The June 2009 issue of Prevention has been published! This issue features advice on sleeping better, quiz on being naturally healthy, flatter belly, 5 nutrients every women needs, strength training, brain strengthening, and sunscreens.
We’re Sleeping Better Than Ever!
Three exhausted women fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly with the help of a top expert. Learn how you can get more Zzz’s too.
A good night’s sleep is as easy as slipping under the covers and closing your eyes–right? If only. More than half of American women say they sleep well only a few nights a week, reports a National Sleep Foundation survey. “Sleep issues are common for women over 40–and usually very solvable,” says sleep specialist Rubin Naiman, PhD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine. “With simple lifestyle changes, you can improve the quality of sleep, as well as mood and overall well-being.” Here’s how he helped three women get the shut-eye they need for optimal health and happiness.
Are You Naturally Healthy?
Alternative remedies are widely popular–and enormously effective, if you know which to use. Take our quiz to find out how savvy you are.
5-Minute Flat Belly Meals!
If you think you’re too busy to lose weight, we have one word for you: MUFA (pronounced “moofah”). Also known as “monounsaturated fatty acids,” these plant-based compounds are the basis of the Flat Belly Diet, which can help you drop pounds and reduce belly fat. The even better news? Delicious foods such as olives, nuts and seeds, avocado, oils, and dark chocolate are some of the best sources of these healthful fats.
Our dietitians have developed a week’s worth of unique Flat Belly Diet-approved meals and snacks that are easy to prepare and ready in 5 minutes or less, so you can slim down without stress. Research shows that eating this way may put you on your way to weight loss success: A study commissioned by Prevention at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center found that overweight women who followed the diet for 28 days lost 8.4 pounds and nearly 2 inches around their waist. Choose four meals a day from this list (organized by MUFA so you can easily find a meal that suits your mood)–and you’ll save time, flatten your belly, and boost your health.
5 Nutrients Even Healthy Women Miss
Did you get enough vitamin E today?
Even if you’re diligent about your diet, you’re likely to fall short on this and four other critical nutrients, according to recent USDA figures on the average amounts most midlife women consume. And with headlines questioning the value of multivitamins, it’s even more important to make up the difference with tasty, readily available foods, says Lisa Hark, PhD, RD, a Philadelphia-based family-nutrition expert.
Simple changes to your diet can provide a powerful defense against disease. “With food, you’re getting not just isolated nutrients, as you might in a supplement, but a full range of them in the form nature intended,” says Hark, coauthor of Nutrition for Life.
Speed Shrink Your Trouble Zones
Strength-training is the quickest way to firm. Our breakthrough routine powers up metabolism and triples results.Say farewell to flab! You can still firm your arms, abs, butt, and thighs in time for summer. Our plan, based on new research from Ithaca College, triples your toning results and scorches over 500 calories per session. Just grab an exercise band and a set of dumbbells, a combo that scientists found provided 3 times the sculpting power of ordinary weight routines. According to study author Gary Sforzo, PhD, your muscles typically work their hardest during only one part of each move, but adding bands keeps the pressure on from start to finish for significantly faster sculpting.
Our total body workout pairs this unique technique with moves to tackle all your trouble spots. To slim down while you firm up, we’ve added cardio bursts to keep your calorie burn high, plus fun summer activities that let you melt fat while enjoying time with friends and family. The end result: You’ll lose inches all over, give your metabolism a major boost, sculpt sexy muscles, and drop up to 2 sizes by the 4th of July–without dieting!
7 Surprising Ways to Boost Your Brain
Around the time we hit 30, our brains begin a slow, steady downward trajectory, or so popular wisdom would have it.
But cognitive decline is by no means an inescapable side effect of aging. In fact, according to a flurry of new reports, you can counteract age-related changes in the brain with a surprisingly simple regimen of activities guaranteed to nurture and fortify your mental musclepower. Here are seven easy ways to keep your brain quick, sharp, and bristling with youthful vigor.
Muscle Up Your Memory
- Exercise
- Brush and Floss
- Drink Sparingly
- Eat Blueberries
- Do Puzzles
- Meditate
Finally! Sunscreens You’ll Love to Wear
One of the easiest ways to stop skin from aging today is to wear sunscreen.
Despite elegant new formulations and innovative packaging that makes sunscreen application a snap, too much skin is still going uncovered. In a 2008 survey by Coppertone, nearly half of respondents admitted they didn’t wear sunscreen at all. Until now, that is. Prepare to excuseproof your sunscreen use!
Whats Your Excuse
- Sunscreen Breaks Me Out
- It’s Messy with Makeup
- I Sweat if Off
- My Skin is Sensitive
- It Makes My Face Shiny
- The Damage is already Done
54% of Americans got sunburned in the last 3 years. Protect your skin by applying sunscreen head to toe 20 minutes before going outdoors.
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