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Lift at a high percentage of your maximum when training for explosive strength. Image Credit: Ibrakovic/iStock/Getty Images Knowing how much weight you can lift is extremely useful when planning your weight-training routines. Different training goals require you to vary your repetition ranges and lift at different percentages of your max. You don’t necessarily need to test your max, though, as there are ways you can work out your maximum using a percentage calculation....

Find the perfect yoga mat for your practice. Image Credit: Remains/iStock/Getty Images Yoga mats come in a variety of styles, sizes, materials and thicknesses. Finding the perfect yoga mat can be like searching for a pair of shoes, and it might take some time to determine the mat that is perfect for your unique style of practice. The standard yoga mat measures 68 inches long and 24 inches wide, but the right mat for you may differ....

Bland foods, such as rice, can help soothe food poisoning. Image Credit: Howard Shooter/Dorling Kindersley RF/Getty Images Food poisoning causes several symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and sometimes a fever or headache. The illness is caused by eating food or consuming beverages that have been contaminated with a bacteria or other toxin, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) explains. Typical food poisoning is considered to be a mild condition and goes away on its own....

Stock up on these grocery essentials for a healthier kitchen. Image Credit: SDI Productions/E+/GettyImages Americans have plenty of choices when it comes to where they can buy their meal prep staples. So much so that over 38,000 supermarkets spanned the nation back in 2018, according to a report by the Progressive Grocer. Advertisement Aldi is definitely part of the many supermarket choices here in the U.S. and this German-founded retailer's only growing more popular by the minute: Aldi is slated to become America's third-largest grocery chain by 2022....

Food poisoning is the most likely culprit if you experience GI distress after eating chicken. Image Credit: PeopleImages/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Food Poisoning Food Allergy Food Intolerance When to See a Doctor Across America, chicken is very often what's for dinner. But if that everyday protein is greeted with an upset stomach, vomiting or abdominal cramps, you could be dealing with food poisoning — or, very rarely, your GI distress may be due an intolerance to chicken or outright allergy....

Bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes at room temperature. Image Credit: Wiktory/iStock/Getty Images If your meat smells bad when cooking, it might be spoiled. Harmful bacteria top the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s public enemies list. The USDA advises against eating and tasting raw or under-cooked meat. Advertisement The site recommends thorough cooking to kill whatever bacteria and viruses may be lurking in the meat — making steak tartare a gastronomical outlaw....

Sliced aloe leaves on a tray. Image Credit: Rutchapong/iStock/Getty Images Swedish bitters is a traditional European herbal extract that includes myrrh, saffron, senna leaves, camphor, rhubarb roots, manna, theriac venezian, carline thistle roots, angelica roots, zedoary roots, and either Aloe vera, gentian or wormwood, according to a recipe on Swedishbitters.com. The bitter taste of this blend is one of its main healing qualities, as bitter taste prompts your digestive system to secrete different juices, such as hydrochloric acid and bile, that improve the digestion of your food, helping break down fat as well as nutrient absorption, which will commonly also help you lose weight, according to herbalist David Hoffmann in his book “The New Holistic Herbal....

With the right planning, you can have your pizza (or wine, or cake) on the weekend and eat it too. Image Credit: PeopleImages/E+/GettyImages You’ve got your weekday healthy-eating routine down pat. But once the weekend hits, all of your usual good habits seem to fly out the window, and those extra treats thwart your weight loss. We’ve all been there. Advertisement "Fridays and weekends somehow cue our 'treat yourself' mode," says Shana Spence, RDN....

A sweaty workout burns off calories for weight loss. Image Credit: proxyminder/E+/GettyImages The stomach can be a stubborn area to lose fat. Although you cannot spot-reduce fat, according to ExRx.net, a structured exercise routine and healthy diet will lead to weight loss all over your body, including your belly. Advertisement Sweating itself does not necessarily equate to weight loss; you could sweat in a sauna or on a hot day but lose primarily water weight....

A woman is doing bicycle crunches. Image Credit: Okikukai/iStock/Getty Images Many men and women long for well-defined and strong abdominal muscles. This desire for a better looking midsection can lead to intense training sessions that last 30 minutes or more. If you are worried about overtraining your abdominal muscles with a long workout, you can put your mind at ease because it is unlikely that you will do damage to your body if you train your abs for 30 minutes during a workout....

Juicing raw vegetables is a good part of your diet. Image Credit: Gulcin Ragiboglu/iStock/GettyImages Juicing raw vegetables is a quick and easy way to get more vital nutrients into your body. Raw vegetable juice offers many benefits, but shouldn’t replace whole vegetables or other healthy foods in your diet. Advertisement Tip Raw vegetable juice complements a healthy diet and helps promote a healthy gut and heart. Benefits of Raw Vegetable Juice Drinking raw vegetable juice offers a number of general benefits to your overall health....

Running in the cold weather is OK, you just need to take a few essential precautions. Image Credit: AJ_Watt/E+/GettyImages Come the fall and winter months, a few things change. What you’re wearing everyday, for starters. A darker commute home after work, for sure. Also on the list? A shift in your fitness routine. The good news: If you’re a runner, you don’t necessarily need to sacrifice outdoor miles once the temperature drop....

Eating eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day is recommended by the American Heart Association. Image Credit: Johner Images/Johner Images Royalty-Free/GettyImages The calories in fruits and vegetables are naturally low, though the vitamin and mineral content can be high. When consumed regularly, these nutrient dense foods contribute to good health. However some fruits and vegetables are lower in calories than others. Advertisement According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, a low-calorie food is any food that is 40 calories or less per serving, and fruits and vegetables are low-calorie foods that fill you up....

Muscle shaking is normal after an intense workout such as boxing. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages Boxing is an intense sport that creates substantial aerobic exercise and stress on the body. With each punch and block in boxing, you place demand on your muscles, especially in your shoulders, arms and hands. Advertisement As a result, you may notice that you have shaking hands after a fight or a training session. Gradually increasing the intensity of your workout, staying hydrated and having a healthy diet will help prevent from shaking after exercise....

Beach Cliff, a company that produces kosher canned foods, was established in 1927. The company offers a variety of seafood choices, including sardines in mustard sauce and fish steak in soybean oil. If you are watching your calories, Beach Cliff sardines provide you with a heart-healthy serving of protein that won’t interfere with your diet. Unopened sardines have a shelf-life of one year when stored in a cool and dry area, according to North Dakota State University....

Overindulging on greasy or fatty foods may cause diarrhea. Image Credit: .shock/iStock/Getty Images Overeating can cause indigestion, heartburn, abdominal bloating and general discomfort. If you have certain health conditions or if you overindulge on certain foods, you may also experience diarrhea. Since bowel changes can indicate potentially serious health conditions, any diarrhea that persists or recurs should be brought to the attention of your physician. Advertisement Too Much Fiber Dietary fiber is a healthy and important part of your diet, but if you don’t eat much dietary fiber, you should gradually include it in your daily diet....

A man running up a mountain trail. Image Credit: giorgio1978/iStock/Getty Images When running up hills, your leg muscles – hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and hips – work together with your tendons to propel you forward without providing too much momentum to accommodate the incline. If these muscles are not working cooperatively or if you have an imbalance, you can feel pain when running hills. This pain can be debilitating and can result in an injury that sidelines you from running altogether....

Ingesting too much vitamin B-12 can cause heart failure. Image Credit: Catherine Yeulet/iStock/Getty Images Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin and cyanocobalamin, is one of the eight B-complex vitamins. Vitamin B-12 is necessary for metabolism, DNA synthesis, production of red blood cells and maintenance of healthy nerve cells, according to FamilyDoctor.org. B-12 is naturally found in animal products such as meat, fish, milk and eggs. B-12 is also added to fortified foods such as breakfast cereals....

There can be some life threatening side effects with iron tablets. Image Credit: apugach/iStock/GettyImages Iron tablets are available over the counter as individual supplements or in multivitamins. It’s important that you monitor your dosage, as iron can cause long-term harm to your body if you ingest too much. Side effects can be severe, especially for children if they accidentally swallow iron pills. Advertisement Iron Benefits and Requirements Iron is a mineral that is essential to your health for efficient production of red blood cells....

Soy milk is filled with isoflavones. Image Credit: krisanapong detraphiphat/Moment/GettyImages Soy and soy products are rich in isoflavones, or phytoestrogens. These so-called plant estrogens can affect your body similarly to regular estrogen, but at a much weaker level — or in some cases, they can counter estrogenic activity. Does that mean soy milk is bad for you? Advertisement The Confusion About Soy Soy’s seemingly contradictory effects in your body may seem confusing, but brace yourself: They’re backed by a broad body of research on soy and estrogen that is in and of itself contradictory at times, which in turn has led to some contradictory and confusing public statements....