Blog Posts by Health.com

Getty ImagesWalk into the office feeling foul, and it'll show in your work, research in the Academy of Management Journal suggests.

"When you start in a negative place, you tned to spiral downward," says co-author Steffanie Wilk, associate professor of management at The Ohio State University.

Health.com: Find your ultimate happiness

Here are some ways to turn things around if...

You woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Give yourself a lift by listening to feel-good music during your commute or even squeezing in some exercise, "which we know alters mood for the better," Wilk says.

You feel swamped just looking at your to-do list. Start with something small-checking it off when you're done will motivate you to tackle tougher tasks.

Health.com: How to live the dream

You're still overwhelmed at lunchtime. Take a bad-mood-busting break: Go for a short walk outside, read something that makes you laugh, or try a yoga move (if you have space).

You're nowhere near done, but the day almost is. Reevaluate

Getty ImagesBy Carina Storrs

Motherhood can take a toll on any woman's health, but single moms may have an even harder go of it. According to a new study, women entering their 40s who had their first child out of wedlock experience poorer health, on average, than women who were married when they first gave birth-even if they marry in the interim.

Stress and money troubles associated with being a single mom are likely the main culprits, says the lead author of the study, Kristi Williams, PhD, an associate professor of sociology at the Ohio State University, in Columbus. "We know these are much more common among single mothers, and both are strongly implicated in a wide range of health outcomes," she explains.

Health.com: Head-to-toe solutions for stress

Since 1979, when the study began, the percentage of U.S. babies born to unmarried women has shot up from 17% to about 40%. The increasing rate of out-of-wedlock births, combined with an aging population, could spell problems for public health,

By Myatt Murphy

Tired of plugging away at the gym without seeing the pounds disappear? We found simple tricks that will transform your usual regimen into the ultimate fat-blasting routine. Whether you use just two of these strategies or all seven, our insider tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve.

1. Know this: "You'll be able to comfortably work out longer and harder if you're cool," says Len Kravitz, PhD, coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. "Being too hot stresses your body out, so you don't perform as well." Translation: You burn less fat.
Do this: When exercising at home, put a fan in front of your workout area. Hitting the gym? Wait to use the treadmill that has a fan built into the console.

Health.com: Fastest fat burners ever

2. Know this: "Wearing a heart-rate monitor makes it easier to burn more body fat by showing just how hard you're really working," Kravitz says. "Keeping your heart rate in the right zone prevents you from

By Lia Huber

If you're clueless when it comes to picking out produce, use our how-to guide for choosing the freshest fruits and veggies at your local farmers market or grocery.

Apricots, Peaches, Plums

• Pick: Fruit that is firm, with a taut, unblemished skin and no signs of bruising or wrinkles.
• Store: Ripen at room temperature, until tender. Apricots can be kept for 2 days, maximum. Once plums are ripe, refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Use: Cook with sugar (1 pound of fruit per 2 cups sugar) on the stove until thickened for a delicious jam.
• Tip: Vitamin A-rich stone fruits work with savory dishes; try sauteing, grilling, or roasting them to serve with duck, chicken, or pork.

• Pick: Plump, juicy berries with a shine (blackberries) or luster (raspberries), without any trace of mold or discoloration.
• Store: If eating within 24 hours, store at room temperature;

Getty ImagesBy Alyssa Sparacino

Bam! Just like that, food entertainment took over our televisions.

With last year's debut of the Cooking Channel-sister to the wildly popular Food Network-we now have two ways to access food TV around the clock. That's in addition to Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and countless niche programs ranging from the obscure Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern to the charming DC Cupcakes.

Flay, Batali, Ray, and Ramsay have become household names, and it's not hard to see why: Half of Americans watch food or cooking shows "very often" or "occasionally," according to a 2010 poll by Harris Interactive.

Health.com: Tyler Florence's tips for a super summer salad

All this talk about food may start your stomach growling-and that could be a problem. As the food-entertainment revolution has expanded, so have our waistbands. In the early 1990s, before the Food Network or Top Chef, 56% of Americans were overweight or obese. That number has since grown to 68%. Are these two trends somehow

Getty ImagesBy Lynne Peeples

Forty years after the Clean Air Act, more people are breathing easier. "In general, we've seen tremendous improvement in air quality," says Jonathan M. Samet, MD, director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.

But some air is cleaner than others. Here are the 5 cities with the cleanest air, according to the American Lung Association's annual report, which looks at levels of ozone and particulates, which are tiny particles that can get lodged in your lungs.

Health.com: 12 ways to keep your lungs strong and healthy

Cheyenne, Wyo.
Population: 88,854

Cheyenne is the clear winner: It has the lowest level of year-round PM 2.5 particulates, tiny lung invaders about 1/30th the width of a human hair. Cheyenne's small size may help; fewer cars travel the roads, and vehicles are a key source of PM 2.5 (and ozone).

Wyoming's capital also has fewer short-term spikes in 24-hour particle pollution. "When exposure peaks, you

Getty ImagesBy Matt McMillen

The longer a working mother stays at home with her newborn, the more likely she is to breast-feed and continue doing so for the recommended six months, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

Women who waited at least 13 weeks after giving birth to resume working were far more likely than those who returned within six weeks to start breast-feeding, favor nursing over other foods after three months, and breast-feed at all after the baby's six-month birthday, the study found.

"Our major conclusion is that if the new mother is able to delay the time of returning to work, the prevalence of initiation and the duration of breast-feeding will increase," says Chinelo Ogbuanu, M.D., the lead author of the study and a senior epidemiologist at the Georgia Department of Community Health, in Atlanta.

Health.com: Working moms may mean overweight kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which publishes Pediatrics, recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed their

IstockphotoBy Kimberly Holland

Reclaim summer's carefree spirit by adapting these three simple tips from life coach Victoria Moran, author of Living a Charmed Life.

Health.com: Beat the top summer health hazards

Get on island time
When you're not at work, consciously switch from busy-life mode to vacation mode-you know, the one where you're not annoyed by a slow store clerk or frantic to get to the next thing on your schedule. "When you're away, you look at everything in a completely different way," Moran says. "You're more relaxed and patient, and you enjoy everything more."

Health.com: Head-to-toe solutions for stress

Add little bits of fun
You don't have to make big trips to the beach to enjoy the summer. Each morning, think: "What can I do today that will make it an amazing day?" Moran suggests. Maybe it's sipping lemonade on the patio before work or catching fireflies with your kids after dinner. Create your own personal list of simple pleasures, and work them into your day.

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