Posts

Foods High in Folic Acid for Pregnancy Image Credit: dolgachov/iStock/GettyImages For women of child-bearing age, folate is essential to help your body make red blood cells and avoid anemia. Folate is the naturally-occurring form of the synthetic vitamin, folic acid, which is added to bread, cereal and pasta products. Also known as vitamin B-9, folate is crucial to the health of a developing child to avoid the most preventable of all birth defects — neural tube birth defects — which affect the brain, spinal cord, heart and mouth....

Espresso beans on a wood table Image Credit: merznatalia/iStock/Getty Images Chocolate-covered espresso beans are a delicious treat that appeals to both coffee lovers and chocolate addicts. Some people think chocolate-covered espresso beans are a junk food, but they actually pack a healthful punch, as well as a flavor punch – both chocolate and espresso contain antioxidants and might help prevent certain diseases. Advertisement Antioxidants Both chocolate and espresso beans contain antioxidants, which are substances that neutralize free radicals in your body....

Newcomers to fitness may reap large benefits more quickly than old hands. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images If you’re wondering how much and how fast you can jack up the amount of weight you can bench press, you might find it helpful to ask yourself a couple of questions. First up is, what’s your fitness goal? If it’s to add muscle mass, then you want to approach this methodically. Next is, just what are you trying to prove?...

Three glasses of vegetable juice on a tray with ingredients. Image Credit: ferlistockphoto/iStock/Getty Images Vitamin K helps your blood clot properly. You get vitamin K from green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. But bacteria in your small intestines also make vitamin K, so deficiencies are rare. Because vitamin K helps blood clot, it can counteract the effect of blood-thinning medications such as warfarin. If you’re taking warfarin or another blood thinner, your doctor may advise you to avoid foods that are high in vitamin K, including the vegetable juice, V8....

Scotch fillets are known as rib eye fillets or rib fillets in the United States. Image Credit: tycoon751/iStock/GettyImages Scotch fillet is the Australian and New Zealand name for the rib eye fillet, a cut of beef that comes from the rib section of the cow and is full of fat marbling. The best way to cook this rib fillet steak is to grill it, pan broil it or broil it....

Make sure you have correct form when doing pull ups. Image Credit: microgen/iStock/GettyImages Tricep pull-ups are no small matter. They require you to heave your entire body mass up above a bar using your triceps, among other muscles. But before you take on the muscle-building activity, you must be sure to maintain the proper pull-up form and try out different variations of the pull-up. Advertisement Tip Before performing pull-ups to work the triceps, make sure you use the correct form....

references Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy: "Age-Related Hyperkyphosis: Its Causes, Consequences, and Management" Harvard Health Publishing: "Why good posture matters" U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Guide to Good Posture" Yale Environmental Health & Safety: "How to Set Up Your Ergonomic Home Office" Occupational Safety and Health Administration: "Computer Workstation eTool" Cleveland Clinic: "Back Health and Posture" American Chiropractic Association: "Maintaining Good Posture" Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911....

A fitness program helps prepare you for the police academy. Image Credit: Jupiterimages/Stockbyte/Getty Images If you are planning to enter the police academy and begin a career in law enforcement, you need to be physically fit. Many of your duties as a police officer will involve sudden bursts of physical activity, such as running to catch a suspect or to save a life. Even the appearance of physical fitness can be helpful to you....

Skip a sink full of dishes and try a foil packet dinner on weeknights. Image Credit: photominus/iStock/GettyImages Ending the day with a delicious meal screams comfort, but a messy kitchen and a sink full of dirty dishes can be quick to ruin that. That’s why foil packet dinners are so great: They’re easy to make, easy when it comes clean-up and they even feel festive because you have your own little packet on your plate....

The benefits of drinking ginger tea include relief of pain, digestive issues and inflammation. Image Credit: Yasonya/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Nausea Gas Pain Menstrual Cramps Skin Inflammation Sore Throat For thousands of years, ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been prized for its medicinal effects, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). Advertisement Native to Asia, ginger is readily available as a candy, capsule or tea, per Johns Hopkins Medicine. Ginger tea has been well-studied and may offer benefits, according to the NIH....

references Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews: “Exercise and the Gut Microbiome: A Review of the Evidence, Potential Mechanisms, and Implications for Human Health” University of Michigan Health System: “Abdominal Self Massage” University of Michigan: “Diaphragmatic Breathing for GI Patients” Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911. Got gas?...

Wake up your joints gently with easy range-of-motion exercises. Image Credit: recep-bg/E+/GettyImages Some exercise enthusiasts can’t wait to jump into a high-intensity interval workout first thing in the morning. But for those who are highly dependent on the snooze button, that sounds like a nightmare. Advertisement If you're not an early bird or your muscles need a little more TLC before you jump into your day, mobility exercises are a great way to go....

An overhead view of a spoon and tea bag in a cup of black tea. Image Credit: RightOne/iStock/Getty Images Tea is appreciated all over the world for its qualities as a mild physical stimulant, and its psychological value as a soothing, relaxing beverage for its aficionados. It looms large in the traditional medicine and folklore of Asia, and modern medicine is beginning to take an interest in its potential healing ability....

Hot peppers can add a healthy dose of zing to a variety of dishes. Image Credit: Lilechka75/iStock/GettyImages Hot peppers are staples in some of the world’s favorite dishes, from chili to tacos. But after taking a bite — and subsequently feeling like your mouth is on fire — you might be left wondering if eating hot peppers is bad for you. Advertisement Well, don't let the burn fool you. While they aren't for everyone, experts say incorporating hot peppers into your diet is generally nothing short of a win....

A piece of foil-wrapped chocolate on a blue background. Image Credit: Steven Errico/DigitalVision/Getty Images Nestle began producing Quality Street chocolates in 1936. There are 132 calories in three Quality Street sweets, according to Nestle. Advertisement Quality Street Nutrition According to Nestle, three Quality Street chocolates provide 132 calories, 1g of protein and 19g of carbohydrate, 16.1g of which comes from sugar. You also consume 5.8g of fat, 3.2g of which is saturated fat, and 0....

Excessive sweating after exercise can occur for a lot of reasons, but there are just as many ways to stop it. Image Credit: Delmaine Donson/E+/GettyImages Including a sweat session in your day is a healthy routine to have, but what happens when you find yourself sweating for ​hours​ after a workout? Advertisement We spoke to Dean Somerset, CSCS, an exercise physiologist and kinesiologist, to understand why you might experience prolonged post-exercise perspiration and ways to stop it....

Lunges are a great home exercise to slim the knees. Image Credit: DragonImages/iStock/GettyImages Any extra skin and pockets of fat above your knees makes you self conscious to bare your legs in shorts or a swimsuit. Even if you’re thin elsewhere, this fat persists — and all you want is to cinch it up and have tight, lovely legs. Advertisement While exercise can't target knee fat directly, it can tighten your quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh, which lifts sagging skin and tone your leg's whole appearance....

Make sure to take time from exercising after a concussion. Image Credit: автор/iStock/GettyImages If you have experienced a concussion, you may wonder when it is safest to exercise after concussion. This type of head injury, also known as mild traumatic brain injury, affects many people in the United States. Advertisement The top causes in adults are falls and car accidents, but they also happen frequently in sports — 1.6 million to 3....

Dangers of Rogaine for Women Image Credit: diego_cervo/iStock/Getty Images Minoxidil, the generic name for Rogaine, is a medication that was originally used in pill form for treating high blood pressure because of its ability to dilate, or widen, blood vessels. When used for this purpose, one of minoxidil’s side effects was noted to be excessive hair growth. Rogaine became the first medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hair loss, although the exact way that it accomplishes this is still unknown....

Jogging naturally builds quadriceps strength. Image Credit: Estudi M6/iStock/Getty Images Jogging, like any aerobic activity, helps build cardiovascular fitness. Running also will help build strength in the leg muscles, especially for new runners. Quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles and smaller support muscles all get a workout during jogging sessions. A jogging program alone will develop lean muscle and endurance in the legs. Legs will not get big and bulky muscles from jogging....