3 Digital Gym Etiquette Tips We All Need to Follow

When you're exercising at the gym, you know there are certain rules of thumb to follow—like, wipe down your machine when you're done. I mean, that's just common sense! But in this world of social media—doesn't almost everyone have her phone somewhere on her person while working out?—there are some digital rules you should keep in mind too, according to Randi Zuckerberg, founder-CEO of Zuckerberg Media and author of Dot Complicated.

* Limit your picture taking. You should be proud of all those milestones you hit at the gym—absolutely! But Zuckerberg says that you should also try to keep the pic-taking to a minimum—specifically focusing on major successes, such as lifting a specific weight. Taking pic after pic (or, ugh, selfie after selfie) is distracting to everyone else.

* If you're going to do a selfie, make it a selfie. It invades other people's privacy when you're posing prettily and they're sweating in the background of your Facebook pictures or Instagrams. Nope!

* Don't stop your workout to text or tweet. If you're on the machine but pause or slow down just to respond to a tweet or text a friend, it's super-annoying—especially for the people who may be tip-tapping their toes, waiting for you to finish, so they can move on with their own exercise sessions.

What are your phone-at-the-gym pet peeves?

Researchers Say This Is the Magic Amount of Water to Drink for Weight Loss

You've probably heard before that water can help you lose weight, right? But can it really? That's what researchers from Nutrition Sciences at the Berlin School of Public Health, Charite University Hospital wanted to know, so they reviewed 11 related studies to find out.

Of the 11, they found three supporting the idea that water helped in weight loss. One found that people who drank two cups of water before eating a meal lost more weight—four pounds—than people who didn't. And the results of another showed that people who drank at least one liter per day—a little less than the recommended eight glasses—lost more weight than those who didn't. Funny thing, though: They're really not sure why.

One theory is that water helps keep hunger at bay, but there could also be another possibility: Water-induced thermogenesis, a process where drinking water makes you more energetic and, therefore, burn more calories overall.

Of course, the researchers also say that there are still more studies that need to be done in order to find a firm link between water and weight loss. 

Still, there's no arguing that it's important to drink plenty of water: It flushes out toxins, helps carry nutrients to your cells, and supports every system in your body. And not getting enough water can lead to dehydration, which stresses out your organs and can lead to headaches, dizziness, fainting, and exhaustion. So drink up!

Sex: The Only Anti-Aging Regimen You Need

Just in case you need another excuse to grab your hottie boyfriend and get naked, here's the best one I've ever heard: Having sex makes you look younger. Like, legitimately.

According to a study by a British psychologist, getting busy on the reg can take a whopping five to seven years off your face. Believe it or not, when we have sex, our bodies release human growth hormone, which keeps skin from getting all wrinkly. Who knew?

So, before you consider schmancy creams, Botox, vampire facelifts, or any other youth-promising treatment, try staving off the aging process with regular orgasms instead. Even if it doesn't actually work, you'll at least reap the many benefits of getting off—like improved mood, sounder sleep, better circulation, and, duh, swag.

Plus, we're pretty sure your man will love this new stay-young regimen, too.

Presenting the Best Weight-Loss Tool on Earth

Ever plow through your meal in minutes, only to notice your tablemates are about four bites in? Then pause and hear this weight-loss news: Research shows that fast eaters are as much as 18 pounds heavier than slow eaters, and they’re two and a half times more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes. In other words, pacing yourself just might help keep you slim.

Why? “Most of the mechanisms involved in satiety, the feeling of fullness and satisfaction, take time,” says Kathleen Melanson, Ph.D., who has studied how eating speed affects health at the University of Rhode Island. “And certain fullness hormones aren’t even released until food starts to empty from your stomach, which can take a half hour or more.” Slowing down allows your body to sense when you’re not hungry anymore. So what’s a reasonable eating speed? A grilled chicken breast with a side salad, fries, and a glass of water should take you at least 32 minutes to eat. (Most of us polish it off in 21.) Some tricks to help you slow down:

Don’t keep up with the guys.
Men down about 80 calories per minute, on average, compared with our 52—and since they need to eat more in a day, the speed’s not a problem for them. But if you match a man bite for bite, you’re eating too fast. (Group meals can also lead you to chow down faster, as you rush to join the convo.)

Chew longer!
A key technique for slowing down, according to Melanson: Chew each bite 15 times (you’ll only have to count at the beginning; then you’ll get used to the rhythm). After you swallow, picture the food traveling down your esophagus before digging in again.

Beware finger food.
Using a knife and fork can slow your eating rate by 54 percent, so try having your pizza with silverware. Smaller utensils help too—say, a teaspoon instead of a soupspoon for ice cream.

Watch out for processed stuff.
But not just for all the usual reasons. People who choose whole-grain carbs eat almost 30 percent more slowly than those who have refined grains, since all that roughage requires extra chewing, Melanson’s research found.

And how about a little candlelight?
When Cornell scientists tricked out a Hardee’s with mood lighting and soft music, people ate more slowly—and ultimately downed 133 fewer calories. A relaxing atmosphere keeps you from rushing, researchers explain, while a bright, loud joint prompts you to eat quickly. Dimmer switch and Michael Bublé, anyone?

Your Brain Burns 20 Percent of the Calories You Eat, and More Reasons Weight Loss All Starts With Your Mind

You knew your brain was busy—but did you know it was this busy? With all that it does during the day, your brain is using 20 percent of your caloric intake every day. But it's picky about the kinds of food it wants, opting for glucose—mostly from carbohydrates that you've recently eaten. 

Crazy, right? But that's not even the beginning of the brain-weight relationship, according to Lifehacker, which has an interesting article about focusing more on your brain and less on your diet if you want to lose weight. 

According to the article, willpower—what your brain uses to help you make (and not make) certain decisions—is like a muscle, which becomes fatigued after too much exercise. At the end of the day, if you've been exercising your willpower to not eat the box of cookies, your brain is tired. It just wants the darn cookies.

So to deal with the exhaustion of willpower, your brain tries to automate decision-making—by creating habits because once they're in place, the brain doesn't have to mess around with willpower anymore. Experts say that up to 90 percent of what we decide to eat every day is because of established habits. (For proof: Think about what you usually eat every morning for breakfast!)

Building healthy new habits means creating rewards for your brain—and not overwhelming it with too much change at once. Like switching out your daily whole-milk lattes for ones made with almond milk, for example—setting a small goal like that and actually attaining is a great reward for your brain. It's so proud of itself! And the new change should be a healthy habit anywhere between two weeks and six months, setting the stage for your brain to take on another one.

How to Beat Bloat Naturally, With Things You Probably Already Have in the Kitchen

Feeling all puffy--like this puffer fish (which is exceptionally cute, don't you think? I mean, as far as puffer fish go)--is such a bummer. I can always tell when I've had a bit too much salt or too many glasses of wine because my waistband feels more like a rubber band. Not comfortable!

But Holly Lucille, one of the nation's leading naturopathic doctors and host of Veria Living Network's "Myth-Defying With Dr. Holly," has some interesting ways to beat the bloat that makes us all feel occasionally uncomfortable--naturally.

"Believe it or not, the most effective way to reduce bloating naturally starts before food is even consumed with the cephalic phase of digestion," she says. "This is your brain anticipating food. Most people think digestion starts with chewing in your mouth, but it really starts with your eyes and your nose, especially if food is appealing." She says the release of small messaging molecules that is critical for digestion has been found to increase by more than 50 percent--just by the mere sight and smell of food.

"Additionally, research has shown how chewing--as well as the activation of taste receptors in the mouth--can prompt the nervous system to relay information to the gastrointestinal system to expedite the process of digestion," she says.

Because we all end up eating way too quickly--thanks to overbooked calendars--we end up with poor digestion, she says. "If you don't take the time to properly prepare and chew your food, then you run the risk of bloating. Your stomach and the rest of your digestive system must make up for what your eyes, nose and mouth could have contributed."

And that's where these things--some of which you probably already have at home!--come in handy:

• Peppermint tea: eases digestion and soothes the intestines
• Ginger: known for its anti-nausea effects, it's also a powerful digestive stimulant, encouraging healthy digestion
• Pineapple: it has natural digestive enzymes and can aid in breaking down food into digestible elements
• Parsley: improves digestion and the absorption of proteins and fats
• Yogurt: probiotics aid in all areas of digestion and as well as encourage a healthy immune response

Would You Rather: Do a Short, Intense Workout, or a Longer, More Leisurely Workout?

So what do you think: is it better to blast some calories in a one-hour intense bike ride, or over a longer, more meandering walk?

Research has been back and forth on the topic--it wasn't too long ago that studies suggested a quick burst of high-intensity exercise may do a body extra-good--but now a new study is suggesting that long, slow walks may actually be better for you. Researchers say that standing instead of sitting whenever possible helps, too. 

According to a study published in PLOS ONE, volunteers who spent two hours standing and four hours walking each day had healthier insulin levels and lower triglycerides than when they spent an hour at the gym cycling. While the four hours of leisurely walking burned about the same number of calories as the one hour of cycling, the other health benefits were notable, say researchers. Triglycerides didn't show improvement with vigorous exercise, but were 22 percent better when volunteers spent less time sitting and more time walking.

There has been lots of research pointing to the fact that too much sit-time can have serious health consequences (like, uh, premature death. Eep), so this study may just be another piece of evidence that it's worth getting up from your chair and taking a stroll as often as possible.

4 Places at the Gym That Just Might Get You Sick

Want to hear something gross? (If you don't want to hear something gross, you should maybe skip to the third paragraph of this post. But it helps prove a point! So...you know, read at your own risk.)

At my last gym, I noticed something that can only be described as truly yuck: previous shower-ers (or maybe just one who was extra-prolific?) were blowing their noses in the showers, sans tissue, and leaving the evidence for all to see. Without going into a rant about it (why? Why wouldn't you just use a Kleenex before hopping in the shower?), it was a reminder that, while gyms are good for us, and most facilities do their absolute best to keep things hygienic and tip-top, things can be germy.

In fact...want to know the places inside a gym that are most likely to get you sick? Sure you do!

Barbells, dumbbells, and weight plates. A basic sneeze can send 100,000 infectious particles into the air at 200 miles an hour--when someone catches those buggers with their hand instead of a tissue (or even an elbow), they can transfer easily to handheld gym equipment. Before you lift weights, spray down the equipment (gym etiquette says to do this after you're finished with your set, but how many people really follow that?).

Water fountains. A study from the University of Arizona found that 28 percent of gym surfaces are gym havens, and water fountains scored high on the list. One way to head off those bacteria? Bring your own water bottle!

Locker room floors. The moist floors are ripe for fungal and wart viruses (ew). Bring your flip-flops for showering, and never reuse the sweaty socks you've just worked out in.

Your own gym bag. This so makes sense: how often do you rush home and throw everything from your workout (including the bag) into the washing machine? I totally don't--my old socks sometimes live in my bag for weeks. Germs and bacteria gravitate toward sweaty workout clothes, so keep the dirty duds from touching the clean ones--a plastic bag can do the trick.

The Diet and Exercise Plan Lauren Conrad Uses to Get Fit, Fast

You know what's especially cool about Lauren Conrad's "Get Fit Quick" plan? It's actually really sensible and doable, which--let's face it--can't be said of every star's method of dropping a few LBs. 

And if you're still plugging away on your New Year's fitness goals but feeling like you might need an extra push, or maybe just something a little different in order to shake up your routine a bit, this could possibly do the trick.

Lauren breaks things down into categories, starting with some ground rules, such as:

• Stay focused and remind yourself daily of why you want to get fit and healthy! Flex that willpower.
• Drink lots of water. Aim to drink an ounce for every pound you weigh.
• As soon as you wake up, have some lemon water. Try to do this at least 3 times a week. (If you do it every single day, it can make your teeth a bit sensitive.)

She has a list of foods to avoid--candy, baked goods, soda, white bread, fried foods--and also some recipes that are seriously things you might want to eat anyway (like watermelon-feta salad, and overnight oats). I think the exercise options are within reason, too, like these:

• Run for 30 minutes or powerwalk for 1-hour
• Alternate walking and sprinting for 60 seconds for 20 minutes
• 1 hour of yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, hiking, or spin

...and she also shares some customized workouts--like the "Calorie Blast"--from her trainer, which you can do at home. 

Are You Sleeping in the Wrong Position?

People change sleeping positions anywhere between about three and 36 times a night. Do you know where you fall in there? There are nights I wake up in the exact position in which I fell asleep--but if the state of my messy hair is anything to go by, there was plenty of tossing and turning in the middle there.

But according to experts, sleeping in one position can be a problem. Occasionally, sleeping in the same position every single night can cause pain, like neck or shoulder pain. And keeping your body in the same position for hours on end can squish the body on one side and stretch out the other, which can end up causing an imbalance, which can come with pain.

So put finding the right position on your to-do doze list. Says Peggy Brill, a Manhattan orthopedic physical therapist: "It's important that people take time to think about how they position themselves when they sleep. Rest is important for the muscular skeletal system to recover. ... The proteins get back into the muscles, there's rejuvenation of the body, so you want to be in a healthy anatomical position when you sleep."

Of course, there isn't just one position that's ideal for everyone. But if you have any of these conditions, here are some positions to adopt (and avoid!):

If you snore or have sleep apnea... don't sleep on your back. It exacerbates the narrowing of the throat passage, making it even harder to breathe. Doctors recommend sewing a tennis ball in the back of your PJs to keep you from ending up on your back, or at least get a wedge pillow with a 30 percent incline to keep you from lying flat.

If you have acid reflux... sleeping on your side (which is the position that 57 percent of us at least start snoozing in, according to Tempur-Pedic) can help heartburn, keeping the gastric juices from bubbling up your esophagus. And some studies even say that sleeping on your left side is better than the right for reflux, but experts are still debating that.

If you have back pain... sleep on your back, preferably on a firm mattress. Bending your knees can help, too, helping to stretch and open up the part of your back that's sore.

If you're pregnant... docs say to sleep on your side--specifically the left side--to increase the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the baby and its placenta. Putting a pillow underneath your belly can help with back pain, too.

Oh, and sleeping on your stomach? Experts generally don't recommend it, since the chances of constraining your neck are pretty high. (Sometimes it just feels so good to sleep that way, though!)

How to Work Out the Most Important Part of Your Body

If you made New Year's goals to exercise more (lots of us! Me too!) and get healthier in general, then be sure to include a super-important body part in your workout regimen: your brain.

And I don't mean like this:

Ha. But seriously--how often do you exercise your brain? The experts behind Lumosity--a brain-training site--say it's important to give your brain regular workouts. Not just because it helps keep your brain healthy and happy, but also because it will help the rest of you get in shape! Take a look at their tips for keeping your brain shipshape (I love these):

Eat right. You do it for your body--why not your brain? Fruits and vegetables with antioxidants help prevent cell damage, and omega-3 fatty acids are important building blocks in the brain.

Go to the gym. Regular exercise can help keep your brain fit with increased levels of brain chemicals and more efficient blood circulation. Studies have even shown that physical exercise stimulates the production of new brain cells.

Get out more. Like, away from Facebook. We're social creatures and our brains really, really like social contact. Research has shown that having an active social life appears to delay age-related memory loss.

Sleep. Sleep plays an important role in memory formation. Your brain uses sleep to process and make sense of the day, consolidate memories, and generate creative new ideas.

Get your brain in boot camp. The best exercises for your brain are new challenges, such as memory games that use different parts of your brain and increase in difficulty as you improve on tasks. These games can even help improve self-esteem and willpower that can keep you motivated to carry out that resolution to exercise more.

(PS: The games on Lumosity are actually really fun--the site works with institutions such as Harvard, Columbia and UC Berkeley to get research in order to design games specifically to improve brain function. But let me say again: fun!)

Little Things That Make Me Feel Unbelievably Healthy (What's On Your List?)

I have a list of things that, without fail, (even on days when I'm sleep-deprived and have splurged on something I wish I didn't) always make me feel healthy. And when you feel healthy and proud of your choices, your more likely to continue to make healthy choices, right? Here's my list...

 

I call it healthy inertia. By choosing the simple things that make us feel healthy, we're more likely to continue to make healthy choices throughout the day/week. Here are seven things that I turn to frequently to feel healthier:
1. Green tea, repeat: If I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed, or if I've just eaten something I wish I didn't, green tea has this way of resetting my good-health button. Green tea is loaded with good-for-you antioxidants that researchers believe have benefits that range from improved skin to weight loss, so I know that whenever I can squeeze in a cup of green, I'm doing well.
2. Stretching: Maybe it's the act of stopping, pausing, and just focusing on my muscles and joints that has a way of boosting my mood, but I swear by stretching as the ultimate way for me to recharge when I'm feeling stressed, so I do it as often as possible. Do you?
3. Drinking a tall glass of water: Hydrating can kill a headache, reduce food cravings and boost energy--it's no wonder that a cold glass of water is my most frequent trick for getting me in a healthy mood.
4. Taking a hot bath: This one's a double whammie for me: muscle relaxation and aromatherapy (I love lavender bath salts).

I'd also add to this list: a good, long workout; hugs and kisses from lovie-dubbies . :)

Today's Workout Motivation

Not feeling it today? If you need a little motivation to get to the gym or go on that lunchtime jog, here you go...

This Under Armour commercial has to be one of the best ever made:) There's something inspiring about seeing all these strong women working hard and feeling great.

Is Your Phone Messing With Your Body? Read Before Texting

Do you always have your phone in your hand, and are you frequently looking down at it to check emails, text messages, etc.? Of course you are! Everyone does. But, wait until you hear what this constant texting posture is doing to your body, and it's not good...

Physical therapists call it "Text Neck"--the common poor posture we have when we lean over our phone. It can lead to neck pain, headaches, back pain, and poor posture.
Here's a fascinating tidbit, from CNN's Jacque Wilson: "The average human head weighs 10 pounds in a neutral position--when your ears are over your shoulders. For every inch you tilt your head forward, the pressure on your spine doubles. So if you're looking at a smartphone in your lap, your neck is holding up what feels like 20 or 30 pounds."
What to do? Try holding your phone up higher next time you're texting or sending an email on your phone, say experts so there's less strain on your neck.
I have a chronic problem of hovering over my Blackberry at all times of the day, and the other day I caught a glimpse of myself in a window while out, and I was shocked by my poor posture. Lesson learned!

Banish those Undereye Bags & Dark Circles

If you woke up this morning with tired-looking eyes, here's a quick fix you may not have considered--and it's in your kitchen right now...

In a piece about foods that promote great skin on Self.com, I found this nugget of wisdom for the scourge of undereye bags and dark circles:
"Dark under-eye circles can make you look like the Crypt Keeper—not cute. But the vitamin C in oranges banishes bags. It strengthens collagen, the skin's supportive structure, to lift sunken areas that create shadows."
Yes! I've been low on citrus lately, so I'm going to boost my intake and see how it helps blast these dark circles (and, um, I'm also going to try to get to bed earlier, too!).

The Spice Girls' Diet and Fitness Secrets

If you wannabe as fit as a Spice Girl (heh! ... Oh, guys, it has been a very long week), you'll be interested to find out exactly what the fantastic five eat and do to stay in shape...

 

The poshest of the Spices Victoria Beckham keeps her energy levels up with healthy snacks, like fresh fruit, and stays hydrated with coconut water. 

Geri Halliwell has reportedly snipped the string on her history of yo-yo dieting and reportedly "feels better than ever," staying in shape with plenty of yoga and "healthy eating." Meanwhile, Emma Bunton works out three times a week, usually running on a treadmill.

US Weekly's diet and exercise report on the ever-sporty Melanie Chisholm: she feels "more feminine than ever before." So I'm not sure what that means. But as of last year, she was training hard to compete in a triathlon, doing total-body circuits that included step jumps and declined bench press-ups--and, like Victoria, plenty of coconut water. After having baby Harper, she also reportedly ran six days a week and had a "strenuous exercise regime" under star trainer Tracy Anderson.

Mel B does one- to two-hour treadmill workouts and likes to go for hikes--complementing her workouts with sessions of 600 sit-ups. She told People: "I’ve always been obsessed with doing abs. I change positions every 10 reps. I like how quickly--if you stick to it--you can see results.”

The "Sex Diet"

Oh, Kim Kardashian. First, she loses 10 pounds in 10 days with a gluten- and sugar-free diet (plus 1,300 calories a day and lots of running). And now sources say she's lost another seven pounds in just seven days--on the "sex diet." 

Yep, according to the National Enquirer, Kim is having sex so often on the regular, the pounds are just melting away.
And she's not the only one who has appreciated the calorie-burning properties of sex. Cameron Diaz told Vogue UK the reason she was "glowing": "I guess it’s just exercise, healthy diet, lots of water, lots of laughter, lots of sex--yes, sex, we need that as human beings. It’s healthy it’s natural, it’s what we are here to do!"
Pre-Playboy, Jenny McCarthy got in shape: "I didn't have to work out before 35, but now I have to so it's treadmill, Bikram yoga, watching what I eat and, of course, great sex. Lots of great sex!"
Pamela Anderson credits sex for her physique, too: "Looking good to me has always been because of the amount of sex I’m getting. ... I’ve hardly been a member of a gym and I can’t follow diets.”
While I'm pretty sure the "sex diet" doesn't qualify as an actual diet, there's no doubt there are health benefits to sex: it helps your memory, it lowers your blood pressure, and a 30-minute session can sizzle away 85 calories or more, depending on how--you know, athletic things get.
Which is to say that Kim and Kanye must be megastar Olympians competing in all of the events simultaneously if their sex life alone has caused Kim to lose seven pounds in seven days. 

Whew!

Taking care of your skin never tasted so delicious!

Snack time! And, I'll be munch on this fruit, which researchers say has some pretty amazing new health benefits...

They may help fight off cancer, protect your esophagus, and now, keep your skin radiant and skin-cancer free.
The latest news comes from researchers in Italy and Spain who say that an extract from strawberries may prevent ultraviolet ray damage to skin :)

Working Out As a Couple: Awesome or Awkward?

Miley Cyrus is often (very, very often) photographed leaving her Pilates studio after a workout, but recently, she had an exercise partner that got paparazzi-ed too...

...fiancé Liam Hemsworth. And while we can't be sure that Liam was actually doing Pilates with Miley (maybe he was just cheering her on? Or admiring his hat in the mirror?), they were also spotted skateboarding together late last week, so it's somewhat safe to assume they exercise together once in a while, right?


I don't really know any couples that work out together--do you? I see couples who are working out side-by-side at the gym and they seem pretty content doing so, but I like exercising solo. I just need that space--to listen to music, to let my mind go wherever it needs to go, to push myself at my own pace in my own way. What about you?

What Your Breathing Patterns Can Tell You About Your Emtional State

Stop for a sec and listen to your breathing. Is it deep? Slow? Shallow? The fascinating things you can learn from listening to your breath...

Yoga lovers know well the importance of deep breathing. But you can focus on breath off the mat, too. Here's what you can learn by paying attention to your breathing from Yoga Journal's Erica Rodefer:
Shallow, chest breathing: This is the universal sign of stress, says Rodefer. "When I notice myself doing it, I know I need to take a deep breath and really access the situation and put it into perspective."
Held breath: "When I’m holding my breath I’m usually trying too hard at something—sometimes it’s a yoga pose, sometimes I’m thinking a little too hard on the word I’m going to play next on Words with Friends," she writes. Either way, she says she knows this means she needs to relax a bit--pronto.
More exhale than inhale: This is my frequent breathing pitfal, and Rodfer has a fascinating explanation for it: "When my exhale is longer than my inhale, there’s a good chance that I’m feeling defeated or depressed," she writes. "Finding more equilibrium and consciously extending my inhalation gives me more energy."
Balanced breathing: "On those occasions when I’m feeling calm, controlled, focused, and just plain happy my inhales and exhales will be the same length and go deeper into my diaphragm," she writes. "It’s kind of astonishing how infrequently I notice this type of breathing--usually just during Savasana, my morning meditation, or before I drift off to sleep."