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YOUR WEEKLY PLAN MONDAY & THURSDAY Focus on your lower body to reshape and tone your hips, thighs, and butt. Move #1: Sumo Squat with a Drag Photo by James Farrell Targets: Inner thighs, butt Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, toes facing out. Squat and lower your butt to about the depth of your knees. Then, as you straighten your legs and return to standing, drag your right foot across the floor toward your left leg (you should feel your inner thigh turn on here)....

A vacuum that zaps allergensMedia Platforms Design TeamThe new Halo UVX Ultraviolet Vacuum combines a “true HEPA” filter (the gold standard for air purification) with an interior tube of ultraviolet light–a technology known to kill microbes and mold upon exposure. Tests show that the UVX safely and instantly eliminates 99.9% of the dust mites, bacteria, viruses, and other critters it encounters. Its filtration system efficiently collects nonliving allergens, too, so they’re not just blown back into the room–a major plus for those sensitive to dust and animal dander....

Just because the Pilgrims didn’t have supermarkets doesn’t mean you need to make everything from scratch. Cut corners and keep eating clean with packaged foods that save time—­and taste totally homemade. Arrowhead Mills Organic Savory Herb Stuffing Photo courtesy of Arrowhead Mills Free of trans fats and low in sodium, this herb-infused mix tastes like Grandma’s. ($4, arrowheadmills.com) Woodstock Organic Whole-Berry Cranberry Sauce Photo courtesy of Woodstock Foods This whole-berry sauce is more appetizing to homemade tastes than slurpy, jelly varieties....

Be Wary of Fortified Foods “Fortified foods aren’t necessarily healthy—some are highly refined and lacking in nutrients. If they have to convince you they’re healthy, they’re probably not.” –Katie Cavuto, MS, RD, the dietician for the Phillies and the Flyers Avoid “Rush Hour"“More people in the store means longer lines, and longer lines mean more time you have standing in front of candy and soda.” –Michelle Davenport, PhD, RD, a Silicon Valley nutritionist MORE: 11 Foods Nutritionists Always Keep in their Refrigerators The Cheapest Aisle Has Some of the Healthiest Foods"Think about it: Dried beans and nuts often aren’t expensive—but have loads of health benefits....

High-Carb Diets Breakfast: Oatmeal with wheat germ and fat-free milk, whole wheat toast with jam, orange juice Snack: The PMS Smoothie: Soak 4 dried apricots in 1/2 cup of apple juice, then drain. Place in a blender with 1/2 cup of fat-free milk, 2 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate, 1 banana, 2 peeled kiwifruits, 3 tablespoons of wheat germ, and ice. Blend for 3 minutes. Makes two 8-oz servings Lunch: Curried mixed vegetables and tofu, brown rice, nectarine Snack: Whole wheat bagel with fat-free cream cheese, kiwifruit Dinner: Broiled salmon, baked potato with fat-free sour cream and chives, steamed green beans, salad with dressing, fat-free milk Snack: 1/2 toasted English muffin with jam...

Scientists gave two groups of people popcorn, but told one group that the snack was “healthy” and the other that it was “unhealthy.” The people who thought they were eating diet popcorn chowed down on twice as much—2.33 cups compared to 1 cup. MORE: The Better Man Project: 2,000+ Small Steps That Will Transform Your Body—and Your Life The reason: Your brain tricks you into feeling less full when you eat a food that you think is healthy, says study author Jacob Suher, a PhD student at The University of Texas at Austin....

This form of active meditation—made up of flowing repetitive movements designed to harness your body’s energy—has been shown to enhance nervous system activity and lower stress hormone levels so you sleep better, feel more focused, and have fewer cravings. A UCLA study found that healthy adults reported feeling 10% more energetic throughout the day after practicing tai chi, a more complex form of qigong. A Swedish study also showed that qigong helped women in their 40s with fast-paced computer-based jobs to naturally slow their heart rate and blood pressure all day long....

Marcel Daniels, MD, a plastic surgeon in Long Beach, CA, says he’s seen about a 50 percent increase in patients coming to him to fix botched plastic surgeries in the last few years. The reason: Most people don’t know the difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon. Here’s what you need to know. The difference lies in training, credentials, and certification, says Adam D. Schaffner, MD, a plastic surgeon in New York City and a clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College....

She didn’t cry, as I would have at her age. She looked saucer-eyed at her mother, up at the balloon, then back at her mother again. And then? She whooped and spun, threw up her little hands, and, as we all watched the bobbing yellow orb sail away, gave a full-throated cheer: “¡Adios, globo!” “Good-bye, balloon!” She was letting go, and she was happy about it. Everyone on the sidewalk smiled....

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To prevent the hissing from escalating into biting or scratching, Gamble treated Bumper’s medical condition with a heating pad and glucosamine, a supplement that helps build cartilage, the cushioning between bones. Then, she modified her own behavior. Instead of picking him up and putting him on her lap—their usual routine—she began sitting next to him and treating him to gentle massages. Bumper’s cuddly, purring ways returned. Feline aggression—from hissing and growling to swatting, scratching, and biting—can be scary for pet owners, but it’s usually normal cat behavior....

Start the day off right with a bowl of whole grain cereal topped with 8 ounces of skim milk. You’ll be on your way to meeting both your whole grain goal and your calcium goal!Get in the habit of drinking milk with your meals.Low-fat cheese has come a long way–the quality and taste are better than ever. Try low-fat cheese on whole grain crackers and sandwiches, or shred some over your veggies at dinner....

“Alarm fatigue,” where hospital workers become desensitized to constantly dinging medical alarms, is a real thing—and it claims the lives of dozens of people each year, according to an analysis by The Joint Commission, a hospital-accrediting group. In the ICU, nurses sometimes become immune to the warnings from machines that monitor everything from oxygen levels to heart rate. “Nurses are dealing with patient overload and are often multi-tasking while taking care of very sick patients,” says Martine Ehrenclou, MA, patient advocate and author of The Take-Charge Patient: How You Can Get The Best Medical Care....

One of the most frustrating things your husband can say to you: “I need to lose 5 pounds—I’ll cut out the beer.” That’s because you could forgo beer forever and still never get close to squeezing into your skinny jeans from high school. It’s not fair, but men are natural losers. We women may think we know every weight loss trick in the book, but men have some distinct physiological advantages....

You could go the laser route. Defuzzing by laser is often marketed as “permanent hair removal,” but experts say “hair reduction” is a more accurate term. That’s probably news to the women who pay $200 to $500 per session and expect hair-free skin. One treatment isn’t enough: Plan on five or six to remove up to 90% of unwanted fuzz from legs, for example. Some hair may come back, but it’s usually finer and less noticeable....

You’ve taken great care in decking your halls, your gifts, and maybe even a dress or two with the season’s signature twinkle. But when it comes to your makeup, there’s a fine line between the appropriate level of glitter and looking like you belong front row at a Justin Bieber concert. Think of this way: It’s not glitter—it’s sparkle, says makeup artist Sonia Kashuk. The shiny stuff present in makeup today is “more refined and delicate” than the body glitter and shimmer powder of decades past....

Along with the workout video, pack some healthful snacks—almonds, dried fruit, or a high-fiber, low-calorie energy bar, such as a Luna bar—into your carry-on. That way, you won’t be at the mercy of rest-stop or airline food. If you must buy food, be prepared to spend a little extra. Airport vendors often charge more for a bowl of fruit than for a cinnamon bun, but paying that extra $2 now is far less than the price you’ll eventually pay if you routinely shortchange your health....