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Stair climbing can help improve your balance, strengthen your legs and boost your cardiovascular fitness. Image Credit: Cavan Images/Cavan/GettyImages If you live in an apartment building or a multi-story house, you may dread taking the stairs each day. And, if you’re older, you might think that dodging the stairs means you’re less likely to stumble and trip. But in reality, walking up a couple of flights of steps actually does plenty to preserve your balance as you age....

If you’ve been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, or DDD, you’re not alone. In fact, DDD in the lumbar spine is the most common cause of low-back pain, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. Degenerative disc disease exercises can help support your spine and improve weakness that can occur with this condition. Tip Back stretches and core strengthening help improve flexibility and support your spine when you have degenerative disc disease....

Speak to your doctor about appropriate exercises after an epidural injection. Epidural injections are administered to patients to relieve pain symptoms radiating in the back or the legs. The steroid relieves nerve inflammation to reduce pain. Epidural injections are usually not advised as the only form of rehabilitation for back and leg pain sufferers. Your doctor is likely to recommend exercises for you to perform following the epidural injections and may even suggest meeting with a physical therapist....

For a calorie-dense healthy snack, have a Greek yogurt banana smoothie. Image Credit: Lilechka75/iStock/Getty Images Whole foods and weight training help you pack on pounds in a healthy way. These nutritious foods boost your energy levels and provide you with calories and nutrients that support muscle repair and tissue growth. The weight training helps you put on muscle – not just 5 pounds of added fat – which helps you look more solid and feel stronger....

Winter Olympians share the pieces of workout gear that can help you take your fitness to the next level. Image Credit: NBC Olympics/LIVESTRONG.com Creative Athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games share their top tips so you can fuel your body and rock your workouts Like an Olympian. Image Credit: NBC Olympics/LIVESTRONG.com Creative Athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games share their top tips so you can fuel your body and rock your workouts Like an Olympian....

B12 is a critical nutrient in the formation of red blood cells. Image Credit: foxline/RooM/GettyImages Vitamin B12 supplements are popular among people who want to increase their energy level, endurance and sports performance. Even though the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for B12 is only 2.4 micrograms (mcg), some supplements provide 10,000 mcg per serving, or 416, 666 percent of the RDA. That amount of B12 daily for a long time can have potentially serious effects....

Make sure to get enough vitamin B in your diet. Image Credit: samael334/iStock/GettyImages B-complex vitamins play a variety of roles in your health, and insufficient amounts of these vitamins in the diet can lead to symptoms like dry mouth, cracked or split lips, and cracks in the corners of your mouth. Vitamin B deficiencies can be treated by incorporating the right foods into your diet or by using the oral or injection-based supplements that are available....

Research shows turmeric is beneficial for various skin conditions. Image Credit: sasirin pamai/iStock/GettyImages Turmeric is a yellow-orange colored spice that people in Asia have used for centuries in traditional medicine. It’s main active constituent is curcumin, a compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Advertisement Scientists are finding that the compound's benefits have value for an array of health maladies, including some affecting the skin. The compound is an ideal alternative to traditional therapies for skin ailments because it's well tolerated, states a 2013 study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology....

With their distinctive flavor, smoked oysters can turn the most boring meal into a feast. Image Credit: Aleksandr_Vorobev/iStock/GettyImages Packed with vitamin B12, zinc, copper and selenium, oysters are a powerhouse of nutrition. They’re low in calories and carbs, taste amazing and take minutes to cook. Their aphrodisiac qualities have been known since ancient times — that’s reason enough to give them a try. Smoked oysters are healthy too, but they have some drawbacks you should be aware of....

A bundle of raw cinnamon sticks and a teaspoon of cassia cinnamon on wood. Image Credit: JuanCi/iStock/Getty Images All types of cinnamon belong to the genus Cinnamomum, so there really isn’t a “fake” cinnamon. But true cinnamon comes from one specific species – Cinnamomum verum – which is native to Ceylon. Other types of cinnamon come from several different cinnamomum trees. They’re collectively referred to as cassia cinnamon. While they all contain the same active ingredient, true cinnamon has the benefit of being low in coumarin....

If you have had food poisoning, eat bland foods such as bananas to help when recovering. Image Credit: Buppha Wuttifery / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages When you’re experiencing a bout of food poisoning, the last thing you want to do is eat, but it’s important to stay hydrated. After your food poisoning symptoms subside, you can ease back into eating with the BRAT diet, which calls for bland, low-fiber foods. Advertisement Tip If you experience food poisoning, stay hydrated and follow the BRAT diet for a few days....

The right water temperature for swimming can make your pool session safer and more comfortable. Image Credit: Alvaro Medina Jurado/Moment/GettyImages Don’t ask members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club how warm it has to be to swim. These winter swimmers plunge into the Atlantic Ocean every Sunday from November until April and revel in the chill. Advertisement Ultimately, swimming temperature is a matter of preference — some people can tolerate much colder temperatures than others....

Focusing on fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean, high-quality protein sources can do a lot to help slim down your thighs. Image Credit: Lisovskaya/iStock/GettyImages Technically, any excess body fat you see building up below the belt isn’t because of specific foods that go to your thighs. Instead, it shows up because you’re consuming too many calories for your current activity level. With that said, there are definitely a few food habits that can help or hurt your quest for slim thighs and a few fitness tricks that can boost you along toward your goal....

Sour candy is made from acids found in food. Image Credit: CobraCZ/iStock/Getty Images Whether you love mouth-puckering sourness or prefer a slightly sour sensation, the intense flavor of sour candy comes from organic acids. While there are at least eight different acids used in sour candy, the four most common are citric, malic, tartaric and fumaric acids. Each acid has a different level of sourness, as well as other flavor nuances of bitterness and astringency....

Dripping the second you start your workout? Your sweat can tell you a lot about your health. Image Credit: Diamond Dogs/iStock/GettyImages Whether you’re nervous for a big job interview or exercising outdoors on a hot day, sweating bullets sucks. But perspiration is essential for regulating your body temp; sweat keeps you cool, comfortable and prevents you from overheating. Advertisement Plus, those little drips of dew can also reveal a ton about what's going on in your body....

There could be more than one reason you're feeling cold since losing weight. Image Credit: KucherAV/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Causes How to Warm Up If you've been shedding pounds lately, you may notice a lower tolerance for cold environments and the need for an extra layer or two of clothing. As it turns out, feeling cold when losing weight is totally normal. Advertisement "Fat is really like the body's natural blanket....

Weight Loss Image Credit: vadimguzhva/iStock/Getty Images Losing excess weight can help lower your blood sugar levels. The sugar in your blood is a necessary component to your body’s physiological processes; however, too much is detrimental. It can lead to a variety of health complications, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Talk to your doctor about your sugar levels as well as how to lose weight safely. He can recommend a diet and exercise regimen to lower your glucose levels by shedding unwanted pounds....

Zucchini makes for a great pizza base that's packed with nutrition and low in carbs. Image Credit: los_angela/iStock/GettyImages Summer is coming to a close, and that means it’s time to take advantage of this season’s freshest produce while it’s still in peak ripeness. Summer zucchini is one awesome veggie in particular — and it’s super versatile. That’s right, there’s so much more to do with it than just spiralize it for zoodles....

Stand tall and drink plenty of water to make your stomach appear flatter. Image Credit: Tinatin1/iStock/Getty Images Unfortunately, a flat, toned stomach doesn’t simply appear on its own — it takes hard work, along with an extra-healthy diet, to achieve a taut tummy. Advertisement However, if you've procrastinated on your workouts and spent one too many nights diving into the cookie jar, you can take measures to make your stomach appear flatter within a few days....

references Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Symptoms of Coronavirus” Nature Communications: “Modeling lung perfusion abnormalities to explain early COVID-19 hypoxemia” Science: “The Mystery of the pandemic’s ‘happy hypoxia’” 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 normal pulse oximeter reading is in the mid-90s. Image Credit: vgajic/E+/GettyImages...