Blog Posts by The Editors of Prevention

You might be such a faithful gym-goer that even the cleaning staff knows you by name; but no matter how many sets and reps you log, if your workout isn't giving you the results you want, poor form could be to blame. "Your body is engineered to move in precise ways," explains exercise physiologist Michele Olson, PhD, creator of the DVD Perfect Legs, Glutes and Abs. "The wrong alignment--or even the wrong exercise altogether--doesn't just stunt sculpting; it can also stress the body, leading to injuries that derail your progress."

Read on for 9 common workout blunders that Olson considers the sweaty equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard--and how to fix 'em.

PLUS: Do you need to change your fitness routine altogether? Find out, in 10 Signs You Need a Workout Makeover.

1. Overextended overhead presses

The mistake: Arching backward so your ribs pop up and jut out strains the back and puts you at risk for shoulder injury.

The fix: Keep your ribs down and knees

Hand glued to your snack stash? It might be time to make over your morning meal, finds a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers from the University of Missouri tested the breakfast habits of 20 overweight teenage girls, having them consume either a normal amount of protein through cereal (13 grams of protein), a high-protein breakfast of eggs and beef (35 g), or no breakfast at all for six days. On day seven, the girls took part in a 10-hour testing day, that included an all-you-can-eat dinner of microwaveable pizza pockets, as well as an unlimited evening snack of foods such as cookies, cakes, apple slices, and yogurt.

RELATED: 6 Easy Ways to Change the Way You Eat

The results? After the breakfast skippers, the high-protein breakfast group consumed fewer calories per day than the normal-protein group. What's more is that when it came to snacking, the high-protein group indulged a bit less than their normal-protein counterparts. (And before you think,

.We interrupt your regularly scheduled exercise program for this important message: Repeatedly doing the same workout sets you up for fitness failure. Cross-training, or mixing up types of activity, is a smart way to speed results. "Fitness is a three-piece equation: flexibility, strength training, and cardio. Ignoring one component leaves you more prone to injury," says Geralyn Coopersmith, an exercise physiologist and national director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute. Find the best match for your current workout below. Aim to switch up your routine 2 or 3 times a week. (Is it time to revamp your fitness routine altogether? See these 10 Signs Your Workout Needs a Makeover to find out.)






Primary Workout Yoga
Mix it up With This + Swimming

Here's Why Most forms of yoga aren't rigorous enough to meet your cardiovascular needs. Supercharge your slim-down with this low-impact workout that burns major calories.

Try Now: 20 Ways to Swim Yourself Slim!

Primary Workout Walking or

.Here's the thing. If you're bored with your same old workout routine, your muscles probably are, too. And if you want to see results, you're going to need to change things up.

"Your body adapts to the same old routine," says Liz Neporent, MA, a New York-based exercise physiologist and coauthor of The Thin in 10 Weight-Loss Plan. "New routines help shake things up both physically and mentally. Also, as you get stronger, you have to kick up the challenge a notch if you want to continue to see results."

Try the following upgrades to seven popular exercises to boost your results, up your calorie burn, and take your workout from good to great. Do these two to three times a week; start with one or two sets and work up to three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps, unless otherwise noted.

Related: 9 Exercises You're Doing Wrong

Instead of...side lunges
Try Plyometric side-to-side jumps (a.k.a. ski jumps).
Ski jumps add intensity, work the deep muscle fibers and add an element

It's been quite a while since pet food stopped being a boring topic and turned into one that scared people half to death, thanks to a headline-making contamination with a deadly toxin called melamine. My fears have quieted since then, though many pet owners still have questions. My bottom line: Feeding your pet a healthy, tasty diet doesn't have to be complicated--so long as you keep a few key points in mind.

Commercial pet food is a healthy option. If you're straining your purse to buy a boutique brand, relax. All the brands sold in supermarkets or pet stores are nutritionally adequate: They're regulated by the FDA and the Association of American Feed Control Officials, guaranteeing that they meet a cat's or dog's "basic" nutritional needs.

RELATED: The Diet That Helps Your Pet Live Longer

But you get what you pay for. Though I've seen some dogs live to a ripe old age on discount brands, I'm not a fan of buying the cheapest bag of pet food. Cut-rate labels typically use relatively

It's been a favorite of foodies and health nuts for decades, but kimchi--essentially fermented vegetables with various seasonings--is only recently enjoying a moment in the mainstream spotlight: The item is popping up on menus and grocery store shelves across the country, and even has a seal of approval from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Now, there's another good reason to add this Korean staple to your diet: A recent study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food reveals that kimchi might improve fasting blood glucose levels and also offers vital doses of antioxidants.

PLUS: Beat Your Sugar Addiction for Good!

To reach that conclusion, investigators at the Kimchi Research Institute and Pusan National University in Busan, Republic of Korea, assigned 100 subjects a diet either low or high in kimchi for one week. After the experimentation period had elapsed, researchers concluded that both groups saw decreases in fasting blood glucose levels and increases in antioxidant levels, with

Do you have your food facts straight?I grew up in a nature-worshipping, somewhat hippie family, and with my book, All Natural, I attempted to fact-check our idea that instead of protecting ourselves against nature with technology, people are actually healthier when they embrace nature.

In nearly every case, I found that the answers I got when I asked, "Is nature healthier?" always depended on the way I asked the question. When looking at the issue through a narrow, mechanistic lens, it seems as if nature is dangerous. When looking at things through a wide, ecological lens, it's often the technology that looks dangerous. (More: Are Pesticides Making You Puke?)

I argue that we need both perspectives: We need reductive science to get the details right, but we also need to look up from the microscope every now and then so we can see where we're going. With the caveat that it's possible to produce different sorts of answers, as well, here are 5 food myths debunked:

Pasteurization makes food healthier. True, nuking the germs