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Does your back hurt when you wake up in the morning? If so, you may be sleeping in the wrong position. The best position for pain relief is to sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees, or if you can stand it, lie on your back with a pillow under your knees. Both methods will significantly decrease the pressure and weight on your lower back.

Sleep on a firm mattress that provides good support and avoid sleeping on your stomach, which places your back in an unnatural posture. If you do have to sleep on your stomach, avoid using a pillow for your head and place it under your abdomen instead.

Lower back pain from sleeping incorrectly is a common experience, but it doesn’t have to be.

If you think eating a muffin and strawberries makes for a “well-balanced” breakfast, you’re wrong. Most breakfast foods like cereal, fruit, and bread provide nothing but carbohydrates. If you’re looking to build muscle, you’ll need to add protein and even a little bit of fat into your first meal of the day.

High-quality proteins from fish, meat, eggs and dairy are essential in building muscle, and the fat from them also helps to slow the absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream. So instead of a quick sugar rush of energy from eating carbohydrates alone, you’ll have a steady supply of energy all day long.

Proteins and fats also keep you full longer, curbing your urge to binge eat, and shrinking your midsection in the process. A study between Saint Louis University and Wayne State University has shown that eating eggs as part of your breakfast will result in fewer calories consumed throughout your day.

Yoga is a gentle exercise that can help align the body, ease the mind, and restore a sense of balance and wholeness to your life. Best of all, unlike other forms of exercise like weight-lifting or working out on a Stairmaster, yoga equipment is relatively simple and inexpensive.

You don’t need special shoes as most people perform yoga barefoot. For clothing, a pair of shorts and a slightly fitted shirt will take care of the apparel you need.

One essential piece of yoga equipment you’ll need is a yoga sticky mat. A yoga sticky mat gives your hands and feet some traction and allows you to assume the different postures without fear of slipping and sliding. Yoga mats are available online starting at about $20.

As you work out, the mat will probably get soiled with sweat. You can clean most mats with a mixture of water and vinegar. Vinegar is a great low-cost natural cleaning ingredient that kills mold and bacteria.

Another piece of yoga equipment I recommend is the yoga ball. Yoga balls vary in size from about 55 to 75 centimeters. These balls are used to give you extra support as you assume certain postures such as the backbend. They can also be used as chairs–used in this way, they enhance balance. The balls usually cost anywhere in the range of $20-$30.

Optional Yoga Equipment

Depending on which postures you will be practicing, you may also want to consider getting yoga blankets, blocks, and straps for further support for your head, neck, arms, and back.

I highly suggest a book or DVD for for beginners. Even if you’re taking a yoga glass, it’ll be nice to have a reference at home for various postures.

Yoga provides many benefits for very little financial investment. With a relatively minor expenditure, you can quickly be on your way to a healthier you.

I absolutely love pizza, and luckily enough, it’s one of the few fast foods that can be healthy if done right. A recent Harvard study found that eating foods with a tomato-based sauce once a day, can reduce the chances of heart disease by one-third.

So here’s a few tips on how to make any pizza healthier:

Cut the Cheese
Sure cheese makes a pizza taste good, but reducing it by half the amount can cut saturated fat by a third.

Veggies for Toppings
High in nutrients and vitamins, they’re a great alternative to toppings like sausage and pepperoni.

Blot the Oil
Patting your pizza with a clean napkin to soak up excess oil can cut fat by up to 50 percent.

Meat Choices
If you must have meat, choose chicken breast or “Canadian bacon” which is the leanest cut of bacon.

You’ve been working out hard and doing everything right — cardio, strength training and dieting — but suddenly all progress has come to an halt. Why aren’t you losing any more weight? The answer is simple. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the energy required to keep your heart pumping and other vital functions going when your body is at rest has decreased.

BMR decreases as your body mass decreases from losing body fat. For example, you weigh 125 pounds and eat 1,800 calories a day. To lose about a pound a week, you would need to cut about 500 calories from your diet a day. So you begin to eat about 1,300 calories a day and the weight is coming off nicely. Two months go by, and suddenly your weight refuses to budge and you’re not seeing a huge physical difference in the mirror. This happened because along with your fat loss, your BMR has declined. Where your body used to burn 1280 calories a day, now it’s only burning 1,100 calories a day.

At this lower weight, there’s less of you to move around, so you burn fewer calories doing the same workout. Your calorie expenditure is close to or slightly less than what you’re taking in, and thus you’ve hit a weight loss plateau.

Although you feel stuck, you’re probably still losing fat and weight, just not enough to show on the scale. Instead of losing a pound per week, now it’s probably closer to a third of a pound.

Watch the Calories and Increase Activity
To beat the weight loss plateau you’ll need to closely watch what you eat. Look for places that calories tend to hide such as dressings, sauces, and condiments. If cutting out any more food isn’t an option, you’ll need to up your workout activity. Remember that for each pound you want to lose, you’ll need to cut at least 3,500 a week, Adding an extra 10-15 minutes to your daily treadmill run should do the trick.

Add More Resistance
Another way to boost your BMR is to increase your resistance training. Increasing your muscle mass as you lose body fat can compensate for the decline in BMR induced by weight loss. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR.

Keep up the healthy eating and physical activity and you’ll have the body you’re looking for in no time!

I absolutely love garlic. Whether it’s garlic fries, garlic toast, or garlic in my hamburger… I’ll gobble it up! While it tastes great and has many health benefits, there’s one serious drawback — it’s hard to prevent the dreaded garlic breath.

Some people, like myself, can carry this unwanted smell for days. Garlic literally reeks from every pore in my body.

One of the reasons that garlic breath is so strong is that garlic is full of sulphorous compounds. These compounds “feed” the bacteria in your mouth and bad breath (halitosis) is caused as a result.

Although there aren’t any ways to prevent garlic breath, except from barring yourself from eating garlic, there are ways to minimize the smell.

• Good oral hygiene
• Fresh chopped parsley with your meal helps reduce garlic breath.
• Some people also claim that chewing cardamon seeds has a similar effect to parsley and can work as a garlic breath remedy.
• Garlic smell on your hands? Simply rub your hands with a stainless steel spoon or other stainless steel utensil.
• Don’t have stainless steel utensils on hand? A little salt or baking soda rubbed on the hands should do the trick.

The best solution is probably just to surround yourself with other garlic lovers, because no solution can stop the garlic that works it’s way through your skin and emerges from your pores!

I thought it would be a good idea to start exploring different cultures and different types of food. I’m pretty excited since I love food and I would love to hear all of your favorite recipes.

I have come across a recipe that is Shanghai inspired. As most of you know, Shanghai sits on both a seacoast and a river so you can literally find fish and seafood all over the place. With Shanghai cuisine, you will experience the tastes to be somewhat tartful and salty, but with a twist of sweetness.

In Shanghai restaurants, the soy marinated fish is typically served cold, which brings out the most flavor. Traditionally, the fish is smoked, but as time has passed, modern cooks now skip this step. However, the Shanghainese still call this “Smoked Fish.”
For those of you interested, you can try the recipe below. I don’t expect all the men to try making this but maybe if you are extra nice and sweet to your girlfriends and wives, maybe they’ll make it for ya! Let me know how it goes. Sounds yummy doesn’t it? I haven’t personally tried it yet. Let me know if you gals or guys beat me to it.

FISH - 6 Appetizer Servings

• 1 1/2 pounds fillets (3/4 inch thick hake or pollack fillets, cut into 2×3 or 2×4 inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry Sherry, divided
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For Fish: Rinse fish and pat dry. MIx green onions, ginger, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon oil, and soy sauce in 11×7×2 inch glass baking dish. Add fish and turn to coat. Let it marinate for 1 hour at room temperature (do not refrigerate).

SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing Wwine (Chinese rice wine) or dry Sherry
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 whole star anise
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Bring first 6 ingredients to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup (about 4 minutes) Remove star anise sauce from heat and cool.

Now after the fish has been marinating for an hour, remove fish from marinade and place on several layers of paper towels to drain, be sure to reserve marinade. Pat fish dry.

Heat flat bottomed wok over high heat until drop of water added to wok evaporates on contact. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok, then fish pieces, spreading evenly.

Cover and cook 30 seconds. Uncover and loosen fish with metal spatula.

Reduce heat to medium and cook 1 minute. Turn fish pieces over, 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons rice wine and reserved marinade from fish. Cover and cook 1 minute .

Remove wok from heat and let fish stand covered until opaque in the center. Drizzle with star anise sauce. You can choose to chill it or eat it warm.

Enjoy!

I have been to the dermatologist several times throughout my life and if it’s one thing the doc repeats, it is sunscreen.

Here are a few tips to prevent skin cancer:

• WEAR SUNSCREEN! (at least SPF 30)
• Keep in mind that UV rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. So, if you are going to be out in the sun, try to stay in the shade. I usually don’t have to worry about that because I am usually at the mall around that time.
• Put those stunna shades on! Find a pair that blocks most UV rays because not all of them do. Bigger, wider lenses will protect the skin around your eyes as well as your eyes itself. If you do not wear sunglasses, UV exposure can contribute to vision loss as you get older. All along, I thought celebrities were starting a trend. They really do care about their well being! Now I have a great excuse when I buy another pair of big sunglasses!
• Work it out! Researchers have found when you exercise and stay healthy, it strengthens your immune system and helps the body defend itself from cancer cells.

Facts

• It takes about five sunburns to double your chances of skin cancer. One blistering burn during childhood doubles melanoma risk.
• 33% of skin cancers occur on the nose ( You better put extra sunscreen on! )
• 63% of Melanoma deaths could have been prevented if every one did a monthly self exam
• 75% chance of developing melanoma if you used a tanning bed in your 20’s

So now that we are aware, let’s start taking precautions by protecting our skin and well being!

With Mother’s Day coming up, Sunday, May 13th, I have thought of a fantastic gift to give your moms!

Some moms love flowers, and some just think flowers are a waste of money and will die shortly after.

Well, why don’t you get her an edible arrangement? That beautiful arrangement of edible flowers that are made of fruit. It’s unique, delicious and nutritious. Whoever came up with the idea is genius!

I want one…but darnit, I’m not a mother. Anyone want to send me one? I’ll act surprised, promise!

In a perfect world, people would eat healthy, nutritious foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, living in America — junk food capital of the world — it’s a bit difficult when you see a McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, or Jack in a Box at every other corner. Fast food places make it really hard for people to meet their nutritional needs.

I have come to a late realization that health is very important. I started this routine of going to the gym and working out three to four times a week. In addition, I am finding out a key component in losing weight and staying healthy is by having a well balanced diet.

Even though I try my best to eat a well balanced diet, I feel I am still lacking the essential vitamins to keep me healthy. It’s just near impossible to stuff five apples, three cups of brocolli, and two oranges everyday into my tiny little tummy.

Instead, I found a women’s multivitamin that I will be starting to take this coming week once it arrives in the mail. The formula contains a ton of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals such as Calcium for bone health, and Iron that women tend to lack, due to menstruation and inadequate consumption of iron-rich foods.

Be prepared for the size of the pill though… it truly is a Ultra Mega. I don’t know how I will be able to swallow it! Any tips?