James' World 2

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Living a heart-healthy lifestyle is important—we know this. Still, in the United States, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death, which means heart disease prevention should be at the top of everyone’s priority list.

Fortunately, we learned a lot this year from cardiologists, heart health experts, new research, and the American Health Association (AHA) about what you can do to keep your ticker in tip-top shape. 

Ahead, our top learnings this year, each of which can help decrease your risk of health disease and improve your overall well-being. 

Yes, walking is enough exercise

On days or weeks when you’re super busy (which, let’s be honest, is most of the time for many of us), it can be challenging to squeeze in a workout—never mind having the energy to do said workout. The good news is that, according to cardiologists, an easy, breezy, 15-minute walk around the block is enough to contribute to a healthy heart and body as a whole. 

The morbidity (illness and disease) and mortality benefits of walking happen regardless of how fast your heart beats per minute while doing it. Of course, increasing your cardiovascular fitness and earning even more morbidity and mortality points requires increasing your heart rate and going longer distances.

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Photo: Getty Images/ Oliver Rossi

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Lower back pain might be one of life’s great mysteries, and unlike, say, Bigfoot, many of us have experienced back pain IRL. Still, it’s challenging to pinpoint the origin because your spine and muscular system are interconnected. One surprising culprit behind back pain? For some people, it involves tight hamstrings. The good news? There are ways to relieve your pain and prevent further discomfort through exploring stretches and strength training. Below, we break down why tight hamstrings happen, how they cause back pain, and how to stretch these large and important muscles.

What are hamstrings, anyway?

The hamstrings are a group of three muscles—semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris—that run from your hips along the back of your thighs to your knees, according to the medical information library Statpearls. They’re essential for standing, walking, sprinting, and assisting knee mobility. So when they are weak or tight, you might feel it in the lower back. This is because tight hamstrings pull your pelvis backward, making it difficult for the glutes to participate in things like standing and walking, which increases the strain on the lower back, according to Jerome Enad, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. This pulling goes against the spine’s natural curvature, contributing to lower back strain. Dr. Enad says this tilt might also reduce the spine’s shock absorption, further agitating the nerves in the spine.

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Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: 5 to 10-pound kettlebell or dumbbell, mat

Good for: Abs

Instructions: For each move, perform as many reps as indicated. Continue to the next move. After you’ve completed all three moves, rest for 30 seconds, then you have the option to repeat the five-minute circuit two to three times if you want to dial up the intensity even more.

Sweat trainer Kelsey Wells says she uses this abs sequence as part of her PWR At Home workout program. It’s perfect for clients who want to transform their core and even helped Kelsey get sculpted and toned during her own fitness journey.

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Photos by Women’s Health US

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One of the most consumed drugs in the US – and the most commonly taken analgesic worldwide – could be doing a lot more than simply taking the edge off your headache, according to scientists.

Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and sold widely under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, also increases risk-taking, according to a study published in 2020 that measured changes in people’s behavior when under the influence of the common over-the-counter medication.

“Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotion when they consider risky activities – they just don’t feel as scared,” neuroscientist Baldwin Way from The Ohio State University explained last year.

“With nearly 25 percent of the population in the US taking acetaminophen each week, reduced risk perceptions and increased risk-taking could have important effects on society.”

The findings add to a recent body of research suggesting that acetaminophen’s effects on pain reduction also extend to various psychological processes, lowering people’s receptivity to hurt feelings, experiencing reduced empathy, and even blunting cognitive functions.

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There are a number of different factors in your day-to-day life that can make it difficult to get to sleep, from stress to our central heating. People are reporting sleep disturbances more than ever: the average person is losing two hours of sleep a night and 37% of people in Britain are sleep deprived, according to 2021 research from fitness tech brand Zepp.

But what if we told you that the answer could lie in something much more simple than lavender sprays and supplements? When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, your diet can play a huge role. Studies, including a 2016 paper from Columbia University, have found that our dietary patterns and consumption of specific foods can have a significant impact on our sleep quality, with some foods having the potential to really disrupt our time snoozing.

Certified Health Education Specialist Brielle Merchant and Dr Aishah Iqbal both know just how important sleep is, and how much our eating habits can affect it. So we asked them for their expert insights into the link between diet and sleep, what you can eat to ensure you sleep well – and what foods are most likely to disrupt your rest. 

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Photos by Getty Images

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The pandemic has ruined our sleep

“In one study conducted across 49 countries in March and April 2020, 40 percent of people said their sleep was worse than before the pandemic. Participants’ use of sleeping pills increased by 20 percent,” reports a horrifying but hardly surprising Vox article detailing the virus’s toll on the nation’s sleep. 

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