Select the vegetables first. Look for firm colorful veggies (bright hues are a sign of high phytochemical content). Bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, bok choy, broccoli, and cauliflower are all excellent choices (frozen works, too). Choose at least two different vegetables and trim them into 1-inch pieces so they cook quickly and evenly. Then pick a protein—just 3 ounces per person is all that’s needed. Excellent vegetarian options include tofu or legumes (about ½ cup per person) and toasted nuts (about 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons per person)....

If you’re struggling in the fitness department, the reason may be personal: You’re picking the wrong kind of exercise for your personality. Your birth month—and, thus, your astrological sign—may be a good way to help you find the right fit. We checked in with astrologer and ayurvedic yoga instructor Lexie Neonakis and astrologer John Marchesella to get a feel for your personality, and Greg Justice, an exercise physiologist at AYC Fitness in Kansas City, helped tailor workouts to your type....

All you need is a dumbbell—and perfect form. Doing this movement correctly will help you see results faster, and also increase mobility in your hips and ankles—two joints that tend to get stiff and tight from too much sitting. 

Grab a pair of hand weights, turn on your favorite booty-shakin’ song (no rhythm required), and get to it. Trust us, you’ll feel it the next day—in a good way, of course. ​ ​ MORE:5 Moves That Seriously Lift Your Butt

The researchers are calling the virus “crAssphage.” Once they figured out where to find it, crAssphage turned up so often that the study authors say more than half of all people are likely walking around with it in their bellies. The fact that the virus is so common means it’s likely very old—maybe even as old as the human race, the authors suggest. MORE: Training For A Tri Commonly Leads To Pelvic Floor Disorders “Our intestines are full of bacteria, and we need them to help digest food and adsorb nutrients,” explains study coauthor Robert Edwards, PhD....

I’ve heard about UFOs, vortexes, and enjoyable family vacations. None are things I’ve experienced personally. But I live in hope. I booked a trip to Sedona because I was getting sick of our fibrillating Manhattan lives, each of us living separately, disconnected, and I thought we needed a little peace, togetherness, and beauty. My frustrated tears came from wanting to please everyone and pleasing no one. But maybe there was another reason....

New research may explain why: Teens who voluntarily restricted their caloric intake had more activation in the reward centers of their brains after drinking a chocolate milkshake (and even looking at photos of tasty food), when compared to people who were less restrictive, according to a study published in NeuroImage. What’s more, the longer they had gone since their last meal, the more the reward center was activated. “The longer you restrict your calories, the more you struggle with temptation,” says Eric Stice, PhD, researcher at Oregon Research Institute, and author of the study....

The studio is now called Bold & Naked Yoga and will offer a full schedule of no-clothes classes in 2014, including men’s, women’s, and co-ed. And lest you imagine an in-person, more to-the-point version of Tinder, the duo says that doing sun salutations in the buff next to other sweaty naked strangers has tons of benefits, none of which are hooking up—like building your confidence, boosting your sex life…and leaving more dough in your bank account for body scrubs....

Research out of the UK found that retirement can have a detrimental impact on physical and mental health in both men and women; specifically, increasing your chances of being diagnosed with a disease by 40%. The lesson here: “Work, especially paid work, gives many people a sense of purpose. Losing that may lead to declines in health,” says Gabriel H. Sahlgren, the study’s lead author and director of research at the Centre for Market Reform of Education....

Researchers examined the personalities of 2,529 people from the time of their birth, surveying them at ages 16, 26, and roughly 64. They found that people who were more extroverted in their early adulthood—meaning they were socially involved, physically active, and generally engaged with life—were much more likely to be satisfied with life past their 60s than the more reserved, less engaged young adults. Although there may be some genetic and neurobiological factors at play, the connection between personality traits and emotional susceptibility is likely attitude, explains Catharine Gale, PhD, from the University of Southampton in the UK....

My top four to steer clear of include gluten-free foods made with cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato flour. These are the four ingredients most commonly used in gluten-free processed foods. They are awful for health and will completely shut down any hope of weight loss, often resulting in outright, sometimes outrageous, weight gain and inflammation. Managing carbohydrates to improve control over metabolism and health means 100 percent avoidance of these terrible products marketed to an unsuspecting public thinking it’s eating healthy by avoiding gluten....

Using employment and health data on more than 7,000 people, the study team found the more a person worried about being canned, the more likely she was to develop asthma. In fact, people who believed the odds were better they’d lose their job than keep it during the coming two years were 61% more likely to develop asthma. MORE: 10 Silent Signals You’re Way Too Stressed The researchers point to inflammation caused by stress as the likeliest culprit....

“Everyone can meditate,” says Sarah McLean, a meditation teacher in Sedona, Arizona, and author of Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks With Meditation. “Any activity can become a meditative experience if you’re really present in the moment and engage your senses.” How? Simply slowing down and being mindful of what’s happening right now—rather than, say, thinking about what you ate for lunch yesterday or whether you remembered to put your clothes in the dryer—can calm your nervous system, says McLean....

MORE: 7 Ways To Fall Back Asleep In 10 Minutes Or Less

In the study, people who consumed daily lutein supplements over the course of a year improved their sharpness of vision, contrast sensitivity, and sensitivity to glare—all markers that can result in better nighttime driving. Lutein is found in healthy eye tissue in your retina and is responsible for how sharply you can see. But if your lutein is low—potential culprits include a poor diet, smoking, and exposure to UV light—your vision starts to go, especially in dimly lit or glary situations....

What happened? I got older and discovered that my nutritional needs had changed (along with a few other things). And I’m wiser too, thanks to research that says that even the healthiest foods packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals might not be enough to deal with our busy schedules, personal health conditions, or the brand-new engagement ring we want to show off. So now, as I evaluate women’s diets, I find myself discussing their lifestyles and talking about the vitamins and minerals that come in the little brown bottles as well as the ones in food....

MORE: Quick and Clean Lunches You Can Make for $5 Some #SadDeskLunches are so sad that the only thing you can do is laugh about them. That’s the idea behind this CollegeHumor video: If you’re a #SadDeskLunch eater yourself, you’ll definitely relate to this setup, which imagines Your Desk as a trendy new eatery with menu items like “limp salad while staring vacantly at a HuffPo article.” So, so real....

MORE: 6 Myths About Shingles You Still Believe With the advent of the chickenpox vaccine for children, shingles will probably one day be just a footnote in medical history books. That offers little comfort to today’s sufferers, many of whom are older adults. One in four people who have had chickenpox develop shingles. As if the rash, blisters, and pain of a shingles outbreak weren’t enough, in some people shingles pain may persist long after the rash disappears....