Stay Fit and Healthy: September 2015

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

12 Facts You Should Know About Ovarian Cysts

What are ovarian cysts? Experts explain this common (and usually harmless) condition.

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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

7 Delicious New Ways to Enjoy Yogurt

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How to Avoid Gaining Weight in College

Worried about the “Freshman 15”? The goods news is that college weight gain usually isn’t that bad, around 5 pounds on average. Still, watch this Cooking Light video for helpful ways to eat healthy and stay slim while furthering your eduction.

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How to Avoid Gaining Weight in College

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12 Ways We Sabotage Our Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, our daily habits and patterns of thinking can be our own worst enemy.

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Friday, September 25, 2015

10 Best Big Cities for People With Asthma

These are the 10 best big cities to live in if you have asthma, as ranked by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Is your city on the list?

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

15 Thyroid Cancer Facts Everyone Should Know

Thyroid cancer diagnoses are on the rise, and most cases are in younger adults. Here’s what you should know about detection, treatment, and recovery.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

4 Addicting Snacks That Are Actually Good for You

Delicious bites that are super healthy—chocolate and bacon included.

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6 Fall Fruit Recipes You’ll Want to Make All Year

Transform the fall’s bounty into delectable meals.

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10 Healthy Food Blogs That Truly Satisfy

With endless Instagrams of dinner plates and tweets about fad diets, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the nutrition noise online. Relax, and bookmark these 10 smart reads about good food and healthy eating.

Best RD Blog
Nutrition Wow
“Healthy living, hold the boring”: That’s the motto of Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN. She delivers digestible advice (like tips for dropping weight without being calorie-obsessed) and wholesome recipes.
Words of Wisdom: “We all have an inner food ninja who can confidently make food decisions—all we need to do is slow down and listen.”

Best Weight Loss Blog
Can You Stay for Dinner?
Andie Mitchell has lost (and kept off ) more than 100 pounds—while eating treats like chocolate pumpkin doughnuts. Come for the hearty recipes, stay for the deeply personal posts about her dieting struggles.
Words of Wisdom: “I swear by eating salad for lunch (almost) every day…I don’t have to spend any energy deciding on a healthy lunch, or testing my willpower thinking about those amazing $2 slices of pizza on the corner.”

Best Myth Buster
Nutrition Unplugged
Janet Helm, a registered dietitian and journalist, casts a critical eye on hot topics, from saturated fat (is it really OK?) to the rise of Frankenfoods. You’ll find a lot on trendy eats (like kombucha) and diet hypes.
Words of Wisdom: Fresh isn’t always best. Frozen produce can be just as nutritious: “If you tend to leave your fresh veggies a little too long in the crisper drawer, the nutrient content can plummet.”

Best Vegan Blog
Sweet Potato Soul
Growing up as a picky eater, Jenné Claiborne hated most healthy foods, except for sweet potatoes. Now, as a vegan chef, she’s widened her repertoire, offering recipes so indulgent she could make the most die-hard of carnivores go plant-based.
Words of Wisdom: “Even though I didn’t give up animal products for my health or happiness, both have greatly improved.”

Best Gluten-Free Blog
Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
Shauna Ahern is the Web’s expert on a no-gluten existence; her husband is the chef. You’ll find a clear guide to baking, video tutorials and answers to questions like “Can you make homemade pasta without eggs?” (Yes!)
Words of Wisdom: “It’s natural to focus first on what you can’t eat… So much of the food you already love is naturally gluten-free. Focus on that.”

Best Seasonal-Eating Blog
Sprouted Kitchen
Sara Forte does the cooking and blogging, while husband Hugh handles the photos of delicious creations like pumpkin bread with walnut-cinnamon swirl. Each recipe uses whole foods that are in season—a reminder that it doesn’t take much to make fresh foods taste good.
Words of Wisdom: It’s always easier to eat well when you have healthy foods on hand. Plan ahead and make a few things that will keep, like kale salad and granola.

Next Page: Best Paleo Blog

Best Paleo Blog
Nom Nom Paleo
Michelle Tam may be the only blogger with her own action figure, but don’t let that fool you: She has a degree in nutrition and food science. The recipes aren’t as heavy on the meat as you might expect (she used to be a vegetarian), and you’ll even find Paleo takes on Chinese dishes.
Words of Wisdom: “I actually eat more vegetables than I did when I was a vegetarian—mostly because all that real estate in my stomach was taken up by pasta, bread, and baked treats.”

Best Vegetarian Blog
Naturally Ella
When her dad had a heart attack her sophomore year of college, Erin Alderson (initials E.L.L.A.) swapped her fast-food diet for veggie fare and has been eating smart ever since. Her recipes are inspiring but practical— she always gives easier-to- find alternatives to unusual ingredients like amaranth.
Words of Wisdom: Keep whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices in your pantry and all you have to add is fresh produce for a complete meal.

Best Buffet of Topics
NPR’s The Salt
Clicking on NPR’s blog is like falling down the deepest Google rabbit hole ever—you can’t stop reading their take on what’s on your plate. Among the offerings: the science behind the ultimate chocolate chip cookie and what to do with weird farmers market vegetables.
Words of Wisdom: Save the breadbasket until after you’ve finished your meal to keep eating in check. “Bite into that bread before your main meal, and you’ll spike your blood sugar and amp up your appetite.”

Best for Parents
Real Mom Nutrition
From tricks for tackling finicky eaters to advice on navigating food allergies, busy mom-of-two Sally Kuzemchak, RD, has got it covered with a voice that’s reassuring and relatable.
Words of Wisdom: “Our eating habits are works in progress, just like we are.”

RELATED: 20 Easy Meals for Families

Top Tweeters
Five of our favorite feeds (and don’t forget our contributing nutrition editor’s handle, @cynthiasass!).

@marionnestle
An NYU professor of nutrition, food studies and public health, Marion Nestle, PhD, shares the news you need to know—like what’s really behind the rising cost of school lunches.

@andybellatti
Las Vegas dietitian Andy Bellatti tweets about food politics, sustainability and—perhaps his favorite topic—deceptive marketing.

@nclarkrd
Follow sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, RD, for sneaky diet tips, links to important studies and even advice on how to find healthy food at gas stations.

@michaelpollan
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Food Rules and Cooked, approaches eating as an ethical act, tweeting about our broken-down industrial food system as well as highlighting top nutrition news.

@joybauer
The Today show’s resident health expert, Joy Bauer, RD, dishes out tips in keeping with her motto: “Life is hard; food should be easy.”

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4 Ways to Get Slim With Your Pet

Sure, sometimes pets look adorable when they’re plump—but the extra pounds may set them up for serious health issues, like diabetes and high blood pressure. If your cat or dog seems too rotund, it can be an opportunity to get healthier yourself: A study conducted last year discovered that when dog owners heard that their pups were overweight or obese, the diagnosis spurred them to exercise more, and both they and their dogs slimmed down. What you need to do to get rid of your pooch’s pooch—and your own:

Pay your pet a visit
You’ll want to find out your pet’s body condition score, similar to a BMI number for humans. “Then your vet will be able to figure out how many calories you need to feed your dog or cat each day for gradual weight loss,” says Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention. Your vet might suggest a diet food, or recommend reducing portions. She’ll draw up an exercise plan, too, based on the health of your four-legged friend.

Make walks a must
You may think your dog is playing while you’re at work, but there’s a good chance it’s lounging around. A rule of thumb: Don’t trust that your pup is active unless you or a dog walker is there to confirm it, or you have a canine fitness tracker like Tagg or Whistle. To ensure your pooch is moving enough, walk him for 30 minutes a day, the amount most dogs need.

Work up to a run
“Any dog and breed can be a capable running buddy,” says Dr. Ward. A Chihuahua probably won’t be able to log a 5K, but it may want to do short sprints with you. As for dogs more suited for distance, like golden retrievers, you should ramp it up gradually. “Because your dog loves you, it’ll have the mental stamina to stick with you, but it could injure itself if it’s not physically ready,” says Jeffrey Werber, DVM, founder of Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles. Dr. Ward suggests increasing time by 10 percent a week—and be sure to stop for water breaks. Also, wait until your pooch is 18 months to two years old before running—dogs’ joints aren’t mature until then.

Get cats fit, too
“A cat’s favorite pastimes are relaxing and eating,” says Deborah Elliott, DVM, founder of VETDispatch in Flanders, N.J. “That’s why exercise is so crucial.” Aim for your kitty to have two or three five-minute intense play periods per day. To get both of you moving, run around your house and up the stairs with a laser pointer—cats go crazy for them.

Next Page: Signs Your Pet May Be Packing Extra Pounds

Signs Your Pet May Be Packing Extra Pounds
Not sure if your animal buddy is on the heavier side? These checks can help you tell if you should take it to the vet. (Note: The tests may not work well for some naturally heftier breeds, like English bulldogs.)

The rib check
You should be able to lightly feel ribs if you rub on them. If you’re pushing through more than an inch of jelly, your pet is probably too chubby.

The sagging tummy test
Look at your dog or cat from the side. It’s a red flag if the belly is sagging or dragging. And as in humans, belly fat is the most dangerous kind of fat.

The hourglass test
Observe your dog or cat from above. You should see an indentation, like an hourglass shape. More of a blimp? Time to get in shape.

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4 Facts You Never Knew About Your Emotions

Our moods color how we see the world. Sadly, many women will struggle with clinical depression (almost 13 percent) or anxiety (about 33 percent) at some point in their lives. In this handbook to your mind-set, you’ll learn about key factors that influence how you feel—from estrogen levels to sugar intake—as well as cutting-edge treatments. In search of quick pick-me-ups? We’ve got those, too. Read on to lift your spirits.

Fact No. 1: Depression doesn’t always mean sadness
For more than half of people with the diagnosis, irritability and anger are the most prominent symptoms. In fact, those emotions are associated with more severe depression, according to a 2013 study. “Patients report that it doesn’t take much to set them off,” says Philip R. Muskin, MD, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. “They bicker with their spouses as soon as they walk in the door or get upset over little annoyances, such as spilled milk.”

Also keep an eye out for these symptoms: difficulty concentrating, remembering things and making decisions; losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, like having sex; and appetite changes (one common complaint is that food has grown tasteless). Finally, you may feel as slow as molasses—your thinking, reactions and even physical movements could become sluggish. It’s also not uncommon to have trouble sleeping, adds Dr. Muskin: People who are depressed often wake up in the wee hours with no idea why.

Fact No. 2: Therapy really works
Research overwhelmingly shows that talk therapy can help with depression, either alone or in combination with medication. While a 2013 review of nearly 200 studies found that no single method was significantly better than any other, you may want to consider a form called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which teaches a blend of Eastern meditation techniques and practical skills to counter damaging thoughts. In a 2015 U.K. study, one group of subjects phased out their use of antidepressants while attending eight group MBCT sessions and practicing at home; another group stayed on antidepressants and did not receive therapy. Both treatments showed similar success rates after two years. (A little more than half the people in each group avoided a relapse.)

“When you’re depressed, your view of life becomes distorted, and you may not notice how your mood can spiral downward,” explains Simon Rego, PsyD, director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “But mindfulness training helps you become more present in the moment, which in turn lets you detach from destructive thought patterns.”

Like any new practice, MBCT takes an investment of time (and often money) to start. The advantage is that it offers tools you can use your whole life, says Rego.

There are many varieties of therapy; your provider may use a combination of techniques, depending on her training and your specific needs. Here, a few common types.

Cognitive behavioral therapy: Aims to help you identify and change negative thought processes and habits.

Psychodynamic therapy and psychoanalysis: Work to raise awareness of how your past experiences and relationship patterns affect the way you feel and act.

Behavioral activation: Encourages you to do pleasurable activities (like exercising or hanging out with friends) to boost your mood.

Interpersonal therapy: Focuses on improving your relationships with others.

Problem-solving therapy: Helps you strengthen your ability to deal with stressful experiences.

Social skills therapy: Teaches communication techniques that can be applied to everyday situations.

Supportive counseling: Assists you through a stressful event (such as a death in the family or a divorce) and helps you develop coping strategies.

Next Page: Foods can boost your mood

Fact No. 3: Foods can boost your mood
“In my opinion, food is one of the most powerful weapons we have in our arsenal when it comes to fighting depression,” says Dr. Ramsey, co-author of The Happiness Diet. A study published in June backs him up: Researchers found that higher consumption of fiber, whole grains and produce had protective effects—while a diet packed with added sugars and refined grains was associated with increased risk. Dr. Ramsey’s five suggestions for your grocery list:

Leafy greens: Try to eat at least one serving a day, urges Dr. Ramsey. Veggies like kale, spinach and Swiss chard are rich in folate, which is critical for making serotonin and dopamine.

Seafood: Women who ate fish at least twice a week had a 25 percent lower risk of depression than those who consumed fish less often, according to a 2014 Australian study. Shellfish count, too, says Dr. Ramsey.

Beans: Beans can help improve mood, says Dr. Ramsey, because their prebiotic fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in our intestines, which play a role in regulating inflammation and brain health.

Nuts: A 2013 Spanish study showed that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with an ounce of nuts per day reduced a person’s risk of depression by about 20 percent. Nuts appear to help prevent low levels of the healthy-brain compound BDNF.

Dark chocolate: Snack on one small square of a bar that’s at least 70 percent cacao. The dark stuff possesses compounds that help increase blood flow to the brain.

Fact No. 4: Perimenopausal mood swings don’t last
Doctors once thought that the natural drop in estrogen that occurs after menopause makes women more vulnerable to depression, says Pauline Maki, PhD, professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. But research has turned that theory sideways, finding that women were experiencing an uptick in bad moods during perimenopause. “We realized that it was hormone fluctuations—not the final drop in estrogen—that made the difference,” says Maki. The good news is that those ups and downs will come to an end; like hot flashes, they should disappear once your hormones become stable again. But if the irritable dips are interfering with your everyday life, talk to your ob-gyn. Maki says that oral contraceptives are one effective approach. Your doc may suggest taking an SSRI as well.

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5 Reasons You Always Feel Guilty (and How to Stop Being So Hard On Yourself)

I’m just not able to do it all—why can other women? Laura said during our first session. The 35-year-old, an executive at a pharmaceutical company, had a whopping case of the “shoulds”—as in, she thought she “should” be scheduling more activities for her kids/cooking instead of ordering in/having more fabulous sex with her husband. She worried that she was failing her family.

For a lot of women these days, “having it all” includes having a whole lot of guilt. It’s not just our distress about successfully juggling the demands in our lives, which are many. Social media has made things worse; now we can regularly see how much everyone else is accomplishing, since hardly anyone posts about their failures.

Women typically experience more guilt than men, for the obvious reason: We tend to be more empathetic, so we’re more concerned about how our actions affect others. Thoughtful, sensitive types are also likelier to feel contrite. And if one or both of your parents was overly critical of you as a child, you can carry guilt into adulthood.

In some instances, remorse is good. It’s a way of facing the fact that we’re not living up to our own values and standards, and it’s a reminder to acknowledge and fix mistakes—say, when you unjustly lose it with your spouse. Too often, though, guilt goes from intermittent to habitual and can even bleed into shame. We end up feeling that we’re crappy mothers, employees, partners and friends, when just the opposite is true.

These are some of the strategies I recommend to Laura and other patients that you, too, can use to stop guilting yourself.

The guilt suck: I’m a health slacker.
You skipped your morning run. You ate half a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies as a dinner appetizer. Now you’re beating yourself up for being a willpower wimp. Many of us have had it drilled into our heads that exercising regularly and eating healthfully equals being “good,” while indulging in the occasional treat or skipping a workout makes us “bad.” Family obligations can add fuel to the guilt fire; according to a 2014 Kansas State University study, many parents struggle to establish an exercise routine because they feel guilty about taking time for themselves.

Escaping self-condemnation starts with giving yourself permission to, for example, indulge at an upcoming meal or party. If you plan it, you’re taking control—so you won’t feel weak. Or if you know you’re in for a hectic workweek, schedule one fewer gym session. (And if you do manage to fit in an extra one, bonus star for you!)

Should you bail on a workout, think of how you’d reassure a girlfriend who did the same: “So what if you missed it? It’s better to relax and recharge for once.” Be your own best friend. If you’re berating yourself over a food choice, stop the spiral of self-hate by owning up to your feelings: Wish I hadn’t eaten the loaded nachos, but what’s done is done! Then focus on how you’ll eat well the next day.

The guilt suck: I don’t do enough for my family.
Given how programmed and scheduled children are nowadays, it’s no surprise that women feel extra pressure to be their kids’ cruise directors—and guilty that we aren’t doing more. But the truth is, unstructured time is beneficial to kids. It gives them the chance to be creative, problem-solve and innovate. When my kids were young, I’d set a timer for 15 minutes and tell them, “Go do whatever you want, as long as it’s not the TV or computer. You’ll figure it out.” Inevitably, they got lost in something productive for hours.

Many of us also fear that we’re falling short as a spouse, whether because we haven’t reminded ours to get to the gym or carved out time for regular date nights. My suggestion: Just tell him that you’re feeling bad about it. He might say he hadn’t even noticed. No matter what, you’re letting him know that he’s on your mind, which will ease your conscience.

Next Page: The Guilt Suck: I’m a Social Dropout

The guilt suck: I’m a social dropout.
“Join my book club!” “Please be the chair of the school car wash drive!” Maybe your heart isn’t in it or you don’t have enough time to commit, but even the thought of saying no can kick off a feel-bad trip. There’s the basic wish to be liked and agreeable, as well as the irrational fear of being left out. The best tactic isn’t to delay the decision (“Let me get back to you on that!”), because you’ll drag out the guilt, along with the other person’s hope. Remember: You’re turning down one thing, not forever saying no to volunteering. Try this bulletproof response: “Thanks for thinking of me. I appreciate the vote of confidence—but I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I can’t fit this in right now.” Repeat, repeat, repeat.

The guilt suck: I’m not always up for sex.
On those nights when getting snoozy seems far more appealing than getting busy, it’s difficult not to feel bad for your partner. But the thing is, being a fembot who always says yes to sex, no matter what the circumstance, isn’t healthy for a relationship either. Even for men, sexual excitement isn’t just about the act—they want to feel wanted, and they can tell when their partner isn’t into it. In the moment, saying something like “Can I take a rain check for tomorrow?” allows you to say no, tells your husband that you’re still attracted to him and alleviates any guilty feeling that you’re pushing him away.

RELATED: 13 Reasons to Have More Sex

The guilt suck: I’m a workaholic.
Today, many women have to check work email after hours, and we beat ourselves up over it: One study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior of more than 1,000 employees found that women felt significantly more guilty than guys about engaging with work outside of normal business hours. This mainly boils down to us ladies feeling that we are our kids’ primary nurturer—and that we’re neglecting that responsibility when we do anything career-related while our children are around. Men, however, are more likely to believe that making money is their way of nurturing their family, so for them, checking office email is consistent with caretaking. These feelings persist even when both partners earn an income and the wife’s paycheck is just as crucial as the man’s—and even when the woman is the main breadwinner.

The flip side of 24/7 connectivity is that it allows many of us to duck out of the office earlier to, for instance, make it to that school concert without experiencing guilt trips at work. So stop with the self-hating. As long as you’re not cemented to your screen at night or on weekends, dealing with the occasional job issue is a model to kids that work matters. Set specific times to check mail; ditto for glancing at Facebook and other social media. And then you can return to your previously scheduled life, guilt-free.

Next Page: Insta Guilt Zappers

Insta guilt zappers

Do a reality check.
If you spaced on helping your kid with a class project, consider whether you typically try (yep) and whether you usually consider homework important (yep). Absolved!

Apologize.
Saying “I’m sorry” may seem obvious, but it’s far too common to stew or wallow in guilt rather than just owning up to the mistake, which will make you feel a lot better in the end.

Find the solution.
Try to avoid situations that make you feel bad. If you tend to regret getting upset with your husband for, say, failing to take out the garbage, have him schedule it into his calendar.

Reboot.
Guilt can unfairly make you see yourself in the worst possible light. Remove that spell by reminding yourself about something you did right (I made it to spin class yesterday!).

And if someone is guilting you…
Noticing that a person is trying to make you feel bad is half the battle—because then you won’t internalize it. The best way to deal: Don’t respond in the moment. At a later time, tell the guilter, “You know, after our conversation about [fill in the blank]—and I could be misreading you!—I got the impression that I should have felt guilty. If that’s not the case, let me know, but if something is going on here, I want to talk about it.” It opens the door to conversation. At the very least, she will understand the effect she had on you and might think before she sighs or rolls her eyes next time.

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Monday, September 21, 2015

9 Best Workouts to Do When You Have Your Period

Soothe period pain with these cramp-crushing exercises.

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Friday, September 18, 2015

How to Avoid Technology-Related Stress

We like to think our high-tech tools are helping us get more done faster, thanks to our 24/7 access to information and other people. And, yes, technology has considerable upsides: Staying in touch with far-flung loved ones is easier than ever, and “theres tremendous efficiency when it comes to work, like exchanging information and collaborating,” says Gary Small, MD, a neuroscientist at UCLA and co-author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.

But for many of us, a little too much of this good thing is actually causing a neurological phenomenon that psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, MD, author of Driven to Distraction, has called “attention deficit trait,” marked by distractibility and impatience. “Were constantly scanning the environment for a new ring or buzz,” Dr. Small says. “And theres something irresistible about an unopened message,” Dr. Hallowell adds. “We want to keep opening them even though we know that were distracting ourselves, taking ourselves out of the moment, the conversation.”

Thats because our brains crave newness and reward us with a feel-good squirt of the neurotransmitter dopamine every time our phone pings with a text or emails show up in our inbox. In a soon-to-be- published study from the University of Chicago, researchers found that people have a harder time resisting the tug of gadgets than any other desire, including the urge to eat, sleep, shop, and have sex.

As a result, instead of helping us multitask better, our phones, computers, texts, emails, and apps may keep us from accomplishing as much as we want to. “What people mean by multitasking is switching their attention back and forth from one task to the next,” Dr. Hallowell explains. “And every time you do that, each task loses a little bit of your attention.”

But you can organize your gadget usage so youre not overwhelmed by the never-ending emails and those incessant pings from your BlackBerry. Here are smart strategies for making your tech work in ways that keep your brain focused—and even more efficient.

Sidestep the time-suck
Need to get some work done, but finding it hard to resist the lure of Facebook? So-called “productivity tools” can stop you from surfing when you cant stop yourself. LeechBlock, a free add-on for Firefox, lets you block sites of your choosing during certain times of the day or after youve already wasted a set amount of time on them; Freedom, a $10 download for PC and Mac users, blocks your Internet access for up to eight hours. Even simpler: Set a timer for 25 minutes of focused work. When it goes off, you get five minutes to check Twitter or your favorite blog.

Manage your email better
Email has morphed into a continuous form of communication—more like a phone call than an electronic letter—and, says Dr. Hallowell, you have to set boundaries. “You cant think and email at the same time,” he says. To make that stream of messages less intrusive, designate specific times when youll read whats in your inbox—say, every hour on the hour—instead of compulsively checking. To make this easier, change the settings on your email program so a pop-up doesnt alert you to each new message.

And if you read business email after work or on the weekend, avoid hitting “reply” if you dont have to, since the more messages you send out, the more you get back.

Next Page: De-tech your bedroom

De-tech your bedroom
Its tempting to cozy up with your Kindle Fire or iPad as you drift off to dreamland, but researchers say we should turn off TVs, laptops, and backlit tablets an hour before bed, since exposing yourself to light-emitting gadgets at night suppresses your bodys production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.

That makes it harder to get your zzzs, leaving you less than sharp the next day. Same goes for people calling and texting you in the middle of the night. Ask your friends and family to resist contacting you after a certain hour unless its an emergency, silence your email and text alerts, and put the phone out of arms reach—under the bed or upside-down on the dresser—so its not glowing in your face all night but you can still hear it if it rings. Checking your phone the minute your eyes open in the a.m. also sets a frazzled tone for the day, so try to resist reaching for it first thing.

Ease into gadget-free time
“People now pull out their BlackBerry instead of daydreaming or reading,” Dr. Hallowell points out. “Theres little time where youre awake with yourself and thinking, pondering life.” So try to cut back on tech—but note that “you will have ‘withdrawal,” warns Marsha Lucas, PhD, a neuropsychologist in Washington, D.C. “Your nervous system has gotten reset to having a lot of stimulation, and you have to recalibrate so that less feels good again.” Baby steps first: Try leaving the cell in the car while you hit the gym or the store, and then work up to running errands sans phone. It wont kill you to be inaccessible for an hour or two, and you may just accomplish those tasks faster without the constant pinging. If you get work calls and emails at night that you have trouble ignoring, create “free times” where you dont check them.

To avoid feeling like youre leaving correspondents in the lurch, set an out-of-office message: “I will be unreachable from 6–9 p.m.” This way, youll get space to develop ideas you might never have had while buried in your computer.

At the very least, clear your head by getting outside for a few minutes, since research shows that being in nature is the most powerful antidote to the drain of technology. One study found that even having a plant at your desk increases attention so you can do better work.

Keep a quiet car
Staying off your phone while driving is a no-brainer: Studies show that texting and talking in the car—even hands free—could be as dangerous as driving drunk. But some tech actually helps us pay attention on the road, says University of Kansas psychologist Paul Atchley, PhD. Listening to a GPS system is safer than looking down at a map, and backseat DVD players keep kids from distracting you. Just program the GPS and start the DVD before you hit the road. Then enjoy the ride, free of rings and beeps (at least the kind inside your car).

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Stand Up for Your Health

Are you sitting down? Perfect. Please take a moment to check in with your body. Is your rear kind of numb? Do the backs of your thighs feel smushed? Is your lower back all crunched? This is your body crying out for help! Really.

A wave of new research indicates that sitting all day is actively damaging your health. By forcing a body designed for movement to hold a crushingly immobile position, sitting strains muscles, slows your metabolism, increases your risk of heart disease, and even shortens your life span. “Sitting is a health hazard on the order of smoking,” says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

I was once like you: I sat 10 to 11 hours a day. And then, in 2008, I was researching an article about newfangled chairs and learned that few of the designers actually sat on chairs because of the ill effects on their health. Tired of that glommed-up, dull feeling I got at my desk, I shoved my chair to the side and tried a standing desk. Over the next six months, I slowly rid my home of chairs. I couldn’t believe how my body responded. My back pain disappeared, along with my poor posture. And 15 pounds nearly fell off my frame. Need more incentives? Here’s why over-sitting must—and can—be stopped.

Sitting makes you fat
When you park your butt in a chair, your metabolism comes to a screeching halt. It’s all because of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which resides in the blood vessels of your muscles. “Lipoprotein lipase captures fat in the blood and incinerates it,” says Hamilton. When you’re standing, the postural muscles that support your weight, mostly in your legs, release the enzyme, which goes to work burning fat. But when you’re sitting still, and not shifting every 30 to 90 seconds as the body does naturally, “the fat stays in the arteries, and can be stored in adipose tissue—also known as body fat,” Hamilton explains.

A typical day of sitting lowers lipoprotein lipase activity by 90 to 95% (in animals), which is why when Hamilton takes blood samples of his human subjects while they’re sitting and eating, the plasma—ideally clear—is white and chunky, filled with fat, the sign of a sluggish metabolism.

Worse yet, experts say that 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise may not counteract the effects of sitting all day. In fact, Hamilton says, the biochemical reactions slowed by sitting are completely different from the ones that are activated by your daily workout. The biggest difference between thin and fat people is not how much they eat or exercise, but how much they sit, according to James Levine, MD, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

In a now famed 2005 study, Dr. Levine placed mildly obese and lean participants with similar, fairly healthy diets in sensored “magic” underwear that recorded their body position every half second. The thin people spent a whopping 120 fewer minutes every day sitting, and the overweight people would have burned an average of 350 more calories if they’d engaged in as many non-exercise-related activities (i.e., puttering around). The take-home message: Sitting can have just as great an effect on your weight than eating or exercise, all because our metabolism engine is fueled by constant little movements.

Next Page: Sitting messes with your back

Sitting messes with your back
Your powerful abdominal, pelvic, and leg muscles evolved to do the work of supporting your 100-plus pounds of organs and bones. “But when you sit, you’re placing most of your weight directly on the spine and pelvis instead,” explains Andrew Hecht, MD, co-chief of spinal surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. You’re also forcing the natural S-curve of your spine into a C-shape, which isn’t strong enough to take the pressure. “Imagine resting a heavy weight on top of the letter S or C,” says Galen Cranz, PhD, author of The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body & Design. “Which is going to collapse more easily?”

Sitting shortens your life
How’s this for a case against being on your bum? A long-term study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2010 followed nearly 70,000 healthy women and their daily habits for 14 years. After adjusting for risk factors including body mass index and smoking, researchers found that women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37% increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day seated. Also, death rates from cardiovascular disease were 2.7 times higher in women who sat six or more hours a day, regardless of how much they exercised or weighed. Yes, sitting literally kills.

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