Whether you’re taking a group fitness class or following an exercise DVD at home, it’s a sure bet that you’ll be doing planks at some point during the workout—and for good reason. Planks are the ultimate test of total-body strength, not just your core. That’s why they’re the groundwork for many bodyweight exercises, like push-ups and burpees.  “The plank is one of those jack-of-all-trades exercises you can carry in your back pocket to strengthen not only your cor...

Eating a balanced diet in today's food landscape means that when you're surrounded by bad, you've got to maximize the good if you want to boost your health and lose weight. While, yes, we know it's easy to stock your pantry with comfort foods during a stressful time like the coronavirus pandemic, but we have to give it to your straight: it's just as easy to stock up on the good. Now we're not telling you that you need to place an order for superfood powders to reap their health...

If you take multiple vitamins and supplements, it can be challenging to know how to time each dosage. Here's the best time to take them and why it matters.  Why timing matters You might want to take vitamins and supplements at certain times of the day based on their effects, says Dimitar Marinov, MD, an assistant professor at the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria. For example: Magnesium helps with relaxation and sleep so it is best taken at dinner, Mari...

Every Saturday morning, I wake up early—even before my dog—filled with a sense of excitement and competition. My goal? To get to the nearby Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, farmers’ market before others so that I can have my pick of the local kale, arugula, plantains, and even chocolate. I get a thrill when I find a fruit or vegetable I don’t recognize, because that means I can add a new flavor to my mental palate and my cooking repertoire. Too often, though, the act of eating sustainably is aesthe...

In ancient China, emperors eagerly sought out a magical drink that would grant them eternal youth—and alchemists continued attempting to concoct this supposed miracle cure, commonly known as the "Elixir of Long Life," well into the 19th century. Sadly, it seems that no one has quite figured out a recipe for this fabled potion that truly does offer immortality. The good news? Doctors say there are plenty of drinks to sip on for longer life. Inevitably, when you meet a centenarian—...

Over the last few years, there's been a lot of buzz about probiotics, the so-called "good" bacteria that reside in the gut. They're believed to offer a wide range of health benefits, from a robust immune system to improved digestion. Not long after we started hearing about probiotics, prebiotics became a thing. Prebiotics are "most soluble fibers and resistant starches" that those good gut bacteria rely on for food, says Emilie Vandenberg, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State Universit...