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