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Bridge pose is also a great exercise to work your neck muscles. Image Credit: fizkes/iStock/GettyImages When you do a core workout at the gym, your abs and glute muscles usually get most of the attention. However, the paraspinal muscles also deserve some love while you’re working out. Strengthening this muscle group, which protects and moves your spine, is an important part of any fitness routine. Advertisement Tip Exercises that emphasize spine extension can target and strengthen the paraspinal muscles that run along each side of your vertebrae from your neck to your low back....

Femara is a potent drug for breast cancer patients. Image Credit: Zoonar/O.Kovach/Zoonar/Getty Images Femara, also known as letrozole, is a drug used for treating breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This therapy has several side effects, and one of them is weight loss. Femara is a potent hormone drug and only your physician can assess if it can be of benefit to you and in what doses. Advertisement Femara Facts Mayo Clinic experts report that Femara targets effectively hormone-sensitive breast cancer....

Individuals with a kidney or heart condition may want to consume low potassium fish such as scallops, shrimp, lobster or anchovies. Image Credit: Yvonne Duivenvoorden/Radius Images/GettyImages Fish is a good source of potassium, an essential mineral beneficial for a healthy heart and strong muscles. However, individuals with a kidney or heart condition may want to consume low potassium fish such as scallops, shrimp, lobster or anchovies. High potassium levels have been linked to certain health risks....

Gingko biloba leaves backlit by sun. Image Credit: Helmut Seisenberger/iStock/Getty Images About 20 percent of people living in the United States use herbal products, and ginkgo biloba rates among the top 10, according to a June 2008 review in the “Journal of General and Internal Medicine.” Ginkgo is far from a new kid on the block. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have used ginkgo for thousands of years. Evidence suggests ginkgo may positively influence blood pressure, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it can provide benefits if you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure....

Image Credit: XiXinXing/XiXinXing/Getty Images Getting ripped often entails a strenuous workout plan with the goals of dropping body fat and gaining muscle. How often you work out will determine how many calories you need to eat. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends women never eating fewer than 1,200 calories per day and men never eating fewer than 1,800. Advertisement Calories Per Pound of Body Weight To determine how many calories you should eat to get ripped, base your caloric intake on your workout schedule and your weight....

Army soldiers in training. Image Credit: KaninRoman/iStock/Getty Images Failing to meet U.S. Army weight and height requirements may disqualify you as a potential recruit. Although as of January 2009, the Army does have a weight waiver that, in some cases, may allow you to enlist and lose weight during basic training, height requirements remain firm. Despite the waiver allowance, the National Bureau of Economic Research states that as of September 2010, weight requirements still lead to the disqualification of one in four recruits....

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is one potential method for how to increase pH in the body. Image Credit: peangdao/iStock/GettyImages We all have acidic and alkaline substances in our system, which our bodies balance out to maintain a stable pH. But if your pH becomes overly acidic, it can lead to unpleasant symptoms and potential health complications, which is why it’s important to know how to increase pH level in the body....

Exercise can make your feel better about yourself. Image Credit: Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision/GettyImages It’s probably safe to surmise that sitting in front of a screen all day at work and in front of the TV all night isn’t doing much for your physical health or self-image. A sedentary lifestyle does little to raise your fitness level, your energy, your self-confidence or your general sense of well-being. Advertisement But looking good, feeling strong and having a positive attitude — the attributes of self-esteem — are all benefits of a regular exercise regime....

While cranberry juice is often consumed to treat or alleviate the symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI), it has not been medically proven that drinking cranberry juice can heal the infection. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages Drinking cranberry juice is often used to treat urinary tract infections — its function is to serve as a UTI treatment without antibiotics — although whether it’s actually effective has not been medically proven. Cranberry juice has other health benefits, such as being high in vitamins and minerals....

Weightlifting can help raise your metabolism so that you lose more weight. Image Credit: Fuse/Fuse/Getty Images Bulking up and losing weight are two different goals that involve different paths for success. You can do both at the same time when you are first starting, but after you lose excess fat, you will no longer lose pounds when you are building muscle. Focus on building a routine that includes a strength-training program, regular cardio exercise and a good diet to meet your goals....

references Reynolds Oven Bags; How to Use an Oven Bag; 2009 Reynolds Oven Bags; Southwestern Ribs; 2009 McCormick &ampamp; Company; Bag 'n Season Pork Chops; 2011 Making pork chops or boneless pork loin in a cooking bag typically reduces cooking time — and makes your cleanup easy. Image Credit: gbh007/iStock/GettyImages Image Credit: gbh007/iStock/GettyImages Flour or a flour substitute is a key component for cooking pork chops or loin in a bag....

Ribs are oh-so-tasty cooked on a grill after a stint in the oven. Image Credit: stocksy/pietro karras Cooking ribs in the oven and then moving to the grill allows you to easily cook the meat until it’s done but still achieve a nice crusty sear on the outside. Tossing meat on the grill can also give your ribs a smoky flavor. After selecting either baby back or spare ribs, find a favorite spice rub and barbecue sauce and you’re ready to cook up a great dinner....

Although you may think the grill is the best way to cook ribs, it's possible — and extremely easy — to make fall-off-the-bone ribs without foil in the oven. Image Credit: Tatiana Volgutova/iStock/GettyImages Although you may think the grill is the best way to cook ribs, it’s possible — and extremely easy — to make fall-off-the-bone ribs without foil in the oven. All you need is your rack of ribs, a baking sheet and a wire cooling rack that nestles right inside that baking sheet....

Cooking tiger prawns isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. Image Credit: Xsandra/E+/GettyImages When you think of shrimp, chances are you don’t think about using a whole shrimp recipe. Cooking tiger prawns isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. If you find a tiger prawns recipe with shell on, there are several delicious ways to prepare it. Advertisement What Are Tiger Prawns? Also known as tiger shrimp, the Texas Invasive Species Institute says these creatures can grow to be a foot long and weigh about a pound....

For a simple pan fried fish recipe, season fresh haddock fillets with salt and freshly ground pepper. Image Credit: Fudio/iStock/GettyImages Haddock, often used in the British menu staple of fish and chips, thrives in the Northern Atlantic Ocean and is appreciated for its high-protein, low-calorie and low-mercury content. Cooking pan-fried haddock simply in olive oil and garlic maximizes this white fish’s nutritional value and flavor. Advertisement Tip For a simple pan-fried fish recipe, season fresh haddock fillets with salt and freshly ground pepper....

A cherry protein shake Image Credit: SuzanaMarinkovic/iStock/Getty Images You might drink a protein shake to support lean muscle mass growth and weight gain. Protein shakes usually contain a combination of milk, protein powder and flavorings, such as fruit, nut butter or chocolate. Most protein shakes have between 20 and 40 g of protein, but you can easily increase this content by using additional scoops of powder and other ingredients that contain protein....

It takes both diet and exercise to get a lean, toned body. Image Credit: AzmanJaka/E+/GettyImages The days of staring at the scale — willing it to change — seem to be lessening as more women look for ways to achieve a toned body. Through a combination of strength training, healthy eating and the right amount of cardio, you will find the best way to get lean and toned. Advertisement Healthy Eating for a Toned Body The female version of the get lean diet looks similar to what a male would eat, with a few key differences....

Setting aside time for things you enjoy is one health goal that can help reduce everyday stress and improve your wellbeing. Image Credit: FatCamera/E+/GettyImages Many of us consider the new year the start of a new-and-improved version of ourselves. While this can be motivating, it can also involve unrealistic or harmful attempts at weight loss. But wellbeing is much more than weight, so these healthy New Year’s resolutions can help you start the year right....

Sweat or skin that smells like garlic could be caused by sulfur-producing bacteria. Image Credit: Robert Daly/OJO Images/GettyImages There’s nothing like a strong garlic smell wafting from the kitchen to set your mouth watering. But when your sweat or skin smells like garlic? Well, that’s a different story. Advertisement Sweat itself is odorless, according to the Mayo Clinic. Unpleasant body odor generally arises when sweat and body oils interact with bacteria or sulfur compounds on the skin....

Brown rice helps provide the foundation of a diet. Image Credit: pailoolom/iStock/GettyImages The seven-day brown rice diet, or brown rice cleanse, is built on the principles of the macrobiotic diet, which was popular in the 1970s. Although brown rice provides the foundation of the diet, it isn’t the sole component. You can also eat vegetables, fruits and some healthy fats, like olive oil. Advertisement The diet is meant to help you detox from processed foods and other stressors, like environmental toxins, so your body can reach balance naturally....