8 No-sweat ways to stay slim

Who doesn't want a flat belly, stat? Yet hours of crunches, cardio, and superstrict dieting aren't realistic—or a whole lot of fun—for many of us. Luckily, it is possible to flatten your belly and look slimmer almost immediately. 

"Your stomach is the one part of your body that reacts quickly to dietary changes—good and bad. If you want to look thinner fast, avoid gassy veggies, chewing gum, salt, carbonated beverages, and any foods with sugar alcohols," says Erin Palinski, RD and certified personal trainer. These foods will lead to water retention and bloating, she explains. If you normally eat three larger meals a day, Palinski recommends cutting those portions in half and eating smaller meals every two to three hours. Want more instant fixes for a flatter belly? Here are 8 ways you can feel trimmer and slimmer—in some cases, nearly overnight.

1. Stand Up Straight Standing up taller can make you look 5 pounds slimmer, says Deborah L. Mullen, a certified strength and conditioning specialist in San Luis Obispo, CA. How can you make it a habit? Try Pilates. According to a 6-month pilot study of 18 chronic back pain sufferers, Pilates is one of the best ways to improve posture and strengthen your ab and back muscles.

Jessica Cassity, Prevention's senior fitness editor and a certified Pilates instructor, suggests two moves you can actually do while you're still in bed that will set you straight for the day:

Belly Ins: Draw belly to spine. Slowly, flattening lower back to bed by using your core (not your butt or legs), press belly down on an exhale, release on an inhale. Do 10 times.

Roll and Reach: Sit upright with legs bent and pressed together, feet flat on the bed. Reach forward over knees, palms down. Slowly, roll halfway down, then twist right. Reach right fingertips to the low back diagonal (if you're facing the foot of your bed, you'll reach toward to top right corner), while stretching left fingertips forward. Twist back to center, bringing right arm front and rolling up to sit. Repeat to left for one rep. Do 8 reps. 

Try This Bed-Based Yoga Routine To Sleep Better Tonight


2. Dress In Belly-Flattening Fashions The right outfit can pull off a multitude of belly-flattening miracles. Meg Goldman (meggoldman.com), a New York City stylist who dresses women of all shapes and sizes—including curvy Weight Watchers success stories—shares her best belly-flattening tips.

• Choose fabrics wisely. Avoid lightweight knits, Lycra, and other stretch fabrics that highlight and emphasize rolls or bulges. Opt for woven fabrics (like woven cotton, silk or rayon blends, and lightweight wool blends) that skim the body rather than cling to it.

• Shop for a shift dress or wrap dress. The shift is a great way to show off your arms and legs, if they're your best assets, drawing less attention to the midsection. The wrap creates a waistline and shows off a beautiful neck and bust. 

• Pick tops made of woven fabrics as well. Shirts with detailing around the neckline and accessorized by a great piece of jewelry draw the eyes up to the face—and away from the stomach and hips. Blouses and tops with a small ruffle down the center are good for diverting attention away from the midsection as well. Wrap tops also slim quite nicely if they aren't made from thin, stretchy fabric. 

• Cinch your waist with a wide belt in a dark color. This separates the hips and bust, drawing the eyes to the center of the body. Look for one in soft leather that will mold with the body's natural curves. 

• Experiment with small patterns, like florals and geometrics, which tend to disguise bumps and rolls. Wear floral tops with a solid dark bottom to slim your lower half.

See 18 Style Tricks To Help You Look Younger—and Thinner

3. Turn In An Hour Earlier You'll be less likely to overeat the next day. Eating right and exercising regularly help ward off both stress and belly fat, but only if you're getting enough sleep. Skimping on sleep causes levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise, along with levels of deep abdominal fat. "There's a definite association between lack of sleep, increased stress hormones, and weight gain," says Auburn University exercise researcher Michele Olson, PhD. In a 6-year study, Canadian researchers found that adults who averaged just 5 or 6 hours of shut-eye a night were 35% more likely to gain 10-plus pounds and were nearly 60% heavier around the middle than those who slept 7 to 8 hours. Now that's a reason to skip Stewart.

See What a Perfect Day of Weight Loss Looks Like

4. Swap Soda For This Belly Buster A nice carbonated beverage can hit the spot when you're thirsty. But you'll have to skip the bubbles while you're on a middle-shrinking mission—nutritionist Palinski says the gas will make your belly poof up right away. Drink plain old tap water to stay hydrated—and make sure you get at least eight glasses a day. One delicious alternative: Flat Belly Diet Sassy Water (the eating plan's signature drink). The special ingredients aren't just there for flavor, either: The ginger helps calm and soothe your GI tract.

Get the Flat Belly Diet Sassy Water Recipe 

5. Munch More Whole Grains and Protein Trading refined carbs for whole grains is not only healthy, it can actually help you shed belly fat, too, according to research from a Pennsylvania State University study. Dieters in the study who ate whole grains shed more than twice as much abdominal fat as those who ate none. Whole grains reduce the production of insulin, a hormone that encourages fat storage, making it easier to lose belly fat. Add another belly fat–fighting component to your meal by packing in protein-rich foods. In a Danish study of 60 men and women, those following a diet that included 25% of calories from protein lost nearly twice as much fat after 6 months than those eating a diet with 12% protein. Include a serving of lean protein with each meal and snack—eggs for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch, low-fat or fat-free yogurt or milk for a snack, and grilled fish and vegetables for dinner.

6 Protein-Packed Snacks to Stash in Your Purse

6. Have Watermelon For Dessert The amino acid arginine, abundant in watermelon, might promote weight loss, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers supplemented the diets of obese mice with arginine over 3 months and found that doing so decreased body fat gains by a whopping 64%. Adding this amino acid to the diet enhanced the oxidation of fat and glucose and increased lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat does. Snack on watermelon in the summer, and eat other arginine sources, such as seafood, nuts, and seeds, year-round.

Get Delicious Watermelon Recipes

7. Add This Cupboard Staple To Your Diet The primary substance that gives ordinary vinegar its sour taste and strong odor may fight fat, suggests new research presented at a recent meeting of the Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science. In a study of 175 overweight Japanese men and women, those who consumed a drink containing either 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks had significantly lower body weight, BMI, visceral fat, and waist circumference than the control group that didn't consume any vinegar. Researchers credit vinegar's acetic acid, which may switch on genes that pump out proteins that break down fat.

8. Go Slowly At Meals Under stress, we tend to scarf down even healthy food. In fact, research has linked this behavior to bigger portions and more belly fat. But Elissa Epel, PhD, a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco, hypothesizes that slowing down, savoring each bite, and paying attention to feelings of fullness may lower cortisol levels along with decreasing the amount of food you eat, thereby shifting the distribution of fat away from the belly.

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Hate Dairy? Get These 9 Sneaky Bone Boosters

Recent news headlines like "More Calcium Doesn't Mean Stronger Bones" may make the mineral seem passe, but don't give up on this crucial bone builder just yet. You still need it, but you don't have to chugalug four glasses of milk a day -- or even one -- to get it.

By the way, most of us don't have to worry about the megadoses of calcium that, like megadoses of anything, have come under fire (in this case, for increasing your risk of heart attacks and, ironically,bone fractures). In fact, it's still a good bet that you aren't getting enough, according to a recent University of Connecticut study. Here's how to bone up on calcium if you can't tolerate dairy:

Get at least half of your daily 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium from food. There's evidence that a supplement/food combo is best for your bones. Just mix and match from this list of nine high-calcium, no-dairy choices. Any two or three will get you the daily 600 mg you need from food.

1. Calcium-fortified soy milk (up to 500 mg per cup)
2. Soy yogurt (up to 250 mg in 6 ounces)
3. Calcium-fortified orange juice (300 mg per cup)
4. Dark leafy greens, cooked: collards (357 mg per cup), turnip greens (249 mg per cup), or spinach (290 mg per cup)
5. Tofu made with calcium sulfate (200-330 mg in 4 ounces) -- check the ingredients list
6. Soybeans (175 mg per cup)
7. Broccoli (94 mg per cup)
8. Sardines (370 mg in a 3 ½-ounce tin!)
9. Canned salmon (181 mg in 3 ounces)

Then take a 600 mg calcium supplement to fill in the rest. Calcium citrate absorbs best if you don't take your pill with meals.

Toss in these bone-friendly nutrients, too:

• Protein. Because your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding your skeleton, molecule by molecule, you need a steady supply of protein (eggs, fish, skinless poultry, beans, lean meat) to provide the amino acids crucial for making bone, say researchers.
• Vitamin D. For maximum calcium absorption (and many other reasons!) you need 1,000 international units (IU) of it a day (1,200 IU if you're older than 60).
• Magnesium. It's a must for two reasons: First, calcium can make you constipated. Magnesium counteracts that (how Milk of Magnesia came to be). Second, it's essential for calcium absorption. If you buy a combo supplement of 600 mg of calcium and 200 mg of magnesium, you're covered (it's pretty easy to get the other 200-300 mg you need from food).
• Vitamin B12. Research has linked low levels of B12 to a higher risk for brittle bones.

What's your favorite recipe for a nondairy, calcium-rich food? Fresh collard green salad, anyone?

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7 new reasons to keep fat off

By Ginny Graves

We are in the midst of a fat epidemic: An astounding two-thirds of American adults, including 65 million women, are overweight or obese—a rise of 10% in just a decade. If we keep it up, according to a new study, all adults in the United States (yes, everyone) will be overweight or obese in 40 years.

What's with the huge numbers? In addition to our poor diets and sedentary lifestyles, one reason for the growing epidemic is that carrying extra pounds doesn't seem dangerous to us; we don't consider it life-threatening.

In fact, an American Diabetes Association (ADA) survey suggested that people are more afraid of shark attacks and snake bites than diabetes, even though diabetes contributes to more than 230,000 deaths every year—compared with 5 to 10 a year from sharks and snakes!

Health.com: 10 states where people eat too much fast food

"People don't take obesity or obesity-related illnesses like type 2 diabetes seriously enough because they don't realize that they can have dire consequences," says Ann Albright, PhD, RD, past president of health care and education for the ADA.

Being obese can lop as many as 20 years off your life and make the time you do have more painful (physically and emotionally), less healthy, active, productive, and sexy—and even less professionally and financially rewarding (thanks to weight discrimination). Even normal-weight people who have a high percentage of body fat are at increased risk of heart disease–related health problems like high blood pressure, high triglycerides, abnormal cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.

In other words, fat is the problem. A big problem. It's so big that we came up with this comprehensive list of fat-related issues that everyone—especially women—should know about. Keep in mind that, in most cases, losing even a small amount of weight can reduce or even reverse the risks, so start fighting fat now!

1. Fat ratchets up your risk for cancer
"Obesity is the most preventable cause of cancer, but most people don't know it," says Barry Popkin, PhD, an obesity researcher and author of The World Is Fat. Although years of research have shown that obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, for instance, just 54% of women were aware of the link, according to a recent study at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Even fewer women knew that obesity boosts the risk of endometrial cancer. "Women who are overweight have four times the risk, probably for the same reason they're at increased risk of breast cancer: body fat produces estrogen, a hormone that fuels these cancers," says Pamela Soliman, MD, MPH, lead author of the study. Likewise, University of Minnesota researchers found that leptin, a hormone associated with weight gain, enhanced the proliferation of both normal and cancerous breast cells. Losing weight may help decrease the risk of both breast and endometrial cancers, as well as colorectal cancer.

Health.com: The 7 best fat-blasters

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston recently found that people with metabolic syndrome (a combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol that's far more common in overweight people) had a 67% higher risk of colorectal cancer than those without the problems.

2. It can make cancer treatment and recovery difficult
Not only do obese women have a higher risk of complications from breast reconstruction after mastectomy (the complication rate is close to 100% for women with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 40, M. D. Anderson researchers reported), but overweight women also appear to be less likely than normal-weight women to get the full benefit of presurgery chemotherapy, possibly because doctors (worried about drug toxicity) tend to give overweight women smaller doses of the medications than they really need. In a nutshell, "People who weigh too much are more likely than normal-weight people to die from many cancers," Dr. Soliman says.

3. It's hard on your heart
The fatter you are the more likely you are to have a heart attack earlier in life—12 years sooner for those who are the most obese, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. One reason is that people who are overweight are more likely to have cardiac risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. But even after adjusting for those factors, being heavy in itself was a "considerable risk," according to Eric Peterson, MD, an author of the study and a professor of medicine at the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Duke University Medical Center.

Health.com: 9 surprising heart attack risks

4. It makes exercise unappealing
Lycra tops. Itsy-bitsy running shorts. It's no wonder obese women say self-consciousness is a major barrier to exercise. But that's not the only thing keeping them out of the gym. "They also have more aches and pains than normal-weight women, worry they might get injured, and just feel too overweight to exercise," says Melissa Napolitano, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of kinesiology at the Temple University Center for Obesity Research and Education, who recently surveyed 278 women of varying weights on the issue. Her advice: If you feel too self-conscious to exercise in public, find a good exercise DVD; or go to a place like Curves or the local track, where you're more likely to see people exercising who look like you. Also, start slowly so you gradually build strength and fitness.

5. Fat is bad for your brain
Jiggly arms may be more than just a vanity issue. In a large study, researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research found that those with the fattest arms at ages 40 to 45 were 59% more likely to have dementia later in life. Another study found that obese people, particularly those with large bellies at midlife, were 260% more likely to develop dementia. "The biggest risk is the fat that hangs over your belt," says Rachel Whitmer, PhD, lead study author. "The bigger your belly, the greater the risk for dementia, perhaps because of hormones or inflammatory factors produced by the abdominal fat itself."

Health.com: Eat this and burn more fat

6. It doesn't do much for your mood
Is being fat depressing or is depression fattening? Either way, there's an association between the two, according to a recent study of 4,641 women between the ages of 40 and 65. While just 6.5% of the women who had normal BMIs were depressed, 25.9% of those with BMIs higher than 35 were. In an earlier study of more than 9,000 people across the country, researchers found a 25% increase in the risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders among those who were obese. "Obesity could contribute to depression by limiting physical activity and through the stigma associated with being overweight," says Gregory Simon, MD, MPH, lead author of both studies and a psychiatrist at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.

7. Fat takes a toll on joints
Arthritis cases attributed to obesity rose from 3% to 18% between 1971 and 2002, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Extra weight seems to place stress on the joints, but other metabolic factors related to body fat and involving inflammation may lead to joint damage, too," study lead author Suzanne Leveille, PhD, RN, says. "Research suggests that modest weight loss combined with exercise—even just walking five days a week—can improve arthritis symptoms."

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Women and migraines: Do our hormones cause us to experience migraines more often?

Woman with migraineCredit: Wikimedia Commons/ Inniverse, Wikimedia Commons/ Inniverse

Any form of sound or light is your worst enemy. Your headache is so severe that you cannot find any relief or way to get comfortable. Moving just an inch or even just lifting a limb makes your pain worse. You may also be experiencing some other symptoms, such as nausea or vision issues. You are experiencing a migraine. Millions of women experience migraines and adult women are more prone to migraines than men are. It is believed that our hormones may play a role in this.

Migraines and Your Menstrual Cycle

More than half of the migraines that women experience come on right around the time of her monthly period. Doctors often refer to this as a "menstrual migraine." The exact link between migraines and your menstrual cycle are unclear, but it is known that just before your monthly period, your levels of progesterone and estrogen, two female hormones, significantly drop. A migraine may be triggered by this drop because estrogen plays a role in controlling the chemicals in our brains that affect how we sense pain.

Migraines and Menopause

If your menstrual cycle and your migraines are closely linked, menopause may lessen the severity of your headaches. Any vomiting and nausea you experience along with a migraine may also decrease. Approximately two-thirds of women report that once they start menopause, their migraine symptoms improve.

On the other end of the spectrum, some women may notice that menopause triggers or worsens migraines. Why this occurs is unclear. Menopausal hormone therapy may play a role. However, once you have completely gone through menopause, you will likely notice that any worsening of migraine symptoms will go away.

Migraines and Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills may improve migraines for some women. They may help to make attacks less severe and reduce how many attacks a woman has. On the other hand, birth control pills may make migraines worse. Then, in other women, these pills have absolutely no effect in terms of migraine headaches. Why there are three different responses to taking birth control pills is not really understood. When women experience migraines as a result of taking birth control pills, they generally experience the headache during the final week of the cycle. The final week of a pack of regular birth control pills does not contain hormones. This means that the body's estrogen levels experience a sudden drop and this could possibly trigger a migraine.

Treating Migraine Headaches

Migraines cannot be cured, but for most women, they can be managed. There are a variety of medications available that you and your doctor can discuss. Some medications are taken daily to try and prevent migraines from occurring in the first place and others are taken at the first sign of a migraine. Your doctor may prescribe each kind, depending on how frequent and severe your migraines are. It may take some trial and error to find the right medication or combination of medications for you.

There are also lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent how many migraines you experience. These may include a regular sleep schedule, regular physical activity, coping well with stress, limiting or avoiding known triggers, not skipping meals, a healthy diet and limiting your intake of caffeine and alcohol.

Some women report success with certain alternative methods. These may include things, such as biofeedback, relaxation and acupuncture. If your migraines are anxiety or depression related, counseling may be beneficial.

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Simple ways to cut calories and save money

Rising prices on food cause consumers to look for deals and cut grocery budgetsCredit: ckforic/stock.xchng, ckforic/stock.xchng

While going out to eat may seem like a simple, convenient option, it's not too good for your diet or financial situation. I am guilty of choosing the so-called convenience of dining out over eating at home, but recently I've had a change of heart. While trying to watch what I eat and sticking to a healthy eating plan, I realized that eating at home is obviously cheaper, and often healthier, than going out to eat. Sure, dining out occasionally is fun and allows you to celebrate special occasions, but if you are trying to lose weight or save money, eating at home is the way to go.

It's usually not possible to spend an endless amount of money at the grocery store, but that doesn't mean you have to sustain yourself on dried noodle soups or frozen dinners. With the craze of shows like "Extreme Couponing," I've learned some simple techniques to save some money on groceries while still enjoying what I make at home. Here are some easy ways you can eat healthy, and not go overboard on the budget:

Eat Before You Go

One important rule to grocery shopping - never head into the store on an empty stomach. Shopping while you're hungry causes you to want everything in sight, even if you hadn't thought about adding it to the list. Eat a snack before you leave, such as an apple and string cheese, to curb hunger as you walk up and down the aisles.

Make a List

A shopping list allows you to stay focused on what you need, and avoid those sugary temptations around every corner. If you're on a budget, make a shopping list based on the weekly circular set out by the grocery store. This will help you see items that are on sale, in addition to available seasonal fruits and vegetables. By simply using the circular to help plan weekly menus, I've been able to shave about 20 percent off of my normal grocery bill each week. If you're trying to save time creating a shopping list, check out resources such as Grocery Wiz, Zip List or Dinner Tool to compile the things you need so you're not tempted with other grocery items. Dinner Tool also helps you create a weekly menu, making shopping and meal planning even easier.

Seasonal Shopping

Each season, various fruits and vegetables are showcased and even on sale in the grocery store. Try out fruits and vegetables you've never had to see if you enjoy them, and then incorporate them into weekly menu plans. Fruits and vegetables are delicious snacks, and contain many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants necessary for healthy living. If you don't know what's in season, or want to plan ahead for canning or preserving, check out WiseBread, which has a list of all the fruits and vegetables available in a particular season.

Plan a Menu

Love going out for Mexican food every Thursday night? To save a few dollars, think about putting together an easy menu to cook at home. There are countless recipes and food blogs on the Internet, so finding your favorite foods is simple. While you may think it's cheaper to go out to eat after you buy all the ingredients, remember that the total cost of the ingredients needs to be divided into each plate, then into any leftover dishes. This can often translate into dishes under $5 per person, while the same dish at a restaurant will cost $20. When I need inspiration, I check out websites such as Food Network, The Pioneer Woman, and Tasty Kitchen.

Another perk of cooking your favorite foods at home? You control the calorie content. Restaurants add oil and butter to most dishes, raising the total calorie and fat content. Huge portion sizes also increase the amount of calories you eat, leading to weight gain.

Shop Wholesale

If there are certain ingredients you use over and over, try purchasing them wholesale. The trick to making sure you get a good deal at your favorite wholesale store is to compare each unit price against the price at the grocery store. While not everything at a wholesale store equals savings, some items purchased in bulk save you time and money.

Shopping for groceries doesn't have to be painful. Eating at home gives you creative freedom to try new foods or create your own recipes. Once you start eating at home, don't be surprised with the drop at the scale or a few extra dollars in your wallet.

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Do you really need 8 glasses of water a day?

How much water do we really need? You may think six to eight glasses per day because you have probably read many articles and had discussions with your doctor to support that. But a Scottish physician has blasted that standard in a British Medical Journal article, stirring the debate about how much water we should drink and how much is too much and bad for our health.

Dr. Margaret McCartney argues there is no quality scientific evidence to support the recommendation, which she says can lead to over-hydration problems for some people.

Here's what you need to know to sort hydration hype from good health advice.

Don't skimp
The eight-glass formula doesn't fit for everyone. It depends on your gender, size, and level of activity, other studies note. The Institute of Medicine calls for adult men to drink 13 cups of fluid daily (which totals three liters, or a little more than four tall reusable water bottles) and women to have nine cups (2.2 liters, or about the amount found in three reusable water bottles). That number changes according to lifestyle. The more active a person is, the more they will need to replace fluids. Larger people, pregnant and nursing women, and those who take dehydrating medications also will likely need to account for that by adding more water to their diet.

If you are active, it's also important to account for your environment when calculating how much fluid you need. If you are exercising in temperatures that are very hot (likely leading you sweat more) or very cold (which can stunt your ability to sense dehydration), are an endurance athlete, or are active in a high-altitude area, you will probably need to up your water intake.
                                        
                                         Related: How much exercise do you really need?

Don't overdo it
The debate about how much water we really need to be drinking is centered around the risk ofhyponatremia, or taking in more fluid that the body loses while sweating. It is a serious condition that occurs when there is not enough sodium (or salt) in the body fluids outside of the cells. This can cause swelling, including of the brain. Hyponatremia happens when a person sweats excessively in one stint, does not eat, does not urinate enough, and drinks a great deal of water. Symptoms include confusion, headaches, muscle spasms, vomiting, convulsions, and fatigue. In the worst cases, hyponatremia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death.

There are exceptions for medical conditions and other situations, but  athletes are often watched for signs of hyponatremia, especially those participating in endurance events like a marathon or triathlon.

Experts advise taking in some electrolyte-replacement fluids in addition to drinking water while you are exercising. However, you really only need a minimal amount to keep your body in balance and give you an energy kick. For example, it is recommended that runners out for 30 minutes to an hour take in three to six ounces of fluid every 15 or 20 minutes, including one sports drink. There's also evidence that simply taking sips or swishing a sports drink will do the trick.

Don't get sucked in to the sports drink hype
The risks of hyponatremia are steep, but take the hype about over-hydrating with a grain of salt. The multi-billion-dollar sports drink industry has pushed the idea that most people need more than water when they are active. However, some experts say that most people don't need a lot of sports beverages, and that they often just add calories to diets. The CDC recommends choosing sports drinks that do not have added sugar, which can total 38 grams in just one bottle.

                                       Related: 'Healthy' foods that could make you fat

In May, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a report warning that children should not consume sports drinks except when participating in lengthy sports competitions.

Consider these other drinks that carry the same benefits of electrolyte-replacement beverages but also have nutritional value or are less caloric:

• Chocolate milk beat out water, sports drinks and regular milk in a recent study of what is the best post-exercise drink for our bodies. Lowfat milk has also been touted as an ideal remedy for muscles that have been rigorously exercised.

• Coconut water is a nonfat beverage that has about half the calories of a sports drink while being high in potassium and antioxidants. Coconut water works best for average athletes.

• Pickle juice is packed with sodium and, if you can bear it, can be added to water or made into popsicles for hot-weather workouts. There's also scientific and anecdotal evidence that drinking a shot out of the pickle jar will help alleviate muscle cramps faster.

• Beetroot juice has recently been recognized as a new "super drink" after one study found it helped competitive cyclists cut down their times by a few critical seconds. Not taking part in the Tour de France? Then keep an eye out for more research on how this alternative beverage might help weekend warriors.

Count other drinks besides water as fluids
It's OK to include other drinks when you're measuring how many fluids you take in per day. However, that isn't a license to subsist on soda, coffee, and sugary drinks. Although caffeine in soda and coffee won't dehydrate you, they shouldn't be used to quench thirst or as a substitute for water. Add them to your fluid tally, but do reach for water more often than you pop open a can of bubbly stuff.

People who imbibe, particularly wine and hard liquors, should also be aware that those drinks with a high alcohol content can be dehydrating. Beer, however, is less dehydrating because it is predominantly water. Drinking a glass of water before and after alcohol can't hurt fluid intake or the chances of avoiding a headache the next day.


Eat your water
You don't always have to sip to stay hydrated. Experts say that 20 percent (or 2-1/2 cups) of the water we ingest comes from the foods we eat. Choosing the right water-rich fruits and vegetables will also add nutrients to your diet, fill you up, and may even give some oomph to your exercise.

Fruits like strawberries, cantaloupes, and peaches are packed full of water and potassium, which is the electrolyte shed when your body sweats. Adding more to your daily diet will help balance the fluids your body needs, regulate your heartbeat and circulation, and tastes better than chugging an energy drink.

Selecting foods that fuel your health while helping keep you hydrated will give you more bang for your buck. Watermelon offers a vitamin C boost, broccoli helps fight cancer, pineapple aids muscle recovery after a big workout, and yogurt ups immunity. (Read more about foods that keep you hydrated and healthy here.)


Sneak in the good stuff
If you're up to your ears in cucumber salad or can't manage to down another bottle of water, work in little ways to stay hydrated. Add slices of orange, lime, kiwi, or watermelon to a jug of water for a burst of natural flavor. Make a regular old glass of tap water feel fancier by adding fizz with a counter-top carbonator (sold for about $100 and marketed as home soda-makers, skip the added flavors to make sparkling water in your own reusable bottles). Take 10 minutes once a week to stock your fridge, car, gym bag, and desk with water bottles so it's convenient to grab water wherever you spend most of your day.  Finally, you can up your fluid intake with one little step by simply adding a straw to your glass of water.

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Why You Should Be Exercising (It's Not Just About Weight)

Source: Why You Should Be Exercising (It's Not Just About Weight)

With Summer and its warm-weather fashion parade in full force, it can be easy to stress out about working out in order to feel confident in the season's newest bikinis. But there are many more reasons to exercise that have nothing to do with your waistline. A regular workout routine is essential for feeling your best as well. Here are a few more reminders of how good for you that daily workout routine really is.

• Increase your energy. No, that five-mile run isn't going to wear you out. On the contrary, research has shown that the more you exercise, the more energy you have. So if you find yourself feeling sluggish in the heat or can't keep your eyes open when the afternoon hits, try adding a few exercises to your routine.
• Help prevent disease and illness. Exercise is a cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle, and it can help prevent a wide variety of diseases and illnesses. From cardio for heart health to burning that diabetes-causing internal fat, exercising regularly can keep you on the healthy track.
• Boost your mood. Stressed, annoyed, angry? Go exercise. The endorphins released when you exercise can help put you in a better mood, which can lead to all sorts of happier living moments, from socializing to a better love life (Intrigued? Here are a few specific exercises that'll help your sex life).
• Sleep better. Even though exercising can rev you up, it's the perfect remedy for too many restless or sleepless nights. Exercising can help you sleep better so you get a deep sleep and wake up refreshed in the morning.
• Improve thinking. Problem solving, crafting the perfect email, or nailing a presentation can be easier if you've exercised beforehand. The endorphins that pep you up also help clear your mind, so you can think better and smarter.

Why do you exercise?

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Can menopause really be treated naturally?

Drenching hot flashes, mood swings that drive you batty, insomnia that has you staring at the ceiling all night and the dreaded weight gain. Yes, menopause is upon you. Your doctor may often recommend some treatments that are often helpful in alleviating some of your symptoms, but if you are looking for a more natural approach, there are several purported remedies as well. But, can menopause really be treated naturally? Here we will explore this question, the most common natural remedies and discuss if they really are effective for menopausal symptoms.

Before Trying a Natural Treatment for Menopause

Natural does not automatically equal safe. If you take any prescription medications, there is a chance that certain natural remedies may adversely interact with one of your medications. Also, certain natural remedies may adversely interact with each other. Some natural treatments should also be avoided by people with certain medical conditions. So, before you start any natural remedies talk to your doctor about the ones you are interested in so that he or she can help you determine if the remedy or treatment is safe for you.

Behavioral Changes for Menopause

This is a type of natural treatment that will require you to change some things you do throughout your day to help alleviate your symptoms. This mainly helps with hot flashes. Avoid alcohol, coffee and spicy foods to help keep cool. Also try to avoid stress or at least keep your stress level as low as possible. Cotton clothing and ice packs can also keep you cool. Before bedtime, do not take hot showers or baths. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques have also been shown to be beneficial in alleviating hot flashes.

Vitamins for Menopause

Talk to your doctor before adding any additional vitamin supplements to avoid vitamin toxicity. Vitamin E is supposed to be good in alleviating hot flashes and vaginal dryness and beneficial for your skin. Vitamin B12, often referred to as the "energy vitamin," may help improve your mental clarity, memory, and of course, your energy levels. Vitamin B5 may help with your energy and stress levels because it is a vitamin critical for adrenal gland health.

Fish oil is also said to be beneficial. Omega-3 essential oils are good for your joints, cholesterol level, skin and heart.

Herbs and Natural Supplements for Menopause

Black cohosh is a very controversial natural menopause treatment. This herb is said to be beneficial for alleviating hot flashes, but many believe it may be dangerous. If you are considering this herb, you definitely want to talk to your doctor first.

Evening primrose oil is high in gamma-linolenic acid. This herb is believed to be beneficial for all types of female-related health issues. In terms of menopause, this herb is said to be helpful for hormone health and your skin.

Natural Techniques for Menopause

Some menopausal women report that yoga and acupuncture have helped with some of their menopause symptoms, but these two natural techniques have not been extensively studied yet. Some women report that acupuncture may help relieve hot flashes. Some women report that yoga may be beneficial in alleviating several different menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and depression.

Regular exercise, not just yoga, is important for menopausal women as well. It may help with hot flashes. More importantly, it is important to help maintain good bone density as women grow older and to help keep your weight at a healthy number.

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3 Running Myths — Busted!

You've probably heard several of them numerous times—"be sure to stretch before you run" and "always finish your runs with a cool down"—but is there any real truth to them?

We asked exercise science expert Michele Olson, PhD, FACSM, CSCS, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery, and creator of thePerfect Legs, Glutes & Abs DVD to help us sort out the facts from fiction of these popular running misconceptions.

Myth: You should always stretch before you run
The Truth: "Static stretching is not the optimal way to warm-up before you run," Olson says. Believe it or not, you could actually strain your muscles with staticstretching , and it might even slow you down. Instead, focus on getting oxygen to your muscles and warm them up—literally, Olson recommends. "Start out by walking and trotting: swing your arms; shrug your shoulders and slowly elevate your heart rate for about 10 minutes before you pick up your pace."

That doesn't mean you should skip stretching completely, Olson says. Just make sure to do it after your run, when your muscles are very warm and full of oxygen and nutrients; and then engage in static stretching, focusing on your leg, hip, and low-back muscles.

RELATED: Preventative Exercises for New Runners

Myth: You should always do a "cool down" after your run
The Truth: Have you ever finished a long run and all you want to do is sit down but your running buddy insists on a cool down? Good news! It's actually OK to sit and catch your breath after a run, Olson says. The idea behind 'cooling down' (an active way to recover) is that you'll enhance your body's ability to return to its normal, pre-exercise state, but it isn't mandatory. Your increased breathing rate will do the job just fine, Olson says. "Your body is engineered to return its functions back to a normal resting state anyway—and that post-exercise heavy breathing is your body's natural way of restoring oxygen levels, removing heat, and moving outwaste products whether you are actively recovering or passively recovering." 

RELATED: What's the Deal with Barefoot Running Shoes?

Myth: Barefoot shoes are the best footwear for all runners
The Truth: In the U.S. we grow up wearing shoes and our bodies adapt to footwear , Olson says. But the barefoot runners from Kenya, for example, never wear shoes, so their bodies are more adapted to barefoot running. If you aren't used to running sans shoes, immediately switching from cushiony kicks to barefoot runners may not be the best idea. "If you want to try the newer barefoot shoes, be sure to ease into them. Go for short distances and build up slowly," Olson recommends. And while they can offer some benefits for runners, they aren't the best choice for everyone. "If you wear orthotics or have joint problems that require the cushion of a typical running shoe , you may not do well with barefoot shoes," Olson says.

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4 Steps To Lowering Your Risk of Getting Sick from Food

By GalTime Nutritionist Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN

What are consumers to do when so many of the foods that they enjoy and commonly eat can potentially make them sick?

Many of these foods are also quite healthful---fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances; fish provides lean protein, and tuna is rich in healthful omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other vital nutrients; eggs are a great source of complete protein; and low fat dairy products provide tons of calcium.

Robbing your diet of these foods can make meals less satisfying and may rob you of opportunities to get many of the nutrients you need. So, instead of subjecting yourself to a highly restrictive diet in an attempt to avoid getting sick from food, here are four simple steps you can take to minimize your risks; while there are many more things you can do in addition to what's listed below, these tips will help you get started on your quest to eat more safely:

Related: Fat-Fighting Foods to Add To Your Diet

1. Wash, wash, wash...your hands, that is. Whether you use soap and water or hand sanitizer, keeping your hands clean at all times, and making sure to wash your hands after you grocery shop, handle raw foods, or sneeze or cough (or even blow your nose) will substantially reduce the likelihood that bacteria or other unwelcome germs will spread and lead to illness.

2. When preparing or cooking food, treat any raw foods (especially beef, poultry, fish, or eggs) as you would fine china--they're breakable and should be handled with care and attention. Never allow raw foods or their juices to come in contact with any other foods or surfaces to minimize the spread of bacteria (if there is any in the food to begin with). Make sure any utensils (cutting boards, knives, or other equipment) you use to handle the food are not used for other foods as well unless they're thoroughly washed beforehand.

3. Cook foods to their proper temperatures. Bacteria multiply rapidly in foods that are between 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit; to reduce the risk for foodborne illness, make sure to use a meat thermometer (and clean it with hot soap and water before and after each use) to see how thoroughly meats, poultry, and fish are cooked.

• Poultry, including chicken, turkey, duck and goose, should all be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
• Raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal (steaks, roasts, and chops) should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit
• Ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit
• Fish and shellfish should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
• It's also a great idea to check the temperature of reheated leftovers; most should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Related: How Much Exercise Do You REALLY Need?

4. Don't leave it out. Food that's been left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours becomes a welcome mat for bacteria; in the hot sun, and when temperatures outside reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the window for keeping food safe decreases to only one hour. Whether you're entertaining at home, or just feeding your family, try to time meals/events so that foods are not left out for longer than one to two hours max.

Sources: Fight Back! Partnership for Food Safety Education http://www.foodsafety.gov/ http://www.fsis.usda.gov/is_it_done_yet/brochure_text/index.asp

 

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