Diet and Fitness

HowStuffWorks offers guidance for developing an exercise routine that will help you get in shape and stay healthy. Learn about diet and fitness and get tips from professional trainers.

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We've always heard taking 10,000 steps daily is the key to a healthy lifestyle. So how many miles is in 10,000 steps anyway?

By Mitch Ryan

Some runners swear by them, but others not so much. Can wearing minimalist running shoes improve your running — for life? We talked to an Olympic marathoner to find out.

By Stephanie Vermillion

If you're always falling short of that arbitrary 10,000-step daily goal, we have good news. Your health can benefit just as much if you hit fewer steps, too.

By Lindsay Bottoms

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The winner of the Tour de France has to eat constantly to generate enough energy to complete all 21 stages of the grueling race. But just how many calories will the winner burn in the end?

By John Eric Goff

Runner's high is often attributed to a burst of endorphins our bodies release during a long run or even vigorous exercise. But is that feeling of euphoria we experience from a rush of endorphins or something else?

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Sitting on your butt all day can do a number on your health. Calisthenics, which is resistance training using your body weight, is a great way to stay in shape.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Some experts argue it's not good to run every single day without letting the body rest. But others take running streaks to another level, and their bodies and minds are better for it.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

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During this time of social distancing and isolation, many hot yoga aficionados are craving the heat of the hot yoga studio, but our experts say you can create that heat at home.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Staying fit is more important now than ever. Regular exercise decreases tension, and elevates and stabilize moods — all things we need at times like this. So how do we stay fit from home?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Your friends might be talking up this way of eating and have you curious as to whether it may work for you. We talk to the experts to find out, as well as give you our personal experience.

By Alia Hoyt

The rumor mill says that if a person were to intentionally swallow a tapeworm their excess pounds would simply melt away. But what's the truth about the 'tapeworm diet'?

By Ed Grabianowski & Alia Hoyt

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Hypertrophy is just a super-science-y way to say you're building muscle. And there are lots of ways to do it.

By John Donovan

The ubiquitous and beautiful Sanskrit word has meaning beyond the mat.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Pushups are a great upper-body exercise that people often do wrong. So what's the right way to perform a pushup and what are some variations?

By Alia Hoyt

The keto diet is high in fat and low in carbs — ideal for quick weight loss, but not necessarily for keeping it off.

By Shaun Chavis

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They're probably the bane of your middle school memories. So why do we still subject kids to these humiliating physical fitness tests?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Lots of people believe that a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar a day helps to speed weight loss. But what does science say?

By Dave Roos

A quick workout before or between flights would be a nice way to get energized, especially if there was a gym conveniently located at your terminal. So why aren't there more gyms inside U.S. airports?

By John Donovan

Workout trends are changing, as younger people are less into the gender divide of classes for women and weightlifting for men.

By Alia Hoyt

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There are nude bike rides, naked yoga sessions and even the occasional bare-it-all Crossfit sesh. Would our bodies be more efficient without clothes getting in the way?

By Laurie L. Dove

Take the stairs instead of the elevator on your way to the office, and you might not need that morning cup of joe for energy. (You'll probably still want it, though.)

By Shelley Danzy

The U.N. has proclaimed June 21, 2021, the International Day of Yoga. With that in mind, we look at how emotions can get the best of you when you're in corpse pose.

By Julia Layton

People who take on the 26-mile run may be prone to acute kidney injury, a condition that can cause swelling, pain and even seizures.

By Shelley Danzy

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Links between inactivity and heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer are still solid though.

By Julia Layton

Don't quit! You can accomplish your workout resolutions by taking some simple steps psychologists recommend.

By Michelle Adelman