Mar 24th, 2023 - Are you sitting comfortably? Just pause for a moment and without adjusting, notice your posture. What are your legs doing? Are they crossed? And are you a right or left crosser? Some 62 percent of people cross right over left, 26 percent go the other way, and 12 percent have no preference. There are typically two ways to sit in a chair and cross your legs, one is at the knee and the other is at the ankle. But as comfy as it may be to sit with your legs crossed, is it bad for your health and posture? Let's take a look at the evidence. For a start, research shows that sitting cross-legged can ... [Read More]

Mar 23rd, 2023 - IT'S EASY TO FEEL competitive in the gym. It's also only natural to compare how much you're able to lift with the guy training next to you. Such friendly rivalry is one of the things that can inspire us to reach for heavier dumbbells, add more plates to the bar, or set the pin farther down the weight stack. But that's not always helpful when you compare yourself with someone who is much bigger than you. There's a training metric that can be even more important than how much weight you can lift regardless of your size (i.e., your "absolute strength"): how much you can handle in relation to ... [Read More]

Mar 22nd, 2023 - Small fish and bivalves offer often-overlooked nutritional and environmental value. Many health-conscious consumers have already cut back on hamburgers, steaks, and deli meats, often by swapping in poultry or seafood. Those protein sources are better than beef, and not just because they're linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Chicken and fish are also better for the environment, as their production uses less land and other resources and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions. And choosing seafood that's lower on the food chain — namely, small fish such as ... [Read More]

Mar 22nd, 2023 - Colorful breakfast cereal with milk fills spoon in foreground with cereal in glass bowl on pink background in out-of-focus background You've likely heard health experts say that eating whole foods and skipping processed foods is a key to optimal health. A December 2022 study , for example, presented a pretty scary statistic linking ultra-processed foods to cognitive decline, saying that people who ate more than 20% of their daily calories from processed foods had a 28% faster decline in global cognition and a 25% faster decline in executive functioning, compared with people who ate less than ... [Read More]

Mar 21st, 2023 - Here's how to keep the good bacteria in your gut thriving. By Valerie Agyeman, R.D. Sveta // Foods that deliver prebiotics are just as important as food that contain probiotics . So why aren't we talking about them more? Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that feed the good bacteria in the gut. Basically, prebiotics help probiotics flourish, so eating more of them is a great strategy — especially to reap the many health benefits, like improving your digestive health, supporting immunity and fighting off various diseases. In fact, research suggests that a diet high in ... [Read More]

Mar 21st, 2023 - TUESDAY, March 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- One way to reduce the risk of heart disease: Eat more nuts and seeds, according to a new review of 60 studies. Scandinavian researchers found that eating nuts could reduce the risk of a heart attack. "If you eat a handful of nuts every day, that is around 30 grams, you will have a 20% to 25% lower risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. In comparison, adults in the Nordic countries only eat on average around 4 grams of nuts a day. Many do not eat nuts or seeds at all," said study co-author Erik Arnesen , research fellow at the University of ... [Read More]

Mar 21st, 2023 - The Smith machine row is a popular exercise in weightlifting that is used to target the muscles of the back, shoulders, and arms. It is a compound movement that engages multiple muscle groups and is an effective way to build strength and improve posture. The Smith machine itself is a piece of equipment that is found in most commercial gyms, and it is a popular choice for weightlifters due to its versatility and stability. In this article, we will take a closer look at the Smith machine row exercise, including its benefits, how to perform it correctly, and variations that can be used to ... [Read More]

Mar 20th, 2023 - Why the Mediterranean Diet May Be Especially Beneficial for Women's Heart Health Women who follow a Mediterranean diet are less likely to experience events like heart attacks or strokes or to die prematurely, a new study finds. Doctors have long recommended a Mediterranean diet as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Now, a new study offers fresh evidence that eating this way can help women in particular to lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease or dying young. For the analysis, researchers extracted data on more than 720,000 female participants in 16 previously published ... [Read More]