Move of the Week: Straight Arm Plank

We know what you’re thinking: Everyone knows how to do a plank. But the trouble is, not everybody does it correctly! And if you’re not executing this move with perfect form, you’re missing out on its sculpting benefits. Watch Health’s contributing fitness editor Kristin McGee demonstrate how to properly perform the straight arm plank to tone your arms to core.

Here’s how to do it: Come onto your hands and knees, making sure your hands are directly beneath your shoulders. Then extend one leg back at a time to form a straight line from your heels to your head. Hollow out your lower abs and pull your shoulders down from your ears. Hold here and breathe for one to two minutes. Repeat three to four times, dropping back to your knees between sets.

Trainer tip: To tighten up your lower abs, imagine you’re cinching a seat belt around your waist.

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What to Eat (and Avoid) When You’re Trying to Get Pregnant

Are you trying to conceive? Stay primed for pregnancy with these suggestions from Jorge Chavarro, MD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-author of The Fertility Diet ($17, amazon.com).

RELATED: 8 Common Fertility Misconceptions

Eat plenty of…

Whole grains: Oats, bran cereal, whole-wheat bread, and other carbs with a low glycemic index help regulate blood glucose and insulin levels, which is thought to aid fertility.

Vegetable protein: Dr. Chavarro has found that women with a higher intake of protein from soy and other plants (such as beans and nuts) are less likely to have problems with ovulation.

Leafy greens: They’re rich in folate. Dr. Chavarro has discovered that women with the most folate in their diet are the least likely to have cycles in which they don’t ovulate.

Beans: In addition to protein, beans and lentils are chock-full of iron, a nutrient that’s associated with a reduced risk of ovulatory infertility.

RELATED: Are You Really Pregnant? The Truth About Early Pregnancy Tests

Cut back on…

Trans fats: Many fried and packaged foods contain trans fat, which can increase your risk of infertility. (Avoid products with “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients list.)

Soda: A 2012 study revealed that women who drank three or more sodas a day had a 52 percent lower likelihood of getting pregnant than those who drank none.

Alcohol: It’s smart to start cutting back even before you get pregnant: Danish scientists reported that having as few as five drinks a week can affect fertility.

Meat: Adding just one serving a day of meat—including chicken, turkey, or red meat—is linked to a 32 percent increased risk of infertility, per Dr. Chavarro’s research.

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4 Hacks to Make Your Hair Color Last Way Longer

Photo: Getty Images

You look in the mirror and all you can see are those pesky roots. What gives? Instead of jumping back into the salon chair that you were probably just in four to six weeks ago, try these tricks that hair pros swear by. Abbey Heerwagen, colorist at Benjamin with Negin Zand Salon in Los Angeles and Johnathan Breitung, owner of Johnathan Breitung Salon and Spa in Chicago, gave us the scoop on how to make the most of your color.

Try hiding your roots

We have dry shampoo to cover up our laziness when it comes to hair washing, so it only makes sense that a root coverup would come to our rescue when there’s no time for a proper dye job. Breitung recommends Color WOW’s Root Cover Up ($35; amazon.com), which comes in seven colors, from platinum to black. It’s formulated to naturally adhere to hair without being sticky or oily, essentially blending right into natural hair, Breitung explains. And as an added bonus, it doubles as a way to add dimension to one-toned hair with temporary highlights and lowlights. Simply swipe the included dual-ended brush from the roots down the hair shaft to get subtle, short-term color.

RELATED: 11 Ways to Make Your Hair Look 10 Years Younger

Stick to color-specific and color-safe products

Help preserve the life of your color by using products that will enhance your dyed hair. A purple shampoo for bottle blondes will help combat brassiness and keep ashier tones looking light and bright. We like Oribe’s Bright Blonde Shampoo for Beautiful Color ($44; birchbox.com). Brunettes and redheads should try a glaze to give strands a sleek and shiny look. John Frieda’s Color Refreshing Gloss ($12; target.com) comes in a range of versatile hues, making it easy for anyone to preserve their color. Pay attention to labels, warns Heerwagen—products with sulfates that aren’t color-safe can dry out and dull the color of the hair. This also makes hair harder for a colorist to work with; come in with a clean canvas sans product buildup, she recommends. In between washes, when you’re reaching for your dry shampoo, choose one like Shu Uemura’s Dry Cleaner ($39; shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com), which is color-safe and works double-duty to absorb oils at the root and also moisturize dry ends.

Change up your part

If grays are your main concern, try switching up the way you part your hair. Flip your hair over from side to side and take a look to see where the least amount of grays are, then part on that side, suggests Breitung. For an unexpected look that conceals grays, try zigzagging down the center—it’s playful and a quick fix. All you need is a fine-tooth comb like the Kardashian Beauty Back Comb ($7; drugstore.com). Use the pointed end to create the zig zags and pull the hair from one side to the other following a criss cross pattern.

RELATED: 16 Hair Myths You Need to Stop Believing 

Keep hair moisturized

Like moisturized skin, hair that’s hydrated simply looks and feels better. Heat styling and over-washing strip the hair of nutrients, leaving it lackluster, says Heerwagen. Try a shampoo and conditioner duo like Pureology’s Hydrate line ($32; drugstore.com), which locks in moisture as it cleanses for a silky texture and luminous finish. Skip daily washes and opt for a dry shampoo instead. One that’s tinted will help to absorb oil, cover grays, and add volume to thinning hair—a triple threat, says Breitung. He likes Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder ($36; sephora.com).

 

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Decline in Senses Affects Nearly All Seniors, Study Finds

TUESDAY, Feb. 23, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Nearly all older U.S. adults have an age-related decline in at least one of their senses, a new study finds.

Researchers checked more than 3,000 people between the ages of 57 and 85. The investigators found that 94 percent had a problem with at least one of their five senses: taste, smell, hearing, sight or touch.

Almost 40 percent had problems with two senses, and 28 percent had problems with three or more of their senses, the study found.

“We know that sensory impairment is common and is often a harbinger of serious health problems, such as cognitive [mental] decline or falls, as well as more subtle ones like burns, caused by loss of touch sensitivity, food poisoning that goes undetected because of loss of smell and taste, and smoke inhalation, from loss of smell,” said study author Dr. Jayant Pinto.

“Our findings here give us a better appreciation of the prevalence of multi-sensory loss, a first step toward learning more about what causes the senses to decline,” Pinto, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, said in a university news release.

The most common problem was a decrease in the sense of taste. Nearly three-quarters of those in the study had a decline in taste. For about one-quarter of the study volunteers, their sense of taste was rated only fair, and for almost half, it was poor.

Declines in the sense of touch were also common. The researchers found that 38 percent of the study participants had only a fair sense of touch, while 32 percent had a poor sense of touch.

About 64 percent of the study group had a major decline in at least one sense, and 22 percent had major declines in two or more senses, according to the study.

Decreases in numerous senses were strongly associated with age, gender and race, the study authors reported in the February issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

As expected, the oldest people had the most sensory deficits. Men tended to have worse hearing, smell and taste problems, but better vision than women. Blacks scored lower than other races on all senses, except hearing. Hispanics had worse vision, touch and smell, but their sense of taste was better, the study findings indicated.

Possible causes of age-related declines in the senses include nerve degeneration, environmental factors or genetic susceptibility, the researchers suggested.

“We need to understand the biology behind the links between age and sensory loss, and design better ways to prevent its decline,” Pinto said. “People caring for older adults — including family members, caregivers and physicians — should pay close attention to impairments in vision, hearing, and smell.”

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging offers healthy aging advice.

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Parents’ Depression, Anxiety May Contribute to Kids’ Fussy Eating

TUESDAY, Feb. 23, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Preschool children whose parents have depression and/or anxiety may be more likely to be fussy eaters, a new study suggests.

Fussy eating — regularly refusing to eat certain foods — is common among children and is a frequent cause of concern among parents. And it has been linked with constipation, weight problems and behavioral issues in children, the researchers said.

The study authors looked at more than 4,700 mothers and 4,100 fathers in the Netherlands and their children, born between 2002 and 2006. By age 3, about 30 percent of the children were considered fussy eaters, the findings showed.

Children were more likely to be fussy eaters at age 4 if their mothers had anxiety during pregnancy and when the child was 3 years old. Fathers’ anxiety when kids were preschool-aged was linked to a similar effect in their children, the researchers said.

The investigators also found that depression among mothers and fathers during pregnancy and when the child was 3 was associated with an increased risk of the child being a fussy eater at age 4.

The study was published online Feb. 22 in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The findings support previous research. The study also provides important information for doctors, the study authors said.

“Clinicians should be aware that not only severe anxiety and depression, but also milder forms of internalizing problems can affect child eating behavior,” Lisanne de Barse, of Erasmus MC-University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote in a journal news release.

While the study found an association between parental anxiety and depression and their children’s eating habits, it wasn’t designed to prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on picky eaters.

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Steroid May Be Safe, Effective Gout Treatment, Study Finds

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A steroid pill may be as good as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating painful gout, new research suggests.

Researchers who compared the steroid prednisolone with the arthritis medication indomethacin found both drugs offered a similar degree of pain reduction. And while indomethacin (Indocin) appeared to cause more minor side effects, neither treatment prompted serious complications, the researchers said.

Smaller investigations have pointed in the same direction, said study lead author Dr. Timothy Rainer, a professor of emergency medicine at Cardiff University in Wales. But because the new findings are the product of a “larger and better-designed” effort, Rainer said steroid pills may gain standing among gout experts who usually stick with NSAIDs as their first-line treatment.

The bottom line is that there are choices, said Dr. Philip Mease, a rheumatologist with the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

“That is the key message — that there are options,” said Mease, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Sometimes ER docs don’t think about giving a tapering dose of prednisone, but it can be very effective at helping with gout, which can be damn painful.”

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis among men, the study team said, affecting about 3 percent of adults in the United States.

The culprit is a buildup of uric acid. Crystallized uric acid lodges in the joints, often the big toe, and causes extremely painful flare-ups that disrupt mobility, sleep and overall quality of life.

The new study focused on more than 400 mostly male gout patients in Hong Kong, average age 65. About half had high blood pressure, and nearly three-quarters had a recurring history of gout attacks. Almost 10 percent had been taking the prescription drug allopurinol (Zyloprim), a daily uric acid reducer generally taken for life.

At the time treatment was offered, patients were nearing their third day of gout pain. All were randomly assigned to receive either prednisolone or indomethacin. Neither is a new medication so they are somewhat inexpensive.

Those given indomethacin took 150 milligrams (mg) a day for two days, followed by 75 mg a day for three days. Those given prednisolone took 30 mg a day for five days.

Both treatments were found to provide roughly comparable levels of pain relief, with relief kicking in at a similar pace, whether patients were at rest or active.

Minor adverse side effects, such as abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness and lethargy, were “significantly” more common among the NSAID group, the researchers said, but neither drug caused any serious problems.

The study was funded by the government of Hong Kong, and results appear in the Feb. 23 online edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The investigators cautioned, however, that the study excluded patients with a history of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and noted earlier research had linked indomethacin to a higher risk for major complications, including gastrointestinal discomfort. They also said the findings concerning indomethacin may not apply to other NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

Rainer stressed that “each individual patient needs to learn about their own body” with respect to various medications.

“Not everyone reacts to the same drug in the same way,” he said. “If one has previous experience of a poor reaction to steroids or NSAIDs, then [that drug] might not be best for that person.”

More information

There’s more on gout at the Arthritis Foundation.

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Obama Asks Congress for $1.9 Billion to Battle Zika Virus

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — President Barack Obama on Monday asked Congress for $1.9 billion to help stem the spread of the Zika virus.

The mosquito-borne disease has been linked to — but not proven to cause — a severe brain defect in newborns. The birth defect, called microcephaly, results in infants having small heads and often involves brain damage.

It’s believed there have been more than 4,100 suspected or confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, which has been confined so far to Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Since the Zika epidemic first surfaced in Brazil last spring, the virus has spread to 30 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Health Organization now estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year.

Meeting Monday with the nation’s governors, Obama said he hoped to work with them in guarding against an outbreak of the disease in this country. Obama said the $1.9 billion he is requesting would be used for research into new vaccines and better diagnostic tools, more support for Puerto Rico and territories where there are confirmed cases, and funding for mosquito-control programs in southern states such as Florida and Texas at risk of the Zika virus, the Associated Press reported.

Obama also asked for the flexibility to use some of $2.7 million that was approved to fight the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa but was never used. House Republicans have said that would be the best way to fund a fight against Zika, the news service said.

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared before a Congressional panel earlier this month to lobby for Zika funding.

Although first discovered in Uganda in 1947, the Zika virus was not thought to pose serious health risks until last year. In fact, approximately 80 percent of people who become infected never experience symptoms.

But the recent increase in both cases and severe brain birth defects among thousands of newborns in Brazil has prompted health officials to reassess their thinking about Zika and pregnant women.

Last Friday, the CDC advised that healthy newborns of women who traveled in an area affected by the Zika virus within two weeks of delivery, or whose mothers show signs of Zika infection, be checked for infection.

The guidance was based on research indicating — but not proving — that Zika can be passed from mother to child during delivery. The CDC stressed, however, that Zika infection in newborns who contract the virus during delivery is typically mild or without symptoms.

Only two cases of “perinatal” (during delivery) infection of a newborn with the Zika virus have been reported so far, the CDC noted.

“One of these infants was asymptomatic, and the other had thrombocytopenia [a deficiency of blood platelets] and a diffuse rash,” said a team led by Katherine Fleming-Dutra, of the agency’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infections.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, people considered at risk for Zika infection include those who have:

• Traveled to areas during the past four weeks where there’s active transmission of Zika virus. The CDC now lists 30 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean as places with active Zika infection.
• Engaged in sexual contact with a person who has traveled to, or resided in, an area with active Zika virus transmission during the prior three months.
• Developed symptoms suggestive of Zika virus infection during the past four weeks.

There have been no reports to date of Zika virus entering the U.S. blood supply, the FDA has said. But, the risk of blood transmission is considered likely based on the most current scientific evidence of how Zika and similar viruses are spread.

The American Red Cross has asked potential blood donors who have traveled to Zika-affected areas to wait 28 days before giving blood.

More information

For more on Zika virus, and where the virus is endemic, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To see the CDC list of sites where Zika virus is active and may pose a threat to pregnant women, click here.

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Zosia Mamet on How Her Mom’s Body Image Issues Hurt Her Own

Photo: Getty Images

Zosia Mamet has struggled with body image issues for as long as she can remember, and in a new personal essay, the 28-year-old Girls actress explained that her obsession grew from her mother’s own struggle.

In her latest “My Zo-Called Life” column for Glamour, Mamet reflected on what is was like to grow up with a mom (actress Lindsay Crouse) who constantly worried over her weight, and projected her own insecurities onto her daughter. Mamet developed an intense jealousy of her mother’s flat stomach and lean, dancer’s body, and prayed to grow up to have a figure like hers. That experience through Mamet’s childhood was part of the reason she developed an eating disorder, she said.

RELATED: Subtle Signs of Eating Disorders

“When I was growing up, my mother was always on some sort of diet, and everything I was fed was nonfat or sugar free,” she remembered. “When I was hungry, her first response was, ‘Are you sure?’ I dreaded shopping. My mother would say to me, ‘Zosia, let’s look in the husky section.'”

Mamet knows that she is not alone. “In this day and age, yes, many things contribute to a woman’s body image—but research has shown that a girl’s mother is perhaps the biggest factor,” she wrote. “A girl whose body is criticized by her mother is more likely to dislike her body or engage in disordered eating. If her mother tells her she should eat less, same thing. Furthermore, a girl who sees her mother dieting or obsessing over her own weight is more likely to be unhappy with her body. The apple, the tree.”

But Mamet took care to clarify that she doesn’t fault her mom: “I want to be clear: I AM NOT BLAMING MY MOTHER FOR MY EATING DISORDER. More so, I empathize. I know that my mother’s treatment of me stemmed from her own issues with her body. She struggled, so I struggled. But I did struggle.”

RELATED: 20 Signs You’re Too Obsessed With Your Weight 

Now Mamet urges other women who grew up with similar influences to forgive and forget (our mothers were human, she points out), and instead, rewrite the script inside your own head: “When we look in the mirror, we can think of what we would say to ourselves at 12. I would tell my younger self she’s beautiful just the way she is. I hope my mom is telling herself the same thing.”

 

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8 Hot Swimsuits for Under $50

With warm weather on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start shopping for great deals on fun bathing suits for your vacation and summer planning needs. As we all know, bathing suit shopping can be a real drag that comes with a high price tag, so we’ve done the work for you with these fun options that come at an affordable price. So grab one, or a few—you can never have enough!

Women’s Bralette Bikini Top and Strappy Hipster Bottoms ($15 each; target.com)

Looking for something sexy? Try a top that has crisscross detailing, which adds dimension to smaller busts.

Dolfin Bellas Printed Bikini Set ($50; kohls.com) 

Hit the pool in a bikini that will keep you supported when it’s time to do some laps, and look stylish when you’re lounging poolside.

Aerie Scoop Bikini Top and Hipster Bottoms ($27 and $23; ae.com)

The ruffle detail on the straps and bottoms give this suit a flirty look–plus the camo green color flatters every skin tone (trust us!).

Women’s Surplice Draped Halter One Piece Swimsuit ($45; target.com)

Create the illusion of a slimmer waist with a one-piece that looks like a two-piece. The solid bottom half will minimize your hips, and the striped top will give the illusion of more larger breasts.

Tropical Mesh-Back Bikini Top and Cheeky Bikini Bottoms ($15 and $13; forever21.com)

Want to make heads turn? Pair a high-neckline top with bottoms that reveal the results of all those squats you did this winter.

Short-Sleeve Rashguard and Ruched Hipster Bottoms ($25 and $23; oldnavy.com)

If you want to keep yourself protected from the sun, a rashguard with UPF 50 protection keeps you covered.

Bandeau Push-Up Bikini Top and String Bikini Bottom ($18 and $15; target.com)

Give the girls a lift in a push-up top with removable straps.

Aerie Crochet One-Piece Swimsuit ($50; ae.com)

Who says one-pieces are for grandmas? The cutout at the chest shows a little extra skin, and the v-back shape flatters your toned shoulders.

 

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The HPV Vaccine Is Lowering Infection Rates

Most people don’t think of vaccinating themselves to protect against cancer, but when public health experts in the U.S. began recommending in 2006 that young girls, and eventually boys, be immunized against HPV, that’s exactly what they had in mind. Several strains of human papillomavirus are linked to cervical cancer, and because HPV is spread during intercourse, vaccinating young people before they become sexually active is a way to lower their risk of developing cancer.

Now, in a study published in Pediatrics, Dr. Lauri Markowitz and her colleagues show how critical the vaccine can be to health. They report that rates of HPV infection among teens ages 14 to 19 dropped by 64% six years after the shot was recommended, and by 34% among people ages 20 to 24.

RELATED: HPV Vaccine May Work For People Who Already Had the Virus

What’s interesting about the decline, says Markowitz, is that it’s much larger than she would have expected given the relatively low rates of HPV vaccination. Because many parents saw the shot more as a way to protect against the sexually transmitted HPV infection, getting teens and young people immunized against HPV has been both controversial and a challenge. Despite being a recommended immunization, in 2013 only 38% of girls had received all three doses of the vaccine, and 57% had received at least one dose.

Markowitz says there are two possible explanations for the dramatic reduction observed in the study. First, there is some evidence that even people who receive less than the three recommended doses get some protection against infection with HPV. “I wouldn’t want to encourage people and say that one dose is enough,” she says. “We don’t know that. But it is possible that there is effectiveness in getting less than three doses.”

The other factor contributing to the lower HPV infections rates could be herd immunity, which occurs when unvaccinated people benefit from living around a sizable number of immunized people who keep the virus from spreading. While her study didn’t directly see evidence of herd immunity, Markowitz says that other countries have seen similar effects—most notably in Australia, where only girls were vaccinated against HPV but there were large declines in infection among men as well.

RELATED: States With High HPV-Vaccine Rates Have Less Cancer

It will take at least a decade or more before researchers can see whether the HPV vaccine is helping to lower cervical cancer rates, since that cancer generally doesn’t develop until mid-life. But there are hopeful signs that with lower infection rates, lower cancer rates will follow. Already, other studies have found declines in genital warts and drops in precancerous lesions in the cervix. “HPV is one of the most effective vaccines we have in our immunization program,” says Markowitz. “If we had higher coverage, we would have even more impact.”

This article originally appeared on Health.com.

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