Q: What’s your favorite way to refresh, revive, or reinvent? “A great hot yoga class always refreshes me. I love the way I feel after—the deep breathing is calming, the sweat is cleansing, the relaxation period at the end is rejuvenating and relaxing all at the same time."-Chris Freytag, contributing fitness editor, Prevention “My favorite way to refresh is through yoga, a shower, and a cup of tea. My favorite way to revive is to be in nature, to breathe, not talk, and meditate....

Michigan State University researchers studied three groups of women: Some cycled by themselves; some had a buddy (via a TV screen) who, they were told, had better stamina than they do; and some were part of a virtual team populated by people who were in better shape than them. The results are enough to make anyone rethink that next solo gym trip. Women in the second group exercised 9 minutes longer than the single cyclers, and those on a team cycled 12 minutes longer....

Infections from campylobacter, a bacteria commonly found on uncooked chicken, spiked 13% since 2008, according to a new CDC report. “In terms of why the numbers are rising, nobody has any good insight,” says Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, a food safety expert at Drexel University. In the meantime, we can at least take some comfort in knowing that new standards for poultry inspection to make chicken safer are in the works, says the CDC....

The weight of the average American woman has gone up 20 pounds since the early 1970s. And women are twice as likely as men to have the chronic, low-grade digestive complaints that get lumped together as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The belly of the American woman is letting us know something has gone very wrong. The scientific world has undergone a revolution in the way it understands the gastrointestinal tract, specifically the role played by the roughly one hundred trillion bacteria that live there....

Lush California Hass (right) packs a wallop of healthy monounsaturated fat. A Florida avocado (left) has less flavor and less fat. 2. TO HALVE: Cut avocado in two lengthwise around its pit. Twist halves in opposite directions to separate them, and then pull apart. 3. TO PIT: First, thrust the blade of a sharp paring knife into the pit. Then twist the knife gently to loosen the pit, and lift it out....

To help you pick a safe—but satisfying—workout when you’re injured, we found the 8 more common injuries in women over 40, and asked Kimberly Safman, MD, board certified physiatrist at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, CA, to help you pick a substitute. Carpal Tunnel SyndromeOften caused by: Repetitive motions, such as typing or writing, gardening, needlework, and golfing; or swelling due to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Women’s smaller wrists make them three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel....

More from Prevention: Best Lunchtime Workouts Come in a little early, leave a little late. For those of you griping under your breath that your “lunch break” consists of scarfing down a few bites as you wade through your overflowing inbox, hey—we get it. However, forcing yourself to step away from your desk 3 to 5 times a week will slash your stress levels, boost your mood, and even lessen your risk of coming down with a cold—all things that will help your job in the long run....

First, forget this: “Animals age 7 years for each human year.” Larger dogs reach seniorhood when they’re just 6; most dogs and cats are there by age 10. After that, older dogs and cats age 4 to 8 years for every year that humans age. “Many senior dogs and cats silently suffer painful osteoarthritis or have diabetes, failing kidneys, or cognitive decline,” says Robin Downing, DVM, hospital director of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management in Windsor, CO....

Photo by Jonathan Chapman Chris Wookey from Watertown, SDStarted at: age 40 Been at it: 4 years Pounds lost: 50 “To say learning to run was challenging is an understatement: I started in the dead of a South Dakota winter, carrying 50 extra pounds. I’d tried to lose weight and get in shape before, but this time it was different. When I turned 40, it was like I woke up and clearly saw my life for the first time....

Here are common aches and pains—and easy foot pain cures to keep your feet healthy and strong. A stiff big toe: You could have…osteoarthritis Though experts don’t know how many people have OA of the big toe, they agree it is more common as we pass the half-century mark. “Because you push off the big toe with every step, it gets lots of wear and tear,” explains Erika Schwartz, DPM, a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association....

That’s exactly why I signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share this summer. For an up-front cost of about $300, I’m getting a huge bag of local, organic vegetables every two weeks from now until the middle of November. That’s a pretty incredible value. The only catch: I’m getting a ton of vegetables, and I have no one to feed them to but myself and my veggie-averse boyfriend....

Researchers looked at survey data collected from more than 3,200 middle-aged Americans who were asked questions related to the frequency of their volunteer work and their mental and physical health. More from Prevention: Surprising Way Volunteering Helps Your Brain Turns out there’s a significant correlation between social well-being and volunteer work. Those who volunteered also experienced a lasting boost in “eudemonic” well-being, or feelings that your life has purpose, the study finds....

Given 3 to 6 months to liveAt the age of 27, Jennifer Stewart of Fort Worth, TX, (pictured above) was diagnosed with melanoma of the eye. The cancer was removed, and there was no further spread—or so she and her doctors thought. Eight years later, the melanoma had returned and spread. “My husband felt a lump on my side, under my skin. I have breast implants, so at first I was just afraid that the silicone was leaking, but the melanoma had returned....

Now, before you hunt me down—with the history of science as our guide—this won’t be the last word on the gluten-intolerance yea-or-nay question. Plus, now you can love gluten-free stuff just because it’s delicious rather than because you have to (Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunchy Maple Cereal, I’m looking at you). Here’s what we know so far. In 2011, Peter Gibson, professor of gastroenterology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and his team of researchers published one of the biggest breakthrough gluten studies to date....

Patients arrive at the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine in McLean, VA, after having been turned away by doctors, sometimes dozens of them, who can’t help. These people have been told in one way or another that their problems are all in their heads, and Dr. Kaplan agrees—just not in the way you’d think. He believes that unexplained depression and chronic pain result from a single thing: an overzealous immune reaction in his patients’ brains....

Where does it hurt? Headache: Temple or forehead pain that can range from mild to severe Neck ache: Pain at skull base; aches behind eye sockets; sore shoulder muscles What causes it?Headache: Hormone changes; acute stress; diet triggers (like red wine or chocolate); dehydration Neck ache: Poor posture (long periods sitting at a computer); chronic stress; past trauma Proven therapies Headache: Stress-reduction tactics like meditation or hypnosis; getting enough sleep; NSAIDs Neck ache: Physical therapy; acupuncture; posture exercises; Botox injections in neck muscles More from Prevention: Odd Pain Relief That Works

The short answer: Probably. But if you’re wrong, you could end up with mercury poisoning, which can cause weird symptoms like tingling sensations and loss of balance, says Michael Gochfeld, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute. “It would likely be safe for many men to eat tuna every day, while some men could experience symptoms of mercury toxicity from eating the same amount,” says Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Lauren Sucher....

The research: For 2 years, the study team kept tabs on stress levels, headache type, and headache regularity among more than 5,000 adults. The more stress the study participants reported, the more often they suffered from headaches, the study data shows. Stress was self-reported on a scale from 0 to 100. For every 10-point rise in stress, tension headache frequency increased by 6%. The same elevation in stress caused a 4% jump in monthly migraine episodes, the study authors found....

Here’s what top experts suggest you do to fight air pollution from the inside: Check your detection devices. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors should be installed in a central hallway on each level of your home as well as in the basement, and a smoke detector should also be installed in each bedroom. (Check your local building codes for exact placement.) If your detectors aren’t integrated into a burglar alarm system, think about upgrading to wirelessly linked units so that if one detector gets triggered, they’ll all ring and wake up the whole family....