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Scientists already knew that regular exercise promotes better psychological health and decreases stress levels. But according to the new research, which analyzed the physical, mental, and social behavior of 14,706 young adults, those who were more physically active tended to have better mental health. They also had more friends and spent more time with others. More from Prevention: What’s Missing From Your Weight Loss Plan It’s difficult to tease out cause and effect from all that endorphin-producing behavior....

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James Burgess and Mark Smith were equal parts disturbed and inspired when a friend gave himself a DIY fecal transplant (yup, just what it sounds like) in a desperate attempt to cure his serious intestinal infection. The pair channeled their MIT educations into OpenBiome, the nation’s first stool bank for meticulously screened stool samples. When transplanted into the large intestine via colonoscopy or taken in a frozen-pooppill, healthy fecal matter, which is laden with beneficial bacteria, has a 90% success rate in eliminating Clostridium difficile, a lethal antibiotic-resistant infection....

Incorporating “good” unsaturated fats into a fruit-veggie-lean-protein-whole-grain diet helped people with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing full-blown type 2 by almost 60%, according to a landmark government study. And now, emerging research points to the MUFA in particular as a potential superhero for controlling blood sugar, reducing insulin resistance, and fighting belly fat specifically visceral belly fat, the dangerous kind found deep in your abdomen and strongly associated with prediabetes and diabetes....

Start with a frisky morning run-walk twice a week to rev energy and blast calories. On alternate days, refresh your mind and body with adrenaline-boosting activities, such as kayaking or hiking. “Challenge yourself to a different exercise each week, if you can,” says Robert Reames, creator of the Extreme Makeover Fitness DVD. Trying new sports will boost your strength and agility by forcing you to use muscles you don’t normally focus on....

Sweat Summary: Ramp up your traditional mat Pilates practice with the addition of a resistance band. Integrated into each exercise, the toning tool provides extra resistance and activates additional muscles to help you slim and sculpt quickly. Sweat Factor: No sweat Mood: Balanced What We Liked: The bonus 10-minute core sculpting session was a supercharged ab-blasting routine. What We Didn’t Like: We enjoyed the twist on mat Pilates but wish more upper-body exercises were included in the 30-minute workout....

Sweat Summary: Instructor Shiva Rea leads you through an eclectic, energetic series of yoga poses designed to build core strength and help flatten your abs. This DVD from Acacia consists of three popular Shiva Rea programs—Creative Core Abs, Creative Core + Lower Body, and Creative Core + Upper Body—on a single DVD with Shiva’s yoga matrix so you can easily mix-and-match all 7 segments to customize your practice. The entire DVD is 90 minutes....

Good news! Enjoying a few drinks doesn’t mean you’re destined to spend the next day sloth-like on the couch or hunched over a toilet. In fact, researchers are finding that your alcoholic choices and what you eat before, during, and after you drink could drastically reduce your risk of a morning hangover. In the event that you do overindulge and find yourself feeling queasy the morning after, reach for natural hangover food and drinks instead of bottled cures in the medicine cabinet and you’ll be feeling refreshed in no time....

MORE: Avocado Quick Tip Eat it right out of the skin. Drizzle half an avocado with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and add a squeeze of lime juice. Dig in with a spoon.Stir together a chip dip. Combine mashed avocado with goat cheese, salt, lime, and Tabasco. Scoop up the mix with potato chips or rice crackers.Wake up your breakfast. Make scrambled eggs and add diced avocado, a squeeze of lemon juice, crushed red-pepper flakes, and crumbled feta....

“I was this little spitfire with an Irish temper,” says Willard, now 47, and director of communications at the City University of New York. “But tantrums didn’t fit well with the good-girl thing. They were not genteel.” Instead, her mother’s silent fury became her model for anger. When her mom got mad, she turned dead quiet, not speaking for days. “She would not say why she was angry,” says Willard....

Since my time in Greece, several large-scale, long-term studies have shown that a traditional Greek foods may help lower your risk of chronic disease. But it’s not just the foods themselves that provide benefits–it’s how they’re eaten. Time spent eating with friends and family is time spent living well. That’s just one of the many lessons I learned that summer; five others are listed here. Over the years, they’ve helped me craft a balanced diet and healthy relationship with food, even when choices and time were limited....

Want to turn your basic baba ghanouj recipe into a real party rock star? The secret is the food world’s hottest new condiment: harissa paste. Kick it up another notch with garnishes like these DIY sun-dried tomatoes, and you might even give guac a run for its money. And did I mention this is ready in just 15 minutes? You can thank me later. MORE: Stuffed Eggplant with Lentils and Harissa Prep time: 5 minutesTotal time: 15 minutesMakes 5 1/4 c servings 1 med eggplant, sliced lengthwise in 1/2" slices 1/4 c lemon juice 1/4 c tahini 1 lg garlic clove 1 Tbsp harissa paste 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped parsley for garnish (optional)...

If you’re short on willpower—and let’s be real, who isn’t from time to time?—a new study finds that you can give your self-control a boost simply by gargling sugar water. Researchers had students gargle with lemonade sweetened with sugar or lemonade sweetened with Splenda, and then had them perform two tasks of self-control. The students who gargled with sugar were “significantly faster.” Why? Study authors say that sugar stimulates the simple carbohydrate sensors on the tongue , which in turn stimulate the motivational centers of the brain....

Amazing research shows that the correct answer is a chocolate bar–by a mile! In tests using the “gold standard” for measuring antioxidants–the ORAC test–chocolate actually comes out ahead of the former antioxidant champs: tea, Concord grape juice, and blueberries.(Reported at the Experimental Biology conference, Apr 2000) Even so, save chocolate for an occasional healthy heart treat, says researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, of Pennsylvania State University in State College. “Chocolate has a price tag–it’s loaded with calories....

This gazpacho is a fabulous combination spicy, sweet, and savory. I like spice—but if you don’t, you can omit the jalapeño (the garlic alone will give this plenty of zing!). I also recommend letting this sit for a day before serving. The infusing time will really make the flavors sing, and the longer you let it sit, the better it will taste. MORE: Easy Heirloom Tomato Stacks with Pesto Serves 4 Gazpacho3 c chopped beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes 2 c chopped peaches1 jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped 1 shallot, chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped¼ c dry white wine1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Garnish1 avocado, diced1 peach, diced2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced1 sm cucumber, seeded and diced (optional)1 sm jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, diced (optional)...

You make a point to swig milk at lunch, incorporate yogurt into that midday snack, and even pop a daily calcium supplement to keep your bones safe. Turns out, that conscientious routine might actually be putting your heart at risk, finds new research out of Sweden. For nearly 20 years, a team from Uppsala University tracked the daily calcium intake and health outcomes of more than 60,000 middle-aged and elderly women....