Posts

The number of calories you need to consume depends on whether you’re in the bulking phase or the cutting phase. Image Credit: Sladic/E+/GettyImages People tend to think that a bodybuilder’s diet is basically just shoveling food into your mouth when you’re not working out. However, the reality is a lot more complicated than that. Advertisement Bodybuilding isn't an activity that ends when you're done at the gym; it's a lifestyle that also requires you to pay special attention to what you eat....

Braising chicken can be a bit tricky, but you can do it with proper prep. Image Credit: LauriPatterson/iStock/GettyImages Braising is a classic cooking method where you pan sear meat, then partially cover it in an aromatic and flavorful sauce to finish cooking it via indirect heat cooking. By only partially covering the meat, the browned outside remains crispy and texturally pleasing. Advertisement Typically, the cut of meat chosen for braising is full of connective tissue that needs to be cooked slowly in liquid at a low temperature in order to be made tender....

Practice in a gamelike way to develop repeatable sport skills. Image Credit: IPGGutenbergUKLtd/iStock/Getty Images The concept of muscle memory, or repeating a movement many times until your muscles can perform it automatically, is a myth. Your muscles don’t have brains, and therefore can’t remember anything. In fact, hitting or throwing a ball over and over can fatigue the central nervous system, causing you to perform tired, late, incorrect swings or throws, hurting your motor skills....

A large baked spiral honey ham. Image Credit: JPLDesigns/iStock/Getty Images A whole ham is a savory, elegant meal for a holiday or a Sunday dinner with the family. Ham is the cut of pork that comes from the upper hind leg of the pig, and you can purchase hams either fully or partially cooked. Select a ham that includes a glaze packet or choose one that has been smoked over a hardwood such as mesquite....

Venison is a lean and well-flavored meat, much lower in saturated fats than mainstream alternatives such as beef and lamb. That makes it a fine choice for grilling or slow-cooking, but venison alone is too lean to make a decent sausage. Butchers and sausage enthusiasts compensate for this by adding pork fat, which moistens and enriches the venison. The sausage must be cooked gently, otherwise the fat simply renders out and leaves behind a casing filled with disappointingly dry and crumbly venison....

Yellowfin (ahi), tuna is firm and meaty, with deep red flesh. Image Credit: Tatyana Berkovich/iStock/GettyImages Yellowfin (ahi), tuna is firm and meaty, with deep red flesh. You’ll often find it served as raw sashimi in sushi restaurants, but a yellowfin tuna steak is fabulous pan-seared, too. If you cook yellowfin tuna this way, following a few simple rules will guarantee delicious results every time. Advertisement Why Eating Tuna is Healthy Yellowfin tuna isn’t just tasty, it’s nutritious too....

Trade your white rice for a more unique version, such as purple rice. Purple rice is a variation of jasmine rice. Although it is often used to create visual interest in certain entrees, it is cooked similarly to other versions of jasmine or Thai sticky rice. Purple rice can be cooked on its own or as a part of a mixture with white jasmine rice. If you are making dinner for your family or want to impress dinner guests, consider offering them a dish prepared with purple rice for a unique touch....

Whether you weigh in once a day, week or month, knowing how close you are to reaching a weight loss goal and reflecting on how far you have come is important for motivation. Creating a weight loss graph gives you a visual picture of weight fluctuations, allowing you to identify if there are patterns or plateaus in your weight loss over time. A graph is simple to make using the Microsoft Excel program on a computer....

There are many different alternatives to push ups for beginners. Image Credit: GrapeImages/E+/GettyImages Ah, the push-up — a movement of pride for some and terror for others. If you’re in the camp that flinches at the idea of dropping and cranking out 10, 15 or even 20 pushups, take heart: You can use modified push-ups for beginners to build the strength and confidence you need to conquer the real thing....

Abs aren't just sexy — they're functional. Image Credit: Malkovstock/iStock/GettyImages Nothing sets off the season’s hottest swimsuit like a flat lower tummy. While you can’t target just the lower abs for fat loss, you can slim your midsection by losing total body fat. Eating right, exercising often and doing ab exercises as part of a total-body strength training routine will help tone and tighten for that slim, sexy look that’s always in style....

Soup next to fried roti. Image Credit: User9637786_380/iStock/Getty Images Chapati roti, a flat bread made of whole wheat, is a staple of Indian cooking and other South Asian cuisines. While chapati roti is relatively easy to cook, the preparation can be time consuming. Many South Asian chefs choose to make large batches of chapati roti and freeze them for future use. Freezing roti is not difficult, and if you do it properly they will taste as good as freshly baked flat bread....

Crunches are only a small step toward getting a six-pack. Image Credit: Ziga Plahutar/E+/GettyImages A month is a tight deadline for achieving six-pack abs, so if you’re planning to go from zero to washboard in 30 days, you’ll want to adjust your timeline. That’s because, in general, ab muscle definition shows up at 14 to 20 percent of body fat for women and 6 to 13 percent of body fat for men....

A woman and man run in the gym. Image Credit: shironosov/iStock/Getty Images People tend to lose fat in reverse. Women gain fat from the bottom up, while men gain belly fat first, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center. When you lose weight, you’ll lose fat from your face and arms sooner than from your main fat storage areas. The right exercise program combined with moderate calorie reduction will help you see weight loss in your face and arms as soon as possible....

Wondering how to change your life? All you need is two minutes. Image Credit: Ridofranz/iStock/GettyImages You want to get healthier, but where do you start? Should you do a cleanse or see a nutritionist? Join a yoga studio or hire a trainer? Advertisement If it seems overwhelming and you're just not sure what direction to head in, start small. You don't have to revamp your whole life all at once. You can move toward a healthier lifestyle simply by incorporating any of these 10 healthy habits into your daily routine....

Fatigue is one symptom of low B12, and the deficiency becomes more common with age. Image Credit: Tinpixels/E+/GettyImages In This Article Common Symptoms Unsupported Symptoms Bottom Line Deep inside your body, vitamin B12 — aka cobalamin — performs essential tasks like maintaining the health of your red blood cells and creating DNA, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Advertisement Our bodies don't naturally make this nutrient, but because many animal-based foods (think: meat, milk, eggs) are high in vitamin B12, most of us get all we need through our diet, according to the NIH....

references Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: “Ethnic Differences in BMI and Disease Risk.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings: “A pooled analysis of waist circumference and mortality in 650,000 adults.” Cardiovascular Diabetology. “Normal-weight obesity is associated with increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings: “Comparative Relevance of Physical Fitness and Adiposity on Life Expectancy.” JAMA Network Open: “Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men....

The Mediterranean diet meal plan focuses on veggies, whole grains and healthy sources of fat for a nutritious and sustainable approach. Image Credit: kajakiki/E+/GettyImages In This Article Mediterranean Diet 101 4-Week Eating Plan Some diets are overly rigid, but the Mediterranean diet is known for its simple guidelines that improve your eating habits without leaving you feeling hungry or restricted. That's mainly why it was named the Best Diet of 2023 for the sixth year in a row by the U....

Acidic salad dressings are among the foods that are bad for your teeth. Image Credit: nensuria/iStock/GettyImages The Refresh is helping you freshen up on your oral-care knowledge and upgrade your dental-hygiene routine. It’s been drilled into your head that candy and soda are terrible for your teeth — probably since kindergarten. And while it’s a good idea to stay away from consuming excess sugar for a variety of health reasons, there are other — perhaps more surprising — foods and eating habits that damage your teeth....

If your inbox makes you anxious, try setting healthy boundaries around when and where you check it. Image Credit: FG Trade/iStock/GettyImages It’s probably one of the first things you do when you wake up and among your last orders of business each night: Check your email. And at this point, even the sound of your email notifications might be enough to set your teeth on edge. Advertisement More than two-thirds of remote workers say they'd rather commute to work if it meant receiving fewer emails and notifications, according to an April 2021 survey by Superhuman and market research firm Wakefield Research....

references Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010" Mayo Clinic: "Melatonin" Sleep Medicine: "Association Between Night-shift Work and Level of Melatonin: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "Valerian" Journal of Evidence Based Integrative Medicine: "Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" Sleep Medicine: "Effectiveness of Valerian on Insomnia: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Placebo-controlled Trials" USDA: "What We Eat in America, NHANES 2013-2016" Nutrients: "Micronutrient Inadequacy in Short Sleep: Analysis of the NHANES 2005–2016" Nutrients: "The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress—A Systematic Review" Journal of Research in Medical Sciences: "The Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Primary Insomnia in Elderly: A Double-blind Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial" Mayo Clinic: "I've Heard That Magnesium Supplements Have Health Benefits" Nutrients: "The Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" Nutrition and Health: "The Effect of Vitamin D on Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" PLOS ONE: "Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Objective Short Sleep Duration Are Independently Associated With the Risk of Serum Vitamin D Deficiency" National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: "Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Consumers" National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: "Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals" Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: "Ashwagandha" National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine: "Kava" National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: "Vitamin C" Nutrients: "The Role of Vitamin C in Two Distinct Physiological States: Physical Activity and Sleep" Appetite: "Dietary nutrients associated with short and long sleep duration....