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Tuning into the sights, sounds and smells around you can help build mindfulness. Image Credit: COROIMAGE/Moment/GettyImages In This Article What It Is How to Do It Benefits When you think meditation, you probably imagine sitting quietly while deep breathing. While that's a valid practice, it's far from your only option. Advertisement If sitting still isn't for you, a body-centered technique may be the mindfulness hack you've been looking for. Enter walking meditation....

Get more from your CrossFit and HIIT workouts with AMRAP. Image Credit: MoMo Productions/Stone/GettyImages CrossFit junkie? Group fitness frequenter? HIIT devotee? Have you conquered an AMRAP workout yet? You might be thinking thinking, “Not another fitness acronym!” But yep, here’s another one for the Fitness Lover Lexicon. Trust us, this is one that’ll become part of your gym vocabulary quickly. Advertisement AMRAPs are a workout format that pits you against the clock, challenging you mentally as much as physically....

BMI uses your height and weight to determine your body fat composition. Image Credit: baloon111/iStock/Getty Images The abbreviations BMI and BMR sound similar, but they stand for two separate things. Your BMI, or body mass index, is a number calculated from your height and weight which is then used to assess your body composition. Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is the number of calories you burn when your body is at rest....

Rose hip oil has been used in folk medicine for centuries for its phenolic antioxidant compounds, essential fatty acids and vitamins A, C and E. Image Credit: bdspn/iStock/GettyImages Rose hip oil is harvested from the seeds of the small crab-apple-resembling fruit that remains on the rosebush after flowering. The oil has been used in folk medicine for centuries for its phenolic antioxidant compounds, essential fatty acids and vitamins A, C and E....

Calcium sulfate, or gypsum, is nontoxic. It’s used as an additive in a variety of different foods as well as in supplements to help increase calcium intake. Check with your doctor before taking gypsum supplements to make sure these would be safe for you. Calcium Intake Gypsum is between 23 and 29 percent calcium. Adults should consume 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams per day of calcium to help keep their bones and teeth healthy and their blood vessels functioning properly....

Mangosteen tea is a good source of xanthone, a plant nutrient. Image Credit: Ridofranz/iStock/GettyImages Mangosteen is a small, round fruit so revered in its native Southeast Asia that it’s called the “Queen of Fruits.” The fruit and bark of this tropical plant have been used for centuries to treat wounds, infections, menstrual disorders and skin infections — and to boost immunity. Advertisement While there isn't enough research that supports the multitude of health claims, this fruit is known to be rich in compounds that provide health-promoting properties....

BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Image Credit: kate_sept2004/E+/GettyImages Body mass index (BMI) is an estimation of body fat based on height and weight. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH), a BMI of 26 falls into the overweight range of 25 to 29. Measurements between 18.5 to 24.9 indicate normal weight, while measurements above 30 indicate obesity. The institute above categorizes BMIs of less than 18....

Overweight man sitting on a park bench Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Contrary to popular opinion, fat cells in adipose tissue are not simply dormant storage depots, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Alerts. Fat cells are dynamic and highly active. The fat cells of adipose tissue share an extremely important role in metabolism, according to Sareen Gropper, Jack Smith and James Groff in “Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism.” According to the National Institutes of Health, insulin stimulates fat cells to take in glucose....

Knowing what happens when you have a stroke can help you recognize the symptoms faster and get the help you need. Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative Listen to Your Heart highlights the simple nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes you can make for a healthy heart at any age. Chances are you know at least one person who’s had a stroke. Someone in the U.S. has one every 40 seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....

Spaghetti squash pairs well with a variety of meats and flavors. Image Credit: sveta_zarzamora/iStock/GettyImages Spaghetti squash is a summer squash that resembles the popular pasta when cooked, with the inner flesh coming out in strings that look like noodles. It’s a good alternative to pasta — especially if you’re cutting back on refined grains. Advertisement Spaghetti squash has just 42 calories and 10 grams of carbs per cup, according to the USDA....

Why Am I Craving Milk? Image Credit: grafvision/iStock/GettyImages Milk: It’s the first thing we drink as babies and has most of the nutrients a growing infant needs. As humans age, we keep drinking milk because it’s chock-full of beneficial vitamins and minerals. Like most people, if you’re craving milk or other milk products, you’ll probably go for cow milk, which is very popular. Goat’s and sheep’s milk products are also good alternatives....

Ask your doctor about whether your blood pressure medications can make you sun-sensitive. There are quite literally hundreds of different medications to treat high blood pressure, but many commonly prescribed hypertension drugs can make your skin more sensitive to the sun's rays. Each category of medication has a different mechanism by which it causes sun sensitivity, but they all require that you take special care to avoid sun exposure and be extra careful about using sunscreen and taking other precautions....

Stress and poor sleep can both make you crave unhealthy foods. Image Credit: Makidotvn/Getty Images Jonesing for junk food? Though salt and sugar cravings can seem to strike out of nowhere, they might not be as random as you think. Advertisement Turns out, there's usually a real biological reason behind your hankering. Here, experts explain why you're longing for those cookies and chips, and offer healthy ways you can curb those cravings....

Eating only celery and carrots is not a smart weight-loss strategy. Image Credit: Ableimages/Photodisc/Getty Images It’s normal to want rapid results when you’re trying to lose weight. Because celery and carrots both have such low calorie counts, restricting your diet to only those foods is likely to make you lose a lot of weight quickly. Because it’s a fad diet plan that isn’t sustainable or balanced, however, you’re also likely to put the weight back on when you start eating normally again....

If you’re making your own hamburger patties, adding egg to hamburger meat can help hold the meat together for easier cooking. Image Credit: Claudia Weinmann / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages If you’re making your own hamburger patties, adding egg to hamburger meat can help hold the meat together for easier cooking. Without the proper binder, the burgers may fall apart in the pan or on the grill. Advertisement Eggs in Cooking Eggs are a nutritious meal on their own, but are useful in preparing a variety of other dishes, too....

Choose tomato sauce over creamy sauces to keep calories in check. Image Credit: luchezar/E+/GettyImages Odds are you’ve heard that eliminating pasta from your diet is a must for shedding pounds. Let’s set the record straight: Noodles aren’t your nemesis. Nope, you don’t need to figure out how to stop eating pasta if your goal is weight loss. Instead, try these tips for how to lose weight eating pasta. Advertisement Contrary to popular belief, carbs like pasta, bread, crackers, cereal and even desserts don't automatically increase body fat storage or cause weight gain, Lisa Moskovitz, RDN, founder and CEO of the NY Nutrition Group, tells LIVESTRONG....

If you’re making chicken soup or a chicken gravy, you’re going to need chicken broth. Image Credit: Photosiber/iStock/GettyImages If you’re making chicken soup or a chicken gravy, you’re going to need chicken broth. Making chicken broth from bouillon cubes is a lot faster than making it from scratch, and it means you don’t have to clutter up your pantry shelves with cans of chicken stock. Advertisement Read more: What Are the Benefits of Chicken Broth?...

Eaten in moderation, avocado is a healthy food that's loaded with nutrients Image Credit: Lilechka75/iStock/GettyImages Whether you love avocados sliced with eggs on toast or in a guacamole dip, the health benefits of this nutrient-dense food are hard to beat. Avocados are a healthy food and offer nearly nearly 20 different vitamins and minerals, in addition to phytonutrients and an abundance of dietary fiber. Although avocados are high in fat, they contain monounsaturated fat, which can help reduce your risk of chronic diseases....

Vinegar can be used as a cleaning agent. Image Credit: eskaylim/iStock/GettyImages Citric acid and vinegar have a lot of overlap when it comes to their versatility — both are commonly used as food flavorings and cleaning agents. They are also both made using a fermenting process. But they’re different compounds and shouldn’t be confused. Advertisement Tip Vinegar is actually made of acetic acid, not to be confused with citric acid. Here’s what you should know about citric acid and vinegar, as far as their similarities and differences go....

If you’ve been diagnosed with lactose intolerance, you can still enjoy pizza, although it contains lactose from the cheese. Cheeses tend to have less lactose than other dairy products because of the enzymes used to create cheese. If you’re severely lactose intolerant, you may need to use an enzyme supplement when eating pizza. Before you modify your diet to treat any condition, talk with your doctor. Lactose intolerance is a common condition that can cause unpleasant symptoms after ingesting any food containing dairy....