Martha Stewart Living Of the many household tasks, doing the laundry seems to be a no-brainer: Put clothes in the washer, add detergent, and press start. But regular washing can take a toll on your garments. Here's how to prevent white shirts from turning gray, sort your bright clothing (hint: you need more than one pile), undo the damage when colors run, and perform many other tricks that will keep your clothes and linens in near-original condition.

HOW TO KEEP WHITES WHITE

The main reason white items turn gray or become dull is incorrect sorting. People generally have few all-white loads, so they tend to mix whites with colored garments. Unfortunately, some types of fabric, notably cotton, aren't colorfast, so their dye molecules wind up in the wash water and settle on other fabrics, noticeably on white and other light ones. Washing heavily soiled items, such as athletic socks, with lightly soiled ones, such as sheets, can also lead to dinginess. Unless you add enough detergent to hold the dirt

Are you eating these six superfoods?by SHAPE Diet Doctor Mike Roussell, phD

Power through your workout, boost your health, and lose weight with these common, yet oft-overlooked foods.

Seaweed
Perhaps most commonly eaten wrapped around a sushi roll, nori is loaded with iodine, a mineral essential for proper thyroid function. While iodized salt was introduced in 1924 to prevent goiter, the increased emphasis on low-sodium diets and the popularity of sea salt, which often doesn't contain iodine, have recently resurfaced concerns about getting enough iodine. This trace mineral isn't the only benefit of sea vegetables. Nori contains high levels of vitamin K and iron, micronutrients essential for proper cellular function. Look for nori pieces in the international section of your supermarket and crumble them on top of chili, soups, and salads. (This will add a little extra salty flavor, so if you are salt sensitive, use less in your recipe.)

Related: The Best and Worst Sushi for Weight Loss

Sauerkraut

Medicine cabinet must-havesFrom combating coughs to closing up cuts, your medicine cabinet should have it all. But are we stocking up on the right stuff? Dr. Travis Stork from "The Doctors" joins Easy Does It host Ereka Vetrini to talk about some medicine cabinet must-haves.

First, says Dr. Stork, your medicine cabinet should not have eye drops and nasal sprays that are designed to treat redness of the eyes and congestion in the nose. "Kids ingesting less than half a teaspoon of these were being admitted to ERs with nausea, vomiting, lethargy, fast heart rates, even coma in some cases." If your child does ingest these, call poison control immediately.

Related: Child-proofing tips to protect your kids in home danger zones

"Think of your medicine cabinet as minimalist space," explains Dr. Stork. He recommends having necessities for pain, colds, and allergies, as well as emergency or first aid solutions.

According to Dr. Stork, it's important to understand the difference between the various pain medications

By Ellen G. Goldman, for SparkPeople

According to common sense, feelings are what cause our behavior. When we are sad, we cry. When we are angry, we rant and rave. However, a large and growing body of research shows that feelings often follow our behavioral choices. In other words, if we force ourselves to smile, we feel happier. And if we pretend to be excited, upbeat and energized, we begin to actually feel that way. This again proves that we are more in control of our moods than just the circumstances around us.

Here are a few more natural mood lifters you can try.

1. Eat often and eat light. When you eat at regular intervals throughout the day you will prevent dips in your blood sugar that can negatively affect your mood. Plan your meals and snacks to prevent yourself from getting overly hungry, aiming for three to six eating episodes (total meals plus snacks) each day.
   
   
2. Limit refined carbohydrates such as soda, candy, cookies, and white flour, which are concentrated

by Lexi Petronis, Glamour

Most of us spend a good portion of our day sitting--at a desk, in class, you know the drill. And there's lots of research showing that the more time we log sitting on our bums, the worse off we are--like the study that found women who sit for more than six hours a day are 37 percent more likely to die early than women who sit only for three (thanks to increased risk of cardiovascular disease).

And, uh, early death aside (eek!), sitting all day comes with some other problems, like decreased energy levels and the very real possibility of weight gain. Sitting for too long can also just make your body feel so sore.

See more: 31 January Outfit Ideas

Ideally, you want to pick your butt off that chair and move it as often as you can during the course of your day (standing up every 20 minutes can make a big difference--and hey, you can even exercise while still sitting!), but sometimes that's just not possible. So the next time you're at the end of a long day of

How to Set Up a Reward System for Your Kids (and Make Family Life Easier!)If you have younger kids, I bet you can relate when I say that I have been struggling with getting my kids to do anything they don't want to do. I have to ask them repeatedly to clean up their toys, put their dishes away, and not take 35 minutes twice a day to brush their teeth.

I was beginning to feel like I was spending way too much time trying to correct what they were not "doing right" and it was taking a toll on all of us.

Everyone -- from adults to kids -- love and need to hear when they're doing a good job. So, we started a rewards system. We got dried black beans, a jar with each of their names on them and have them right next to the TV in the living room so the kids can see them at all times. We set out what will get a bean and what won't, and when the kids do something above and beyond, then they will get a bean as well.

We've been doing this system for about three months now and the response has been amazing! The morale around here has certainly changed and it

How to sleep better tonightYou have no idea why, but night after night you have trouble nodding off. These bedtime rituals may help you get some more shut-eye.

1. Take a bubble bath: The hot water relaxes your muscles and raises your core temperature. When you get out of the tub, you temperature will start to go down, mimicking what your body normally does to trigger melatonin production, says sleep expert Michael Breus, Ph.D. Why bubbles? "They form a layer of insulation on top, which keeps the water hot longer."

2. Pour yourself a bowl: The classic sleep Rx of cornflakes and milk has scientific-backing. The fast-acting carb in the cereal increases tryptophan levels, upping the zzz-inducing brain chemical serotonin. Milk contains melatonin, a.k.a. the sleep hormone.

3. Turn down the thermostat: It's more comfortable to sleep in a cool room. But you don't want it to be too cold, either. Experiment to find your just-right temp.

Related: 9 Reasons You Can't Sleep (and What to Do About Them)

4.

3 tips for taking your baby outside on a cold winter dayEvery year I loathe winter. At first it seems kind of fun to have an excuse to stay inside under the covers and eat comfort food but after about a week I'm wishing for warmer days. I knew this year would be especially challenging now that I have a busy baby who loves nothing more than being out and about. So this winter I've decided to make a conscious effort to go outside every day where the temperature is above freezing. A little bit of vitamin D and a little bit of exercise is cure for cabin fever.

Here's three tips on how to make getting out of the house with baby easier:

1. Have the Right Equipment
Knowing fair well that we'd have Denver winter ahead of us, I knew I wanted a stroller that could handle less than ideal terrain.Knowing I have a good stroller makes it easier to get outside for a little walk. Thank goodness we haven't dipped too low on the thermometer yet.

Related: 20 cozy hats to keep Baby warm this winter

2. Check the Temp and Bundle
I try and leave at the warmest