Is MSG Bad for Your Health? The Surprising Truth

MSG has an image problem. An estimated 42% of us are trying to limit or avoid MSG entirely, according to the International Food Information Council. At the same time, food companies and restaurants love it for its rich, savory flavor. That’s a pretty big disconnect. Is MSG really as problematic as we’ve been led to believe, or is it time to give it a second look?

Forget 10,000 Steps - Here's How Much You Should Actually Walk per Day, According to Science

Despite the recommendations of pedometers everywhere, there's nothing scientific to the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day, for health or for weight loss.

That magic number is an arbitrary one that originated as an advertising campaign decades ago...

Easy Ways to Cut Back on Sugar Without Noticing

Most of us eat far more sugar than is healthy. On average UK adults consume around 50g (12.5tsp) a day of “free sugars” – added sugar and those found in honey, syrups and fruit juices – when the recommended intake is no more than 30g (about 7tsp). Meanwhile American adults eat and drink an average of 77 grams (about 18tsp) of sugar per day...

What Muscles Do Planks Work? How to Do a Proper Plank, According to a Personal Trainer

Whether you’re taking a group fitness class or following an exercise DVD at home, it’s a sure bet that you’ll be doing planks at some point during the workout—and for good reason. Planks are the ultimate test of total-body strength, not just your core. That’s why they’re the groundwork for many bodyweight exercises, like push-ups and burpees...

How I Protect My Mental Health Against the Isolation of Quarantine

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has rocked our world and caused all of us to isolate in ways we never dreamed of doing before. For some of us who have a severe mental illness diagnosis, this isolation is more than we might have ever experienced with our most extreme symptoms. While I have to fight...

How to Actually Enjoy Treadmill Running This Winter

Running is invigorating: feeling the wind moving through your hair, your body connecting with the earth beneath your feet, a chance to take stock of the world that moves around you and the world that moves within you. Unless, of course, the weather sucks. Then it’s time to book it indoors and hit everyone’s “favorite” cardio machine, the treadmill...

What's the Difference Between Flexibility and Mobility (and Why Should You Care)?

Flexibility used to be a simple concept to understand: if you can do the splits or touch your hands behind your shoulder blades, you’re flexible. And if you’re not flexible, you have to do some stretches. But in recent years, the term mobility has become more popular, and it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing...

6 Ways to Wake Up Without Coffee

An hour after you've gotten out of bed, you still feel sleepy and haven't started to tackle your big to-dos for the day. You want some pep in your step, but drinking coffee could makes you so anxious you feel like you could scale the walls. Or perhaps you're trying to kick a caffeine habit?

Many people are stressed these days, and sometimes they want to feel energized but not nervous or overwhelmed...

5 Myths About Protein to Stop Believing Now

Your body needs protein—that’s a fact. The macronutrient performs many critical roles in the body, including helping to enable your cells, tissues, and organs to function. So yes, you need to eat foods that contain it, because while the body synthesizes many amino acids that make up protein chains, there are some the body can't produce...

'It’s Not About Willpower.' How Metabolism Slows Down When You Try to Lose Weight

Many people trying to shed pounds have seen their diets stall after a certain amount of weight loss. A new study shows how the body’s metabolism slows as a way to balance the lower amount of calories that are consumed.

An analysis of data from 65 dieting white and Black women, ages 21 to 41, revealed that their bodies could adapt to burn, on average...