Water

Water. The human brain is about 75% water. While there is no research to show that drinking water improves our memory, it has been shown that even a small amount of dehydration leads to confusion and problems with memory. Generally, about 8 to 12 cups of water per day are recommended for healthy consumption.
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Stress

Stress. Research shows that stress is linked to increased risk for heart attacks, depression, cancer and the progression of H.I.V. and AIDS. Workplace stress may be as bad for your heart as smoking and high cholesterol. Another negative of stress is that it can trigger bad habits like overeating, lack of sleep, and smoking and drinking, which cause further health issues.
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SHAPE

SHAPE. SHAPE magazine is the source for women's health and fitness. From diet and exercise to psychology and health, SHAPE presents scientifically sound and research based articles. Each issue offers a wide range of tools designed to help the reader become healthier, more energetic, confident, motivated, and less stressed. Learn more as Shape.com.
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Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand Smoke. Secondhand smoke comes from the smoke that smoker’s exhale and from the end of the cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Secondhand smoke contains chemicals that are toxic or cause cancer. Secondhand smoke significantly increases a person's risk for respiratory infections, asthma, coughing, sore throats, sniffling, sneezing, cancer and heart disease.
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Diet Online

Diet Online. eDiets.com is one of the Internet's top diet sites. Dieters get a free diet profile and choose a plan with the help of eDiets professionals. The site also provides diet news features, diet plans, fitness tools and plans, a shop and a diet community chat room. There are over two million worldwide members enrolled on eDiets.com.
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Lower back stretch

Lower back stretch. This exercise works the abs, back and chest. Start by lying face down, legs together, arms bent with your hands resting together behind your back. Using your back, lift your head and chest about 1 foot off the floor, hold for two seconds, and lower to the start position. Do ten of these for one set of this exercise.
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Crunches

Crunches. This classic exercise was designed solely for the abs. Start by lying flat on your back, elbows bent with hands behind your head, and knees bent. Using your abs bring your right elbow forward to touch your left knee, pause and return to the start position. Repeat for the left elbow to complete one repetition. Start with a set of ten crunches and work up as desired.
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V stretch

V stretch. This exercise works the lower back, groin, hamstring and hips. Start by sitting up with your legs stretched out in front like a V. Stretch each arm to touch each foot, hold for four second and return to the start position. Start with a set of ten and work up as desired.
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The talk test

The talk test. The American College of Sports Medicine specifies the "talk test" as way to gage your activity level. People who are able to comfortably converse during exercise are likely working out at an acceptable intensity, probably somewhere around the low-middle range of their heart rate zone. Studies show that maximum benefits are achieved when we exercise at our target heart range.
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Averages

Averages. What is your height and weight? In the United States, the average female is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. The average male is about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 162 pounds. Between 1960 and 1990 the average American male grew 2 inches taller and 27 pounds heavier, while the average American woman grew 2 inches taller and 1 pound heavier.
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Peanuts

Peanuts. Peanuts contain the same amount of nutrients as strawberries. They are good source of protein, vitamin E, and niacin. Peanuts are high in the bioflavonoid "resveratrol", which is believed to help prevent the formation of arterial plaques. Studies show that peanuts can help raise good cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol, and factor in the prevention of heart disease.
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An apple a day

An apple a day. Apples provide us with Vitamin C, fiber and minerals. One medium apple at about 80 calories supplies about 15% of a day's worth of vitamin C as well as plenty of fiber. Eat it with the skin on and get twice as much fiber, about four grams. From Adanac to Yellow Newton, apples provide a sweet snack with vitamins and minerals.
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Health and Fitness Daily

Health and fitness quote: "Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it."
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Breakfast

Breakfast. A recent Harvard Medical School study re-enforced the notion of breakfast being the most important meal of the day. The study found people who ate breakfast every day were a third less likely to be obese compared to those who skipped the meal and were half as likely to have blood-sugar problems. The researchers believe eating first thing in the morning helps regulate appetite and energy.
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Health clubs

Health clubs. The health club industry in the U.S. is a $16 billion industry, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association, a national health and fitness trade group. There a nearly 30,000 health clubs in the United States with over 40 million members. Since 1987, the growth in numbers of health clubs and members in the United States has more than doubled.
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The Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout. The first Great American Smokeout was held on November 15, 1977. The annual Smokeout event is intended to get smokers to quit for a day, taking the first step toward quitting all together. This event is credited with some of the dramatic changes toward tobacco promotion and tobacco use over the past thirty years.
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Anorexia

Anorexia. Anorexia nervosa is a complex psychological and physical eating disorder mainly affecting young people. Anorexics have an intense fear of gaining weight and severely limit the amount of food they eat. Experts suggest this condition may be due to a mix of family history, social factors, and personality traits. With treatment, a person with anorexia can return to and stay at a healthy weight.
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Low cholesterol

Low cholesterol. Some food products are marketed and sold as “low in cholesterol.” The Food and Drug Administration defines the term "low cholesterol" as food having less than 20 mg of cholesterol and two grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
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Health insurance

Health insurance. A record number of Americans are without health insurance, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics. As of 2006, there were 47 million Americans without health insurance coverage, or about 15.8 percent of the U.S. population. According to the report, some of the trend can be explained by employers curtailing coverage or making it too costly for lower income workers to afford.
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Smoking

Smoking. A number of companies are requiring employees who use tobacco to pay higher health insurance premiums, hoping that will motivate them to stop smoking, according to a published USA Today article. A benefits survey of 950 US-based employers showed at least 41% used some form of financial incentives or penalties in their health care plans.
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Protein

Protein. Our bodies need protein for good health. Protein is a nutrient made up of essential and nonessential amino acids. It helps maintain and replace body tissue, creates red blood cells and manufactures antibodies that fight infection and disease. Protein is found in meat, eggs and dairy products.
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San Francisco

San Francisco. The city by the bay ranked highest among all U.S. cities in terms of men's longevity and health according to a study compiled by Men’s Health magazine. The magazine based the city's rank on calculated death rates for heart disease, stroke, and cancer, exercise frequency and body weight, smoking habits and higher education.
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Anaerobic threshold

Anaerobic threshold. Muscles burn energy in two ways, aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen). Your body's anaerobic threshold represents the point at which you begin working your muscles without oxygen, usually in response to bursts in activity such as a fast sprint. Anaerobic threshold varies but is generally lower for less active people versus more active people.
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Stretching

Stretching. Most health and fitness experts recommend pre-game or pre-workout stretching exercises as a way to reduce injury. A growing number of fitness professionals also support the idea of doing a stand-alone stretching regimen, separate from workouts, as a way to increase performance.
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Fitness failure

Fitness failure. Surveys have shown that more than half of all new exercisers quit their program within the first six months. Adopt the following methods to avoid fitness failure: set a series of realistic short-term goals; include exercise and diet variety; workout with a partner; and develop a backup plan.
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Overeating

Overeating. A recent study conducted at Sam Houston State University found that people tend to overeat when eating with others versus eating alone. The study tracked five hundred participants and found those eating with one other person ate 44% more on average. Those eating with a group of twelve ate 76% more than when eating alone.
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Heart beats

Heart beats. A normal heart beat rate for a human falls within the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute. People in excellent condition may have heart rates as low as 40, as a well-conditioned heart does not need to work as hard to circulate blood. Heart rates above 100 may be a sign of heart disease, infection or arthritis.
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Healthy states

Healthy states. Minnesota is the healthiest state in America, according to the most recent United Health Foundation health study. The study ranked the health of each U.S. state based on twelve health factors, such as smoking, obesity and health insurance coverage. The states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Hawaii were also top health performers.
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National Diabetes Awareness Month

November. November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. The American Diabetes Association estimates that about 41 million Americans, age 40 to 74, are pre-diabetes, and that many others are and do not realize it. The physical impact during pre-diabetes is damage to the heart and circulatory system. Diet and exercise are the keys to diabetes prevention.
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November

November. Freshly picked fruits and vegetables provide more nutrients and more flavor than canned or stored fruits and vegetables, and usually cost less as well. Try adding one or more of the following fruits or vegetables that are ripe and at their natural peak during the month of November: beets, bosc pears, cranberries, rutabagas, sweet potatoes and yams.
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