, exercise takes time out of your overscheduled day, but the mental boost you get from it is worth the extra effort. Staying active was shown to boost adults’ self-efficacy—a scholarly term for the “hey, I can do this” feeling. “If you get up and do a four-mile run or something, that creates this sense of, ‘wow, I did A, now I can accomplish B,’ ” says Russell Clayton, PhD, an assistant professor of management at Saint Leo University’s Donald R....

Want to turn your half-empty glass into one that’s half full and improve your mood? Fill it up with carrots and tomatoes. According to a new study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, optimists eat more carotenoids—the antioxidants that produce bright pigments in certain fruits and vegetables—than people with a negative attitude. Researchers analyzed the blood levels of 982 study participants, looking for antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E. The researchers also asked the participants to report how optimistic they were....

Thankfully, we’re not talking about the stuff used to fire up your barbecue. Activated charcoal is ash that’s been heated to high temps, then treated with steam or other natural activating agents like phosphoric acid until it becomes a highly porous powder. The end result is a substance that acts like a magnet in your body for junk like toxins, heavy metals such as mercury, and even bloat-causing gas. And since activated charcoal isn’t absorbed by your digestive tract, it—and all the gunk it picks up—passes right through you....

Turmeric is my favorite spice—and for me, it really lives up to all the health-benefit hype. When I incorporate it into my meals for a few days (as part of an overall healthy diet, of course), I actually feel aches and pains fade away. The best way to work the Indian spice into your own routine: a smoothie like this one. Because it’s a heck of a lot easier than making curry every night....

Learn More about the Diabetes DTOUR Diet! Meet the Fat-Fighting 4DTOUR Works! See the Amazing Success StoriesTry the 1-Week Meal Plan–for FREE!Dig In: 10 Sugar-Busting DTOUR DinnersGet the Complete DTOUR PlanBuy the Diabetes DTOUR Diet book!