Blog Posts by The Editors at Sharecare

Tone up and burn calories with these do-anywhere workouts.By Su Reid-St. John, for Sharecare

Experts recommend getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least 5 times a week. Don't have 30 minutes? Don't worry! You can cut your exercise time in half by upping the intensity. Do it and you can get away with 20 minutes three times a week, says Mike Clark, Sharecare's chief science officer and CEO of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

Ready to kick it up a notch? Instead of trying to go all-out on the treadmill for 20 minutes straight, try this high-intensity cardio routine you can do at home (or anywhere) without any equipment.

Calorie-Burning 20 Minute Workout

There is one caveat: You don't want to try this straight off the couch. "The 20 minutes at a higher intensity is for more advanced exercisers," says NASM Elite Trainer Joan Roth. Here's an easier routine for newbies:

At-Home Beginner Cardio Routine

To make your 20-minute workout count, you really have to push it. Here's how to tell if you're

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Marinated, extra firm tofu is a tasty alternative to pork in a stir-fry.From exotic juices to cans of cocktail peanuts, more and more edibles in the supermarket are being dubbed "anti-aging" by some marketer or media pundit. The real deal about munchies that keep you youthful? They come from the earth, not a vacuum pack. That point has been brought home again and again as we read about the diets of Olympians such as swimmer and 11-time medalist Natalie Coughlin, who maintains a huge bed of kale in her garden, and beach volleyball player and three-time Gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, who told EatingWell that one of her favorite power foods is Greek yogurt and honey.

But you don't need to be an Olympian to know how to properly fuel your body. Take a look at what the longest-lived people in the world are eating. Then, put their favorites on your own table.

Costa Rica: Beans for Breakfast
Residents of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula are four times more likely than most North Americans to live past age 90. One reason may be morning fare like

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Over 200,000 kids visit emergency rooms each year for home playground-related accidents.By Melanie Haiken, for Sharecare

My friend's first unfortunate mistake: Ignoring the broken ash-catcher on the bottom of his ancient Weber grill, which was loose enough to allow an ember to slip through. His second mistake: Grilling on the deck, rather than in the back yard. Add the two together and you have a tragic equation: A three-alarm fire that damaged the entire back half of his Florida home.

Grilling isn't the only way summer fun can suddenly turn dangerous. Here's a checklist to make sure your entire backyard is as safe as your living room.

- Grills: Make sure your grill is in good working order. Don't use your barbecue on a flammable surface. And don't grill too close to the house. Close grill vents and douse coals with water when you're done if you don't plan to keep an eye on them.

- Playground equipment: Follow installation instructions carefully when setting up swing sets, climbing structures and slides. Avoid equipment made out of pressure-treated

Read More »from 6 Worst Backyard Safety Mistakes

Find out how motivating your Smartphone can be.By Deborah A. Wilburn

Anyone can download a fitness or health app onto his or her smartphone--it's how you use it that matters. Here are 6 ways to get the most from your high tech gadgets to meet any health goal.

1. Set up "be healthy" appointments. Let your reminder function prompt you to do more than get to your next meeting on time. You can use it to remind you to take your medication or vitamins and schedule workouts (making it less likely that you'll bail). If you tend to be a night owl, set the alarm in the evening to prompt you to go to bed.

2. Use your timer. We know we're supposed to brush our teeth for two minutes. But how many of us do it? Let your smartphone timer help you. Have time management issues? Use the timer to track how long it takes you to do basic things (clean up the kitchen, write a weekly report). Once you know how long something takes (what seems like 15 minutes is really half an hour) you'll be better able to schedule tasks and prioritize.

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Push yourself to see progress. by Su Reid-St. John, for Sharecare

With the 2012 Olympic Summer Games upon us, we've been wondering just what those athletes do in their training sessions to put them over the top. So we turned to Elite Trainer Joel Harper, who has worked with Olympians--gold medalists among them--in such high profile sports as swimming, rowing and track-and-field. (In fact, some of his clients are competing for Team USA in London.) Here are Harper's top tips on getting the most out of your exercise routine, even if the only thing you intend to compete for over the next couple weeks is a place in the shortest supermarket line.

- Always work out as if the cameras were rolling. "Give it your all every single time you train," Harper says. "People who do the best--celebrities, pro athletes, Olympic gold medalists--live in the moment and don't get sloppy or back off just because no one's watching."

- Focus on your breathing. "Without good breathing, you won't have enough energy to train

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Save medical costs later by eating healthy now.By Michael F. Roizen, MD

If the shaky economy's got you worried about the high cost of healthcare, you're not alone. Maybe you're like the 45% of people who are cutting back on medications. Or the 42% buying fewer fruits and vegetables. Or the 43% of baby boomers concerned about future medical bills.

As a society, we need more affordable healthcare for all, and soon! And if everyone in North America gets their blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and blood sugar normal and stops smoking, the United States and Canada will save over 33% on lifetime medical costs and balance budgets for as far as the eye can see (past 2082!). But until the politicians sort out health costs, here are a few simple swaps you can make now:

• Grill a salmon burger instead of a beef burger. Save $20 every time you do. I'm serious! If you're still asking, "Where's the beef?" instead of, "Where's the fish?" start socking away $10 per burger to cover the cost of future heart disease, and another $10

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Which is better: regular or diet soda?

It's so easy to forget -- your keys, where you put your cell phone, your glasses (which are probably perched on top of your head). Here are top weight loss myths you'll want to forget -- plus the facts behind them to keep your weight loss on track.

Myth 1: Potatoes and bread are fattening.
Reality: It's just the opposite. Starchy vegetables and bread (whole-grain bread, that is) are quality carbs needed to fuel every part of you, from your brain to your muscles. What gets you into trouble is how you eat them: Smear butter on a slice of whole-wheat bread or deep-fry potatoes and you can double, triple, or quadruple the calories.

Weight Loss Expert Q&A: Should l eat a low-carb or a low-fat diet to lose weight?

Myth 2: Drinking a glass of water before a meal curbs appetite.
Reality: Yes and no. Water tames appetite if it's incorporated into food, such as soup, or a thick drink, like V8 100% Vegetable Juice. Apparently, when water is bound to food, digestion is slower,

Read More »from Top 6 Weight Loss Myths to Ignore

Before vaccines, measles, mumps, and chickenpox claimed thousands of lives.By Michael F. Roizen, MD

Mae West once said, "Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can't figure out what from." Well, I know what we want to protect kids from: diphtheria, flu, measles, meningitis, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), pneumonia, polio, rubella (German measles), tetanus, and chickenpox. These are vaccine-preventable diseases, and until the vaccines were developed, these diseases claimed thousands of lives annually.

Here's a vaccine most adults should have.

Unfortunately, there's widespread anxiety about vaccinations. I know you're trying to do right for your child, but rumors spread across the Internet that vaccines cause diseases, that natural immunity is better and safer than vaccination, and that newborns aren't ready for vaccines.

I want to be very clear: I interviewed more than 150 experts on every side of the issue for YOU: Having a Baby and YOU: Raising Your Child. My bottom line is this: Vaccinations have more benefits than risks. Are they

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