The best fitness, nutrition, and health advice you'll ever hear
We polled hundreds of experts—from top doctors to restaurant menu planners to sex coaches—for all the essential health tips women need to eat better, feel better, and look better. What we found: fascinating advice and tricks to calm down anywhere, pack any meal with antioxidants, outsmart germs in a public bathroom, squeeze in a 10-minute workout, and much, much more.
1. Slash your health care bills
Bite back at dental costs. For routine cleanings, go to a dental hygiene clinic, where students supervised by a dentist and hygienist train on patients. The Montgomery County Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic in Blue Bell, PA, for example, charges $15 for a cleaning and exam. Check colleges for clinics, or visit the American Dental Association's website for a national listing of dental schools.
Halve drug co-pays. Ask your doctor if she can prescribe a pill at twice the dose, to be cut in half by you or your pharmacist, reducing the cost by 50%. Also, fill your prescription at chain stores that sponsor savings programs for steep discounts. Walmart offers hundreds of $4 prescriptions. The Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens includes over 400 generics for less than $1 a week.
2. Breathe away more fat
Oxygen helps fuel your fat burn, so the more efficiently you breathe, the better your workout results. The trick: breathe in and out through both your mouth and nose.
3. Spot stealthy salt
Up to 75% of the salt in our diets comes from packaged foods. This simple trick can keep your sodium intake in check: “Look for a 1-to-1 ratio of calories to sodium or less,” says Prevention advisor David L. Katz, MD, MPH, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. If a food has 150 calories per serving, it should have no more than 150 mg of sodium. Keep your intake below 1,500 mg a day.
4. Get a great workout in 10 minutes
Too busy for the gym? No problem. Just 10 minutes can burn nearly 100 calories and boost your energy level by up to 18%. Try this compressed routine from Jessica Dart, personal training manager at Equinox Soho in New York City:
- Minutes 0:00-0:59: Climb stairs (walk, run, or sprint)
- Minutes 1:00-1:29: Do reverse lunges with overhead presses (lunge backward, lifting arms overhead with each lunge; alternate sides).
- Minutes 1:30-2:00: Do squats.
5. Never forget a name
Focus on the name as you hear it. People who are good at remembering names are interested in them, asking how they’re spelled or pronounced. Then repeat it not once but several times, says Cynthia R. green, PhD, coauthor of Prevention’s Brainpower Game Plan.
When you meet someone new, you might say, “Eliza? Hi, Eliza, it’s nice to meet you. That’s a pretty name...” Every time you restate the name, you’re more likely to recall it in the future. Bye, Eliza!
6. Test your posture
Stand up straight and count how long you can hold the pose at left before you have to put your foot down.
Repeat on the other side. If you can’t balance on each leg for at least 20 seconds, you aren’t standing as straight as you think you are, or your muscles are too weak to hold you in place.
Do the exercise 3 times a day on each leg to improve.
7. Scarproof your skin
Scars fade faster if you keep cuts covered and moist, says Jeffrey Dover, MD, president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. If you tend to develop raised scars, switch to scar-reducing bandages once skin heals; studies show that silicone sheets help by reducing collagen production. Try Scaraway ($20; drugstores).
8. Find the perfect doctor for you
The best way to find someone who has experience treating your particular condition is to call the physician referral service at a large university hospital, says Lauren Streicher, MD, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University.
9. Learn the art of label reading
- Rule 1: Ignore all front-of-the-box health claims. “They’re about marketing, not health,” says Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. A “low-fat” or “low-carb” claim tells you nothing about what else was added to compensate (think sugar or
- Rule 2: Flip to the nutrition facts and scan the ingredient list. Look for a list that’s not straight out of a science lab.
- Rule 3: Remember that a daily value of 20% or or more for any nutrient is considered high (great for calcium, but a warning sign for saturated fats).
Try this dressing room “workout” from LaJean Lawson, PhD, an adjunct exercise science professor at Oregon State University:
Reach arms overhead and circle them 10 times in each direction. If the bra shifts too much, the straps slip, or you feel chafing, keep looking.
Bend forward at the hips and stretch. Make sure your breasts don’t peek out over the top or sides.
Jog or jump in front of a mirror. If your breasts move up and down more than an inch or you feel discomfort, you’re not getting enough support.
11. Make anyone laugh (including yourself)
Laughter zaps stress, improves cholesterol, and boosts circulation and immunity. Need fresh material? Steal ideas from top comedy coaches:
Exaggerate the truth. Instead of complaining that you were stuck at the department of motor vehicles, say, “I just got back after lunch from the DMV. I got in line at 9 am...last Tuesday.” There’s a surprise element, but also recognition of a shared truth that makes people laugh. —Stephen Rosenfield, director of the American Comedy Institute in New York City
Poke fun at yourself. Self-deprecation helps people let down their guard. (Abraham Lincoln: “If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?”) Just list your faults and exaggerate them. —Mary Scruggs, head of writing and education programs at the Second City Training Center, Chicago
Be overly enthusiastic. Say yes in a big way, even when you don’t mean it. Your husband wants season tickets at the new football stadium? Offer to move there. ——Will Hines, teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center in New York City
12. Resist menu words that pack pounds
Mouthwatering descriptions can suggest that an unhealthy dish is worth the splurge—when it’s the same old grub you’d get anywhere. Some red flags, according to Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating:
Grandma’s homemade apple pie: We have positive associations with certain means of preparation—think homemade or traditional—that encourage us to order them.
Kansas City barbecue: We assume regional food tastes better, even if the restaurant isn’t in the referenced locale.
Velvety chocolate mousse: Sensory words like creamy, juicy, and triple-rich induce cravings, even though items without such labels taste the same.
Jack Daniels glazed ribs: If you like a specific brand, you think you’ll like menu items featuring its flavor.
13. Do a proper push-up
Push-ups are hands down one of the best full-body toners—the basic move works your abs, arms, and chest. (Just ask First Lady Michelle Obama.) To easily master full push-ups, start in a more vertical position, working your way down to doing them on the floor as you master the form.
- Start standing up, leaning against a high counter.
- Lean against a desk.
- Lean against the stationary seat of a stable chair.
- Lean against the second step of a staircase.
- Do them on the floor.
14. Reboot your love life for $20
For lustier sex, experts have a word of advice: novelty. New experiences heighten levels of the brain chemical dopamine, which can send sexual desire soaring, says Susan Kellogg-Spadt, PhD, cofounder of the Pelvic & Sexual Health Institute in Philadelphia. (We're thinking one of our 8 all-natural sex products can help, too.)
Fool around with a vibrator. Research shows that 53% of women and 45% of men use one. Incorporating one into your sexual play can generate greater desire, arousal, lubrication, and frequency of orgasm. Try a Pocket Rocket, available for $9.99 at amazon.com.
Experiment with Zestra. This arousal-enhancing botanical oil, applied topically, increases blood flow, creating a warm, tingling sensation. Women who use it often climax more quickly and have more intense orgasms. A three-pack, available at mass merchandisers, costs $9.99.
15. Buy the best catch
Here’s a “supergreen” list of fish that’s not only high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids but also low in contaminants (such as mercury and PCBs) and sustainably raised and caught. Among the best choices: rainbow trout (farmed), oysters (farmed), and wild caught Alaskan salmon. Also good: arctic char (farmed) and bay scallops (farmed).
16. Get age-erasing brows
- Step 1: Trim the excess. Brush brows straight up, then carefully snip hairs that extend above the top of your natural brow line.
- Step 2: Tweeze between brows. The inner edge of your brow should line up with the inner corner of your eye.
- Step 3: Define the shape. To accent your arch, which should line up near the outer edge of your iris, tweeze two rows of hair from beneath it. Let the brow’s tail extend slightly past the eye’s outer corner.
For heartburn: Take deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) as a chewable tablet 20 minutes before eating to soothe mucous membranes in the digestive tract and prevent reflux, says Tieraona Low Dog, MD, director of the fellowship at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
For back pain: Try comfrey root salve, an ancient but proven back pain reliever. Low Dog likes the product Kytta-Salbe f by Merck, available at smallflower.com.
For a common cold: Sip thyme tea with honey, says Debra Brammer, ND, associate clinical dean in the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University. Put loose leaves in a filter (if dried, use 1 rounded teaspoon per 1 cup of hot water; if fresh, use 2 tablespoons) and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Thyme is a mild expectorant, and honey is a known cough soother and antimicrobial.
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Source: prevention.com
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