Did you know that a medium-sized popcorn and medium soda at the nation’s largest movie chain have the same nutritional value of three Quarter Pounders topped with 12 pats of butter?! I didn’t!

According to a report released today by the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest popcorn has not gotten any better in the last was 15 years, actually the study found little had changed in a decade and a half, despite theaters’ attempts to reformulate.

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You’re doing everything you can think of, but you’re not losing those last 5 pounds!

Shape has created a lost of things you may be doing to sabotage your slim-down efforts.

1. You’re Loading Up on Whole Grains

It’s great that you have switched to whole grains, but many of them can be high in sugar. Instead “aim to increase your intake of brown and wild rice, bulgur, oatmeal, spelt, and quinoa, plus whole-grain breads and cereals. “Not only do most of these foods contain fiber, which helps curb your appetite.”

2. You Allow Yourself a “Cheat” Day…or Two

You all know that you can’t limit yourself entirely, but eating whatever you like all weekend long can just add back on the pounds you lost during the week. Aim for 150- to 200-calorie treat a few times a week, rather than waiting until Friday night happy hour to splurge.

3. You Make Your Own Meals

Of course it’s healthier to eat at home than at a restaurant unless you pick at everything as you prepare the meal and then again as you clear the table. Aim to eat while seated only.

4. You Squeeze in Workouts

Working out is key to losing weight, but so is being well rested. Aim to sleep enough so that you can push yourself when working out and so that you don’t injure yourself due to compromising your form.

5. You Eat Slowly, Savoring Every Bite

The longer you sit and enjoy your friends company the more you’ll probably eat. Aim to have a dining strategy in place so you don’t have to think about calories at the table- decide before if you’re having wine or bread.

6. You Enlisted a Friend to Help

Dieting with a friend is great as long as you both are good influences on one another. Try this alone if you can’t find someone who is as serious about this slim-down as you are.

According to Spanish research large amounts of alcohol everyday could help decrease chances of heart disease.
Men, in particular, benefited from this.

Beware, alcohol can also increase the risks of other diseases, like having a stroke.

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Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1 pandemic.

These gangs are creating fake pharmaceutical websites and then selling fake flu drugs over the internet.

Read more Here.

I was first introduced to the foam roller in my pilates class and since then we have had a love-hate relationship.
I love how my muscles feel after rolling them along the foam, but the process kills!

Here are some tips from Shape.com to using the foam roller and reaping the benefits. Remember when it really hurts is probably when you need it the most.

Stretching Exercises
The foam roller is an effective tool for anyone that experiences tightness in the quads, hamstrings, or calves. “A client can complain of knee aches and in just 3 minutes of rolling out the IT band, they report greatly diminished pain,” says Jackie Warner, fitness trainer and star of Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training.
If you’re using the roller to release tightness in the legs, position your body over the roller and lower yourself down. Aim to hold each foam roller exercise for about 20-30 seconds. Rolling these muscles can be painful, but you’ll feel much better after. “Avoid direct contact on the joints and focus more on the deep muscle and connective tissue right above or below the joints,” adds Warner. This technique shouldn’t be used to treat injuries. You might cause more damage when muscles and surrounding ligaments or tissues are inflamed.

Correcting Posture
Stand taller by using the roller to correct postural imbalance. Try lying on the roller with your body in a bridge and slowly roll up and down your vertebrae. This foam roller exercise will help release tension in the muscles surrounding your spine. Many people also roll their upper backs in lieu of going to see a massage therapist.

Strength Training
You can focus on your balance and core muscles with the roller too, but it’s a bit more advanced. “Some instructors use them as a balance strengthener by doing squats and kicks while standing or kneeling on rollers, but do so with a professional instructor that can help you get the most out of it,” adds Warner. Looking for a more basic move? Try focusing on your triceps with this foam roller exercise.

There are some nights where I go to bed early only to wake up just as sleepy! According to this article from Women’s Health the problem is that even though we’re getting the 8 hours of required sleep, we’re not actually getting the deep sleep that is needed!

Here are some tips to sleeping well so that you’re waking up with more energy!

1- Skip the Nightcap

“Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but once your body begins to remove it from your system, it acts as a stimulant,” says Donna Arand, Ph.D., clinical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio. “Four or five hours after your last drink, you’ll wake up, and it will be hard to fall back to sleep.” So instead of reaching for a glass of pinot noir, start a nighttime ritual that actually promotes sleep: Take a warm shower (when you step out, your body begins to cool off, a process it goes through before sleep) or sip a cup of decaf chamomile tea.

2- Breathe Easier

If you’re one of the 12 million Americans with sleep apnea, you’re about 80 percent more likely to feel sluggish during the day, no matter how many hours you sleep, Ojile says. The condition occurs when the soft tissue at the back of your throat blocks your airway during sleep, stopping your breathing and waking you up as many as hundreds of times a night. “Imagine how exhausted you’d feel if someone were constantly poking you awake,” Ojile says. “Apnea deprives your brain of oxygen, increases your heart rate, and saps your energy levels.”

3- Reschedule Your Sweat Sessions

Exercise will help improve the quality of your sleep—if you time it right. Working out late in the day can actually leave you staring at the ceiling in bed, since it can take three to four hours for your body to cool itself afterward. “When your core body temperature is too high and your heart rate is too fast, it can keep you awake,” Ojile says. It’s better to exercise at least four hours before bedtime. Better yet, hit the gym in the morning or at lunch—you’ll feel the energy-boosting effects for hours.

From Oprah.com

Ancient Greek physicians prescribed garlic. Egyptian herbalists favored licorice. For Oprah, the cold-fighting concoction of choice is the juice of freshly crushed cranberries.

Cranberries are rich in health-boosting antioxidants, including vitamin C and flavonoids (which can act as anti-inflammatories). And fresh cranberry juice offers all its nutrient content with none of the high-fructose corn syrup and other additives found in many store-bought brands.

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Jillian Michaels, the hardcore personal trainer from NBC’s Biggest Loser teaches TIME what to eat at the office while on a diet

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Follow these 6 rules from Shape.com to make smarter choices when you indulge in candy, cookies, ice cream and fast food.

1. Control cravings
Complete deprivation is not the solution. A denied craving can quickly spiral out of control, leading to bingeing or overeating. If you’re craving fries or chips, for example, eat a small serving of fries, or buy the mini 150-calorie bag of chips and be done with it. Also to consider: a healthier alternative like chips made from blue corn.

2. Indulge sensibly
Splurging on occasion is acceptable — just don’t get carried away!

3. Avoid stocking treats in your cabinets or fridge
Buy something only when the craving hits and enjoy a small quantity. Then share or trash the rest.

4. Mix it up
Try eating something healthier thing along with the less-nutritious food, like a piece of fruit with your cheesecake. By eating the fruit first, you’ll dull your appetite and be less likely to wolf down a second slice of the cheesecake.

5. Count calories
Compare the amount of fat and calories found in healthy, filling snacks vs. less-healthful foods. For instance, a medium apple contains just 81 calories and no fat.

6. Focus on fat
Take extra care to read labels. After reviewing several types of packaged food, like cookies, snack cakes, and chips, researchers at the University of Minnesota found that less expensive items tend to have more trans fats than those that cost a little more. These processed fats, which have been shown to raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol level, may show up on ingredient lists as partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil and shortening.

What you eat, everything from your meals to snacks, can have a huge effect on how your day goes. Here are some tips from Men’s Health Magazine to eat and sip your way to a successful day!

Breakfast
Eat This: Bacon or ham and fried eggs (Protein that will leave you feeling satisfied)
Benefit 1: Fullness and energy
Benefit 2: Relaxed blood vessel (i.e. lower blood pressure)

Not That: Pancakes, or a bagel with cream cheese
These carbohydrate-loaded options will send your blood glucose skyward and then crash! Leaving you hungry too soon.

Extra tip: Eat now at home, not later on the road.
A University of Massachusetts study found that eating breakfast out instead of at home more than doubles your odds of obesity.

Dealing with Stress:
Try This: Chewing gum
Benefit: Stress relief
Not That: Coffee
Caffeine can trigger a spike in the stress hormone cortisol.

Having Trouble Concentrating at Work
Drink This: Peppermint tea
Periodic whiffs of peppermint increase people’s concentration and performance on tasks requiring sustained attention.
Not That: Soda
Sugary drinks have proven to make people drowsy

Lunchtime
Eat This: Grilled salmon
Benefit: Alertness
Add This: Spinach or arugula salad
Benefit: Improved mood and memory
Not That: Tea with milk (Mixing milk (protein) with tea cancels out the health benefits)

Continue to complete your perfect day of eating menu.