Blog Posts by Oprah.com

Photo: ThinkstockBy Kelly DiNardo

Yet another reason to say "namaste": A small 2010 study found that regular yoga practice may reduce inflammation in the body. "Inflammation, which can be triggered by stress, can worsen allergy attacks," says immunologist Gailen D. Marshall Jr., MD, PhD, who recommends yoga to his stressed-out patients.


We asked yoga instructor Sara Gottfried, MD, for the three best moves to help you feel better.

Alternate-Nostril Breathing

A 2008 study found that alternate nostril breathing-one of the most common breathing exercises in yoga-can increase your body's relaxation response.

Try it: Cover your right nostril and inhale through your left for a count of ten. Hold your breath for five seconds. Then cover your left nostril and exhale through your right for a count of ten. Inhale through your right nostril and hold for five seconds. Cover your right nostril again and exhale through your left. Do three more rounds.

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Read More »from How Yoga Can Relieve Your Allergies

Photo: ThinkstockBy Candace Braun Davison

In Your Office's Vacation Policy
More and more companies are allowing employees to "sell" back their unused time off at the end of the year, according to The Wall Street Journal. The money is treated like an extra paycheck--with regular tax deductions--but you can also choose to receive it as a 401(k) contribution or donate it directly to charity. For the average American, that's an extra two days' pay each year.

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At Your Local Gym
There's a new way to motivate yourself to hit the gym, and it's almost as powerful as your friend announcing that she ran into Ryan Gosling there. Some health insurance companies will pay you to work out. UnitedHealthcare, for example, reimburses members $20 for every month they visit a fitness center or YMCA at least 12 times. (Planet Fitness, one of UnitedHealthcare's participating gyms, offers memberships for $10 per month.) Similarly, Anthem will

Read More »from 4 Surprising Places Money is Hiding in Your Life

By Adam Glassman

By Jenny Bailly

Photo: ThinkstockA Meal Extender for $1.49: Cannellini Beans
True story: We were once in the middle of throwing together an empty-out-the-fridge weeknight dinner for two that involved three-quarters of a box of pasta, some broccoli florets, garlic, olive oil and lots of Parmesan. A "be there in 10 minutes!" text showed up on our phone from a friend (oops, scheduling misfire), and we started ransacking the pantry to find something to turn the meal into a company-worthy dinner for four of us. A 15-ounce can of cannellini beans came to the rescue. The white beans added heft, provided a creamy contrast to the vegetables and turned pasta and greens into a one-dish, protein-rich supper.

RELATED: Taste Test: Canned or Homemade Beans




Photo: Lynn AndrianiInstant Crunch: Panko
Compared to other store-bought varieties, panko bread crumbs are more coarsely chopped, less toasted and lighter in feel and taste. They also have the power to transform whatever you're cooking--chicken cutlets, butterflied shrimp, a simple flounder

Read More »from The Most Important Ingredient in Your Kitchen Is

Photo: Thinkstock

By Corrie Pikul

Will you be a bridesmaid in my wedding?

Personal trainers realize that some clients get a little more, well, personal than others, says Geralyn Coopersmith, the national director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute. "They may spend more one-on-one time with you than with their friends or even their spouse," Coopersmith says. "They also know that you genuinely care about their health--that's part of your job." When one of Coopersmith's clients became pregnant, Coopersmith was the first person she told (before her husband!), and another invited her on an island vacation. ("Her friend had bailed, but I still felt uncomfortable.") During her 20 years of helping people get in shape, Coopersmith has even been asked to be in a client's wedding. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she said, 'You're such an important part of my life!'" (Coopersmith, who felt honored, went--and had a blast.)

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Read More »from Bizarre Questions People Ask Personal Trainers

Photo: ThinkstockBy Lynn Andriani

Don't Upgrade Your Mattress...
...in April. This middle-of-spring month doesn't have any major holidays, and mattress retailers love to hold sales around days that most people have off from work or school, like Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Plus, in May, manufacturers tend to mark down old models to clear them out and make room for the new ones coming in, so if you buy in April, you'll be too early to score a deal.

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Photo: ThinkstockDon't Buy a New Grill...
...between March and June. As soon as people get their first whiff of warm air, they start thinking about burgers and hot dogs, which means they head out to buy charcoal and gas grills--and high demand means high prices. Leslie Wheeler, director of communications at the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, says you're unlikely to get a great buy early in the season. Wait until after the Fourth of July or, if you can hold out, autumn, when

Read More »from The Worst Time to Buy a Mattress (and 5 More Purchasing Secrets)

Photo: David TsayBy Meredith Bryan

Organization expert Peter Walsh shares his best pieces of advice for cleaning out your kitchen.

Time Required: 30 minutes

Check the Dates
Immediately get rid of those long-expired pickles and cake mixes and the can of chicken soup you bought to cure a nasty cold in 2005.

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Banish "Aspirational" Foods
The sun-dried-tomato tapenade you planned to serve at the dinner party you didn't get around to hosting? The hearty dry-bean soup mix whose instructions sound like a drag? "Let it go," says Walsh. "Anything you don't use regularly or have immediate plans to use is in danger of being wasted."

Group "Like" Foods
Assign each category--canned beans, pasta sauces, packaged snacks--its own section of shelf, and keep only what fits in the allotted space. Pack everything else into a box marked "donate."

Atone for Your Waste
In addition to dropping off edible non-perishables at a local food bank, "estimate the cost ofRead More »from Pare Down Your Pantry in 30 Minutes or Less