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Making a kale salad or heading to spin class probably seem like good ways to get back on track. But hanging out online might actually be even better, since smartly-curated social feeds can go a long way toward helping you achieve your weight loss goals, says Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy, PhD, RD, who studies technology’s effect on health behavior at the University of South Carolina. Here are four ways to make your feeds work harder for you: Follow tweeters with tips....

PLACE your squash on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice off the top and the base of the squash; discard. Next, slice the squash width-wise, separating the round bottom from the long neck. 2. USING a sharp peeler, peel the skin off both pieces and discard. If you can’t get every bit of skin off, it’s okay—it doesn’t have to be perfect. 3. STAND the round bottom of the squash flat on the cutting board and slice it in half length-wise....

[sidebar] But after some tears, calls to family and friends, and more cinnamon buns, the writer and Harvard-trained lawyer came to a stunning realization: It was all about odds. When the doctors said he had 3 months, they meant that a substantial majority of patients with symptoms like his died within 3 months—but not all of them. “I knew that, somehow, I had to find my way into that minority who slipped by the 3-month expiration date,” he remembers thinking....

It’s true. If we weren’t all so convinced that the flavor powder—let’s just call it what it is: food crack—is the devil incarnate, we’d all happily sprinkle it on everything from steak to breakfast cereal. MSG is freakin’ delicious. And despite claims that it causes everything from numbness to chest pain, science has never found a direct link to adverse health effects and the FDA finds it safe. (At least as safe as Dorito powder....

Galen Zamarra, chef and owner of the acclaimed Mas Farmhouse, thinks you should. At Mas’ younger-sister restaurant, Mas La Grillade, Zamarra literally cooks everything—from tuna to ramps to romaine—on a super cool open-flame grill system, using locally sourced hardwoods and techniques like steaming, charring, and grilling. Why does the system work well for greens? It’s quick, easy, and adds a delicious smoky flavor. (We stopped by for lunch and trust us, it’s true....

Simple, right? Sure, if you don’t earn a living sitting at a desk from 9 to 5—which most of us do. The good news is that a stack of books and some motivation can be your realistic solution. While a growing number of companies are willing to pay for pricy standing desks, even a simple DIY standing desk can all but eliminate the neck, back, and wrist issues standard desks can cause, says Kelly Hartshorne, RN, the health and safety services manager at Rodale, Inc (Prevention’s publisher)....

Most Important A UTI happens in one of two ways: when outside bacteria get pushed into the urethra, or when bacteria already in the bladder multiply to unhealthy levels. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria that’s already in the bladder, so flushing it out is the most important way to stave off infection. Here’s how: Drink enough fluids Doing so means you’ll have to use the restroom more often and therefore flush out your bladder periodically....

Jill’s answer: The term “set point” is used to describe the weight at which your body likes to be and you stay there with little effort. Maybe you’ve lost 15 or 20 pounds in the past, only to gain it all back after a few months. And what do you know, your weight shoots back up quickly only to hover around this specific number with ease! So what do you do when your set point is not where you want it?...

Before menopause, many women’s bodies store excess fat predominantly in this area, creating what’s come to be known as the “pear-shaped” body. For thousands of years, fat storage in these areas greatly helped cave-dwelling women survive during times of drought and famine. And women who could easily store fat in their hips and thighs tended to be able to give birth and feed a baby during a drought—during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body needs as many as 1,000 extra calories a day—thus passing on their thigh-fat-storing genetics to future generations....

Even women who strength train regularly often have underdeveloped tricep muscles hiding behind their well-defined biceps, says Noah Neiman, a trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City and a consultant with Beachbody. Their hidden location is one reason they get ignored. “It’s like this, my mom will spend a very long time in the mirror fixing the front of her hair, and I tell her the back is a little frizzy, and she’s like, ‘I don’t care, I can’t see it,’ ” says Neiman....

Daddy married Pushpa (Maa) when he was 25 years old. Maa had enormous grace and intellect and a strong personality. She too came from a family that emphasized education. She was outspoken, fiercely protective of her loved ones, and the matriarch of her family and community. After independence from the British, Daddy was one of the most respected doctors in India. As a colonel in the Indian army, he was assigned to work in Jabalpur, a modest city in North India....

I started getting migraines and a little bit of anxiety after I had my second child at age 33. I felt stressed and generally exhausted. I had heard exercise was good for you and might be able to help with my headaches and mood, so I figured I’d give it a shot. (Your body changes after age 40 – and your fitness program program should change along with it. Prevention’s Fit After 40 is designed specifically for older women, to help you firm up with the most effective exercises for your age!...

Researchers from Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center in Rhode Island assigned 44 volunteers to take part in a behavioral weight loss program for 24 weeks. Study participants were given support from either a health professional, a fellow group member, or someone who’d lost weight in a previous research trial and kept it off. The results? While support equaled weight loss overall, those who got support from professionals or from fellow group members lost the most....

More than 250 study participants with chronic pain followed personalized pain management plans using integrative medical strategies like yoga, hypnosis, acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic medicine for 6 months. The results? Participants reported a more than 20% reduction in pain severity, and felt their pain interfered with their lives 30% less than it did prior to their integrative care. “The biggest surprise was that our integrative approach to pain had a positive impact on so many other aspects of the patients’ lives,” says researcher Donald I....

A flexible work schedule is just as flexible in concept. It might mean an employee has a set number of hours to work each day, but they choose when to fulfill those hours, or it could be that an employee has a set of tasks that must be completed by a deadline. In this study, researchers examined the effects of a results only work environment (ROWE)—where employees have complete control over their time—on the amount of time 225 parents were able to spend with their kids....

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting millions of people. In thinking about ways to treat people suffering with this debilitating condition, focusing on the mind-body connection might offer new hope. My client, who I’ll refer to as Shari, presented in treatment to learn mindfulness to help her manage her chronic back pain stemming from a gymnastics injury as a teenager. When she began therapy, she explained she’d been in treatment before and wanted to focus exclusively on her pain, not her past....

TCE is a toxic chemical that works as a cleaning agent in dry cleaners and degreasers; it has been found to pollute our water and air. Before now, TCE has been linked to an increased risk of kidney and cervical cancer, with the current study finding a new link to liver cancer. Danish researchers looked at cases of workers who had reported exposure to TCE in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark....

RECIPES Watermelon Jerky Unlike all the sodium-stuffed, preservative-laden jerky you can grab at a gas station, watermelon jerky is totally clean. It’s literally just watermelon that’s been dehydrated into a chewy stick of goodness. Get the clean eating recipe! Sour Watermelon Gummies I know what you’re thinking: Why the hell would we suggest gummies to a bunch of super clean eaters like you? Because these aren’t the sugar-heavy, artificially colored gummies you’re thinking of, that’s why....