[sidebar]You can reduce pain in your neck and shoulders while sculpting a strong, firm upper body when you shrug your shoulders. You know how to do a shoulder shrug, sure—but not like this. Bloom uses a wall to put your body in proper alignment and leverages your bodyweight instead of dumbbells for resistance. That means you do this exercise anywhere, anytime. Bonus benefit: It feels amazing after hunching over our computers all day!...
Today Lindsey rarely has such strange encounters. Vegetarianism is steadily becoming mainstream. Roughly 6 to 8 million Americans are vegetarians, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group—up from a half million to 2 million in 1994. And they have gotten smarter about their dining choices. A generation ago, vegetarian meals were often built around leaden nut loaves or uninspired brown-rice casseroles. Today, many vegetarians consider themselves foodies and relish the challenge of finding recipes that showcase fresh vegetables as a delicious main course, flavored with herbs and spices....
Toss It: Walnuts and almondsTry It: PistachiosWhy: Not so fun fact: It takes a whopping 4.9 gallons of water to grow one measly walnut. Almonds suck up less H20—1.1 gallons per nut—but their ridiculous popularity as a snack and use in nutritionally lame milk makes them just as bad. Add this to the fact that the world’s No. 1 nut-producing area, California, is now experiencing record drought, and you can see why it’s time to get friendly with a new nut....
Problem is, these trendy products (along with the clamshell packs of sprouted grains you can buy at the grocery store) are pricey. So, we say: Make ’em at home. It’s crazy easy—promise. Though the sprouting process might sound intimidating or time-consuming, all it really involves is soaking and rinsing your grains until they begin to sprout little tails. The rest of the work is on them. Ready to give it a try?...
Researchers followed more than 27,000 middle-aged men and women for an average of 5.7 years and found that people who reported not exercising were 20% more likely to have a stroke compared to those who exercised at a moderate to vigorous intensity four or more times a week (classified as exercising to the point of breaking a sweat). Men who reported working out only one to three times per week also had a great risk to suffer a stroke than those men who hit the gym more frequently....
Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France recently found that adults 65 and over who take benzodiazepines are 50% more likely to develop dementia compared to adults who don’t take sleeping pills. And if that’s not scary enough, the meds have even been linked to an increased risk of death, according to research published in the journal BMJ Open earlier this year. Which raises the obvious question: Is it time to toss out the sleep aids altogether?...
There are probably a number of things at play here, researchers write in the study, among them being various hormonal and nutritional signals that occur with increased meal frequency that can suppress appetite, which leads to reduced energy (i.e. calorie) intake and delayed gastric emptying, which then decreases feelings of hunger even further. MORE: Resistant Starch May Be The Next Big Thing in Weight Loss. So Why Haven’t You Heard Of It?...
More from Prevention: 3 Natural Remedies For A Sore Throat For help, read this step-by-step guide to freshening the air so you can breathe easier. [sidebar]Eliminate the Sources The most common pollutants found in homes are dust mites, pet dander, smoke, pest excrement (especially from cockroaches), nitrogen dioxide (a by-product of combustion sources such as gas stoves), and mold. They can often cause symptoms of respiratory irritation (fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and itchy eyes, nose, and throat), but luckily, they’re also the easiest to get rid of....
Normal Changes Your feet become wider and longer According to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, 90%of women wear shoes too tight for their feet, and 80% have foot problems as a result. Get both feet measured regularly, and buy shoes to fit the larger foot. Your feet flatten due to a mild settling of the arches Try using an over-the counter orthotic only if you have pain. If your arches don’t hurt, don’t worry about them....
The enteric nervous system, or the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, is often referred to as the “second brain.” That’s because much like your brain, the GI tract relies on the same types of neurons and neurotransmitters to complete specific functions, as well as maintain communication with the central nervous system. Have you ever noticed that fluctuations in your emotions cause a reaction in your stomach? You may feel butterflies with love, nausea with anxiety, or gut-wrenched with fear....
Bronzer Overload The dark, shimmery bronzer you bought makes you look more muddy and fake-baked than sun-kissed. Summer solution: A believable bronze starts with choosing the correct shade. A rule of thumb: Never go more than two tones deeper than your current skin color. And avoid shimmery bronzers; their light-reflective particles tend to be garish and draw attention to fine lines. One to try: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Natural Radiance Bronzer ($13; drugstores)....
“We will continue to see more and more options for less invasive surgery techniques that will lower the risk of complications and lessen recovery time,” says Don E. Detmer, MD, MA, FACS, professor of medical education at the University of Virginia. Here are the most common surgeries for people 65 and older, and the innovations you can expect to see in your lifetime. The surgery: Knee Replacement337,623 a yearHow it works: Getting knee replacements for baby boomers may be as common as getting chocolates on Valentine’s Day....
[sidebar]Sure, squats can be less-than pleasant, but we like to think of them as good-for-you booty burners. Squats hit every hotspot: butt, thighs, and hips, making them the ultimate masters of lower body toning. The muscles they target are the same ones that support your knees, so by strengthening them, you’ll help reduce knee pain. Tighten, tone and turn heads with the 15-minute workout DVD! This variation adds a little extra resistance in the form of dumbbells to maximize your caloric burn....
But switching from a meat-centric to meat-less diet isn’t enough to magically boost your health. The types of foods you choose to include in your new vegetarian diet is key to reaping its benefits and making sure you’re not missing out on key nutrients. Here, expert-backed tips for becoming a vegetarian. What is a vegetarian diet? Simply put, a vegetarian diet is one that excludes all meat, fish, and poultry products....
The standing twist is an exercise you don’t often see in today’s classes, says Brooke Siler, Pilates expert and author of Women’s Health Big Book of Pilates. But the move is one of the best Pilates exercises you can do. It helps release and rotate the spine while challenging your core, back, and inner thigh muscles. You’ll also notice your balance being challenged, which helps boost core strength and just doing one rep on each side is an amazing way to unwind at the end of a stressful day....
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of California, San Francisco asked men and women to stick to one of two specialized diets for 5 days. One diet was “plant-based” and consisted almost entirely of grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. The other “meat-based” diet was animal-centric, and heavy on beef and pork, eggs, and dairy foods like cheese. After just one day, the study team had already observed significant changes to the microbial composition of the dieters’ guts....
At Prevention.com, you can read the Flat Belly Diet success stories, meet the five flat belly foods, get the skinny on belly fat and take a quiz on your stomach smarts! Find Out MoreJoin NowRead on to Get a Flat Belly through Pilates with Denise Austin 3 Weeks to a Flat Belly Tackle that stubborn bulge with these helpful Pilates moves By Denise Austin , Denise Austin is the author of several books including Sculpt Your Body with Balls and Bands and the host of two Lifetime Television fitness programs....
Unless you’re married to a Brad Pitt look-a-like, you might find yourself becoming more critical of—and distancing yourself from—your partner during your peak fertility days. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that on the days when women were most likely to conceive, they unconsciously develop a heightened attraction to men with more masculine traits—like muscular bodies and deeper voices—and become less interested in Mr. Nice Guys. MORE: Help For Haywire Hormones “Women evolved to prefer sexy traits in men because those qualities indicate high-fitness genes,” says study author Martie Haselton, PhD....
“Heart disease is the main killer of people with diabetes,” says Leann Olansky, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “All other things being equal, if you have type 2 diabetes, the increased risk is two-fold for men and three-or four-fold for women.” The link between type 2 diabetes and heart failure has long been recognized, but it’s never been well understood—until now. Researchers at UC Davis Health Systems recently identified a biological pathway that’s activated when blood sugar levels are abnormally high....
