Vitals

Maybe Don’t Put These Things in Your Face

Beth Skwarecki — Sat, 8 Jul 2017 04:05:00 GMT

It’s time to do another reality check on the latest health news. This week people are telling us to snort cocoa powder but not to eat our own personal organ meats. Does their advice check out? Let’s dig in.

How to Remove a Tick Without Touching It

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 7 Jul 2017 16:30:00 GMT

If you find a tick on yourself, it’s totally normal to want to climb out of your skin and burn it and live your life with your bones and muscles on display. Since that didn’t work the last time I tried it, I’m glad to report there is a safe, effective, hands-off way to remove the tick from your skin. More than one, in…

What to Do Throughout the Day to Keep Sitting From "Killing" You

Adriana Velez on Lifehacker, shared by Alice Bradley to Vitals — Thu, 6 Jul 2017 21:00:00 GMT

We’ve all heard the bad news that sitting will kill you. That might be a slight exaggeration, and hey, we’re all going to die someday, after all. But our chair-loving lifestyle isn’t helping us live any longer, that’s for sure. It’s associated with everything from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes and even…

There’s Now a Fitness App for People With Short Attention Spans

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 6 Jul 2017 17:30:00 GMT

I like having some direction in my life, but signing on for a 12-week running program, or a full week of specific meals, is kind of a big commitment. Adidas’s new fitness app, All Day (free on iOS and Android), takes a different approach: it’s full of short, self-contained adventures to choose.

What We Do and Don’t Know About the Safety of Marijuana in Pregnancy

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 6 Jul 2017 15:30:00 GMT

Marijuana has a healthier image than many other drugs (or, depending on who you ask, alcohol), and it can ease symptoms like nausea that tend to crop up in pregnancy. But we are accumulating evidence that marijuana is probably not a great idea to use if you’re pregnant. In particular, the THC component can affect a…

Can We Hide From Plague, Flu, and the Spectre of Death?

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 19:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Dose of Reality, where we see whether the week’s health news is really worth worrying—or celebrating—about. Today we’re facing down death and disease, and the news is actually mostly good!

It Doesn’t Take 10,000 Hours to Become an Olympian

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 18:00:00 GMT

It takes 10 years or 10,000 hours of practice to become a world-class musician, according to a few studies that are extrapolated as if they can explain success in every skilled profession (they can’t). So what does it really take to become an Olympic caliber athlete? A new analysis gives us some clues.

How the Health Care Bill Could Affect You If You Get Health Insurance Through Work

Beth Skwarecki — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:11:00 GMT

We’ve been hearing a lot about the 22 million people who will lose coverage under the Better Care Reconciliation Act, and how much more insurance will cost on the individual market. But what if you have coverage through work? Turns out you’re not immune to the effects of the bill. There’s plenty of bad news to go…

Get Closer to Doing a Handstand in 12 Minutes

Beth Skwarecki — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 15:30:00 GMT

Do you dream of doing handstands? Me too. This video will not make you a handstand master, but it will help you stretch your wrists and come closer to finding your balance over your hands.

Sex, Poop, and Champagne Are Great, But Their Health Benefits Are Overrated

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 14:40:00 GMT

Welcome back to our health news roundup, previously What to Worry About This Week. We’ve renamed it Dose of Reality because health news isn’t always giving you things to worry about. Sometimes it’s benefits, rather than risks, that are overhyped. This week we’re looking at studies that seem to hold the key to…

These Yoga Moves Will Actually Relieve Back Pain

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 18:30:00 GMT

If you’ve got back pain, yoga may be the last thing you feel like doing. But after 12 weeks of a gentle, beginner-level yoga program, people in a recent study had as much pain relief as those who did physical therapy sessions. And either type of exercise worked better than doing nothing at all.

Build Fitness on Your Lunch Break With Just Ten Minutes and a Chair

Beth Skwarecki — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 15:00:00 GMT

This one will get you sweaty, but it’s totally worth it. If you’re in your good work clothes, bookmark this for later today, or just grab your cleanup kit and get going.

This Facebook Bot Will Help You Plan Your Death

Beth Skwarecki — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 14:00:00 GMT

Have you had a conversation with your loved ones about what should happen if you’re ever on life support? Probably not, especially if you’re young. A startup called LifeFolder is hoping you’ll be more comfortable having that conversation with a Facebook messenger bot.

How to Obtain and Use Naloxone, the Drug That Can Reverse an Opioid Overdose

Beth Skwarecki — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 20:30:00 GMT

Welcome to another one of those posts you hope you never need to use. Today we’ll be talking about how to use naloxone (including brand names Narcan and Evzio) to help somebody who has overdosed on opioids like heroin or prescription painkillers.

How to Survive the Summer When Summer Makes You Miserable

Leigh Anderson — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 15:00:00 GMT

According to all the Instagram pictures of toes stretched out on deck chairs, many people looove the summer. They bask in the bright sun, revel in the heat, and don’t especially mind the sand-in-the-bathing-suit/sunscreen-in-your-eye sensations of July and August; the moment Memorial Day weekend rolls into sight, it’s…

How to Start Working Out in the Mornings

Stephanie Lee — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 20:30:00 GMT

The last time you pried yourself out of bed at 6 a.m. for that morning workout felt great: you heard birds chirping; coffee tasted especially amazing; you had the energy to run laps around your family and coworkers.

What to Worry About This Week: Coconut Oil, Fries, and Everything Else You're Eating

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 22:00:00 GMT

How drastically have new advances in science changed what we know about nutrition? This week, just a little. We’re looking at three studies on potatoes, coconut oil, and vegetarian diets.

Find Fast Food That Fits Your Diet With This Guide

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Even when you plan to eat healthy, it’s easy to end up at a fast food place because it’s the only thing around and you’re hungry, dammit. But does McDonald’s have anything for a vegetarian to eat? Is there anything low carb at Starbucks? This cheat sheet can help.

Headspace's Paid Version Just Got a Lot Nicer

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever been a paying customer of meditation app Headspace, you know the tyranny of the “packs”. A pack is a course of meditations, each building on the next. But if you were working through the Anxiety pack, and wanted to check out Creativity one, you’d lose all your progress. Until today.

I Went on a Quest for Legit Health Tips at Gwyneth’s Goop Summit

Beth Skwarecki — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:30:00 GMT

Gwyneth Paltrow used to be best known as an actress, but in the last decade she’s built an even bigger reputation as a health guru. Her newsletter venture, Goop, peddles an enviable lifestyle—travel, fashion, anything that looks gorgeous in photographs—but with a central message of living a clean, healthy life.

Why '90s TV Is the Best Companion For Your At-Home Bodyweight Workout

Nicole Dieker on Lifehacker, shared by Melissa Kirsch to Vitals — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:59:00 GMT

I love bodyweight workouts. They’re efficient, effective, and cheap—no gym membership required. All I need is a few feet of floor space, and I’m ready to alternate sets of squats and lunges.

What to Worry About This Week: White Bread, Baby Sleep, and Zika

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 9 Jun 2017 21:30:00 GMT

In this week’s roundup of health news, we’ll look at whether you need to do anything differently about your choice of bread, the place your baby sleeps, and your attitude toward mosquitoes on your vacation.

Turn Goop’s Three-Day “Detox” Into a Realistic (and Tasty) Meal Plan

Beth Skwarecki — Fri, 9 Jun 2017 13:45:00 GMT

I try to eat healthy. I really do. But if I haven’t planned ahead and don’t have a healthy meal in the fridge, I could end up eating anything. I won’t go into detail except to say that one time I had cookies for dinner right before rushing off to teach a nutrition class. I’m not proud.

Why Stairs Make You Short of Breath, Even If You're Fit

Stephanie Lee — Thu, 8 Jun 2017 20:00:00 GMT

You consider yourself a pretty fit person. You work out regularly at the gym. You can run for miles and lunge your way to the grocery store and back. But a couple of flights of stairs? Holy crap. Here’s why stairs are your nemesis, even if you’re in shape.

This Barbell Workout Will Kick Your Ass in 20 Minutes or Less

Stephanie Lee — Thu, 8 Jun 2017 13:30:00 GMT

Some days I just don’t want to work out for an hour at the gym. And you know what? Sometimes workouts don’t even need to be that long. Whenever I want to be in and out of the gym but still build strength and endurance, my go-to is this challenging, make-you-gasp-for-air workout called a barbell complex.