Women have been taking oral contraceptives, aka The Pill, for almost 50 years to prevent pregnancy. But there are a lot of misconceptions about taking the pill, particularly those about weight gain. Most side effects of taking oral contraceptives are mild and include breast tenderness, nausea, headache and breakthrough bleeding….
When you’re exercising, it’s crucial that you engage in proper breathing techniques. It goes beyond keeping you alive. In fact, learning how to breathe reduces stress while also increasing your energy levels. Breathing exercises get the oxygen and blood flowing. In doing so, your blood pressure goes down, the metabolism…
You think you couldn’t eat another bite after a big meal, but when dessert comes out, you just have to help yourself. Or you’re watching TV and eating out of a big bowl of buttery popcorn. You look down, and all of a sudden, the bowl is empty. Sound familiar?…
Today is Earth Day, and it’s a time to focus on all things green. Making just a small change or two, like investing in reusable grocery bags or replacing light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones certainly helps the Earth. But this year, why not help yourself, too? Instead of buying…
Sleeping your way to weight loss sounds like a gimmick, but there is a correlation between how much sleep you get and how lean you are. One study shows that lack of sleep disturbs metabolic and hormonal process, increasing hunger and making it harder to drop those extra pounds. Lack…
Get ready to take the long way home. When you’re walking somewhere, it’s only natural to want to take shortcuts. However, it’s those added steps that will total up to more calories burned. Instead of hurrying to your destination, take some time to get extra physical activity. If a straight…
Emotional eating can wreak havoc on even the most determined dieter. It’s a way to suppress or soothe negative feelings like boredom, grief, fear and anger. Triggers may include unemployment, financial stressors, relationship strain, health problems or simply fatigue. Our first reaction when anxiety rears its ugly head is to…
Spending hours upon hours on the treadmill can be downright dull. After an extended period of time, the same old exercises are going to wear out their welcome. Variety is the spice of life — so be sure to mix it up regularly. For starters, find a balance of strength…
Don’t judge a food by its color — that’s the advice of some health experts. While it’s true that heavily processed foods such as white rice, white bread and white pasta should be replaced by their whole-wheat counterparts, there’s a whole world of white foods that are actually good for…
We’ve all done it before. Sitting down in front of the television, you grab your favorite bag of cookies or chips and munch away. Before you know it, you’ve almost completely demolished the package of said snack in its entirety. It’s mindless eating, and it gets the best of all…