Blog Posts by The Editors of Prevention

If the warm weather is inspiring you to exercise outdoors this weekend (or for the first time in weeks, depending on how cold and rainy spring has been where you live), there is nothing more annoying-and exercise interrupting-than a side stitch. What's the cause? This sharp pain occurs when the ligaments that run downward from the diaphragm to hold up the liver become stretched. When you run, you breathe in once for each two strides, and you breathe out when one foot-usually the right-strikes the ground. So your diaphragm goes up when the force of your foot strike causes your liver to drop. This stretches the ligament and makes it hurt. This often happens to runners, but you also can get side stitches from walking or even laughing. Whatever the reason, here's how to make them go away.

How To Speed Up Your Metabolism And Keep It That Way

STOP. When the pain hits, stop whatever you are doing. You need to relax to calm your twitching muscle.

SLOW DOWN AND WALK. If you're running when you

Getting sick or injured while traveling can mean wasting precious vacation days. That's bad news for the 86 percent of Americans who plan on taking a trip this summer. The good news: More airports are now offering on-site health care. Whether you're suffering from seasonal allergies, have a sprain from lifting heavy luggage, or feel the first signs of a cold or flu coming on, you can ease symptoms while waiting for your flight.

How to never, ever get sick on vacation

Like a typical doctor's office, most airport medical facilities have a waiting area and exam room with x-ray services and vaccinations available. They're staffed by a physician, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner. While most of these centers don't offer prescription meds on site, the medical personnel can write you a prescription and some are even open 24 hours. Your insurance should cover much of the visit. If you're paying out of pocket, an exam by a physician with lab tests and a written

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Good news if you have a few grays: Your mind is actually improving as you grow older. In fact, mid-life just may be the peak time for brain performance, according to a new book, The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind (Penguin Books), by Barbara Strauch. From sorting through the latest research, The New York Times deputy science editor uncovered why it's a myth that our brainpower diminishes during middle age-and what you can do to keep yours in tip-top shape. Here are three reasons your brain is changing for the better:

10 ways to sharpen concentration and prevent brain fog

1. Your mind is expanding. Despite the popular notion that you lose thousands of brain cells as you age, research shows that your brain actually continues to grow cells throughout middle age (defined by researchers as age 40 to 68). This is especially true of the coating of neurons called myelin, which builds connections to help you make sense of your

Strength-training doesn't have the booty-shaking fun of a hip-hop class or the collective Zen of yoga, but it's one of the best ways to keep your metabolism humming (the more muscle you have, the zippier your metabolism stays, especially helpful as you age. So grab some dumbbells, park yourself in front of a mirror, and make your workout work harder with these six simple tips.

Drop a full dress size in less than a month!


1. Focus on form
It's more important to get your technique right than to bang out all the reps of an exercise. Form-the correct movement for each exercise-is very important during strength-training. Poor form isn't just ineffective; it can lead to injury. It's a good idea to train in a room that has a mirror so you can see exactly what you're doing.

Swimsuit-phobic? Try this plan to shed inches all over


2. Don't hold your breath
Try not to hold your breath at any point during an exercise. In general, exhale on the exertion (lifting the

Some statistics for thought: On any given day, 45% of women are on a diet, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. On average, we think about our bodies 8 times a day, found one recent survey. About 80% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance; what's worse, 40% would trade 3 to 5 years of their lives to achieve weight loss goals.

No wonder many women report signs of disordered eating behavior-such as excessively counting calories or working out just to burn off food-even if they never develop a full-blown disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

Problem is, there's often a fine line between eating healthfully to slim down and becoming fixated with food, so we talked to top food behavior experts to understand the difference. Here are some red flags that could indicate a food/weight obsession.

5 Worst eating habits for your waistline

1. You eat in reaction to bad or good news.
You're having a stressful day, so you treat yourself to Cheetos at the

You move, you sweat, you burn calories, right? In theory, but if you get stuck in a workout rut or choose cardio above all else, you could be robbing your body of the postworkout burn that helps you torch calories all day long.

6 Moves that wipe out cellulite

Mistake #1: You're in an exercise rut
When you do the same activity day after day, week after week, your mind isn't the only thing that gets bored-your muscles do, too. Whether you take the same daily 30-minute walk around a neighborhood loop, or do a few sets of the same old strength moves, after a while your body stops being challenged and your results plateau.

Correct it: Change things up. Go for a hike on the weekend instead of doing your usual power walk. Find new strength moves that work the same muscles. (There are some great ones in the following chapters.) Try a new type of exercise by slipping in a workout DVD. Any little way to mix things up and challenge yourself with something new is a step in the

Acupuncture is rapidly gaining acceptance-and respect- in doctors' offices and hospitals as evidence of its success piles up. It's being used to treat everything from headaches to hormonal issues, depression, and even chemo side effects, and patients are consistently seeing results. But how do you find the right practitioner? These four tips can help:

See why these physicians swear by non western medicine

1) Start with a doctor's referral or friend's recommendation. If you don't have either, check nccaom.org, the site of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

2) Check to see that he has a license. An acupuncturist doesn't have to be a physician but should have a license. Requirements vary by state, but include between 2,000 and 3,000 hours of training (usually a 3- to 4-year master's degree program) and a series of written exams at one of the more than 65 accredited US acupuncture schools. Note: Doctors who practice acupuncture don't