New York Times columnist and author of the new e-book, The First 20 Minutes Personal Trainer, Gretchen Reynolds gives us the final world on how to make your exercise count once and for all. By Ava Feuer, REDBOOK

Don't focus on strengthening your core
Well, it looks like that hundredth sit-up was probably a waste. When scientists tested athletes, such as football players, who would seemingly need super-strong cores to stay upright on the field, they found no correlation between core strength and performance. That's because the real hallmark of success is actually core stability. "An unstable core throws off all the muscles that circle your back," says Reynolds. "The primary purpose of the core muscles should be to hold your spine in place." To raise core stability, don't do sit-ups, which are usually performed incorrectly, and can lead to serious lower-back injuries. Instead, try three exercises: 10 proper crunches, which require laying flat on the ground with your knees up and Read More »from 7 Best Tips from Experts on How to Make Your Workout Count

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

As the warm weather moves in and schools let out for summer, May is the month to buy household goods and entertaining essentials. It's the perfect time for stocking up ahead of summer celebrations. Prepare for graduation parties and Memorial Day barbecues by finding deals to prep your food (cookware and BBQ supplies) and make your guests happy (party supplies).

Cookware and Small Appliances. Continuing on from April, cookware promotions are plentiful in May as retailers target college graduation and wedding season. For more discounts, keep an eye out for Mother's Day promotions -- cookware makes a great practical and welcome gift for mom. Give your college grad a set of new pots and pans for his or her first apartment, or shower newlyweds with cookware that will last for years.

Cookware is a great buy during the month of May!

Related: Best affordable cookware

Party and BBQ Supplies. Party supply stores gear up for summer when graduation parties, wedding events, pool parties, and

Read More »from What to Buy in May

Sarah Kehoe/Fitness MagazineBy Natalie Gingerich Mackenzie

Not a runner? No sweat. Start a walking routine instead. Researchers found that overweight women who did 45-minute speed-interval walking workouts and toning exercises four times a week lost 23 pounds in 16 weeks. "The key is to perfect your form, so that walking feels good and doesn't become boring over time," says Danny Dreyer, the creator of the Chi Walking technique. Fast-track your fat burning while you walk with these easy tweaks.

Related: 5 Exercises to Tone Your Arms as You Walk

Breathe fat away.
"It takes oxygen to keep all of your muscles firing and not run out of steam," Dreyer says. Filling your lungs completely allows you to burn fat more efficiently and improve your endurance. To maximize your breathing, focus on exhaling as deeply as you can. "The inhale will take care of itself," Dreyer says.

Get your abs in on the action.
Hinge slightly forward from your hips, not your waist, and you'll engage your core. The payoff is a stronger midsection,

Read More »from Walk Off the Weight: A Speed-Interval Walking Workout

Seasonal AllergiesMore than 40 million Americans will be sneezing and wheezing this spring from seasonal allergies, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. But few people really understand why. Here, the fact and fiction about seasonal allergies.

1. Pollen is a male organism.
Plants don't reproduce the same way humans do. "[Plant] sperm can only swim so far and disperse so far," says Joseph Armstrong, professor of botany at Illinois State University. This explains why seed plants distribute the whole male organism - through the air. That male organism, housed inside a tiny reproductive body called a spore, makes sperm when it lands in the right environment. Don't worry, it's not doing it inside your nose. But the foreign protein is what irritates your nasal membranes, says Armstrong.

Related: A Longer Allergy Season Is Nothing to Sneeze At

2. Don't blame the roses.
"People always think of flowers as causing allergies. That's not the case," says David osenstreich, MD,

Read More »from 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Seasonal Allergies

Midday workouts are perfect for working moms.

The lunchtime workout can be a timesaver for busy women. Sneaking in a workout at lunch means you'll be able to sleep later in the morning AND be able to make plans at night! Since you're likely heading back to work, or busy with kids, midday workouts require a little extra planning. Here are five things every woman needs for a successful daytime workout.

1. Non-crimping hair ties

If your hair is long enough to pull back, get it away from the sweat on your face and neck! Use the thick-elastic, super stretchy hair ties that won't leave that annoying "ponytail crease " in your hair. Securing your hair in a loose bun will also eliminate that creased look when you go back to your day. Have short hair? Use a headband to achieve the same results.

2. Tissues

Tissues are a necessity to keep in your purse or gym bag. Makeup can easily run when you're doing cardio. Grab a tissue, wrap it around your index finger, and carefully blot the sweat from under your eyes. You can also use tissues to

Read More »from Midday Workout Must-Haves

Nightmare PMS, record-low energy levels, insanely dry skin - could a diet that's lacking the right fats be behind your peskiest little health problems? Find out here. By Kim Tranell, REDBOOK.

Remember when you doused every vegetable in fake butter spray and called low-fat cookies "health food?" Even if you've pretty much recovered from the fat-fearing diet craze of the '90s, there's still - admit it! - a little lingering confusion about what fats are "good" fats - and how you can work those typically calorie-dense foods into your diet without packing on the pounds.

"The bottom line is, the average American woman doesn't get enough omega-3 fatty acids," says Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, author of The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet. She's speaking, of course, of the fat found in fish like salmon, as well as walnuts, flax seeds, and olive oil. "But just by putting those back in your diet, you'll see diverse and varied benefits."

It's true, say experts: Everything from your foggy memory, to your crappy

Read More »from What?! Eating More Fat Could Help You Slim Down

A fresh plotline for a used book: storing a remote!

Unlike Downton Abbey, your clunky clicker isn't exactly a must-see. So stash the eyesore in a book: You'll need one at least two inches longer and 1/4 inch deeper than your remote control.


Step 1: Open the book's back cover. Using a foam brush, coat the inside cover and facing page with school glue. Close the book and press down firmly for 10 seconds.

Plus: 24 Creative Sewing Crafts »

Step 2: Open the book's front cover. Coat the entire stack of pages-all three exposed sides-with school glue, taking care not to get any on the topmost page. Let dry for one hour; repeat. Close the book, weight it with a second book, and let dry overnight.

Step 3: Open the front cover, center your remote on the first page, and trace around it with a pencil, adding 1/4 inch all the way around. Set the remote aside. With an X-Acto knife, cut along the marked line, removing two to three pages at a time. Continue until your remote fits deeply inside.

Plus:

Read More »from How to Turn a Book into a Handy Storage Spot for a Remote

Learning Valuable SkillsTake Our Sons and Daughters to Work day inspires kids to follow their dreams for the future. Now we've heard it said that the jobs of the future have not yet been invented. So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don't yet exist? By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds.

1. Persistence

Persistence can be a difficult thing to teach in our face paced world. It's natural for kids to want to give up if they think what they're working on will take too long for a payoff. But the fable was right, in the end the tortoise wins the race. How can we turn the fable into something more tangible for our kids?

We can start by encouraging projects that take a while to see results. Paper mache crafts are good for this since they require a few days of drying time. Sculptures, pinatas and even costume items like helmets can all be made with paper mache.

Gardening is another great activity for helping kids see the power of persistence.

Read More »from Taking Care of Business: 5 Job Skills to Teach Your Kids - Today