Let me explain. Thirteen years ago, I almost died of colon cancer. When I got the disease at the age of 57, I was in the prime of my life, enjoying a great marriage, eight children, and a thriving medical practice–I’m a pediatrician and the author of 30 books on child care and other health topics. As with many newly diagnosed cancer patients, my first thought was: Boy! I don’t want to get that again....
The results of a recent study in Psychological Science have discovered something conservatives and liberals have in common: The more extreme you are in your beliefs, the more superior you think those beliefs are.Researchers from Duke University measured the attitudes of 527 Americans about nine typically touchy political issues, hoping to find out which end of the political spectrum feels more superior in their beliefs than the other. While each party differed in which issues they felt superior about, the data showed those on a more extreme side of the spectrum felt their beliefs were more superior....
If true love worked like it did in the movies, we’d all endure a lot less grief—and spend a lot more time kissing in the rain—to find the partner of our dreams. Alas, real life isn’t that simple: Snagging someone who understands your passions and isn’t creeped out by your cat Mr. Whiskers? Not so easy. Unfortunately, some women seem to struggle to a greater extent than others in the dating game: A new study published in this month’s Social Psychological and Personality Science found that women with higher body mass index scores (BMIs), endure more stress than their peers when confronting potential romance....
Find the Right Yoga Style for YouOf course, there will always be teachers who push the class too hard or too far, or who make questionable judgments – but it’s not just yoga instructors. The same issue can be found in any type of fitness class. The bottom line: Listen to your body. If something hurts, back off. (That doesn’t mean go and sit on the couch. That means to continue attending class regularly, but sticking with the modifications until your body is truly ready to go the next level – and it may never be....
Here’s how the scientists did their sleuthing: Last year, they purchased 27 supplements recalled by the FDA from 2009 to 2012 due to pharmaceutical contamination. Analyses of the 27 supplements revealed that 85% of sports supplements, 67% of weight-loss supplements, and 20% of sexual enhancement supplements contained prescription drugs or analogs of Rx drugs. MORE: Harvard Doctor Says Untested Stimulant in Fat Loss Supplement Is an ‘Experiment on Public’ In most cases—63%—the supplements contained the same drug that led to the FDA recall....
This fat-blasting yoga-inspired workout, designed by Beth Shaw, owner of YogaFit in Redondo Beach, CA, turns up the burn with multiple repetitions of each pose. In this yoga workout to lose fat, once you complete one pose, you flow directly to the next, with no resting between sequences. Yoga, when practiced in this vigorous style, works just as well as strength-training for shedding fat. The yoga workout to lose fat also makes your heart stronger and boosts cardiovascular fitness, found a study from the University of California, Davis....
Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) While some give soy protein props for being a high-quality protein with an amino acid profile similar to meat, soy protein isolate is more Twix bar than tofu. “All soy is not created equal, and this is seriously processed soy junk,” says Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, author of The Little Book of Thin. The process of “isolating” the soy protein can leave behind traces of the neurotoxins hexane and aluminum, and even cause digestive woes due to higher concentrations of trypsin inhibitors that could block the digestion of plant protein....
It’s also pretty renowned in natural-health circles for curbing digestive issues, spiking weight loss, promoting great skin, and banishing a handful of other pesky afflictions. And in the medical community, small research studies point to its promise for lessening symptoms of diabetes and obesity. Wonder how it can help you? Here are 10 reasons to add apple cider vinegar to more than just your salad dressing: Digestion and food poisoning....
Good news: The solution might be just an inexpensive tool and a few minutes away. Physical therapists have long turned to foam rollers (the long, cylindrical black or blue pieces of foam you’ve likely seen at the gym) to release tension and, in the process, wipe out aches. What are the benefits of foam rolling? Foam rolling, also known as “self-myofascial release,” helps release muscle tension by making the top layers of your tissues more flexible....
Use it for: fibromyalgia or arthritis What the science says: Qigong is an umbrella term for traditional Chinese-medicine exercises that integrate posture and breathing techniques to improve the flow of energy, or qi. Women with severe fibromyalgia had 73% less pain after just 5 to 7 sessions with a qigong master, according to a new Robert Wood Johnson University study, and the benefits continued three months later. “I’ve never seen pain scores change so dramatically,“ says Afton Hassett, MD, one of the study co-authors....
WORK TIME: 10 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 4 We cut the time it takes to make this traditional Greek soup in half by using rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, and already-shredded carrots. [sidebar]1 tsp olive oil 1 sm clove garlic, finely chopped6 c chicken stock 1 rib celery, chopped1 c shredded carrots 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper1/4 tsp salt1/2 c orzo2½ c frozen green peas or cut-up green beans3 c chopped cooked chicken (leftover or pulled from a rotisserie chicken)2 lg eggs3-4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lg lemon)...
Other times, though, those changes can end up having a not-so-positive effect on you mood, even if you think you’re making tweaks that are supposed to be good for you. And things can get a little hairy. Here are three ways your diet might be destroying your personality—and what you can do to recover. Your friends notice that you’re getting angry… Diets involve using your inner grown-up voice a lot....
Complementing a strength-training or stretching routine with an exercise ball is a great way to make your workout more effective, but not if you’re committing these common mistakes. Here are three ways to fix your form. More from FitSugar.com: 4 Reasons to Add an Exercise Ball to Your Home Gym Using the Wrong Size BallWhy It’s bad: Using a ball that’s either too small or too large can cause issues with form, or make exercises and stretches less effective....
“One thing to keep in mind is that the exercises that are most effective for the lower abdominals tend to involve movement at the hip, which can cause dangerous loads on the lumbar spine if your abdominals are weak,” she says. (Follow these 6 tips to lose belly fat for life.) So be sure to start with the first two core-strengthening exercises—push-ups and plank—before moving on to the others, says Straub....
