You wouldn’t walk up to a co-worker’s cubicle and challenge him to do 25 sit-ups on a typical workday, but you might challenge him online if your company was using one of the new social media platforms designed to encourage employees to stay (or get) in shape. Or you might find that challenge in your own inbox, or an offer to go for a bike ride after work. A growing number of companies are banking on social media to boost the participation rates in their employee wellness programs....

Here’s how to prep and cook roasted veggies like a pro: CUT vegetables so they cook in the same time. Chop long-cooking carrots in small pieces, and quicker-cooking squash into larger chunks. TOSS cut-up vegetables in a large bowl along with oil and salt in order to distribute quickly and evenly over all the surfaces. SPREAD vegetables in a single layer. Piling them up makes them steam, not roast. If they’re too crowded, divide them between two pans....

Previous research has found that approximately 95% of people don’t scrub up sufficiently post bathroom break, meaning these supercharged dryers, with their powerful air streams, are spraying bacteria and viruses (like E. coli and norovirus) all over surrounding surfaces and even nearby people. (So if you’re waiting in line to use one, keep your distance.) Drying after washing reduces your risk of transmitting microbes, so skipping it isn’t an option, says study co-author Mark Wilcox, a medical microbiology professor at the University of Leeds in the UK....

Excited to make the most of your walk? Try out these tips and join our free virtual 5K on Saturday, October 1, 2022—the walking is virtual, but the community is real! Register here, and email virtualwalk@hearst.com with any questions. But say you want to maximize the benefits that walking has to offer; perhaps roaming around the neighborhood has been fun, but you’re itching for some ways to mix it up and challenge yourself....

Run for your life. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that women who jog live 5 years and 7 months longer than those who don’t. And you don’t need to do marathons: New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that people who jog 2 to 3 times a week—for a total of 1 to 2.4 hours over 7 days—live longer than those who don’t jog....

HR accepted the challenge, a 3-month weight loss contest in which the winners (or, more appropriately, the losers) are treated to lunch on the other team’s tab. Everyone weighed in, chose any diets and exercise plans they wanted to work with, and they were off. Downsize the Office Diets at work just make sense. “We spend most of our waking hours with each other,” says accounting’s Tom Pogash, who started the competition....

If you’ve been reading about the latest diet trends, then you’ve definitely heard about Whole30. When you have to say sayonara to pasta, alcohol, dessert, and dairy for a month, it can reveal things about your diet you probably want to change. From uncovering food sensitivities to combating sugar addiction, the Whole30 diet can transform the way you eat—so it’s no surprise people are looking to the Paleo-inspired diet to help them lose weight....

We’ve all done it. Someone calls out your name as you’re running errands and the moment you turn to reply, your mind goes completely blank. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. You couldn’t remember her name if your life depended on it, so you simply reply with a generic (and embarrassing), “Hey…you!” Here’s how to never let it happen again. Don’t stress.When you’re introduced to someone new, avoid thinking, “I’m terrible with names, I’m never going to remember this,” says memory trainer Jon Keith....

Researchers asked 51 people to complete two exercises that measured their ability to identify and craft lies in social situations. The results? Being a good liar gave people about a 20 percent boost in being able to detect the lies of others, says study author Geoffrey Bird, PhD, a psychologist at the University of London. In other words, it really does seem to take one to know one when it comes to fibbers....

“I didn’t want to scoop the litter box every day or clean it every week, and I certainly didn’t want to be working next to it,” says Elliott. “Ages ago, my sister gave me a book on how to toilet train your cat; I laughed and tossed it on the bookshelf. But when I started working from home, I remembered the book, found it, and began toilet training Sheba.” Toilet train a cat?...

Cold sores spread through direct contact with someone who has them. Maybe you kissed someone who had an active cold sore, or you could have gotten the virus merely by touching the hand of someone who touched her own cold sore a few minutes before. The first cold sore that you experience is probably the worst. Afterward, the virus lurks in your system forever, lying dormant among the nerve ganglia beneath your skin’s surface, waiting to be reactivated, says Lenore S....

After analyzing all the data that exists on food waste, the NRDC found that Americans waste 20 pounds of food a month per person—that’s 40% of the food produced each year. When it comes to seafood, we eat just half, and the rest goes to waste. And 52% of fruits and veggies grown on farms wind up in landfills. What’s driving all this food waste? Every hand that touches food—from farmer to shopper—is partly responsible....

Vegetables aren’t the only category to experience a bump in bitter options. Perhaps what started the whole bitter trend, McLagan says, were cocktails like the negroni—a tart-tasting drink made of gin, vermouth, Campari, and orange peel that has now replaced sangria in popularity. The rise of New Nordic cooking, which includes lichens and birch tree ash, has played a role as well. “People are coming to realize that bitter is the most sophisticated flavor and that it adds balance, dimension, and complexity to dishes,” McLagan says....

The reason is pretty simple: Unlike the birth control pill, IUDs are a set-it-an-forget-it method, and they’re one of the most effective birth control methods you can use. Back up. What’s an IUD? An IUD is a small device that’s inserted into the uterus and is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy long-term—anywhere from 3 years to 12 years, depending on the brand and the type. An IUD doesn’t prevent pregnancy permanently, and can be removed any time....

A few months earlier, I had strained my back lifting my youngest son. During the routine examination, my doctor discovered a nodule on my left lung. He ordered a CT scan to check it out but assured me I had nothing to worry about, because I was healthy and even though I’d smoked casually as a young adult, I had virtually no risk factors. I was shocked by the news, and of course I wanted to treat the cancer aggressively; I wanted my life back....

Even though Joseph had never struggled with weight, when she hit her late 40s, every extra calorie seemed to migrate straight to her belly. No matter what Joseph tried, she couldn’t change her abs—and it wasn’t just about vanity, either. “My mother died from diabetes when she was only 55, and before that, she lost a leg from the complications,” says Joseph. Knowing that extra belly fat increased the risk of diabetes, Joseph was determined to turn her health around....

Extract the seed. Carefully remove the avocado seed without cutting or breaking it. Wash the seed to remove any slippery residue, and dry it thoroughly. Pierce the seed. Holding the avocado seed upright, wedge three toothpicks around the circumference of the seed at a slightly downward angle. (Not sure which part of your avocado seed is which? The top is the slightly pointy end, or the part of the pit that faced the stem when the pit was inside the avocado....

But because of past disappointments and hurts, we’re more realistic about what it takes to make love work. This time around, we wanted to do more than exchange the lofty, traditional “love, honor, and cherish” vows. We wanted to think through the behaviors that make love a day-by-day reality and create down-to-earth vows to shape and hold our marriage together. A vow is a statement of intention that’s a blueprint for action....

Is Cervical Cancer Screening Effective? [NPR] If you’re between the ages of 21 and 65, you probably know the routine: Get a Pap test every three years to keep an eye on abnormalities that may signal cervical cancer. But those screening guidelines are being mishandled by doctors across the country, finds a new federal report. Too many women who aren’t advised to get Pap tests (such as those over the age of 65, or who’ve had hysterectomies) are still getting them, while others who might benefit from the screenings are not....