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Close-up of man touching his chest. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Lightwavemedia/Getty Images Pressure in your chest may occur with or without pain and arise at various times for various reasons. Some people describe chest pressure as the feeling of a band tightening around the chest or a heavy object sitting atop it, according to BetterMedicine.com. A pressure sensation can come from a condition occurring in any part of your chest, including your chest wall muscles, esophagus or heart....

Subway's wraps aren't necessarily healthier than their bready subs. Image Credit: Getty Images/Maskot Many people looking to try a low-carb diet may be intrigued by Subway’s line of wraps over the brand’s traditional subs. Subway wraps pack all the same sandwich fixings inside a tortilla instead of on a roll. Advertisement But if you're trying to lose weight, going the way of the wrap may be giving you more than you bargained for in terms of fat and calories....

Oranges growing on a tree branch. Image Credit: zenstock/iStock/Getty Images Oranges contain ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C. Other acids that contribute to the nutritional profile of oranges include folic, pantothenic, hydroxycinnamic, citric, malic and oxalic. This citrus fruit packs a nutritional punch that makes it an excellent addition to most diets; however, the amount of acid in oranges can irritate some people with sensitive stomachs. Advertisement Ascorbic Acid Your body does not store vitamin C, so you have to replace it daily....

Doing neck mobility exercises can help strengthen and stretch the muscles to prevent pain. Image Credit: AndreyPopov/iStock/GettyImages Waking up with neck pain and stiffness is no fun. Daily activities like driving, cleaning and working can be difficult if you can’t turn your neck, which may lead you to turn your entire body instead of just your head. Advertisement A stiff neck can be caused by a number of factors, including poor posture, stress, sleeping in awkward positions, a sports injury and even a pinched nerve or arthritis, says Rahul Shah, MD, a board-certified orthopedic spine and neck surgeon....

As a runner, skipping your stretches could mean tight muscles and poor performance. Image Credit: Geber86/iStock/GettyImages If you’re a serious runner who wants to stay as efficient and injury-free as possible, then you can’t overlook stretching. Among other benefits, stretching can help facilitate workout recovery and is considered an important part of injury prevention. Advertisement "It can also help improve running power," says Brady Irwin, owner and head coach at Science of Speed....

Your optimal daily intake of calories, carbs, fat, protein and sodium depends on factors like your age, sex and activity level. Image Credit: KarpenkovDenis/iStock/GettyImages Most of us sometimes wonder if we’re really getting the nutrition we need from the food we eat. It can be hard to know for sure when it comes to calories, carbs, fat, protein and sodium. Advertisement Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration helps us figure it out by requiring every food package to list how much of the recommended daily amounts of essential nutrients comes in each serving....

Adding a resistance band to arm and ab exercises like bird dog help you build more strength. Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative Resistance band exercises are the perfect way to work your abs and arms in the same workout. The design of the band itself means your core has to stabilize you through every movement — it’s not just the lifting that taxes your muscles. Advertisement "With traditional weights such as dumbbells or barbells you slowly release the tension during the eccentric phase or lengthening of the muscle," says Tatiana Scott, CPT, personal trainer, founder of Fit With Curves and host of our 4-Week Resistance Band Challenge....

Weight gain occurs when the thyroid gland slows down, a condition better known as hypothyroidism. Although other side effects are associated with hypothyroidism, weight gain is one of the most common obstacles to overcome after treatment starts. In order to boost the thyroid gland, your doctor will place you on medications. Some patients opt for weight-loss supplements in addition to their medication, which can cause drug interactions. Hypothyroidism Facts The thyroid gland produces two hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3)....

Include both weight training and cardio in your fitness program to target high cholesterol. Image Credit: Erik Isakson/Tetra images/GettyImages If you’re trying to reduce your “bad” cholesterol level — low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — you’ve probably been told to get plenty of aerobic exercise. Along with that, consider including weight training in your fitness program to improve your cholesterol levels and, ultimately, your heart health. Advertisement Read more: 13 Benefits of Weight Lifting That No One Tells You About Video of the Day Exercise and Cholesterol An important part of improving your cardiovascular health and preventing heart disease is reducing the cholesterol in your blood, specifically the LDL cholesterol that clogs arteries and can put you at risk for heart disease, heart attack and other health problems, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....

WW followers are encouraged to track daily SmartPoints instead of calories. Image Credit: AfricaImages/E+/GettyImages If you recently joined Weight Watchers, or you’re just curious about how it works, you might be wondering how many calories you should average per day on the program. The tricky part is that Weight Watchers — which recently rebranded as WW — encourages members to track SmartPoints instead of counting calories. And while SmartPoints are related to a food’s calorie content, it’s not a simple 1:1 ratio....

Joint space narrowing is a sign of degenerative arthritis. The space between the femur, or thighbone, and the tibia, or shinbone, on X-ray views represents the overall thickness of the joint cartilage surfaces of each opposing bone as they articulate, or come into contact with one another. As this cartilage wears down over time, and as part of the degenerative process associated with arthritis, this so-called space begins to narrow—not unlike tread on a tire....

Age-related memory loss doesn't have to be inevitable. Image Credit: wundervisuals/E+/GettyImages Ever been at a party and can’t remember the name of the person you’re talking to? Or find yourself tearing apart your house trying to find your keys? Your first thought may be, “What the heck is wrong with me?” and you might even jump to, “Could I be developing early Alzheimer’s?” Advertisement The good news is these sorts of memory glitches can happen at any age, reassures Gary Small, MD, Chair of Psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and author of ​The Memory Bible​....

references Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research: “Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep” Cleveland Clinic: “Sleep Basics” Sleep: “Evening intake of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine: night-to-night associations with sleep duration and continuity among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Sleep Study” Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911....

A fatigued man after exercising in a gym studio. Image Credit: XiXinXing/XiXinXing/Getty Images There are several reasons why you may feel faint immediately after exercise, particularly if the exercise is heavy. Although the symptoms occurring prior to passing out can be alarming, their underlying causes are generally not cause for concern. You can usually avoid the symptoms by making minor adjustments to your workouts. However, you should report these symptoms to your doctor so she can rule out rare, but potentially dangerous, underlying conditions....

Choose the equipment that suits your goals. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images Exercise equipment gets cheaper as technology improves. Although very high-end exercise bikes remain slightly cheaper than the highest-end rowers and treadmills, all three types of cardio exercise machines are now within relatively easy reach of most middle-class Americans. Each has its unique advantages and disadvantages, although in the end the best exercise machine is always the one you enjoy enough to use consistently....

references Aspen Medical Group: "Bands and Balls: When and Why to Use Them" American Council on Exercise: "4 Full-Body Medicine Ball Exercises to Boost Your Calorie Burn" American Council on Exercise: "A Medicine Ball Workout for Your Clients" American Council on Exercise: "8 Creative Ways to Use a Medicine Ball" Once you're ready to work out in earnest, use a ball that's heavy enough to slow your motion but not to disrupt your range of motion or control....

Panic attacks can sometimes cause chest pain. Image Credit: tommaso79/iStock/GettyImages The rapid heart rate and chest pain of a panic attack can be scary. Worrying that it could be something more serious can make the fear even worse. Here’s some information that can help when your heart starts galloping in your chest. Advertisement What Is a Panic Attack? A panic attack is a sudden episode of psychological distress, such as the intense fear that something bad is going to happen, accompanied by a range of physical symptoms, says the Anxiety and Depression Association of America....

Image Credit: altrendo images/Stockbyte/Getty Images Many people often feel shaky, faint, weak or confused if it's been a while since their last meal and they think that their blood sugar is low. But the only way to know if you truly have hypoglycemia -- a rare condition -- is to test your blood sugar. If you have hypoglycemia, treatment requires that you follow a special diet similar to what is recommended for people with diabetes, which includes eating a healthy, balanced breakfast to prevent hypoglycemic episodes....

Metabolism tends to slow after a teenager stops growing. Image Credit: Maria Teijeiro/Photodisc/Getty Images Because a number of factors can affect metabolism, there isn’t a particular age when a teen’s metabolism slows down – it varies from one teenager to another. The ups and down in metabolism occur with growth spurts during puberty and can be affected by additional muscle growth, cutting calories in attempts to lose weight or certain medical conditions....

Exercising at a steady pace for a prolonged period will cause your heart rate to increase. Image Credit: Hero Images/Hero Images/GettyImages Your heart rate increases when you begin to exercise, then plateaus off and remains elevated for a prolonged period as long as you maintain the same pace. Advertisement If you increase your effort, it will go even higher until you reach your maximal capacity or target heart rate. Calculate that figure by subtracting your age from 220 advises Mayo Clinic....