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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It seems intuitive: Getting ripped at the gym increases your strength, right? Some researchers are challenging the link between muscle size and muscle strength.

By Kate Kershner

Aside from being fit, male endurance athletes may have an evolutionary advantage by simply being more attractive to the opposite sex. Let's look at the science behind it.

By Maria Trimarchi

Your expanding waistline might not just be due to what you eat. A lot of factors may determine what numbers pop up on your scale, from hormones to diseases to the meds you're taking.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

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If you've been in a gym for a while, chances are you've spied yoga and Pilates enthusiasts walking around sporting lean bodies and holding rolled-up mats. But the two routines are quite different.

By Alia Hoyt

Have you ever wondered what CrossFit is exactly and what this workout entails? Read on to learn and the pros and cons of the CrossFit workout.

By Jennifer Wolfe

Yoga doesn't always involve a mat. AntiGravity yoga, also known as aerial or flying yoga, uses a hammock to help you stretch and strengthen your body.

By Amanda MacMillan

In yoga, breathing is as important as the proper posture. Learn about important breathing exercises and how they better your yoga practice.

By Amanda MacMillan

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If you're trying to lose weight, yoga may help...just not in the way you think. Learn how yoga can help blast belly fat and take off unwanted pounds.

By Amanda MacMillan

More meditation than yoga, Sahaja yoga teaches self awareness through guided meditation.

By Amanda MacMillan

Ashtanga yoga puts your mind to work just as much as your body.

By Amanda MacMillan

Bikram yoga takes your yoga practice to new heights, or at least high temperatures, with a challenging 90-minute class.

By Amanda MacMillan

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While women's lower body strength is often in line with that of men, their upper body strength can be half as much. Why is this, and are there any long-term benefits to this difference in muscle makeup?

By Cristen Conger

When it comes to the battle of the bulge, many of us are losing -- especially in the waist area. Is there a healthy, safe way to get rid of belly fat?

By Shanna Freeman

Need some motivation to get fit? Our fitness facts just for women provide information on the benefits of exercise and tips for adding fitness to your lifestyle.

By Discovery Fit and Health Writers

You may not realize it, but your legs are getting a workout all day long. They carry you around- walking, running, maneuvering around cracks in the sidewalk, and lifting you up steps.

By Laurel House

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Laughter isn't just an external expression of hilarity, it's actually a green exercise that can help you to burn calories, improve your immune system, and induce a stress-relieved state.

By Laurel House

Eating clean green food keeps junk like chemicals and toxins out of the body which helps medels maintain that must-have gorgeous complexion and mandatory svelte physique. So, why not take a nod from their diets and green yours too?

By Laurel House

Don't let a leg injury be your excuse to get fat, burn calories and tone up with a cardio workout that you can do in bed.

By Laurel House

It's Sunday morning and you're out for a delightful brunch. You know that mile high stack of chocolate chip pancakes blanketed with maple syrup is outside of your diet, but you're just not quite sure how much.

By Sara Novak

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Staying motivated to lose weight can be difficult, especially if one stops seeing results. Learn more about staying motivated with a workout routine to feel you best and lead a healthier life.

By Elizabeth Scherer

Evaluating the state of your health is a complex issue, rife with approximations, theories, and guesses. Learn about the variables that intertwine to form the mosaic of your health and well-being.

By the American Institute for Preventive Medicine

Arm, chest, and shoulder exercises can strengthen the upper body while easing back pain. Learn several ways to tone those regions in men and women alike.

By Lisa Faremouth

Stretching warms you up in preparation for doing other exercises, but it's also good for you in and of itself. Use our article and illustrations to learn to stretch the muscles throughout your whole body.

By Lisa Faremouth

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Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen show you how to restock your pantry, get moving and reduce your waistline in 14 days.

By Maria Trimarchi

In the midst of an obesity epidemic, it may seem like all things thin are in. Though we may think super skinny people are lucky, they face health problems of their own.

By Molly Edmonds