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Lots of things, including your position, can cause your blood pressure to fluctuate. Image Credit: Lordn/iStock/GettyImages Blood pressure isn’t a static number. Lots of things can cause it to fluctuate — your stress level, a cup of coffee, even fear of your doctor. Something as simple as how you’re standing or sitting could cause your blood pressure to swing by 10 percent or more, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Advertisement However, an artificial shift in numbers upward can lead to a hypertension misdiagnosis if it puts you over the 130/80 reading that experts judge as borderline high blood pressure....

The tapioca pearls, milk and sugar add plenty of calories to boba milk tea, and flavored varieties may have even more. Image Credit: tatchai/iStock/GettyImages In This Article What Is It? Boba Milk Tea Nutrition Green Tea Boba Taro Boba Strawberry Milk Tea Pros and Cons Boba milk tea, also known as bubble tea, boba tea, pearl milk tea and tapioca bubble tea comes in several flavors, including the popular taro milk tea, green boba tea and strawberry milk tea....

Friends dancing at club Image Credit: Michael Blann/Digital Vision/Getty Images As you bounce across the floor in time with the music and strobe lights at a dance club, you probably aren’t thinking of the activity’s health benefits. But dancing on a regular basis can improve the health of your heart and lungs, lower your blood pressure and strengthen your bones. Dancing also burns calories to help you maintain a fit physique....

A close-up of vanilla ice cream. Image Credit: Design Pics/Design Pics/Getty Images Some bodybuilders achieve muscle growth by bulking – increasing weight and presumably – muscle by overeating. They then “cut” when going into the competition season by prioritizing fat loss and maintaining any muscle the bulking helped them build. These athletes eat for calories – not necessarily nutrition – and ice cream is often included because of its calorie density....

Grab a kettlebell and get to work. Image Credit: simonkr/E+/GettyImages Ditch the dumbbells and grab a kettlebell instead! If you haven’t picked one up yet, odds are you’ve seen someone at the gym swinging a kettlebell around and sweating bullets. The bell-shaped weights have gained major popularity because they’re super effective at working many muscles simultaneously. Advertisement A quick kettlebell workout can hit all your major muscle groups and burn some serious calories....

Staying hydrated is always important, and especially when you're dealing with post-nasal drip. Image Credit: Maskot/Maskot/GettyImages Nose gunk in general isn’t fun, but when it drips down the back of your throat? Yuck. Advertisement Post-nasal drip is the secretions from mucus originating from the back of your nasal passages, David Erstein, MD, a board-certified allergist and immunologist working with Advanced Dermatology PC in New York City, tells LIVESTRONG.com. Video of the Day Fun fact: The glands in your nose and throat produce one or two quarts of mucus per day, notes the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation....

Muscle cramps and lack of energy are both signs of low magnesium. Image Credit: bymuratdeniz/E+/GettyImages In This Article Early Symptoms Severe Symptoms Causes How Much You Need Food Sources Magnesium Supplements Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of functions in your body. But if your levels are very low, you could experience negative side effects. Advertisement Magnesium plays an important role in maintaining nerve and muscle function, immune health and blood sugar levels....

You'll do 10 reps of 10 exercises in this quick, at-home ab workout. Image Credit: Julio Ricco/iStock/GettyImages Crunched for time but still want to squeeze in an ab workout? No problem. This 10x10 workout from Josh Honore, NASM-CPT, coach for Row House, will boost your heart rate and tone your entire midsection in minutes. Advertisement The premise behind this core-crushing workout is to perform 10 reps of each exercise with very little rest between each move....

You don't need a lot of time or fancy equipment for an effective ab workout. Image Credit: gruizza/iStock/GettyImages Although everyone stores excess body fat differently, the lower belly area tends to be a place where a few extra pounds settle for a lot of people. So, if you’ve ever struggled to zip up your jeans, you’re not alone. Advertisement Body-weight and belly-fat accumulation are determined by three main things: how many calories you consume during the day, how many you burn off and your age, according to the Mayo Clinic....

This 20-minute body-weight chest workout features push-up variations to target your inner and outer pecs, arms, shoulders and core. Image Credit: Antonio_Diaz/iStock/GettyImages Bench presses are the foundation for most chest workouts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great body-weight chest workout at home. Advertisement The push-up is a classic body-weight chest exercise that hammers your pecs (and your core and shoulders!) and can be modified for a variety of fitness levels....

Antibiotics are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide and possess numerous side effects, often including weight loss. Image Credit: John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images Antibiotics are drugs given to eliminate pathogenic, or disease-causing, bacteria from the body. They can be given in a number of ways, but outside the hospital they are almost always taken in oral form. Although these medications are never prescribed for weight loss, they can cause people to lose weight temporarily because of the effects they exert in the gastrointestinal tract and elsewhere in the body....

St. John's Wort tea Image Credit: vesmil/iStock/Getty Images Endorphins are natural substances that your brain manufactures to control pain and stress levels. A variety of foods contain certain building blocks from which endorphins and compounds that promote the production of endorphins are made. Consult your doctor before making changes to your diet or lifestyle to treat a medical condition. Advertisement L-phenylalanine Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain and nervous system....

Bananas and rice are great for dealing with diarrhea. Image Credit: vaaseenaa/iStock/GettyImages When you have diarrhea, eating a banana and rice may be the furthest thing from your mind, but this food combo is actually beneficial for several reasons. Together, bananas and rice make up two major components of the BRAT diet, which is often recommended as part of diarrhea treatment. Advertisement Bananas and rice are both bland, soft and low in fiber, so they're digested easily and can help bind the other foods in your stomach....

Bananas are soothing and good for a bland diet. Image Credit: Maksym Narodenko/iStock/Getty Images There are different types of ulcers, and each one has a different cause. An article on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s website states that approximately 80 percent of gastric ulcers and 90 percent of duodenal ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection, with lifestyle, pepsin and acid in the stomach all playing parts in the development of ulcers....

references Mayo Clinic: "Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep" Complementary Therapies in Medicine: "The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: A clinical trial" Journal of Advanced Nursing: "Effects of an intervention with drinking chamomile tea on sleep quality and depression in sleep disturbed postnatal women: a randomized controlled trial" Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: "The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Autonomic Nervous System in Midlife Women with Insomnia" Worldviews on Evidence Based Nursing: "Effects of Lavender Tea on Fatigue, Depression, and Maternal-Infant Attachment in Sleep-Disturbed Postnatal Women" Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: "Lavender and the Nervous System" Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine: "Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" University of Utah Health: "Benefits of Turmeric" Phytomedicine: "Possible nitric oxide modulation in protective effect of (Curcuma longa, Zingiberaceae) against sleep deprivation-induced behavioral alterations and oxidative damage in mice" MyFoodData: "Whole Milk" MyFoodData: "Unsweetened Almond Milk" Drinking certain teas before bed may promote relaxation and better sleep quality....

Sacks of homeopathic herbs and plants at a market. Image Credit: Michael Zysman/Hemera/Getty Images Boldo is an evergreen shrub native to central Chile and Peru. The leaves of the boldo shrub have a long history of use in folk medicine. You can brew them into a tea to drink for a variety of health-promoting purposes. As with any herbal product, however, you should talk to your healthcare practitioner before drinking boldo tea....

Are you doing Bulgarian split squats? You should be! Image Credit: Victoria Gnatiuk/iStock/GettyImages Strong glute muscles — made up of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus — aren’t just the foundation of an enviable backside. They’re vital in daily movements and, if weak, can result in a host of issues including chronic pain and injuries. Advertisement Whether you're on a quest to strengthen your glutes to lessen daily aches and pains, boost your butt, enhance athletic performance — or any combination of these — there's an exercise you're probably not doing that you should be....

Major changes to your diet can cause weird smelling urine. Image Credit: jenifoto/iStock/GettyImages You could say that the human body is a creature of habit. Whenever homeostasis is threatened, your system can get temporarily thrown out of whack. A major change in your diet, such as severely restricting carbs, can cause a host of ketosis symptoms, including suspicious-smelling urine. Advertisement Tip Reducing your carb intake to very low levels can cause your body to produce ketones, which may give the urine an unappealing odor....

Sweet potatoes are full of potassium, which, in high amounts, can be dangerous for damaged kidneys. Image Credit: Peter Carruthers/iStock/GettyImages People who have chronic kidney disease, kidney cancer or kidney stones may be told to follow a special diet that limits nutrients that are potentially dangerous to your kidneys. But can you eat sweet potatoes on a renal diet? Advertisement Below, we explain why sweet potatoes may not be safe if you have kidney issues....

The lemon cayenne cleanse, also called the "master cleanse," the "cayenne pepper and lemon cleanse," or the "lemonade cleanse," is a short-term detox diet similar to a juice fast. Image Credit: sitriel/iStock/Getty Images The lemon cayenne cleanse, also called the “master cleanse,” the “cayenne pepper and lemon cleanse,” or the “lemonade cleanse,” is a short-term detox diet similar to a juice fast. The cleanse claims to loosen and eliminate congestion, and this is thought to detoxify your body and help you lose weight....