FITNESS Magazine
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Power Foods for Your Busy Life
Why it works: "The dry, recycled air and the altitude are dehydrating, which can make you feel tired," says Elizabeth Boham, M.D., R.D., a nutritionist in Lenox, Massachusetts. "Fitting in as many liquids as possible can help counteract that." Try to time your last preflight meal according to when you land: Scientists at Harvard Medical School found that you may be able to avoid jet lag by fasting for at least 16 hours before eating breakfast in your new time zone. "Caffeine peaks within 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, so time your beverage accordingly," says Leslie Bonci, R.D., the director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a FITNESS advisory board member. Why it works: Consuming 200 milligrams or more of potassium helps flush bloat-causing fluids from your system, explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., the author of Doctor's Detox Diet.
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Private Matters: Solutions to Common Gyno Problems
Your pelvic floor, a web of muscles, tendons and ligaments at the lowest point of your torso, is one of the major support structures of your body. "The weight of your abdominal organs rests on it," says Amy Rosenman, MD, the president-elect of the American Urogynecologic Society. A weak or damaged pelvic floor can lead to all kinds of problems, including painful sex, backaches, and incontinence. More and more young women are being diagnosed with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs).
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7 Foods for Prettier Skin
Eating the right foods can banish breakouts, prevent fine lines and give you a radiant glow. Here, your science-based, healthy-skin diet.
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Looking for a Cheap Superfood? Get Cracking with Eggs
"Eggs are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein," says Kath Younger, RD, a nutritionist in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the blogger behind Kath Eats Real Food. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
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6 Fast Ways to Reverse Bad Diet Decisions
To counteract the problem, NYC-based dietitian Jaclyn London, RD, says you should take two steps to keep bloat at bay: "That means filling up on fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean protein." If you're really in a bind for a snack, make sure that packaged bites are low in sodium at 140mg or less. London says to also choose foods high in potassium, which is a nutritional counter-balance for sodium. "Caffeine is both a natural diuretic and an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage," London says.
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Looking to Lose Weight? Eat like a Man
"Women often miss out on not only protein, but the nutrients that come along with many sources of protein and are helpful for weight loss," say celebrity nutritionists Lyssie Lakatos, RD, and Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, who are known as the Nutrition Twins. The reason: Mixed drinks typically come brimming with simple sugars and calories, and since the body prioritizes dealing with toxins like alcohol over sugars, the body typically stores the sweet stuff as fat, says Samantha Cassetty, RD, director of nutrition for Luvo.
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How to Ditch the Sugar Habit
Sugar is made up of roughly equal parts glucose and fructose. The more you weigh, the greater your risk for such health conditions as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Some docs -- particularly Robert Lustig, MD, a professor of pediatrics and endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco -- think that the problem with sugar goes beyond that. Lustig believes that the fructose in sugar is especially dangerous, because we can't digest it properly.
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Eat Great, Lose Weight: Top Ingredients Celeb Chefs Use
We got the skinny on the surprising ingredients they use to make good-for-you food taste anything but. I blend it with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, capers, shallots, and Worcestershire sauce for a creamy salad dressing.
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Health-Food Fight: The Healthiest Buys at the Grocery Store
"Veggie burgersalso have about four grams of fiber and half the calories -- around 100," says Lori Lieberman, RD, a dietitian in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. The winner: It's a tie. "Agave syrup and honey both have 64 calories, about 16 grams of carbs, and between 14 and 17 grams of sugar per tablespoon," says Elizabeth DeRobertis, RD, the founder of the Nutrition Center at Scarsdale Medical Group in Harrison, New York. The kind of sugar, however, differs: Agave has a higher percentage of fructose to glucose, so it raises your blood sugar more slowly but may also trick your brain into thinking your stomach isn't as full as it actually is.
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Pinpoint (and Fix!) Your Joint Pain Problems
Bummer news for fit women: According to Hector Lopez, MD, CSCS, FAAPMR, chief medical officer and principal of the Center for Applied Health Sciences, active women who run and exercise regularly are six to eight times more likely than similarly active men to suffer an ACL or ligament injury. In addition, Mitchell K. Freedman, DO, director of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia and associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, recommends stretching in the morning, especially if you've taken up a new cardio class or workoutWhy Your Back Hurts
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Your 11 Smartest Nutrition Moves
The trick is to stock up on healthy snacks, like fruits, vegetables, popcorn and rice cakes. "To boost my fiber intake, I mix a high-fiber cereal with my Cheerios and eat a lot more fruits and vegetables." Why It Works: The American Heart Association advises getting at least 25 grams of fiber daily to help ward off disease. A USDA study found that increasing fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams blocks the absorption of up to 90 calories a day.
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How to Run in the Heat Safely
"Match your workout to the weather by slowing down during exercise and seeking shade afterward," says Samuel N. Cheuvront, PhD, a research physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. According to the National Weather Service, exposure to direct sunlight can increase how hot it feels by as many as 15 degrees. "When the mercury is above 90 -- the temperature of the surface of your skin -- you'll gain heat from the air around you, and your body heat will have nowhere to go," Cheuvront warns. At that tipping point, you'll sweat more and your body temperature will rise rapidly, making you more susceptible to heat-related illness.
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Break the Headache Curse
Women are three times more likely than men to get migraines, and we're also more prone to tension headaches. These kick in after you've finished a demanding project or even when you're finally vegging out during a much-needed vacation, says Lawrence Newman, MD, the director of the Headache Institute at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.
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The Unhealthiest Ballpark Foods to Eat
A standard serving of nachos contains more than 1,000 calories, but perhaps the biggest issue is the additives, says Laura Cipullo, RD, owner of Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services in New York City. The chips are brimming with salt and the nacho cheese is probably more chemical than it is cheese. Granted you don't dip it in that gnarly cheese, a soft pretzel contains roughly 450 calories, says Cipullo. "Hard lemonade is high in carbs, alcohol, and calories," says nutritionist Monica Reinagel, LN, CNS.
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Slim for Life: What to Eat in Your 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s
"But weight gain isn't inevitable if you arm yourself with age-specific strategies to prevent it," says Elisa Zied, RD, the author of Younger Next Week. Fat zap: "Most of us wouldn't drink several sodas in a row, but we'll order multiple cocktails -- even though a mojito is more caloric than a cola," says Alice Domar, PhD, a coauthor of Live a Little! A shot of liquor has about 100 calories, a five-ounce glass of wine contains 120 and a 12-ounce beer has around 150. Since many restaurants dole out double portions of wine, pour yourself five ounces at home (that's about two-thirds of a cup) so you'll know if you've been served extra, suggests Heather Mangieri, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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Don't Get Burned: 5 Sunscreen Mistakes You're Making
Wrong! "Every one of those 10-minute exposures does harm, because they accumulate and lead to DNA damage over time," says Elizabeth F. Callahan, MD, a FITNESS advisory board member and a dermatologist in Sarasota, Florida. A cloudy day isn't an exemption, notes Elizabeth K. Hale, MD, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. "UVA rays penetrate the atmosphere 365 days a year and can accelerate premature aging of the skin and contribute to skin cancer development," she says.
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Heal Better: Smart Workout Pain Solutions
She hoped the pain would go away once she got home, but no such luck. Such thinking can trigger a nasty downward spiral.
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4 Ways to Maximize Your Meals
Think twice before tossing those peels, stems or leafy tops. "They contain tons of nutrients and can stretch your food budget," says Ronna Welsh, the owner of Purple Kale Kitchenworks, a cooking school in Brooklyn. Power up your diet with these healthy extras.
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The New Power Circuit: How to Strength Train for Major Results
Gyms everywhere are clearing their floors of traditional weight machines to make space for a smarter, faster way to build strength. Weeding out many of those one-trick-pony weight machines is your gym's way of saying Get up! In other words, sitting on a leg-extension machine is out, and doing squats is in.
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Snack by Mail: The Best Snack Subscription Boxes
Graze (graze.com) Started by seven friends, Graze offers 90+ nutritious snacks, many of them sourced from small suppliers. What's inside: Snacks arrive in a recycled cardboard box with materials sourced from sustainable forests.