Daily Dose: March 12, 2013

Posted on March 12, 2013 by admin

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

Like:

Raise your glass: A new study provides the strongest evidence yet that drinking water spiked with fluoride helps prevent tooth decay in adults—even if they didn’t have access to fluoridated drinking water as children. [Science Daily]

Mindy Kaling announced plans to work on a second book while The Mindy Project is on hiatus. Get ready to drop pretty much everything you’re doing on the day it comes out. [Deadline]

More people across the country are hosting birthdays, bachelorette parties, and bridal showers at the gym instead of the bar. Bonus: You can enjoy a post-workout cupcake guilt-free. [Reuters]

Dislike:

A new study finds that the expiration date on donor blood may come even sooner than previous realized: after just 21 days, the membranes of stored blood cells are stiffer than those of fresh blood, indicating damage (the current limit for blood storage is 42 days). [NYT]

Silicone breast implants are on the rise because they look and feel more like the real thing than the alternatives. Except for, you know, real breasts. [WSJ]

Many companies convey a subtle bias against women in the wording of engineering and programming job postings, according to a paper published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Lame. [Wired]

Skeptical:

The author of a new book called Convert Anything to Calories calculated out exactly how many you burn with each mouse click (1.4). One side effect of the mouse-click workout: carpal tunnel syndrome. [Gizmodo]

E.L. James announced that she’ll be publishing a how-to guide on writing. Because we all read the Fifty Shades trilogy for the writing quality… [Today]

A new app called STD Triage encourages you to snap a picture of your nether regions so a medical professional can offer advice about any suspicious skin conditions down there. No word yet on how many pervy guys have taken advantage of the service. [Fast Company]

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

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The Stress Buster You Haven’t Tried

Posted on March 12, 2013 by admin

“Stop and smell the roses” isn’t just good advice—it’s also a powerful safeguard against stress. Mindfulness, or the practice of consciously and non-judgmentally observing the present moment, has been linked to better wellbeing in previous research. And according to a new study from the University of Utah, people who are naturally mindful report being more emotionally stable during the day and more relaxed at night.

Researchers recruited 38 people aged 20 to 45 for the study. First, the subjects completed a questionnaire that measured how naturally mindful they were, including their ability to notice their surroundings and act consciously. For two days, the subjects were asked to rate their emotions throughout the day, as well as their physical and cognitive arousal before falling asleep (a measure of anxiety). The people who were naturally mindful had less variable emotions, described themselves as being more in control of how they felt, and were calmer at bedtime.

The study suggests that mindfulness can act as an emotional buffer, protecting you from the normal highs and lows of your day. “People who are more mindful are able to stay somewhat separate from shifts in their body and their emotional state,” says Paula Williams, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Utah and co-author of the study. “They’re more observant, as opposed to reactive.” And when you’re not reacting to every little change in your environment, you’re bound to feel more at ease.

Luckily, mindfulness isn’t just a personality trait—it’s a skill you can learn. Susan Evans, PhD, professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, offers these tips on how to be more mindful:

Ease into your mornings
On an average weekday, you may abuse the snooze button before scrambling out of bed to (just barely) make it to work on time. Rather than rushing through your a.m. activities, Evans suggests taking up to 30 minutes every morning to sit quietly and simply focus on your breath. “When your mind wanders, come back to your breath,” she says. This gives your mind and body time to transition from a resting state to an active state. If sitting still for too long makes you squirm, meditating for even just five minutes is better than nothing.

Step away from your desk
You don’t have to be a smoker to excuse yourself from your office for a few minutes to mentally recharge. In fact, Evans says it’s vital. If you take a walk, observe what’s going on around you—the color of the sky, the movement of the wind, and any physical sensations you experience. Mindfulness is the opposite of living your life on autopilot, and these mini-breaks will help train you to appreciate the here and now. “We get caught up in a lot of thoughts about the future, the past,” Evans says. “This an opportunity to kind of break out of that.”

Take a real lunch break (seriously)
We know it’s hard. The temptation to shovel food into your mouth while cruising the blogosphere or touching up that last work assignment can be tough to resist, but it prevents you from enjoying your meal—or even paying attention to what you’re eating. Try to ditch your desk for 20 minutes and carve out time for really zeroing in on the texture and taste of your meal. You’ll enjoy your lunch more, slow down, and—as an extra perk—eat less of it, Evans says.

Give yourself time to transition
In any given day, you might go from a career woman to a Zumba junkie to a domestic goddess. Rather than jumping from role to role, take a moment to mark these shifts. Doing so will help you get into the right mindset so you can better focus on the task at hand. When you sit down at your desk in the morning, for example, give yourself a full minute to center yourself and say, “This is where I am right now.” Likewise, when you come home at night, try to consciously change gears. It’ll prime you to embrace your new role and help you to be fully present for the people you’re around.

Listen up
We’re all guilty of zoning out in the middle of a conversation. And let’s be real—water cooler chit-chat isn’t always the most riveting. But practicing mindful listening, where you focus on what the person is saying without judging or interrupting them, is a way of getting out of your own head. Think of it as a vacation from your own thoughts. It may even help boost your bonds—everyone loves a good listener.

photo: Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock

More From Women’s Health:
Meditate for Mindfulness
Stress Relief Tips
Good Stress: There Is Such a Thing

Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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There’s HOW Much Sugar in That Coffee?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by admin

Although a judge overruled the ban on large, sugary beverages that was supposed to go into effect in New York City today, the initiative still serves as a good wake-up call about just how much sugar you’re chugging each morning.

The regulation applies to any food service establishment regulated by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, including restaurants, food carts, delis, movie theaters, and stadiums. To prepare its customers, Dunkin’ Donuts has been passing out fliers explaining new policy changes designed to help the chain comply with the initiative.

If the proposed regulation had gone into effect this morning as planned, Dunkin’ customers would have had to add their own sugar and “flavor swirls” to large and extra-large hot drinks, as well as medium and large iced drinks. Translation: While you may not realize it, those coffee beverages typically come loaded with sugar—sometimes as much as 61 grams per drink, which puts them into the category of “sugary beverages with more than 25 calories per eight ounces” (anything that falls into that group would be sold in portions of 16 ounces or less, according to the proposal). Dunkin’ is by no means the only coffee shop guilty of overdoing it with the sweet stuff, though. A grande iced coffee at Starbucks contains 20 grams of sugar, a medium hot latte at Caribou Coffee contains 19 grams of sugar, and a medium premium roast iced coffee at McDonald’s has 30 grams of sugar.

The NYC DHMH estimates that if people cut back their sugary drink intake to one 16-ounce beverage every two weeks, the city’s population would collectively lose 2.3 million pounds over the course of a year.

Some experts doubt the ban will work since people can get around the restrictions fairly easily—they could just buy two 16-ounce sugary drinks, for example, says Brian Wansink, PhD, and director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.

But others say that having to add sweetener to your own coffee will at least make consumers more aware of their sugar intake. “It’s really the first step to reduce sugar consumption,” says Lu Qi, MD, PhD, and assistant professor of genetic and nutritional epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

TELL US: Do you have a sugary coffee habit? Does the proposed ban make you rethink your java routine? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
How Caffeine Affects Your Body
The Perks of Coffee Drinks
Curb Your Sweet Tooth

Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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Daily Dose: March 11, 2013

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

Like:

Good news for citrus lovers: A new hybrid grapefruit developed in Florida doesn’t interact with any drugs you’re taking.

See why a sex therapist thinks Desire, the new scent from Dolce & Gabbana, is such a turn on.

A group of bloggers is defending their right to eat Kraft Macaroni & Cheese without ingesting scary food dyes.

Dislike:

Today was one of the most dangerous days of the year. The culprit: daylight savings time. At least it’s over now.

Even mummies had heart disease. Researchers have discovered clogged arteries in remains from nearly 4,000 years ago.

Smartphone and tablets are changing our desk posture for the worse. Check out the nine most common positions wreaking havoc on your body, according to a new study from furniture maker Steelcase.

Skeptical:

People are obsessed with zombies right now because the country is in a state of economic crisis and overall cultural dissatisfaction, according to experts at Clemson University. In other news: Clemson University hires zombie experts.

Within the next five years, researchers in Australia want to make and market resveratrol pills to fight aging. Drinking red wine is still more fun, though.

On March 29, LovePalz, a new sex toy for long-distance couples, hits the market. Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned Skype sex?

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

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The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Pain in the back can be a real pain in the you-know-what. If you’re looking for relief, take note: Walking is just as effective at easing lower back pain as muscle-strengthening exercises, according to a new study out of Tel Aviv University in Israel.

For the study, researchers put 52 patients with chronic lower back pain on an exercise regime—half on a strength-training program, and the other half on a walking program. None of the participants had been physically active on a regular basis before beginning their respective routines. Both groups trained two to three times per week. The walkers began with 20-minute treadmill sessions (a five-minute warm-up, followed by 10 minutes of faster walking, capped off with a five-minute cool-down) and eventually built up to 40-minute sessions. At the end of six weeks, both groups showed a significant reduction in back pain, as well as improvements in walking speed and back and abdominal muscle endurance.

While walking doesn’t target specific muscles the way strengthening moves do, it still helps build muscle tissue, says Nick Shamie, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at the UCLA Spine Center and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, who was not involved in the study. That may be why participants in both test groups saw similar results. Plus, Shamie says, it’s one of the safest forms of aerobic activity, but it still gets your blood flowing and endorphins pumping. “I think walking is a great form of exercise, and it’s underrated,” he says.

Up to 80 percent of Americans will have back pain at some point in their lives. If you’re suffering, see your doctor to find out if walking could help alleviate the problem.

In the meantime, check out these other backache remedies:

Yoga workouts to relieve back pain

Back pain exercises to stabilize the sacrum

The yoga workout that soothed Adam Levine’s back

More tips for staying back-pain-free

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The Body Reset Diet
Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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Can Sex Cure a Headache?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

The next time your head’s pounding, you might want to grab your man—not just your meds. Turns out, getting it on may help relieve pain from migraines and cluster headaches, according to a new study published in the journal Cephalalgia.

Researchers from the University of Munster in Germany surveyed 800 migraine patients and 200 patients who suffer from cluster headaches, a rare condition that affects about 1 percent of the population and consists of sudden, intensely painful headaches. Each participant was surveyed about whether or not sexual activity had an impact on the intensity of their symptoms. Sixty percent of migraine patients said that having sex helped reduce their migraine pain—especially good news for women since about 70 percent of migraine sufferers across the world are female. As for those with cluster headaches, 37 percent of those who responded noted an improvement in their symptoms after having sex.

According to the study, you get relief no matter who your partner is, which position you use, or which type of sexual activity you engage in. Achieving orgasm, however, does appear to play a role in lessening the pain: Forty-three percent of migraine patients said that the improvement occurred right after they crossed the finish line, and 18 percent claimed that the change happened at the exact time they experienced the big O.

Why sex helps ease headaches is unclear. One possible explanation: The natural chemicals released when you get some action—like dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin—induce both pleasure-enhancing and pain-relieving sensations, according to Donald Penzien, PhD, director of the Head and Pain Clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a professor in the department of psychology.

Whatever the reason for sex’s pain-relieving benefits might be, scheduling in some time between the sheets to soothe your migraine is worth a shot. “The benefits you’re talking about are on par with the more potent medications we have,” Penzien says. “It’s not a trivial thing, and the encouraging thing is that a substantial number of people get a lot of relief.”

If you need a few ideas for what to do the next time a splitting headache strikes, check out these suggestions:

Better Sex Positions: Twists That’ll Make You Shout

The 10 Best Get-It-On Songs

77 Ways to Make Sex Hotter

How to Have a Wegasm

photo: Stockbyte/Thinkstock

More from WH:
How to Get (and Stay!) in the Mood
Sneaky Headache Triggers to Avoid
The Better Sex Diet
Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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How to Ask Your Boss for Feedback

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

You get in early, stay late, and work your butt off every moment you’re on the clock. But does anybody notice? As it happens, many women ask themselves the very same question: Nearly half of working women feel underappreciated at work, according to the American Psychological Association’s new Work and Well-Being Survey.

In the online survey of 1,501 employed adults, 48 percent of women polled said they feel less valued than their male coworkers. Worse yet, less than half of the women feel they’re paid enough for the work they do, and even fewer receive non-monetary recognition—like kudos from the boss—for their contributions.

Sure, it would be nice to score a raise or a promotion. But getting valuable feedback from your boss and knowing you’re appreciated are also key to job satisfaction, says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career expert with SixFigureStart. Case-in-point: It’s tough to do your best work when you feel undervalued. Even negative feedback can be a good thing; it helps you recognize the areas in which you may need improvement and opens up channels of communication so you can ask for tips on how to address your weaknesses.

To feel like a VIP and boost your performance, use this approach to solicit constructive feedback from your boss:

Ask often
Whether you like it or not, people at work are constantly judging, observing, and evaluating you–particularly your boss. So don’t wait until your job is on the line to find out his or her thoughts. Instead, request feedback regularly. A simple “What did you think?” after a big project or presentation should do the trick. Your boss’s response can arm you with valuable insight that will help you step up your performance next time. Bonus: You won’t be blindsided when you sit down for a more formal review.

Request regular face time
The more contact you have with your boss, the better: Face time—whether one-on-one or in a board room among others—fosters open dialog, which can help you understand your boss’s expectations better than a memo ever could, says Joel Garfinkle, career coach, founder of Dream Job Consulting, and author of seven books including Getting Ahead. If you seldom see or hear from your boss, set up 15-minute one-on-one meetings, ideally once a week. The best approach: Try saying, “I want to improve my performance, and I really value your input. Can we schedule regular time to focus on critiquing my performance so I can continue to improve?” If he or she is pressed for time, bimonthly or quarterly meetings are better than nothing.

Still not getting the face time you crave? Look for opportunities to glean more information from the interactions you do have. For instance, did your boss approve the proposal you wrote without making any edits? Sometime silence is actually a vote of confidence.

Be specific
When you ask for general feedback, it forces your boss to do the work, Ceniza-Levine says. So bring a bulleted list of the projects you’re working on and the results you’ve achieved. Then, identify a specific area–like your communication skills or a completed task–and ask “What am I doing well?” or “What could I have done better?”

Don’t get defensive
Negative feedback can be a huge blow to your ego—especially if you already feel undervalued. “The key is to recognize that the feedback can help you improve,” Garfinkle says. “And the more you improve, the more your boss will appreciate you.” So when your boss criticizes your performance, follow this routine to keep your emotions at bay and extract the information you need to take action: First, ask for an example of the negative behavior. Then paraphrase the complaint and repeat it back to your boss to check you’ve understood it fully. Finally, thank him or her for her candor—and mentally remind yourself that your supervisor really is doing you a favor.

Take action
Feedback itself won’t help you get ahead if you don’t do anything with it. When your boss critiques your work, ask her how she would have handled the situation. Don’t agree with her approach? Ask for some time to brainstorm solutions. Feel free to consult a coworker or a colleague outside your department who has handled a similar situation; they may have a helpful perspective. Then piece together a plan of action, make a timeline for implementing it, and report your progress the next time you meet one-on-one with your boss.

File positive feedback
When you receive a compliment from a coworker or a thank you note from a client, make sure it gets to the people who matter–like your boss, Garfinkle says. Ask your customer to relay her kind words to your manager, or print out the email and mention it the next time you meet with your boss.

photo: Creatas Images/Thinkstock

Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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How Your Wallet Can Help You Lose Weight

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Trying to lose weight? Money can be a serious motivator: People who receive financial incentives are more likely to stick to weight-loss programs and tend to drop more pounds than people who try to slim down without them, according to a new Mayo Clinic study.

The study followed 100 people between the ages of 18 to 63 over a one-year period. All of the participants had body mass indexes of 30 or higher, which is considered obese. They were given a goal of losing 4 pounds per month. Each participant was assigned to one of four different groups: two with financial incentives and two without.

Participants who met their monthly target goal got $ 20 each month, while those who didn’t had to cough up $ 20 that went into a pooled account. Participants in the incentive groups who completed the program were also entered into a lottery to win the pooled money.

Even though $ 20 a month isn’t a big payout, the groups’ results were drastically different. Sixty-two percent of the cash incentive groups completed the study, while just 26 percent of the other groups did. Those in the cash-driven groups also lost 9.08 pounds on average, compared to the other groups’ average weight loss of 2.34 pounds.

It wasn’t just participants getting money who were more likely to stick with the routine, either; those who paid cash penalties were also more likely to finish the program than those who received no financial incentive, according to the study.

“It’s human nature that we tend to make choices that provide immediate gratification,” says Steven Driver, MD, an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic. “Financial incentives help by counteracting immediate rewards and promoting healthy behavior changes that we wish we would do more often.”

How can you use this news in your own life? Download GymPact, a free app that gives cash rewards for working out. You set how many days a week you’ll hit the gym and choose what you’re willing to pay if you don’t follow through (for example, you might sign up for five days a week, with $ 5 on the line each day). Every week, the money paid by non-exercisers who missed their workouts is divided and paid out to those who met their goals. You can’t cheat, either: GymPact keeps you honest by making you check into your gym via your smartphone each time you go.

For another option, visit HealthyWage, a website that gives you monetary rewards for your weight loss. You can join the site’s 10 Percent Challenge for a fee of $ 150, and if you lose at least 10 percent of your body weight over a six-month period, you’ll walk away with $ 300. Talk about a win-win!

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The Body Reset Diet
Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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Is It Allergy Season Already?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Starting to feel a familiar tickle in your throat? Yeah, it’s about that time of year again. According to experts, this allergy season will likely be even more brutal than normal. Between the long-term effects of Hurricane Sandy and the big temperature fluctuations recently, all signs point to a season full of sniffing and sneezing, says Carol Baum, MD, a New York-based allergist.

Luckily, it’s still early enough to take a few preventative measures. Use these tricks to get your body and environment prepped for the impending pollen:

Clean house
Spring cleaning is more important than you think, since dust is likely to irritate your respiratory system whether you’re allergic to it or not, Baum says. If you’re allergic to dust mites, you should invest in allergy-proof encasements for your bedding and get rid of rugs (which are total dust magnets). Even if the little bugs aren’t typically a problem for you, it’s a good idea to clean out your air conditioning filters—both at home and in your car—before the season hits (dust can act as an irritant that makes your response to other allergens worse than normal, Baum says). And don’t forget to give your shelves and bookcases a once-over—stacks of stray papers and old books are a huge source of dust.

Check for mold
After Sandy hit, Baum noticed a definite uptick in the number of patients seeking treatment for allergies and asthma, and she assumes that excess mold was the culprit. Like dust, this irritant is known to contribute to pesky allergy symptoms, especially in those most allergic to it, Baum says. But even if you didn’t weather the storm, you should still monitor mold-susceptible areas like windowsills and shower stalls. Look for discolored surfaces or a mildew-y smell, and treat the affected areas with a store-bought diluted bleach solution.

Start your meds early
If you’ve had allergies in the past, it’s likely that you’ll have them again this year. So don’t wait for your first sneezing fit to pop an antihistamine—you’ll see the most benefits from taking meds before your allergies are in full-swing. Think back to when your allergies have hit in previous years and start medicating at least one week before that time, Baum says. No clue what to take? Check with your doctor to find out what medication would be right for you. Even though most allergy meds are available over the counter now, your physician can make the best recommendation.

Boost your defenses
The top defense to allergies is a healthy immune system. Build yours up by eating a healthy diet filled with adequate amounts of vitamin D (600 IU per day is recommended for most women), vitamin C (about 75mg per day), and protein (about 46g per day), all of which are important for a healthy immune response, Baum says. You can get your vitamin D from salmon or fortified juices and milk, and up your vitamin C intake from citrus fruits and green peppers. You can also get your fill from supplements, but always check with your doctor to find out how much you really need so you don’t overdo it.

Visit an allergist
You don’t get a medal for suffering through allergy season without medication, so don’t hesitate to seek help if your symptoms become unbearable. An allergist can go over specific environmental triggers with you and may have you take a diagnostic skin test or blood test to determine exactly what you’re allergic to, Baum says. They may even prescribe you allergy shots or steroids, depending on your symptoms.

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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5 Ways Pregnancy Changes Your Body

Posted on March 8, 2013 by admin

It’s a given that your body goes through some major changes while you’re pregnant—but your belly and your thighs aren’t the only things that that transform when you’ve got a bun in the oven. Pregnancy permanently changes the size of a woman’s foot, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Researchers measured the foot length and arch height of 49 women during their first trimester and again five months after giving birth. In 60 to 70 percent of participants, they found a reduction in the height of the arch, a reduction in the rigidity of the tissue responsible for holding the arch up, and a 2 to 10 millimeter increase in foot length.

Surprisingly, the change isn’t tied to pregnancy weight gain. “We found that the changes in the feet were independent of how much weight people gained during pregnancy, as well as independent of whether they lost the weight after pregnancy,” says Neil Segal, MD, lead study author and associate professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Iowa. So what may cause the permanent change in a woman’s feet? Though he didn’t measure them specifically for this study, Segal says that two hormones—estrogen and relaxin—may be to blame. “We think that the main purpose of these hormones is to relax the ligaments in the joints and pelvis in order to allow delivery,” he says. “However, the hormones go to the whole body, so they also cause loosening at the knee joints and have been reported to cause loosening in the wrists. In this study, they may be what accounted for the changes in the feet.”

That’s not the only way that pregnancy affects your body, though. Laura Corio, MD, an OB-GYN at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, shares some of the other surprises in store for moms-to-be:

Your Skin
Don’t freak out if you start breaking out shortly after conceiving. Corio says it’s pretty common to have acne early on, particularly during the first trimester. Many women can also get skin tags due to hormonal spikes. Some of these can linger after you give birth, but a dermatologist can easily remove them. Perhaps the most frustrating skin-related change is discoloration, which can happen all over the body and may take up to a year to fade. Also, some women might develop a dark, brownish line (known as linea nigra) that goes down their stomach vertically. In time, this fades on its own.

Your Veins
Women might be more prone to getting varicose veins during pregnancy—and they may actually get more with each pregnancy. The weight of the baby exerts pressure on the veins, making it harder for blood to return to the heart. The (not pretty) result: swollen-looking veins.

Your Hands
Along with your feet, your hands might get larger, Corio says. During pregnancy, your hands swell (to the point where you might have to have your rings resized) as you retain more water. Sometimes, they don’t return to the pre-pregnancy size.

Your Hair
While your hair might look shiny and healthy during pregnancy, you may start losing some of your locks as soon as you give birth. This happens because your hormones are incredibly high during pregnancy, and as soon as you deliver, they drop, causing you to shed. This can last up to six months post-partum, but your hair will eventually return to how its pre-pregnancy state, Corio says.

photo: Creatas Images/Thinkstock

More from WH:
The Biggest Myths About Sex and Pregnancy
Will Your Baby Be Addicted to Junk Food?
How to Have a Healthy Pregnancy
To find out how to suppress your hunger hormone, buy The Belly Fat Fix now!

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Athens Java Hut

Serving Jittery Joe's Coffee, Cecilia Villaveces, Cakes and Italian Gelato

Daily Dose: March 12, 2013

The Stress Buster You Haven’t Tried

There’s HOW Much Sugar in That Coffee?

Daily Dose: March 11, 2013

The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

Can Sex Cure a Headache?

How to Ask Your Boss for Feedback

How Your Wallet Can Help You Lose Weight

Is It Allergy Season Already?

5 Ways Pregnancy Changes Your Body