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When old standby methods of preparation result in boring vegetable side dishes served over and over again, kick up the presentation and flavors with vegetable foil packets in the oven. Image Credit: happy_lark/iStock/GettyImages When old standby methods of preparation result in boring vegetable side dishes served over and over again, kick up the presentation and flavors with vegetable foil packets in the oven. This simple cooking method is ideal for busy households....

You need to increase your calories if you want to bulk up. Image Credit: Enrique Díaz / 7cero/Moment/GettyImages With so much talk about how to lose weight, it’s easy to forget that there are people who want to gain weight with lean muscle mass, or bulk. To do that, you need to consume a caloric surplus — but it’s not as easy as eating anything you want. Advertisement In order to bulk up, you need to build new muscle by doing weight- or resistance-training, according to the American Council on Exercise....

Freshly cooked burritos on a plate. Image Credit: artlensfoto/iStock/Getty Images Frozen burritos are a versatile food that satisfy your appetite in a hurry. Most frozen burrito packages have instructions for both microwaving and baking in conventional ovens. Microwaving a burrito results in a softer tortilla, while cooking in the oven gives a crispier shell. There is no need to thaw frozen burritos before baking them. To dress up frozen burritos, try baking them in a pan with enchilada sauce, salsa, cheese, sour cream and fresh chopped vegetables....

A large pile of elbow macaroni. Image Credit: stocksnapper/iStock/Getty Images Ideally, you cook macaroni and other pastas in boiling water on the stovetop. The website for Barilla’s, the maker of Italian foods, has no mention of microwave cooking, and Mueller’s, another pasta site, notes that only pasta specially made for microwaves should be cooked that way. However, necessity is the mother of invention, and sometimes the microwave is your only option....

Image Credit: derketta/iStock/GettyImages A savvy home cook knows the best approach to cooking liver in the oven depends on the type and age of the liver. Poultry livers, calf livers and livers from other young animals are tender with mild flavor; these hold up to the dry heat of baking. Beef and other adult livers, however, are tougher with a potent flavor. They do better with a wet heat cooking method like braising, which provides good opportunity to temper and balance the liver's taste....

The good morning exercise strengthens your posterior chain, or the muscles on the back of your body. Image Credit: Azeezur Rahman Khan / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Your strength, mobility and alignment can all benefit from saying “good morning.” Err, doing the good morning exercise, that is. Advertisement "The good morning exercise gives you full-body benefits, like helping you learn how to stabilize your spine in a neutral position and building your hamstrings," says Aaron Leventhal, CPT, owner of Fit Studios in Minneapolis....

If you're looking for a doctor who provides gender-affirming care, it can help to reach out to people you know for referrals as well as reading reviews online. Image Credit: gorodenkoff/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Identify Goals Check Insurance Consider Telehealth Get Referrals Research Providers Meet Finalists For transgender, gender-nonconforming or nonbinary folks from all identities, it's important to find a doctor who provides gender-affirming care, which will "support and affirm an individual's gender identity," according to the World Health Organization....

Follow the instructions provided with your pills to avoid side effects. Image Credit: Anetlanda/iStock/Getty Images Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, first came onto the market in the 1960s.The number of available brands has grown exponentially since that time, according to Brown University. The hormones in oral contraception can alter the way your body metabolizes water and lead to temporary weight gain. Manage the water weight after taking birth control bills that same way you would any retention....

Slow cooker seafood recipes like Seafood Jambalaya and Shrimp Scampi make a nutritious weeknight dinner simpler. Image Credit: LauriPatterson/E+/GettyImages Slow cooker recipes always come in handy on busy weeknights or for meals that you can “set and forget” instead of standing over the stove. But slow cookers go way beyond cooking beef, chicken and pork. In fact, you can make slow cooker seafood recipes that are delicious, quick to put together and full of nutrients....

Are there specific foods that cause belly fat? Here's what to know. Image Credit: Katarína Mittáková / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages When it comes to belly fat, there’s not one specific thing that packs the pounds around your midsection. Fat accumulates at your waistline thanks to a combination of factors, including genetics, stress and sleep habits, but what you eat also plays a major role. Advertisement When we talk about belly fat, we mean the hard, visceral fat that lies deep in your abdomen and surrounds your organs....

Foam rolling can help relieve tense muscles by promoting relaxation. Image Credit: microgen/iStock/GettyImages A little muscle soreness after a tough workout is normal. After all, you just really challenged your muscles. But the last thing you want is muscle soreness to get in the way of your body’s recovery (and future workouts). Advertisement Luckily, there are a handful of pretty simple steps you can take each day to help fight tension — and they're physical therapist-approved!...

A young man is swimming laps. Image Credit: windingtheskein/iStock/Getty Images In swimming competition, the 500-yard freestyle event is commonly called “the 500” or “the 500 free.” It can be grueling, consisting of 20 lengths of a 25-yard pool. Focusing on a few elements of the 500 can help you improve your performance. Building endurance, watching your form, managing your pace, concentrating on breathing and perfecting your turn can help make this swim successful....

It's never too late to start doing HIIT workouts. Image Credit: vm/E+/GettyImages Fifty seems to be the magic number for a call to action. At 50, the changes in body composition, metabolism, resilience and overall health that started in your 30s seem to really pick up speed. But life after 50 isn’t “all downhill from here.” In fact, it can be the perfect time to implement healthy changes. Advertisement While muscle loss is thought to be an inevitable side-effect of aging, an August 2018 meta-analysis from Ageing Research Reviews suggests that we're not powerless against it....

Both walking and biking count as cardio exercise. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages For optimal health (and who doesn’t want that?), you should be doing at least 30 minutes of some form of cardiovascular exercise (aka cardio) most days of the week. Whether you’re ­­­old or young, naturally slim or have a few extra pounds to lose, cardio keep your heart healthy and helps you manage your weight. Advertisement But cardio doesn't always mean hopping on the treadmill or elliptical at the gym, and it doesn't have to be monotonous....

A bowl of almonds. Image Credit: GooDween123/iStock/Getty Images Developed by Men’s Health editor in chief David Zinczenko, the Abs Diet is based on the premise that eating certain foods every day will help you lose weight and gain lean muscle mass. Advertisement If you're a vegetarian, you'll be able to eat most of Zinczenko's recommended foods but not all of them. Altering the Abs Diet to fit a vegetarian lifestyle will require some effort, but it can be done....

Strengthen your back after the cesarean. Image Credit: Jacob Ammentorp Lund/iStock/Getty Images After having a cesarean section, your core muscles in your back and abdomen may be weak from the surgery. You might also experience back pain as you recover from the strain pregnancy has put on your body. Back exercises can help you get stronger and maintain flexibility; both attributes are necessary to care for a newborn as she grows into a heavy baby....

Jogging is a great form of exercise. Image Credit: RossHelen/iStock/GettyImages In theory, running 20 minutes a day can help you burn body fat — although you don’t get to choose which body parts lose the fat first. But in actual practice you’ll almost always get better results by adding more physical activity, tweaking your diet, or both. Advertisement Tip Although jogging or running 20 minutes a day represents a practical contribution to any weight loss effort, you'll get the best results by combining those workouts with other types of physical activity and a healthy diet....

Contemporary dance exercises draw inspiration from various dance styles. Image Credit: robertprzybysz/iStock/Getty Images Though contemporary dance has been practiced for years, many people are still unclear as to what it entails. Contemporary dance isn’t like traditional dance forms. Instead, it is a free-form genre combined with several dance styles and movements reflecting current trends in pop culture. Contemporary dance exercises are usually based on jazz, hip-hop and ballet. Advertisement Warm-Ups Warm-ups in contemporary dancing are designed to improve balance, coordination, alignment and awareness of a centered body....

Corn chips, made from whole corn, convert into sugar during digestion. Corn chips are a snack food made from whole corn, corn oil and salt. Because corn chips are made out of the starchy vegetable corn, they are rich in carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is a type of nutrient that, unlike protein and fat, turns into sugar. Carbohydrate-containing foods – including corn chips – break down into glucose sugar molecules during your body's digestion process....

Continually feeling cold is a sign of a health problem. Image Credit: locknloadlabrador/iStock/GettyImages If you consistently reach for a sweater or turn up the thermostat when others around you feel comfortable, you might not be consuming enough calories. Feeling cold on a low-calorie diet is a result of your body not having sufficient energy to fuel metabolism and regulate its own temperature. Advertisement Tip Feeling cold on a low calorie diet is a result of your body not having sufficient energy to fuel metabolism and regulate its own temperature....