Trouble falling asleep? Your before-bed habits may be contributing to your insomnia. Here are four sneaky sleep saboteurs that you should avoid around bedtime if you want a good night’s rest.
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Forget the sugar-bombs you get off the ice-cream truck. Try one of these frosty, healthier treats to cool off and feel great.
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Get ready to break out those short-shorts! These plyometric moves from Nora Tobin are sure to slim down your legs and butt. Watch this video to learn how to do this high-powered, lower body workout.
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Now that I’m on the other side of my cesarean section, I see why the doctors who advised me through my exciting pregnancy were so reassuring about planning this surgery. It was fun (well, almost).
We arrived before 6 o’clock in the morning—planned C-sections are done early in the day, partially for the comfort of the mother, who isn’t allowed to eat or drink after midnight the night before.
I was so excited to be done with my pregnancy and eager to meet my baby that I drove myself to the hospital, with my husband in the passenger seat.
This time I wasn’t scared. The thought of having my abdomen opened up and my unborn baby lifted from me didn’t frighten me at all. I felt her kicking that morning, and I knew this fetus, who was misdiagnosed as a miscarriage at six weeks, whom we might have lost when I leaked fluid at 18 weeks, who successfully sailed through my orthopedic surgeries, and who dutifully fattened us both up throughout my third trimester, was finally ready to look me in the eyes.
Without the groaning and tears that characterized the last time I gave birth at this hospital (an emergency C-section after a womb infection endangered my daughter’s life, as well as mine), I checked in clearheaded, but hungry.
The check-in process went along with only one hitch: Unfortunately, the nurse who started my IV wasn’t familiar with the tenolysis procedure I’d undergone earlier this year. She attempted to insert the needle directly over the healing tendons in my wrist, and it took me several minutes to stop crying from the excruciating pain.
After a few more tries, we finally had an IV drip ready to go in my left hand, and I strolled directly into the operating room. I could hear my OB having a pre-surgical powwow with the medical team. “We are gathered here this morning,” he said, sounding ministerial, “to perform a cesarean section on Erica Kain, a 37-year-old woman and mother of two.” He continued to calmly dole out instructions to the team while I filled out paperwork.
Rolling the IV drip behind us, the nurse escorted me into the operating room, where a bright light shone directly in the center of the operating table. Babbling excitedly, I hoisted myself up onto the table, and lay down with my large belly under the crosshairs.
The anesthesiologist asked me to lie on my side so he could administer my spinal block. “Arch your back like a cat,” he instructed, and I squeezed my OB’s hand while the anesthesiologist injected a painful numbing solution around the site. I didn’t feel the longer needle he inserted with the spinal block medication itself.
That spinal block medication felt wonderful! Compared to my emergency C-section’s “cranked up” epidural, which made me shake and chatter so hard that a filling cracked right out of my teeth, it was a numbing fantasy come true.
My right thigh started to feel warm, just like I was rolling into a hot tub. Then I started to feel that warmth through my left side as well. By the time I was rolled onto my back again, I had only the vaguest sensations in my abdomen and legs.
Members of the surgical team introduced themselves to me as they assembled a curtain across my chest, so I could be spared the gorier aspects of the procedure. Having been outfitted in scrubs and a mask, my husband assumed the position next to my head, only peeking over the curtain occasionally.
The nurses shaved me and painted adhesive on either side of my lower belly to help position the spreader that would hold my incision open. A second doctor assisted my OB, whose eyes I could see over his mask, until he changed his focus to my belly and said, “OK, it’s 8:30. We’ve begun.”
A nurse repeated “8:30 start” and I realized that things were underway; my doctor was reopening the incision that had brought my second daughter into the world. My body was surrendered to the surgical process as a Frank Sinatra album played softly in the background.
Stay tuned for my next entry, Part 2: Another voice enters the room.
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Same place, different mind-set—thats the challenge of a staycation. How do you exist within the same four walls, with the same distractions—messy basement, couch and remote, computer, junk food, phone—yet create a relaxing, healthy, away-from-it-all experience? According to a 2009 AP-Gfk poll, one-third of Americans have already canceled a trip due to financial concerns, and more than half have no plans to hit the road this year. For the recession-squeezed, or the downright too-exhausted-to-travel, we tapped the experts for advice on how a typical family of four can have an invigorating (and inexpensive) vacation without leaving home.
Plan to check out—at least mentally
The best way to feel like youre getting away in your own home? Create a vacation plan—and stick with it. “Think about what your intention is for the time off, write it down, then put it up on the fridge,” says Meredith Haberfeld, a New York–based life and career coach. If your goal is to feel connected to your family, set aside specific time for family-only activities, dinners, and outings. Research shows that family rituals (like vacations) boost parents and kids mental and physical health. But just because youre not getting away doesnt mean you cant focus on together time—it just takes a bit more effort.
If youre winging it, youre setting your staycation up for failure. “You need to have some clear goals and set up a schedule,” says Ken Robbins, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “Most people do a poor job because they dont plan and then they answer the phone, they do an errand, people stop over, and before they know it, the week is over and theyve done what they usually do.”
Rediscover your hometown
For a true mental getaway, explore your surroundings with a visitors eye—it will keep you away from the pull of the daily grind. One great resource is discoveramerica.com. Simply plug in your location and youll find a list of nearby offerings for museums, galleries, libraries, parks, and unique businesses (think candymakers, tea producers, breweries, bakeries). City magazines or weekend newspaper sections are another great resource for in-town events such as outdoor concerts, movies in the park, and theater performances. Or head to the closest college town to take advantage of some free campus offerings, like dance performances, lectures, and more.
Create your own swanky destination
Cant afford to get to Canyon Ranch? You can create nearly the same healthy experience at home. “If youve always wanted to take a yoga, water aerobics, or spinning class, schedule a day where everyone does a few things at the local rec center,” says Melissa Thornton, a marriage and family therapist in Trumbull, Conn. Many gyms and yoga studios offer a free introductory trial or a discount for your first class, or log on to gymticket.com to score free passes to gyms in your area.
Try a little in-house pampering and healthy dining for the ultimate spa experience. Light candles, put body oils and rose petals in a bath, and play some soothing music. Try at-home facials and pedicures for a relaxing mother-daughter group activity. And when your tummies start to rumble, gather your family and head to the kitchen. You can try hundreds of Canyon Ranchs healthy recipes—like Chicken Panzella Salad or Artichoke and Tomato Flatbread—just by signing up (for free!) at the resorts website.
Get moving
A healthy staycation should include one active element every day, but that doesnt mean you should schlep your family to the gym. “Combine getting outside and exercising with something else to create an adventure,” says Mike Munro, a fitness consultant in New York City. He suggests taking a train ride to a new hiking trail, or combining a hike with a midday picnic. You can also turn something as simple as a bike ride into a scavenger hunt. “Just ride through the city and hunt for a picture in front of a certain building, a keychain from a different part of town, and a drawing of a local monument,” he adds.
For families with teenage children, try setting a team goal, like a 10K race, bike race, or group walk. Put together a three-month training schedule, place it on the fridge, and let each family member check off his or her daily workout. (A general rule of thumb: Every two weeks increase your training by at least 10% but no more than 25%.) “Having this calendar helps you focus, and seeing all those check marks becomes a visual indicator of your progress,” says Munro. Choose your event ahead of time, then use your staycation to focus on training.
For extra motivation, try training for a charity event. Several studies have demonstrated the link between volunteering and greater mental and physical health. In fact, a recent large-scale Vanderbilt University study found that people of all ages who volunteered experienced increased physical health and decreased levels of depression. Check out volunteermatch.org for opportunities near your home.
Get away from your gadgets
A staycation can quickly go south if you let yourself get caught up with daily tasks like checking your email and returning phone calls. If you really want to get away, you should act like youre out of town. “For at least a few days put the auto responder on your email and leave a message on your phone saying that youre on vacation,” says Robbins.
Make a family pact to turn off BlackBerrys, iPods, and computers. “This is a great one for mental health because it disconnects you from the responsibilities, stressors, and routine of everyday life,” says Thornton. If a complete turnoff is impossible, then set very specific limits—like once a day for 15 minutes. Technological turnoff is not only good for families, but it may also calm the gadget-addicted. Edward Hallowell, MD, author of CrazyBusy: Overbooked, Overstretched, and About to Snap, says that personalities who feel the need to answer every email can work themselves into a state of toxic stress. So use your staycation to unwind and disconnect.
Make food fun
Use your time off to experiment in the kitchen as a family. Chris Heuston, a Colorado-based nutritionist and mother of three, likes to walk or ride her brood to the farmers’ market and let everyone pick some toppings for a personal pizza. If you want to score some great deals—or even some free produce—head to the market toward the end of the day, just as the merchants start to pack up their trucks. Many merchants dont want to lug unsold produce back home, so theyll sell it to you for a super-low price (or even for free).
Try whipping up your own pizza dough, dividing it into individual pies, and letting your kids make their own. Heustons favorite toppings include olives, red peppers, and basil, or goat cheese, potatoes, and asparagus. And when it comes to the kitchen, healthy doesnt have to mean boring. Heuston suggests Iron Chef lunches. Simply lay out multiple ingredients and let everyone create his or her own meal. Heuston is also a fan of grilling. Its easy and theres less clean up. “Try things that you wouldnt necessarily grill, like romaine for a Caesar salad or tomatoes for a salsa,” she says. “My kids love to make homemade ice cream in the summer and well grill peaches to mix in.”
Keep the mood light and relaxed
Things tacky, wacky, or out of the ordinary can be memorable. If youre lucky enough to have a local drive-in movie theater, go in your pajamas. Visit an oddball local attraction—like the worlds largest popcorn ball in Sac City, Iowa—or have a family mini-golf tournament. Sure, you may wish you were headed to the beach or the Grand Canyon, but set a positive example for your kids by keeping the mood light. The effects could be long-lasting—research shows that kids who feel good about themselves are less likely to be materialistic.
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Going green gets a bad reputation for breaking the bank. Organic food can be expensive, all-natural clothing doesn’t come cheap, and alternative treatments aren’t always covered by insurers. But with the right strategy—and our (free!) expert advice—you can actually save hundreds of dollars each month just by being more eco-friendly.
Lean and Green
10 Easy Ways to Eat Natural
Want to eat green on a lean budget? These 10 trends, tips, and tools can help you save.
Organic On the Cheap
This Recipe Feeds 5 for Less Than the Cost of a Fast Food Meal
Think eating all-natural will break the bank? Tuscan Chicken Stew is easy, organic, and less expensive than fast food fare.
Bottoms Up
Inexpensive Natural Wines That We Love
Its more affordable than you might think to drink natural, eco-friendly wines: Organic, biodynamic and other forms of chemical-free farming are already common among quality wine producers.
Saving at the Grocery Store
Money Q&A: Saving on Organic Foods and More
Expert advice on where to scrimp on expensive organic groceries.
DIY Cleaners
Save Green While You Clean
Using toxin-free, all- or mostly natural cleaning products isnt just a good idea for protecting the environment inside (and outside) your home—it can actually save you some dough.
All-Natural Hair Treatments
A Pantry Staple that Salvages Split Ends
Olive oil helps quench seriously dry strands. Leave it in your hair overnight as an all-natural and budget-friendly alternative to deep conditioners.
DIY Facial Masks
At-Home Spa: Create a Cranberry Face Mask
Cranberries can help naturally exfoliate lackluster, dead skin. Try this easy, at-home treatment twice a month.
Luxe for Less
Spa Luxury for Less
Who says you have to spend a ton to pamper yourself? We found luxe stuff that wont blow your bank account.
How to Buy Eco Chic
Green Products That Really Work
Organic products aren’t always cheap, so you want to make sure your dollar is well spent. We put these eco-friendly picks to the test.
Ask Our Experts
Free Expert Advice on All of Your Natural Living Questions
Confused about organic versus conventional foods, the value of herbal supplements, and which cosmetics contain dangerous chemicals? Get answers to these questions and more from our panel of experts.
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From Health magazineHigh-tech medicine is making it possible to get pregnant at 40, 50, even past menopause. However, a mid-life pregnancy may increase the potential for developing cancer and heart problems. The post-40 mom should also be aware of these risks:
Incontinence. Older women may already have weak pelvic-floor and urethra muscles, which can make urinary incontinence much more likely, both during and after pregnancy, says Robin Kalish, MD, of the Weill Cornell Medical Center. And even if the 40-something mom has a C-section, she may still develop urinary incontinence that requires that requires surgery to fix, Kalish stresses.
Strains and sprains. Your expanding uterus puts enormous strain on your back muscles, which tend to be weaker in older women, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, of the Yale School of Medicine. To protect your back, continue to exercise (include back-strengthening moves) throughout pregnancy. A chiropractor or acupuncturist may be able to help.
Depression. While no studies have looked at the 40- and 50-something mom’s susceptibility to postpartum depression, “it makes sense that older moms could be more vulnerable to this, as they may be more set in their ways and used to more personal freedom than younger women,” says Diane Sanford, PhD, a St. Louis psychologist who specializes in postpartum depression.
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Animals know. They know when you are happy, and they know when you are sad. They know when you are ill and when you are well. While I was going through my experience with breast cancer, my dog Lucy stayed at my side. When I went to bed, she came with me. She laid in bed next to me like a human and would stare at me as if she were communicating a deep understanding and empathy through her eyes. She even huffed through her jowls and touched me with her paw, as if to say, I know and I understand. It nearly brought me to tears.
Even my boyfriend’s dog, Peso, would lay with me when I took naps. I always called him my little “sleep assistant,” because he would lay in the crook of my waist and stay with me, without budging. Certain days of chemotherapy were be hard. Just the sheer presence of having an animal at your side, not requiring anything of you, not asking for attention, was enough to make you feel as if you were not alone. And that was the gift I received: unconditional love.
San Diego photographer Adriene Hughes, now 48, created a series of self-portraits chronicling her 2004 diagnosis with stage II estrogen-positive breast cancer and the treatment ordeal that followed. Here, she is pictured with her boyfriend’s dog, Peso. To see more of her photographs, view the slideshow.
We want to hear from you: Has a pet helped you get healthy? Please email your stories and pet pictures to us.
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Excuses for those extra pounds? Oh, you’ve got good ones: Maybe you had a kid or two. Maybe an injury came between you and your Zumba addiction. Maybe you moved, switched jobs, got really busy. Or perhaps it was just the damn holiday cookies. Whatever the cause, you’re eager to reclaim your shape; you’re just not sure how.
Celeb trainer Tracy Anderson, 37, feels your pain. You’d never tell by looking at her rock-solid body, but 14 years ago, five-foot-tall Anderson struggled to shed the 60 pounds she gained while pregnant with her first child. “I ate everything in sight,” she says. “I swam if I felt like it, or did a walk, but I had no exercise strategy or regimen.” After getting back in shape, she used her experience to create The Tracy Anderson Method, an ever-changing set of exercises designed to whittle the body into shape; they helped her drop the 30 pounds she gained while pregnant with her second baby in just four months.
The program uses lower resistance and high reps that firm without adding bulk, inspiring a devoted following that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Richie, and Molly Sims. Anderson’s shape-up, designed especially for Health readers, “will sculpt the arms, legs, and core and pull your body into its healthiest proportions,” she promises—even if it’s been a while since you were on speaking terms with your abs. As she says, “Our muscles are really powerful; they’ll do what we empower them to do.”
The workout basics: an hour of exercise four to six times a week, split up into 30 minutes of cardio (whether it’s Anderson’s dance aerobics DVD or a combo of running, skipping, and galloping sideways on a treadmill) and 30 minutes of muscle sculptors. If you can’t fit one focused hour of exercise into your schedule, break up the cardio and the moves; just make sure you do the full 30 minutes of each.
As for the food part of the program (you knew that was coming!), it’s a 1,400-calories-a-day mix of lean protein, nonstarchy veggies, and healthy carbs, created by Ashley Koff, RD, author of Mom Energy. Stick with the single serving sizes and do not skip meals, Koff cautions: “It’ll play with your body’s energy signals, making it harder to make good choices and reach your goal.”
Follow both parts of Health’s plan and you could drop up to 12 pounds in one month, ultimately lose more than 35 pounds, and get the most buff you’ve ever been. “Once that first breakthrough happens,” Anderson says, “it’s the most freeing thing in the world.”
Here’s how to do it:
How to Stick to a Workout Plan
Anyone who’s paid for a gym membership knows this much: Starting a workout program is one thing, but keeping at it? Challenging! Stay motivated with the help of Anderson’s seven stick-with-it strategies.
8 Moves to a Stronger and Leaner You
These exercises by Anderson are designed to work body parts in the most muscle-targeted, time-efficient way. (All together now: Woo-hoo!)
How to Eat Right on 1,400 Calories a Day
Koff has a philosophy—that you should eat the right amount of nutrients at each “eating occasion”(that’s Koff-speak for three meals and one snack a day). To make it easier, follow the RD’s six pound-melting tactics.
The 1,400-Calorie, Metabolism-Boosting Meal Plan
When Koff tells her clients they get to eat at least 1,400 calories on her plan, they’re pleasantly surprised. But it’s overly restricting calories or skipping meals that backfires.
How Molly Sims Lost the Baby Weight
Molly Sims has had her share of firsts in the past 16 months. She got married to producer Scott Stuber in September 2011. Then last June came the most thrilling production of the model/actresss life: the birth of her first child, Brooks Alan Stuber. But she soon found herself facing another first—losing the 50 pounds she gained during pregnancy. Anderson and Koff to the rescue!
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If I hadn’t taken up running, I’m not sure how much I would weigh now—but I know it would be a lot. By the time I found the sport, I tipped the scales at more than 200 pounds. It didn’t help that I had just moved to New York City, where fit, slim people surrounded me. I felt lumpy and bumpy, like America Ferrera at the beginning of Ugly Betty! So I started walking—and before long, I was running. Within a few months, I had dropped 40 pounds.
Found: my inner athlete Getting lighter made running easier and, in turn, more fun. To stay on track, I signed up for the New York City Half Marathon. I trained for 3 1/2 months, even through winter. Logging all those miles had a direct impact on my diet. The more I ran, the better I ate. I ditched meals that came in greasy paper bags (think burgers and fries) for ones that fueled my runs, such as pasta, eggplant and kale. The combination of eating clean and training hard helped me shed another 10 pounds (and gave me a pair of killer legs!). In March 2011, when I crossed the finish line at the half marathon, I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment. I was hooked.
The hardest race Six months later, I ran my first marathon. I’ve since completed four more, including this year’s Boston Marathon. I finished minutes before the bombs went off. It was very scary; I was close enough to feel the explosions in my bones. Although I’m signed up to run the Chicago Marathon next month, I’m not sure if I will. I’m afraid to race right now. But I know I’ll keep running. It has changed my body—and my life.
Secret Weapons, Shared Cipriana reveals what keeps her going strong every day.
The Inspiration: My Brother, Federico I ran my first marathon to help raise money in his name for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He died from complications relating to diabetes when he was 23.
The Go-To Snack: Trader Joe’s Instant Miso Soup Honestly, it doesn’t get any easier: Just add water, and you have a quickie snack in seconds. Plus, it’s filling and low-calorie.
The Idol: Allyson Felix She is a beast! Not only is she gorgeous, she’s superpowerful and superfast. She has also dominated the last couple of Olympic Games in track and field. I’d love to run like her.
The Must-Have Gear: Girlie Skirts I dress ultrafeminine when I run. I’m talking sparkly headbands and skorts with ruffles. No one expects the girl in the skirt to be an actual athlete—that is, until my pretty, ruffly skirt bounces away in front of them!
Share Your Transformation
Have an amazing body makeover of your own?
Tell us about it at health.com/i-did-it and let us know what diet and fitness tricks worked for you.
Share your transformation! Have an amazing body makeover of your own? Tell us about it. E-mail before-and-after photos to IDidIt@health.com and tell us what worked for you. Please include your phone number.
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A buzzy British eating plan called the Fast Diet grabbed our attention when it jumped the pond to the United States this spring. The diet—which involves cutting your calories two days a week—was created by Dr. Michael Mosley, MBBS, a science journalist, and built on research suggesting that intermittent fasting (IF) can not only help people shed weight but also reduce their risk of heart disease and diabetes. While the concept of fasting for health benefits and weight control has been around for centuries (even Hippocrates recommended it!), it has been gaining momentum in recent months thanks to Dr. Mosley’s book The FastDiet (as well as other expert-penned IF offerings, including The 2-Day Diet). Curious? Here is an exclusive excerpt of the book—along with our own version of a 500-calorie day.
Why I created this plan, by Dr. Michael Mosley, MBBS
About 15 months ago when I was 55, I went for a medical checkup and had a nasty shock. I discovered that although I looked quite slim, I was actually a TOFI (thin on the outside, fat on the inside). Internal fat, also called visceral fat, is the most dangerous sort of fat because it wraps itself around your internal organs and puts you at increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Blood tests showed I was a borderline diabetic and had a cholesterol score that was way too high. Obviously I was going to have to do something about this.
What convinced me to try intermittent fasting? Well, a large number of studies with animals and humans have shown that it’s good for health and weight loss. One of the best-researched forms of intermittent fasting is alternate-day fasting, in which you cut calories every other day. I, however, found ADF too difficult to do on a regular basis.
Instead I decided to cut my calories just two days a week. I started calling it the 5:2 Fast Diet because for five days a week I was eating normally, and for two days a week I limited myself to 600 calories a day.
After three months, I had lost 19 pounds (down from 187 to 168), and my body fat had dropped from 28 to 21 percent. I lost 3 inches around my waist and stopped snoring, which delighted my wife and quite possibly the neighbors. Even better, my diabetes and heart disease risks, as indicated by blood tests, improved in spectacular fashion. My wife, Clare, who is also a doctor, was impressed. She regularly sees overweight patients who have blood chemistry like mine had been, and she said none of the advice she gives them has had anything like the same effect.
The basics
The Fast Diet is different from other programs because you diet for just two days a week. On fast days you eat healthily, but around a quarter of what would be normal for someone of your gender (500 calories for women or 600 for men).
There are various ways to handle fast days; some people prefer to eat all their calories in one sitting, others split them between breakfast and dinner, and others have three small meals over the course of the day. You have to see what works for you. [Note from the editors of Health: We recommend dividing the calories into mini meals, as shown at right.]
How to choose the right food
Because you eat less than normal on a fast day, it’s important that you choose foods that will keep you satisfied longer.
Aim for fare that’s high in protein, rich in fiber and has a low glycemic index, since high-GI foods (like bread, potatoes and rice) are likely to make your blood sugar spike, then crash. The Fast Diet doesn’t recommend boycotting carbs entirely or living permanently on a high-protein diet. But the combination of proteins and low-GI foods on a fast day are helpful weapons in keeping hunger at bay.
On your fast days, go for healthy options that are low in saturated fat, like steamed white fish, skinless chicken, low-fat dairy, shrimp, tuna, tofu and other plant-based proteins. Nuts, seeds and legumes (beans, peas and lentils) have lots of fiber to fill you up (nuts may be high-calorie, but they’re generally low-GI and satiating). Eggs, meanwhile, are low in saturated fat and full of nutritional value. They won’t adversely affect your cholesterol levels, and they score a mere 90 calories each, so an egg-based breakfast on a fast day makes perfect sense; poach or boil them to save on calories. Two eggs plus a 1¾-ounce serving of smoked salmon clocks in at a sensible 250 calories.
When to fast, when to feast
Monday is an obvious choice for a fast day, particularly if it follows a social weekend. For that reason you might avoid Saturdays and Sundays, when family lunches and brunches, dinner dates and parties make calorie-cutting a chore. Thursday would then make a sensible second fasting day. But be flexible; don’t force yourself to fast when it feels wrong. If you’re stressed or tired on a day that you have designated a fast, try again another day. But do aim to establish a pattern. That way your fasts will become familiar. Be kind to yourself, but be tough, too.
Reshaping your body—and appetite
The first thing you can expect is to lose weight, thanks to the simple law of thermodynamics (weight loss occurs when energy in is less than energy out). If you cut to 500 calories two days a week and don’t compensate by eating more on other days, you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. This won’t be all fat: Some of it will be water and some digested food in your body. You can expect, however, to lose around 10 pounds of fat over a 10-week period.
You should find that over the weeks your BMI, body fat and waist measurement will drop. Your cholesterol count and blood glucose levels will also improve. The changes will start to show up in the mirror as your body becomes leaner and lighter.
Hopefully your food preferences will adapt, so that even on non-fast days you will begin to choose healthy foods by default. You will also learn to recognize the sensation of being pleasantly full—satiated, not stuffed. The upshot? No more food hangovers, improved digestion, more bounce.
If you continue to fast and feast with awareness, all kinds of other changes should occur. You may discover that you’ve been suffering from portion distortion. Muffins will start to look vast. You might go from a Venti to a Grande to wanting only half a cup, no sugar, no cream. If you are like me, then one day soon, you’ll arrive at a place where you say no to the cheesecake because you don’t want it, not because you are denying yourself. This is the baseline power of intermittent fasting: It encourages you to recheck your diet. And that’s your long-haul ticket to health.
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I used to have a memory that amazed people, but in the last few years I’ve had trouble remembering names and movie titles. (“You know, the one about the guy who goes somewhere? It won that award…”) I hope to have many years of sharp thinking ahead of me—I’m in my mid-40s, nowhere near senior-moments territory—so I got to wondering: Is there something I should be doing now to counteract the lapses that already seem to be taking place?
There’s no way around the fact that memory erodes as we get older. The hippocampus, the area of your brain responsible for building memory, loses 5 percent of its nerve cells with each passing decade. Plus, aging slows production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter vital to learning and memory. Based on these facts, scientists once believed that a person’s mental ability peaked early in adulthood, then went downhill from there. But over the last few decades, research has found that adults’ brains are still able to form new, memory-building neural networks in a process known as neuroplasticity. The reassuring latest thinking: With a little effort, anyone can boost their power of recollection.
To test this theory in the real world, I tried an array of research-backed brain-sharpening techniques over one six-week period. Am I now able to list all 44 U.S. presidents? No. But can I more easily summon up where I put my keys? Yes. And I think being able to leave my apartment and lock the door is a more valuable life skill than remembering James K. Polk. Here’s what worked for me—and what fell flat.
Technique #1: Play brain games
Puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords may improve memory and delay brain decline, though experts are not yet sure why. “My guess is that playing them activates synapses in the whole brain, including the memory areas,” says Marcel Danesi, PhD, author of Extreme Brain Workout. Research so far is decidedly mixed: Some studies have found that, while doing crossword puzzles may make you better at remembering the capital of Burkina Faso, there’s little evidence they’ll boost your performance at more general tasks, like remembering where your car is parked. But a 2011 study showed that participants who played a computer game called Double Decision for six years improved their concentration so much that they had a 50 percent lower rate of car accidents.
So I decided to try an online brain-training program called Lumosity, which neuroscientists from Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley have used in their own studies; its creators claim that 97 percent of users improve their memory in just 10 hours of playing time. First I answered a series of questions at lumosity.com to identify which of my cognitive processes, including memory, could use a little help. Then I received a personalized training regimen. A 10-minute daily series of games is free, and a more advanced program is available for $12.95 a month. (Being cheap, I stuck with the former.) The games are pure fun—remembering a pattern of blocks, spotting a bird in a field—and are based on what research has found to improve concentration and other cognitive skills.
My grade: B- By the end of a month, my “brain performance index” score rose 6 percent—not amazing in the Lumosity world, but respectable. The main problem: You have to play the games every day, forever, to keep up the benefits. I’ve mostly kept up. (Except on weekends. Or if I’ve had a busy week. OK, I haven’t kept up.)
Technique #2: Eat the right foods
According to Gary Small, MD, director of the UCLA Memory Clinic, memory superfoods include antioxidant-rich, colorful fruits and vegetables, which protect your brain from harmful free radicals. He’s also enthusiastic about low-glycemic carbs, like oatmeal, and anything with omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, a recent study published in Neurology found that people with low levels of omega-3s had brains that appeared to be a full two years older in MRI scans. That was incentive enough for me to follow the memory-enhancing diet from Dr. Small’s book The Memory Prescription, which claims it works in just two weeks. Much like the Mediterranean diet, it’s heavy on produce, legumes, nuts and fish. It’s low on meat, since meat’s omega-6 fatty acids may contribute to brain inflammation, a possible underlying mechanism for Alzheimer’s. Refined sugars produce a similar effect, so they were also out. (That was the toughest for me.) I ate a farmers market’s worth of blueberries, spinach, avocado and beets, and consumed enough fish to sprout gills. I also went beyond Dr. Small’s advice and took 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12, the standard recommended daily amount—since studies show people with low levels perform poorly on memory tests—and 1,000 international units of vitamin D, discovered by Tufts University researchers to boost cognitive function. (My doctor signed off on the supplements.)
My grade: A It was difficult to eat meat only once a week, until I noticed how much less physically and mentally sluggish I felt. And my memory became markedly sharper over 14 days. (For instance, I quit using a bookmark because I could remember the page number I’d stopped on the night before.) Planning those meals took a lot of prep, but it paid off tremendously. I still try to use the diet as a guideline: I eat meat once a week, aim for five fruits and vegetables a day and pop omega-3 supplements (since I don’t get as much fish as I did on the diet).
Technique #3: Quit multitasking
“One reason people can’t remember where their keys are is they’re not paying attention when they put them down,” says Mark McDaniel, PhD, a psychology professor and memory researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. (His suggestion for always finding them: “When you put them down, stop and say out loud, ‘I’m leaving my keys on my dresser,'” or wherever you’re placing them.) Studies show that it takes eight seconds to fully commit a piece of information to memory, so concentrating on the task at hand is crucial. I willed myself to stop giving everything “continuous partial attention,” a term coined by tech honcho Linda Stone. I put away my gadgets when they weren’t absolutely needed. I didn’t have 10 websites up all at once. I called a friend, sat on my bed, closed my eyes and actually listened to what she was saying.
My grade: B+ It’s amazing how difficult it is to do one thing at a time. Concentration takes work, but I found I could remember appointments better because I paid attention when I made them and repeated the day and time, rather than agreeing to commitments while doing the laundry and returning e-mail messages. My husband, usually my living iCal, was very impressed.
Technique #4: Master a new skill
A recent Swedish study found that adults who learned a new language showed improved memory for people’s names, among other things. Any activity that is practiced diligently, such as knitting or skiing, will likely have this effect, researchers say. I vowed to learn to play the keyboard. On YouTube I found PlayPianoKing, an affable guy who teaches everything from Pachelbel’s Canon to “Gangnam Style.”
My grade: C- While I did learn a mean “Gangnam” and felt my concentration improve, I soon gave up: With brain games and a diet overhaul crowding my schedule, the hour-long, every-other-day lesson was making me cranky, even before I saw any noticeable memory gains.
Technique #5: Get more sleep
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that losing half a night’s rest—three or four hours—on just one evening can erode memory. And the journal Nature Neuroscience recently reported that one way to slow decline in aging adults is to improve the length and quality of sleep. During a deep sleep of eight hours or more, it’s believed that the brain shifts memories from temporary to longer-term storage. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one third of us get less than seven hours a night—including me.
So, for more than a month, I implemented a stringent schedule: I would put my preschooler to bed and take a bath. Then I’d hit my own bed with a book, rather than watch TV or movies, which several studies reveal will make you feel too keyed up to wind down. Normally I fall asleep at 11:30 p.m. and wake at 5:45 a.m., but the new routine put me out by 10.
My grade: A+ Nothing had a better effect on my memory than that long stretch of sleep. I was able to semi-credibly measure the difference because I started my other interventions a few weeks before this one. I bounded out of bed fully recharged. My mind became as focused as a laser beam; I even remembered every mom’s name during the school run (no more “Hey, you!” or just “Hi!”).
Technique #6: Use mnemonic devices
These are basically memory tools that give meaning and organization to a random group of words or concepts. They could be an acronym (BOG for “Buy oranges and grapes”), an exaggerated visualization (imagining a massive stethoscope to remember a doctor’s appointment) or a rhyme (to recall a co-worker’s name, I’d remember, “Ted has a giant forehead”). Memory champions also love chunking, or breaking a large amount of information into more manageable nuggets. Say you have to memorize these numbers: 2214457819. It’s much easier to do as a phone number: 221-445-7819.
My grade: A+ I found these tactics enormously helpful. I usually forget my poor nephew’s birthday, but this year I actually sent a gift, thanks to the unpleasant but memorable NITS (“Nephew is 10 Sunday”).
Technique #7: Hit the gym
Researchers from the University of California at Irvine recently discovered that a little exercise might yield big mental benefits. They had one group of subjects ride stationary bikes for six minutes, while another group cooled their heels. Afterward, the active group performed significantly better on a memory test. Instant results! The researchers believe the boost may be tied to an exercise-induced brain chemical called norepinephrine, which has a strong influence on memory. And Dr. Small contends that exercise is the best memory aid of all. “It can increase your brain size,” he says—and the bigger your brain, the greater your capacity to remember. His recommendation: 20 minutes of brisk walking a day. I began doing an hour daily—more than Dr. Small recommends, but also more consistent than the gym workouts a few times a week I used to favor, and, according to many experts, more effective in juicing up memory.
My grade: A- This moderate, regular activity worked wonders on my stress levels, and it became much easier to concentrate afterward, so I could fix things (like a grocery list) into my memory. I grew addicted to my walks and still take them. In fact, I found that the memory-boosting healthy lifestyle habits—exercising more, stressing less, eating a better diet—were the most sustainable over time. And that’s a win-win.
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Because no one loves to exercise more than your four-legged friend.
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To help plastic surgeons have a more consistent template for reconstructive surgery on cancer patients, British researchers surveyed more more than 1,300 men and women to pinpoint the “perfect” breast proportions. Their findings may surprise you.
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You have to cut your portion sizes to lose weight, but nobody wants to count down the minutes until their next meal. Watch this video to discover simple ways to eat less without feeling hungry.
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You got a full 8 hours but are still exhausted; what’s the deal? Your lifestyle could be draining you. If you seem to feel sluggish, try ditching the 5 hidden energy-zapping habits laid out in this video.
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Your diet, your medical history, and even where you live can affect your chances of getting a kidney stone.
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Most of us don’t give much thought to our gallbladders—until they become painfully plugged up.
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We all need a break from the office once in a while. Here are the telltale signs you could use some time off.
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From E. coli to Salmonella to norovirus, stomach bugs can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and other forms of misery. Read on to learn where they’re hiding—and how to avoid them.
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These delicious superfood recipes feature chickpeas, lentils, and other pulses.
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People living in San Francisco get the least amount of shut-eye in the United States, according to an analysis of data from search engine Bing. San Franciscans get only six and a half hours of sleep on average. The nation’s sleepiest city, Boston, averages 8 hours and 7 minutes a night.
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“These runs just aren’t doing it for me anymore,” I griped to my husband after finishing my usual four-mile trail. For months, I hadn’t felt the exhilaration I once did. Worse, my weight had begun to creep up, along with anxiety and insomnia.
“Maybe you should start cycling again,” Gordon said.
“But I like to run,” I responded. “It’s my thing, like triathlons are yours.”
“Then sign up for a half marathon,” he suggested, “to push your mileage.”
RELATED: 15 Running Tips You Need to Know
“Ugh.” I’d given up competition years before, when I realized it sucked the joy out of running. Still, I felt an uncomfortable pang at my resistance to trying a new activity. There was a time when I had been up for anything: backpacking through the Austrian Alps, canoeing in the remote Canadian wilderness. Where had that fearless woman gone?
A few days later, Gordon came home with a grin on his face and announced, “I have just the thing to get you out of your exercise rut—a four-day running vacation in Spain!” Excited, I visited the website of the tour company, Running and Trekking Costa Brava, and stopped cold. Each day would include 11 to 15 miles of running, with hundreds of feet of climbing and steep descents. I’d never even finished more than eight miles at once. I could feel a knee-jerk no forming in my mind, along with the reasons: too difficult, too scary. “Sign us up,” I blurted, before I could talk myself out of it.
RELATED: 4 Exercises to Beat a Fitness Plateau
I trained for 12 weeks, pushing my mileage with each outing. By the time we arrived in Girona, Spain, and met up with the tour group—five avid runners, most of whom were younger than me by at least a decade—my legs were significantly stronger, and there was less squishy flesh around my waist. My mind, however, was in worry overdrive: What if my slower pace drags the group down? What if I embarrass myself? What if I fail?
The first morning, we set off on a narrow single track that traversed upward through a forest of cork trees. Within minutes, Gordon and I fell behind, and it wasn’t his fault. Distracted by distress over feeling slow, old and unfit, I tripped on a tree root and fell hard, scraping flesh off my left elbow and bloodying my knee.
Dabbing at the wounds, I felt tears of self-doubt and discouragement pooling. Back home, I had created a life structured around things I was good at: writing, raising our sons, being part of our community. For the first time in a long while, I was out of my comfort zone. My ego felt as raw and exposed as my oozing elbow.
RELATED: 24 Motivational Quotes
I pushed on, though, and we arrived at a breathtaking promontory, the gem-bright sea in front of us. “Can you believe we’re here?” asked a crazy-fit woman, throwing her arms around me. I couldn’t. Relief flooded through me. No one cares if I’m slow! Look where I am!
For too long, I had carefully avoided activities that challenged my competence, from a hip-hop class to a speaking engagement. I’d thought my fitness routine was in a rut. In reality, it was my mind-set that was stuck.
Over the next three days, we covered miles of difficult terrain; I went at a comfortable pace at the rear of the pack. The running never felt easy, but it never felt impossible, either—and that made me proud.
Standing atop a 2,200-foot mountain on the last day, I gazed down at the miles of trail we’d climbed. I felt strong, confident—almost invincible. I pulled out my phone to take a photo and saw a text from a bookstore owner back home, inviting me to read an essay at an event. Public speaking is my biggest fear, period. Ordinarily, I’d say no as fast as my fingers could type. Instead I replied, “Sure, happy to do it.” And I meant it.
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Our pets aren’t just our best friends; they’re members of the family. While their companionship can bring us so much joy, pets are also good for our health, according to a wealth of studies—sometimes in unexpected ways. And the more attached you are to your critter, the stronger the protective benefits may be. Check out the top animals that can lend a helping paw, hoof or wing to your health.
RELATED: 12 Ways Pets Improve Your Health
#1 Pet with benefits: Dogs
“The breadth and depth of what dogs do for our happiness and longevity is pretty remarkable,” says Marty Becker, DVM, author of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul. Studies link dog ownership to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, plus a reduced risk of heart disease. A 2011 review in the Journal of physical activity and Health found that dog owners are 34 percent more likely to meet their exercise requirements (based on the federal guidelines) than nonowners.
There are also the mood-enhancing perks. “Simply petting a dog is like a spa treatment,” Dr. Becker says. “after just a minute or two, you have this massive release of positive neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin.” extra bonus: kids who grow up in homes with dogs are less likely to have allergies.
#2 Pet with benefits: Cats
No need to hiss at this second-place finish, cat lovers. You’re probably getting the same stress relief as dog owners; there are just fewer studies to prove it. In one, when stockbrokers with high blood pressure were given the choice of adopting a cat or a dog, both animals significantly lowered their owners’ stress responses. And cats earned a few more points toward a healthy-pet pedigree when researchers at the University of Minnesota found that people who had never owned a cat had a 40 percent higher risk of death from heart attack than cat owners.
RELATED: 12 Ways to Beat Cat Allergies
#3 Pet with benefits: Fish
Want a little dose of calm? “Watching fish, like listening to music, can distract you in a good way,” Dr. Becker says. Numerous studies show that spending time in nature improves well-being, and an aquarium lets you bring that healing action indoors. In fact, one study revealed that for patients about to undergo dental surgery, gazing at a fish tank for 20 minutes was as effective at lowering stress levels as being hypnotized.
#4 Pet with benefits: Birds
Human companions for ages, birds have only recently been recognized for their healing properties, says Gregg Takashima, DVM, president of the American association of human-animal bond veterinarians. Like fish, these small-space-friendly creatures offer “nature on demand”—a relaxing or even energizing touch of wild beauty in your home. And they provide the same interactive pleasures that make cats and dogs so popular.
RELATED: Healthy Steps for a Cleaner Pet
#5 Pet with benefits: Horses
A list of healthy pets wouldn’t be complete without horses. Sure, their size and strength can make them a bit intimidating—but therein lies their healing power. “By gaining control of a creature so much larger than you, you can gain control of a larger problem in life,” Dr. Becker explains. That’s why you’ll find horses used in hundreds of animal-assisted therapy programs. Working with horses can even reduce kids’ stress hormones, according to a 2014 study. And the muscle control horseback riding requires makes it an excellent toner and balance builder for just about anyone.
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So many health blogs, so little time. That’s why we scoured the internet and selected the healthy-living voices that are truly worth your clicks. A sometimes foulmouthed ob-gyn, a neuroscientist-slash-foodie, a writer struggling with mental illness—these passionate folks bring unique perspectives and well-tested wisdom to their subjects. And, above all, their feeds are just plain great reads. Get ready to hit “follow”!
RELATED: 9 Fitness Trainers to Follow on Instagram
Best weight-loss inspiration blog: Diary of an Aspiring Loser Maintainer
diaryofanaspiringloser.com
Divorce, raising two kids and the occasional fall into a vat of cheese puffs haven’t derailed Michelle Funez’s efforts to get healthy. What makes her blog so inspiring isn’t just her fitness feats (triathlons!) but her journey to self-acceptance.
Words of wisdom: In a slump? Go to the gym and do nothing (or almost nothing). “It’s maintaining the routine that’s important.”
Best dose-of-reality blog: Dr. Jen Gunter
drjengunter.wordpress.com
In her twitter profile pic, ob-gyn Jennifer Gunter, MD, is dressed as wonder woman, and boy does she wield the lasso of truth. Dr. Gunter dispenses straight talk on vaccines, explains why vagina facials shouldn’t be a thing and assesses popular sex advice.
Words of wisdom: Want to try doughnut-enhanced fellatio? It’s safe, but avoid cinnamon, as it can cause contact dermatitis.
RELATED: 10 Myths About Sexual Health
Best breast cancer blog: Invasive duct tales
invasiveducttales.com
Last year, Heather Lagemann found a lump while breast-feeding her infant daughter, was quickly diagnosed with cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Lagemann’s irreverent humor stands out: Yes, there is her account of discussing her illness with her older daughter, but there’s also her admission that she played the “cancer card” to avoid cooking for Thanksgiving.
Words of wisdom: Newly diagnosed? “it’s okay to be scared, sad, angry, confused, and generally not so sunny…don’t let the pressure of being a ‘good’ cancer patient drown you.”
RELATED: Worst Things to Say to a Breast Cancer Patient
Best healthstyle blog: Summer Tomato
summertomato.com
Neuroscientist Darya Rose, PhD, shares easily digestible info about how and why we make food and exercise decisions. In a typical post, she’ll detail the brain’s reward circuits or explain the problems of short-term diets. And don’t miss her healthy recipes!
Words of wisdom: To form a good habit, you need to like it. “If your new activity provokes a negative or even neutral emotional response it probably will not stick. So yes, you’re going to have to learn to enjoy being thinner and healthier.”
Best behind-the-stethoscope blog: Reflections of a Grady doctor
gradydoctor.com
Atlanta internist Kimberly Manning, MD, offers a window into life at a public hospital: the terror when a baby is born at around 21 weeks, her reaction when a colleague used the word retard. Dr. Manning, who is black and couldn’t have practiced at Grady Memorial 50 years ago, also writes about race, often through the lens of her two young sons.
Words of wisdom: Your definition of “having it all” is the only one that matters.
Best mental illness blog: Bipolar burble
natashatracy.com
Former skydiver Natasha Tracy knows about burbles, low-pressure pockets of air that can make you crash. For Tracy, who has bipolar disorder, that unstable place is a metaphor for her state of mind.
Words of wisdom: Having a mental illness doesn’t make you a freak. “No matter who you are, no matter what you’re going through, you are not alone. Believe me, this much I know is true.”
RELATED: 10 Subtle Signs of Bipolar Disorder
Best natural-home blog: Wellness mama
wellnessmama.com
This doula and mother of five writes about real food and natural products, with a focus on homemade options from shampoo to detergent to dog food.
Words of wisdom: No need to go completely green overnight. “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” she writes.
Best infertility blog: Silent sorority
silentsorority.com
Like fertility treatment itself, infertility blogs can be very procedural. Instead, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos shares the reality of handling the stigma of infertility and living a full life outside of parenthood.
Words of wisdom: “Fertility medicine can’t cure infertility for all. Not all women and men possess the capacity to conceive regardless of how hard they try, and some simply time out. There is no shame in that.”
RELATED: 15 Factors That Affect A Woman’s Fertility
Best quackwatch blog: Science-based medicine
sciencebasedmedicine.org
This blog’s editors—including a breast surgeon and a neurologist—take a rigorously scientific stand on medical issues. They offer a balanced look at hot topics like gluten sensitivity and milk alternatives, plus occasionally stinging critiques of the efficacy of alternative therapies.
Words of wisdom: “Think about it—we can prevent cancer with a vaccine,” writes founder Steven Novella, MD, in support of the HPV vaccine. “This [issue] is a no-brainer.”
Best c’mon, get happy blog: Gretchen Rubin
gretchenrubin.com
The author of the runaway best-seller The Happiness project, Rubin offers appealingly nonsaccharine tips for finding joy and reducing discontent, rooted in serious research and plenty of testing (on herself).
Words of wisdom: For an immediate boost, fake a smile. Studies suggest that acting happy can make you feel happy.
Top tweeters
Five of our favorite feeds (besides our own @goodhealth handle, of course).
@DebbyHerbenick
Sex researcher and author Debby Herbenick, PhD, tweets about her topics of interest, including which condoms run big or small and whether coconut oil is a good lube. Warning: possibly NSFW!
@YoniFreedhoff
The director of the Bariatric medical institute in Ottawa, Ontario, and author of The Diet Fix, Yoni Freedhoff, MD, doesn’t only weigh in on obesity and nutrition topics. He also shares interesting articles about other health matters, such as breast-feeding in public and the lack of science behind homeopathy.
@Medgadget
Doctors and medical engineers run this crazily comprehensive feed about the latest medical gadgets, technologies and discoveries, from a scanner that detects bed sores before they break the skin to ultra-high-tech acne management.
@SusannahFox
Public health expert Susannah Fox is the person to follow for feeling good (instead of guilty) about your use of social media: She tweets about how online communication—plus data and technology—can be used to support health.
@BreneBrown
Texas researcher and best-selling author Brene Brown, PhD, studies shame, vulnerability and authenticity; her TED talk on courage is one of the most popular ever. In her feed, Dr. Brown shares small bites of inspiration to live a brave life.
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