She Got Hate Mail for Wearing Leggings. See Her Incredible Response

One of the worst parts of adulthood is realizing that bullying doesn't end in middle school. But now we now have social media to call bullies out on their, well, bullsh*t. That's exactly what Kelley Markland did after receiving an anonymous letter that said, "Women who are 300 pounds should not wear yoga pants!"

Obviously upset, Markland, a substitute teacher from Florida, wrote a post on Facebook explaining how much these body-shaming comments hurt her:

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. Hundreds of people commented, showing their support for Markland, and when she came to work the following Monday, dozens her colleagues, students, and their parents wore leggings.

Photo: Kelley Markland

Although we wish this letter was never sent in the first place, we're glad Markland's friends and family rallied around her with such a supportive response.

And for the record, we think you slay in those leggings, Kelley:

Photo: Liz Grimes Photography

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What We Wish the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Looked Like

We've watched slender models strut their stuff at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show year after year, but TBH, we're tired of seeing only one body type on the catwalk. The lingerie brand continues to ignore women of different sizes—even during a banner year for body positivity.

Thankfully, the folks over at Buzzfeed took matters into their own hands and put together their own fashion show, featuring a super-diverse group of models walking the runway in sexy lingerie—and yes, occasionally wings.

Source: Buzzfeed Source: Buzzfeed Source: Buzzfeed Source: Buzzfeed We'll admit the video is a bit long, but we were happy to stick around for the full nine minutes. If it was up to us (or Ashley Graham), this is the kind of fashion show we'd go nuts over every year:

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Finally, Plus-Size Clothes for Men That Aren’t Boxy Shirts and Jeans

There have been some serious upgrades to plus-size women's clothing in recent years. But when it comes to menswear, little has changed. Walk into any big and tall store, and you'll find racks upon racks of boxy button-up shirts and ill-fitted jeans.

Former professional baseball player Mo Vaughn wants to change that with the launch his clothing line, MVP Collections. The company offers stylish pants (sizes 38 to 50) and t-shirts (XL to 4XL).

"I wore the same type of jeans for almost 10 years because I couldn't have any other options," Vaughn told Mic in an interview. "I just figured, why can't 2X and 4X guys have the same styles as everybody else in this world and have this cool look?"

Vaughn says he used to have to get his clothes custom-made for them to fit right, and he knows that's not something most men can afford. MVP Collection’s clothes are a little pricy—jeans are about $150 and shirts start at $45. But they're much cheaper than tailoring every piece of clothing you buy.

Photos: MVP Collection

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People Found a Way to Post Naked Selfies and Say F*%k You to Censorship

Facebook and Instagram's harsh (and sexist) image guidelines around nudity make it hard for women to #freethenipple. It's totally fine when guys have a nip slip, but the social media platforms only allow women to do so if they’re breast-feeding or showing post-mastectomy scars. Sometimes photos can also get the OK if they're considered art.

As is always the case, where some see restrictions, others see a challenge. That's the idea behind the one-finger selfie. Can you snap a nude photo in front of a mirror and use one finger to cover up all the parts Facebook and Instagram censor?

People quickly got clever and started giving the middle finger, sending a not-so-subtle message about censoring others' bodies.

And men joined in too:

We're all about taking ownership of your body and the right to post it wherever you like, but before you post photos (and we're not just talking nudes) on social media, it's smart to understand the terms you're agreeing to. (Here are Instagram's and Facebook’s terms for reference.) On both platforms, when you post a photo publicly, you retain ownership, but you also give Facebook and Instagram royalty-free license to use the content as they see fit.

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How Does The Flu Shot Work?

Medical experts recommend that everybody should get a flu shot before the peak flu season begins, which is from December to March. However, many people simply prefer not to take it because of the mistaken notion that taking the vaccine will actually give them the flu. There is a reason why people believe this.

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4 Healthy Appetizer Recipes for the Figure-Conscious

Waiting for the main course to be cooked? Have a light snack to keep your hunger at bay - try these nutritious appetizer recipes that are ideal for weight loss!

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Why You Should Follow The Q48 Programme

Overweight or obesity is a major problem these days. Many people are stuck in their desks in front of their computers for the most duration of the day. When they get home, they are often too tired to exercise. But physical activity is a must, and that includes regular exercise. That's why for many decades now, there have been countless of diet and exercise programs that have been devised for the needs of the weight-loss seeking populace. But what makes an exercise and diet routine effective?

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Rapid or Slow Weight Loss - Which Method Brings Enduring Results?

This article throws light on which is the better way to lose weight, Quick or Slow weight loss. We have based our findings on a scientific study done at the University of Florida. In the end we have cautioned everyone to be wary of weight loss plans that push you to lose or gain weight at once.

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The 10-Minute Core and Butt Workout for a Stronger Lower Body

Here's a fun fact: Your glutes are the largest muscle group in your body, so nearly everything you do with the lower body is powered by your backside. So if you don't know what the heck a #belfie is (but epecially if you do), carve out 10 minutes of your day to try this quick butt workout.

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After quickly warming up the hip flexors, you'll perform each move statically first and then with pulses—this is where you'll really feel the burn! The best part is that you'll also be simultanouesly working your core with each exercise, so you get two targeted workouts for the price of one. Grab a mat to get started.

To recap, you will need an exercise mat for this class. Each move is performed for about 30 seconds.

• Hip Circle
• Donkey Kick
• Donkey Kick Pulse
• Fire Hydrant
• Fire Hydrant With Pulse
• Side Kick
• Side Kick Hold and Pulse
• Bicycle Kick Abs
• Side Bend, Legs at 45 Degrees

Looking for more short and effective at-home workouts? Grokker has thousands of routines, so you’ll never get bored. Bonus: For a limited time, Greatist readers get 40 percent off Grokker Premium (just $9 per month) and their first 14 days free. Sign up now!

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What Are The Ways Of Reducing Weight?

In Today's world, Increasing weight is a common problem. More than 70% People are suffering from obesity. Here we provide some tips to reduce your weight without any side effect.

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Five Things You Should Know About Alkaline Water

Alkaline Water is great for the body. At least that's what experts believe! Check out some of the fast facts that you need to know!

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5 Super-Festive Holiday Desserts That Will Save You Some Dough

11 Kitchen Gifts That a New Cook Will Actually Use

This 5-Minute Roasted Pepper Sauce Will Be Your New Favorite Condiment

This sauce wins the best all-around condiment award: Use it as a dip for fries and veggies, spread it on sandwiches and burgers, or drizzle it over pasta just like tomato sauce. Plus it takes just five minutes to put together. What are you waiting for?

5-Minute Roasted Pepper Sauce

Recipe by: Real Simple Good
Makes: 6 servings
Ready in: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 avocado
12-ounce jar roasted peppers, drained (or roast fresh ones at 500 degrees for 15-20 minutes)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Scoop out the avocado meat and place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to one week.

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The Best Way to Make Every Kind of Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you’re going to treat yourself to homemade chocolate chip cookies, they’d better be damn good. But trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe can be kind of a gamble. After all, everyone has a different idea of what a perfect chocolate chip cookie should be. And if the treats that come out of the oven don’t meet your standards, you’re in for some serious disappointment.

So, how can you tell whether the batch you’re about to make will turn out perfectly chewy or crispy? What if you’re after extra chocolate flavor? And what should you do if you want to transform a standard recipe to be vegan or gluten-free? Making the perfect chocolate chip cookie is easier than you think. We chatted with three experts on how to turn a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe—like the classic Toll House one —into exactly the kind of cookie that you’re craving, and here's what they had to say.

A Super-Chewy Cookie

To achieve that dense, fudgy texture, you need to add extra moisture. One way? Slightly underbake your cookies by a few minutes, says Jenny McCoy, pastry baking arts chef-instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York. Scooping rounded mounds of dough onto your baking sheet (instead of flattening them) also helps, since it keeps the cookies denser.

Still not chewy enough? McCoy recommends adding more:

• Butter: For every stick of butter your recipe calls for, add an additional tablespoon.
• Brown sugar: Fun fact... brown sugar has more moisture than white sugar, and dark brown sugar has more moisture than light brown sugar. Swap the light brown sugar for dark, or switch up your sugar ratio. If your recipe calls for an equal amount of white and brown sugar, try 40 percent white and 60 percent brown instead.
• Eggs: For every egg your recipe calls for, add an additional egg yolk.

A Crispy, Crunchy Cookie

If the key to a chewy cookie is more moisture, then yes, you guessed it, the key to a crispy one is less. Achieve drier cookies by baking them for a few minutes longer than the recipe calls for, McCoy says. You can also flatten the mounds of dough with your palm before baking. That makes the cookies thinner, so they spread out more and bake faster.

For even more crispiness:

• White sugar: Since white sugar has less moisture than brown, try making your cookies with 75 to 100 percent white sugar, McCoy recommends.
• Don’t cut back on eggs or butter. The protein from the egg gives your cookie structure and keeps it from becoming sandy or crumbly, like shortbread, says McCoy. And lower-fat cookies with less butter, well, quite frankly, just don’t taste as good.

A Double Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you’re in the mood for a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips (double chocolate), good news: They’re crazy easy to make.

• Cocoa powder: For every cup of flour your recipe calls for, replace 3 tablespoons of it with cocoa powder, says McCoy. Remember to sift the cocoa powder first to get rid of any lumps.

A Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie

Some baked goods might be tough to veganize (hello, lemon meringue pie!), but chocolate chip cookies aren’t one of them. Here’s how Rachel Klein, founder of the vegan restaurant Miss Rachel’s Pantry in Philadelphia, does it:

• Swap dairy butter for vegan butter: This is an obvious one, but the good news is that vegan butters, like Earth Balance, have the same ratio of fat to water as dairy butters, so they won’t mess with your cookie’s consistency.
• Swap each egg for a flax egg: Mixing ground flaxseeds with water creates a sticky, gel-like mixture that mimics the viscous texture of beaten eggs, Klein says. For each flax egg, whisk 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 1 tablespoon warm water.
• Swap dairy milk for soy milk: Most chocolate chip recipes don’t call for milk. But if yours does, just sub soy. It’s richer and creamier than almond milk, Klein says.
• Swap chocolate chips for vegan ones: Remember to double-check the ingredient list for your chocolate chips, since some contain milk. Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips are vegan. You can also go for carob chips to be 100 percent sure.

A Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie

There are tons of gluten-free store-bought cookies out there, but they're never as good as a homemade batch. First—and most important—is swapping out that all-purpose flour. “Use a blend of gluten-free flours to mimic the taste and texture of wheat,” says Pamela Ellgen, author of The Gluten-Free Cookbook for Families. You can use a store-bought blend designed for baking, like Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour, or make your own. Here’s how to do that, according to Ellgen:

• Replace 2/3 of the all-purpose flour with whole-grain gluten-free flour. She suggests 1 part millet, 1 part sorgum, and 3/4 part brown rice flour. The millet and sorghum flours are light and sweet, and they have protein to mimic the protein found in all-purpose flour. And the brown rice flour act as a thickener, she says.
• Replace the remaining 1/3 of the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free starch. “Starches improve texture and mimic the elastic qualities of gluten,” Ellgen says. Try tapioca or cornstarch for a crispier cookie, and potato starch for a cookie that’s more cake-like.
  Our opinion: We say just buy the store-bought GF flour to minimize how many ingredients you have to buy.
• Add guar or xanthan gum. Use 3/4 teaspoon for every cup of flour your recipe calls for. They keep GF baked goods moist and create the elastic properties that conventional baked goods get from gluten.
• Up the brown sugar. Gluten-free cookies tend to be drier than ones made with all-purpose flour. To bump up the moisture and achieve a richer texture, try using 3 parts brown sugar to 2 parts white sugar, Ellgen recommends.
• Double the amount of vanilla extract. (Always check to make sure your vanilla extract is gluten-free.) “This adds an incredible amount of flavor, which will hide the flavor of strongly flavored gluten-free flours,” she says.

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She Lost 130 Pounds, but No One Told Her It Would Come at a Cost

Kassidy Linde posts a lot of before-and-after photos on Instagram showing the progress she's made losing weight (a total of 130 pounds at this point!) and getting stronger in the last 18 months.

One thing you don't see in those photos? The body dysmorphia she struggles with on a daily basis. In a recent post, Linde reveals that losing weight led to an obsession with stepping on the scale. She usually weighs herself three times per day, and she admits she lets the number on the scale dictate how she feels about her body. This isn't what Linde bargained for when she committed to living a healthier life, so now she's taking a stand: No more weigh-ins until January 1, 2017. Check out her emotional and empowering Instagram below:

Photo: Instagram / @dilla7

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Self-Help Guru Tim Ferriss Has 6 Tips to Make Any Day 10x Better

After interviewing more than 200 of the world's most fascinating people for The Tim Ferriss Show, I believe more strongly than ever that 10x results don't always require 10x effort. Big changes can come in small packages. To dramatically change your life, you don't need to run a 100-mile race, get a PhD, or completely reinvent yourself. It's the small things, done consistently, that are the big things.

Want proof? For my new book, Tools of Titans, I sifted through hundreds of hours of interviews with billionaires, icons, and elite performers to discover some of their most successful (and sometimes surprising) tactics, routines, and daily habits (all of which I vetted and tested in my own life in some fashion).

More than anything, I longed for the chance to distill everything into a playbook. Here's a small sample, designed to help you address three everyday problems. Borrow liberally, combine uniquely, and create your own bespoke blueprint:

Photo: Tim Ferriss

The Problem: You Woke Up in a Bad Mood
The Tool: Meditation (or 5-Minute Journal)
The Titan: Tony Robbins

Oftentimes, people make meditation or mindfulness harder than it needs to be. Tony Robbins simplifies the process by suggesting that you focus on something simple near you or within sight. I use two types of journaling and alternate between them: Morning Pages and The 5-Minute Journal (5MJ). The former I use primarily for getting unstuck or problem-solving (what should I do?); the latter I use for prioritizing and gratitude (how should I focus and execute?).

The 5MJ is simplicity itself and kills a lot of birds with one stone (including forcing me to think about what I have, as opposed to what I'm pursuing): 5 minutes in the morning of answering a few prompts, and then 5 minutes in the evening doing the same. Each prompt has three lines for three answers.

I am grateful for...

1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

What would make today great?

1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Daily affirmations. I am...

1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

The gratitude points shouldn't all be "my career" and other abstract items. Temper those with something simple and concrete— a beautiful cloud outside the window, the coffee that you're drinking, the pen that you're using or whatever it might be.

The Problem: You Feel Anxious or Stressed
The Tool: Stargazing
The Titan: BJ Miller, palliative care physician at the University of California at San Francisco and an advisor to the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco.

"When you are struggling with just about anything, look up. Just ponder the night sky for a minute and realize that we're all on the same planet at the same time. As far as we can tell, we're the only planet with life like ours on it anywhere nearby. Then you start looking at the stars, and you realize that the light hitting your eye is ancient; [some of the] stars that you're seeing, they no longer exist by the time that the light gets to you.

Just mulling the bare-naked facts of the cosmos is enough to thrill me, awe me, freak me out, and kind of put all my neurotic anxieties in their proper place. A lot of people— when you're standing at the edge of your horizon, at death's door, you can be much more in tune with the cosmos."

The Problem: You Can't Get to Sleep
The Tool: Tetris
The Titan: Jane McGonigal, a research affiliate at the Institute for the Future and the author of the New York Times best seller Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.

Having trouble nodding off? Try 10 minutes of Tetris. Recent research has demonstrated that Tetris—or Candy Crush Saga or Bejeweled—can help overwrite negative visualization, which has applications for addiction (such as overeating), preventing PTSD, and, in my case, onset insomnia. As Jane explains, due to the visually intensive, problem solving characteristics of these games:

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"You see visual flashbacks [e.g., the blocks falling or the pieces swapping]. They occupy the visual processing center of your brain so that you cannot imagine the thing that you're craving [or obsessing over, which are also highly visual]. This effect can last 3 or 4 hours. It also turns out that if you play Tetris after witnessing a traumatic event [ideally within 6 hours, but it's been demonstrated at 24 hours], it prevents flashbacks and lowers symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder."

The Problem: You Don't Have Time for Breakfast
The Tool: Intermittent Fasting
The Titan: Dr. Peter Attia

Peter rarely eats breakfast and has experimented with many forms of intermittent fasting, ranging from one meal a day (i.e., 23 hours of fasting per day) to more typical 16/8 and 18/6 patterns of eating (i.e., 16 or 18 hours of fasting and only eating in an 8- or 6-hour window). Going 16 hours without eating generally provides the right balance of autophagy (cellular regeneration and healing) and anabolism (muscle building). Plus, an added benefit (if you adjust to hunger pangs) is increased mental clarity.

The Problem: You Have Difficulty Completing Tasks
The Tool: Write Your Plans
The Titan: Paul Levesque (a.k.a. Triple H)

"[Evander Holyfield] said that his coach at one point told him, something like his very first day, 'You could be the next Muhammad Ali. Do you wanna do that?' Evander said he had to ask his mom. He went home, he came back and said, 'I wanna do that.' The coach said, 'Okay. Is that a dream or a goal? Because there's a difference.'

A dream is something you fantasize about that will probably never happen. A goal is something you set a plan for, work toward, and achieve.

"I'd never heard it said that way, but it stuck with me. So much so that I've said it to my kid now: 'Is that a dream, or a goal? Because a dream is something you fantasize about that will probably never happen. A goal is something you set a plan for, work toward, and achieve. I always looked at my stuff that way. The people who were successful models to me were people who had structured goals and then put a plan in place to get to those things. I think that's what impressed me about Arnold [Schwarzenegger]. It's what impressed me about my father-in-law [Vince McMahon]." If you want to stop dreaming and start planning, write down what you hope to achieve and what you'll do to accomplish your goals.

The Problem: You Have Trouble Feeling Happy
The Tool: The 10-Second Test
The Titan: Cheng-Meng Tan

In many of my public talks, I guide a very simple 10-second exercise. I tell the audience members to each identify two human beings in the room and just think, "I wish for this person to be happy, and I wish for that person to be happy." That is it. I remind them to not do or say anything, just think—this is an entirely thinking exercise. The entire exercise is just 10 seconds' worth of thinking. Everybody emerges from this exercise smiling, happier than 10 seconds before.

This is the joy of loving-kindness. It turns out that being on the giving end of a kind thought is rewarding in and of itself. . . . All other things being equal, to increase your happiness, all you have to do is randomly wish for somebody else to be happy. That is all. It basically takes no time and no effort.

Tim Ferriss is the author of Tools of Titans, and has been listed as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People," one of Forbes's "Names You Need to Know," and one of Fortune's "40 under 40." He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of three No. 1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best sellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. The Observer and other media have called Tim "the Oprah of audio" due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which has exceeded 100 million downloads and was selected for "Best of iTunes" in 2015.

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WTF, Santa? Telling a Kid to Lay Off the Fries Is Not Cool

How’s this for holiday cheer? A Santa in North Carolina reportedly told a 9-year-old boy, "Lay off the hamburgers and french fries." While the comment is laughably ironic coming from Santa (he eats milk and cookies all night long), it's also all sorts of messed up—and it reminds us of a bigger problem too.

Photo: WLOS

There’s no escaping sweets around the holidays (not that we’d want to). And we all seem to have that family member who takes it upon themselves to ask us, "Do you really want seconds?" Saying something that makes others feel guilty about how much (or little) they eat only makes things worse. If you’re legitimately concerned about a relative’s health, bring it up one-on-one, not at the dinner table. You can bet if anyone asks us if we really need that second piece of pie, they’ll get a piece of our minds too.

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After Hearing "We Already Have a Black Girl," Model Shows What We're Missing

What do you picture when you hear the phrase "top model" (other than the reality TV show of the same name)? Hopefully you think of women who are changing the game, like Ashley Graham, but we bet the person you're thinking of is skinny and white.

There are black top models out there—Tyra and Iman come to mind—but they are the exceptions. Deddeh Howard, a model who's also casually in medical school, knows fashion's diversity problem all too well. "Agencies would often tell me, ‘We like your look, but there’s a black girl already,’" she told Buzzfeed. "It shouldn’t be limited to just one black girl; there can be more than one!”

To draw attention to the issue, Howard recreated some of the most iconic fashion ads from recent years for a photo series called "Black Mirror." Check out Howard's stunning photos below, which act as further proof that the fashion industry seriously needs to expand the women (and men) they put in the spotlight.

Photo: Calvin Klein/ Raffael Dickreuter Photo: VIVARA / Raffael Dickreuter Photo: Guess / Raffael Dickreuter Photo: Victoria's Secret / Raffael Dickreuter Photo: Chanel / Raffael Dickreuter Photo: David Yurman/David Yurman Photo: Louis Vuitton/ Raffael Dickreuter

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How Yoga Helps With Weight Loss

If you have question about how yoga helps with weight loss, this article might give you an answer and inspiration. Yoga burns only 3-6 calories per minute which is less than other cardio exercise. However, weight loss with yoga is more sustainable in many ways and people do not regain weight as easy as people who lose their weight by other training.

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How To Get Waterproof Mascara Off Without Makeup Remover

What fun-loving gals and beauty conscious women don't love waterproof mascara? It's one of the best cosmetic advances ever that make beach and pool days pretty despite the splash. Heat doesn't even beat your well-paid for waterproof mascara, right?

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Bridal Makeup Tips: Turn Heads With Aplomb

It's your wedding and all eyes will be on you! The thought itself is potent enough to make you jittery. Your dress, your makeup, your hair and your accessories - everything goes on to contribute to your bridal look. In this post, however, we'll only concentrate on a few nuanced aspects of bridal makeup - how to get it right so that you don't end up regretting your bridal look at the end of the day.

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How to Make Pasta Taste As Good As It Does in a Restaurant (Without Adding Cream)

Ever grabbed a forkful of spaghetti or penne at a top-notch restaurant and wondered why it’s so much richer and more velvety than the stuff you make at home? Sure, most add more butter, cream, or cheese than you’d ever dream of using in your kitchen. But they also rely on some smart cooking techniques to coax out the best possible texture from their pasta. A few even skip the dairy altogether in favor of some surprising alternative ingredients.

And replicating their magic at home is shockingly simple. Here are five genius techniques for making creamy, delicious pasta—without loading up on heavy ingredients.

1. Don’t cook the pasta in advance.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had your noodles finish cooking before your sauce is done. When that happens, you probably just drain the pasta and let it sit in the colander until the sauce is ready, right?

That’s a big mistake, says Lorenzo Boni, executive chef at Barilla America. The starchy liquid that’s locked inside just-cooked pasta will work some serious cream magic when it’s absorbed right into hot sauce (we're talking marinara, not Cholula). But if you let the pasta sit for even a few minutes, the pasta will start to steam in your colander, and all that precious moisture will evaporate. The result is a drier, tougher dish.

It might take some planning (and practice), but try to time it so your pasta and your sauce are ready at the same time. Because the next step is to…

2. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.

Surprise—your pasta should actually be slightly underdone when you drain it. Think about two minutes short of the cooking time on the box, Boni says. Don’t worry if it seems a little too al dente. Because as soon as you drain it, you should add the pasta straight into the pan where your sauce is still boiling, and toss the pasta continuously over high heat for two to three minutes.

This step not only helps your pasta absorb the flavors of the sauce, but it also causes the starch inside the pasta to get released, yielding a richer and creamier consistency. What’s more, friction that happens when you toss, toss, toss will encourage the starch from the pasta and the fat and liquid in the sauce to come together. And both of those things contribute to a thicker, more cohesive sauce, says Boni.

3. Save the pasta cooking water.

Whatever you do, don’t pour all of that stuff down the drain. Pasta also releases starch into the water while it cooks—and that starchy liquid plays a starring role in helping your sauce bind together. “The creaminess comes down to the emulsion of water, fat, and starch. And by having that extra starch, you can reduce the fat,” Boni says.

How much of the cooking liquid do you actually need? Every recipe is different, and with practice, you’ll get a better feel for what works. But a good rule of thumb is to reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid. (Use a ladle to spoon the liquid into a heatproof measuring cup.) For a pound of pasta, start by adding about half a cup of the cooking water as soon as you combine the pasta with the sauce, Boni says. Let the sauce cook for a minute or two to thicken up. If it seems just right, you’re set. If it looks a little dry, add another 1/4 cup and cook the pasta for another minute or two, until the sauce reaches the consistency you’re looking for.

4. Add the cheese at the end.

You might be tempted to add that final sprinkle of Parmesan in while your sauce, pasta, and pasta water are bubbling away on the stove. That’ll ensure the cheese melts and makes everything more creamy, right?

Actually, no. The intense heat will make the cheese separate, leaving the sauce oily instead of velvety. Instead, hang onto the cheese until your pasta and sauce are perfectly cooked. Then take the skillet off the heat and let it sit for 20 seconds, undisturbed, to allow the pasta to cool slightly. Then stir in the cheese, Boni says.

5. Skip the dairy altogether.

Remember: Ingredients-wise, butter, cheese, and cream aren’t the only things you have to work with. There are plenty of plant-based options that can deliver the richness you’re looking for. At the New York City vegan restaurant by CHLOE, contributing chef Jenne’ Claiborne uses soaked, raw cashews or sunflower seeds as the base for a creamy cheese sauce. Soaking the nuts or seeds overnight makes them soft and easy to blend.

There’s also avocado, which Claiborne blends with oil to make dairy-free pesto. She adds lemon juice to balance out the richness and to keep the avocado from turning brown.

Want to keep things lighter? Try a butternut squash-based sauce. Claiborne simmers soy milk with arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) and nutritional yeast until thickened, then blends the mixture with creamy, roasted butternut squash. “I roast the squash ahead of time to bring out the natural sweet flavors, but you could use steamed or canned squash too,” she says.

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9 Healthy Recipes That Prove Breakfast for Dinner Is a Genius Idea

Uh-Oh, Shaving Your Pubic Hair Could Put You at Risk for Getting an STI

When it comes to grooming down there, the choice to shave, wax, or go full bush seems to be nothing more than personal preference. But a new study found that people who shave or wax their nether regions have a 75 percent higher risk of developing an STI. Trimming your pubic hair can cause microtears in your skin—easy spots for bacteria and viruses to get into your system. (A lovely image, we know.)

But before you freak out, there's an important caveat. Most people—two in three men and four in five women—tidy up their pubic hair. And the people in the study who groomed reported having sex more often, which also increases the risk of contracting an STI.

One thing the study didn't look at? Condom usage, which just so happens to be one of the easiest ways to lower your risk of getting an STI. So practice safe sex (duh) and maybe cut back on waxing and shaving.

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7 Amazing Hairstyles For Curly Hair

It's not easy to manage curly hair or get the right hairstyle. Well not anymore because we present top 7 hairstyles for curly hair, which will make you look beautiful. So what are you waiting for? Try one of these 7 hairstyles today!

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Best Haircuts for Round Faces

The best haircuts for a woman with a round face include different styles in various lengths. With any cut, the length needs to flatter her face's full shape. The cut also needs to frame and balance her youthful features like her mouth and eyes. Whether the hairstyle is short, medium, or long, they all have similar but explicit elements that look best with round faces.

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Vitrectomy 101 - Surgical Procedure

A vitrectomy is a surgical procedure that a patient undergoes to remove all or a portion of the vitreous humour from the eye. This may sound complicated, but it's not. Vitreous humour is like jelly that fills up the eye between the lens and the retina. Everyone has this from the moment they are born. Most of the time, there are no problems, but there can be problems that are a result of something wrong in the vitreous humour.

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Varies Ways to Consume Goji Berries

It is easy enough to buy goji berries and to reap the many health benefits they offer. You don't have to consume them the same way all the time though. Instead, it can be fun to have some options for them. When they are dried, you can use them in a variety of great recipes. You don't have to limit it to only sweet items though. Instead, you can also create savoury dishes.

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7 Dairy-Free Eggnog Recipes That Aren't Just Holiday Milkshakes

29 Easy Recipes to Help You Stick to Your Healthy-Eating Resolutions

She Weighs the Same in Both Photos—the Change Is Something You Can't See

We've all cringed while looking at photos we're in—we'd like to forget all about the school photos we took during our awkward years. But for some, those pics can lead to a serious downward spiral of self-harm.

In a viral post on Instagram, Megan Jayne Crabbe (a.k.a. @bodyposipanda) shares a photo from three years ago that made her feel so awful about her body that she began crash dieting. Today she's the same size she was back then. The only difference is she's learned to embrace her body. As Crabbe writes, "The problem is not your body, the problem is how you've been taught to view your body." Check out the rest of her kick-ass message below:

Photo: Instagram/@bodyposipanda

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Reorganize the Health Care System

All citizens of our country deserve the security of universal health care that guarantees access based on needs rather than income. It is a fundamental human right and an important measure of social justice. The government should play the central role of regulating, financing, and providing health care. Everyone faces the possibility of poor health.

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Three Insane Weight Loss Programs to Never Try

People will go to extreme lengths to shed pounds, but some methods are downright dangerous. Here are three crazy weight loss programs to avoid.

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Lady Gaga Talks About Her Mental Illness for the First Time—and How She Copes

In an emotional video (yep, grab the tissues) on NBC's Today show, Lady Gaga shares—for the first time ever—that she has a mental illness. While visiting with LGBT youth at a homeless shelter in New York, the star opened up about struggling with PTSD after she was raped. Many of the young adults she met with also deal with mental health issues, and Gaga shared the things that help her cope: meditation, support from her family, and medication.

We’re amazed by Gaga’s bravery in sharing her story, and we hope her words empower others to talk about the strategies they use to manage their mental health. Because sharing what works for us could help someone else while also lessening the stigma surrounding mental illness.

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A Fan Asked Lena Dunham If She Was Expecting. Her Response Is Everything

Women of all sizes know how sh*tty it feels when someone asks if they're expecting, but they're not pregnant. It happened to Lena Dunham earlier this week. A fan left a comment on one of Dunham's Instagram photos asking, "Are you expecting? You look beautiful." Even when the question is bookended by a compliment, it still feels like a personal attack.

Lucky for us, Dunham had the perfect response. We'll keep it in our back pocket to shell out next time someone asks if we're eating for two:

Photo: Instagram/@lenadunham

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5 Awesome Benefits of Henna for Hair

If you feel henna is an amazing herbal powder for colouring your hair, think again. Henna has other wonderful benefits for hair too. The article explores 5 awesome benefits of henna for hair. Read more.

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7 Health Benefits of Turmeric

When it comes to herbal remedies, few can match up to the health benefits offered by turmeric which is part of the rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant. Turmeric is part of the ginger family and it has been used for centuries as both a cooking ingredient and as a health remedy in Southeast Asia, and it's high time it gets the recognition it deserves around the world.

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Are You Living The True Weight Loss Lifestyle?

For those that are trying to lose weight, they focus on rigorous workout routines and different diets is not their primary focus, but changing their lifestyle entirely. Stop counting calories and start changing your life as a whole.

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Essential Facts To Know About Vitamin K

To become strong and healthy, it is imperative to have the right nutrients and minerals. In this way, you can maintain a healthy body that can help you accomplish your tasks easily.

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Find Out WTF to Do With Parchment Paper

Before-and-After Photo Shows What Cancer Can Do to Your Body

Scroll back a few months on Cheyann Shaw's Instagram feed and you'll see plenty of mirror selfies from the gym. They look like every other fitness Instagrammers' posts: arms flexed, abs on display, booty popped, plus a motivating caption.

This past August, Shaw was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but that hasn't stopped her from posting photos. Her Instagrams are unapologetically raw. Her recent before-and-after photo, for example, stopped us in our tracks:

Whoa! Give yourself a second to process that. We're used to before-and-after photos showing a specific type of progress. This shows progress of a different sort—learning to embrace and love your body even when it seems to be turning against you.

Through surgeries and many rounds of chemo, Shaw has stayed strong and continues to share an inspiring message about always fighting back. We’ll let her powerful photos (and captions!) take it from here:

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12 Gifts for Your Fit Friends That Aren't Leggings or Sneakers

Arianna Huffington, James Altucher, and Gabrielle Bernstein Share Life Lessons They Learned the Hard Way

"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn—my God, do you learn." —William Nicholson

It's a bittersweet truth that the toughest times in our lives are our greatest teachers. During a difficult struggle, we rarely realize that we're in the painful process of learning, but with the beautiful gift of hindsight, we can appreciate the life lessons we can derive from periods of suffering and discomfort.

Once a tough period in our lives passes, time and distance allow us to understand what we had no choice but to learn the hard way. We spoke to three thought leaders about what they had to suffer through in order to become who they are.

Arianna Huffington: Thriving Begins With Self-Care

Arianna and I worked at AOL together, where she was revered for her kindness, badass girlboss-ness, and obsession with redefining success (hint: it's the opposite of burnout). I remember her saying, "Our resumes are not our eulogies." Because of Arianna, we had nap rooms and mediation resources. I consider her one of the most wise, warm, and gracious women on the planet.

"On April 6, 2007, I woke up lying on the floor of my home office in a pool of blood. I'd collapsed from overwork and exhaustion, having pulled a series of near-all nighters on a college tour with my daughter. I'd promised her I wouldn't work during the day, so I just moved all my 'essential' work to the night, when I should have been sleeping. And my body finally rebelled.

"In the ensuing weeks, I ended up asking myself a lot of questions about what kind of life I was living. And I also ended up making a lot of changes in my life. That led to two books on well-being and success, and the company I've just founded, Thrive Global, which is devoted to allowing people to learn the easy way the lesson that we don't have to burn ourselves out to be successful." —Arianna Huffington

James Altucher: Remember That Money Is Not the Goal

James became a life mentor for me the day I opened his best-selling book, Choose Yourself. Rarely do you meet a genuine, modern-day disrupter who comes from such a place of truth, experience, and scary-smartness. James taught me about the importance of choosing entrepreneurship over a conventional career path, and my life has never been the same since encountering his work.

"I have lost tens of million of dollars because of bad friends, toxic partners, and people I knew deep down I couldn't trust, but thought that 'this one time' it would be OK; I would make money, and life would be good.

"It's never about money. It's about creating meaning and impact in your life and the lives around you. You can only do this if you are surrounded by people you love and who inspire you and who love you and are inspired by you. By being around good people who all want to derive impact from their work and you help each other advance those themes.

"Money, and even happiness, are byproducts. Friendship, meaning, impact, and love are the themes to live by." —James Altucher

Gabrielle Bernstein: You Can't Fake Authentic Power

Gabby is a contemporary spiritual guru who made love cool for our generation. Not romantic love, but love as a collective force for social good and personal empowerment. She's possessed of this unique, no-nonsense style and unfailing ability to elevate the energy of a room wherever she goes (even if it's just her voice in the book you're reading).

"When I was 25, I became a devotee of the spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson. One of her books in particular hit me straight in the heart: A Woman's Worth. After reading the following passage, I was awakened to a power source within me I had never recognized before:

A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having had it bestowed on her, but having passed her tests. She has suffered, and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proved she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power.

"At the time, I couldn't comprehend what it would feel like to 'rule with authentic power,' but it sounded fantastic. I wanted to perceive myself as a powerful woman, but deep down, I felt like a weak girl seeking my self-worth from outside circumstances. This passage helped me recognize that there are no shortcuts on the path to my authentic power. I would have to show up for life's assignments and pass my tests to release all that was blocking me from being my highest self.

"I've come to understand that my outside need for approval is what blocked my authentic power. Once I became willing to stop looking out there and look inward instead, my entire life changed. I began to earn my serenity, and learned to find my source of peace and purpose from an inward condition. My neediness melted away, my insecurity weakened, and my self-doubt transformed into self-assurance. In time I became a queen, and today I live in my authentic power.' —Gabrielle Bernstein

Over the years, I too have learned that you can't hustle nonstop to the top, that meaning is more important than money, and that if you are willing to allow your true self—flaws and all—to be seen, you'll experience genuinely incredible things.

Something struck me when writing this week's column. These lessons have a common theme underpinning them: You kind of always know the truth, don't you? We know we have to take care of ourselves physically and mentally, and at our cores, we know that love, truth, and authenticity are the only lasting sources of happiness and satisfaction.

The beautiful thing is that your inner GPS is always there to guide you, and it's available on demand when you get quiet and decide to tune in and listen. Almost all of the lessons I've learned the hard way have happened when I've betrayed my inner guiding system. For instance, trusting people who let me down, dating people who were wrong for me, or staying in a job I resented for too long. I've finally learned to trust my inner knowing, and because no one else is me, I do not have to prove my knowing to anyone else. Neither do you.

So in the words of Arianna Huffington, "Onward, upward, and inward!"

Susie Moore is Greatist's life coach columnist and a confidence coach in New York City. Her new book, What If It Does Work Out?, is available on Amazon now. Sign up for free weekly wellness tips on her website and check back every Tuesday for her latest No Regrets column!

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13 Ways to Switch Up Scrambled Eggs So You Never Get Tired of Them

Can Gastric Band Hypnosis Cure Obesity?

The results of quick-fix diets often don't last, as many people fall back into old eating and lack of activity habits after the weight is gone, and it is widely known that the key to obtaining your ideal weight is to make changes to your diet and lifestyle that you can stick with for life. It is considered that the safe weekly rate of fat loss is between 1lb to 2ib's per week.

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Mariah Carey's Diet of Only Two Superfoods Is Not a Great Idea

Celebrities are known for trying all sorts of crazy diets, but Mariah Carey’s takes the cake. (Don’t get too excited, cake is definitely not on the menu.) Carey told E! News she eats salmon and capers—that's it. “It’s really hard," she said. "I try to stick with the proteins. It’s the worst. But it works!”

Um, OK, a few problems here. First off, most people aren't going to stick to a diet they describe as "the worst." Plus, a healthy diet should make you feel great, which is pretty hard when you hate what you're eating every day.

Carey’s food choices are healthy—salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and capers are naturally low in calories. But eating two foods all day, every day is a bad idea, no matter how healthy they are. You won't get all the nutrients you need from eating fish and capers. Carey could at least add some fruits and veggies to the mix for a more balanced diet.

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27 Healthy Popcorn Recipes to Cure Any Snack Attack

People Are Saying Amy Schumer Is Too Fat to Play Barbie. Really, Guys?

News leaked this weekend that Amy Schumer is in talks to play Barbie in a live-action movie. But before we could get too excited about the rumors (will Barbie's satire be as on point as Amy's?), Twitter trolls came out in force, accusing Schumer of being too fat to play Barbie. Come again?

Schumer isn't a body double of the original Barbie doll. But no one is—those body dimensions are anatomically impossible. Plus, the storyline reportedly centers on the comedian being kicked out of “Barbieland” for not looking “perfect enough.” She spends the rest of the movie learning to love her body, which seems like a pretty perfect role for Schumer, especially considering the epic clapback she had for body-shaming trolls earlier this year: "This is how I look. I feel happy. I think I look strong and healthy and also like Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. Kisses!"

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A Guide to Major Weight Loss Medication

If you are curious about losing weight, you may wish to read more about Saxenda. Saxenda is one of the latest FDA verified medication related to weight maintenance. So let's discuss what actually Saxenda is. Well, it is not more than a medical treatment that assists your body to feel full immediately after you eat.

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Stun Your Folks With Your Bridal Beauty - Hire a Professional Makeup Artist!

An unblemished wedding day is a dream of every girl out there--- a day just for us, all splendour and twinkle. That said, the one thing that we have had our eyes on is how perfect these brides look on their D-day. An unblemished wedding day is a dream of every girl out there--- a day just for us, all splendour and twinkle. That said, the one thing that we have had our eyes on is how perfect these brides look on their D-day.

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Hair Care Tips For Curly Hair You Have Never Heard Before

Many women with curly or wavy hair aren't able to take proper care of their curls. Some complain that due to curls, they aren't able to care properly. This can be changed by following some simple hair care tips for curly or wavy hair.

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Orthotics - What Are They?

This is a branch of medicine. They deal with the manufacture and use of orhoses, or orthotics. These devices are used to help correct a person's function and posture. They are developed to help patients with many conditions, from having a congenital deformity to a stroke. This branch of medicine serves to minimize pain, maximize mobility and function, and prevent progression of a physical abnormality.

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8 Times When Being Mediocre Is More Than Just OK

In a world where we're constantly told to “Give 110 percent!” and “Take it to the limit!” it's no wonder people have such a hard time accepting mediocrity. But by the time you’ve reached adulthood, you've probably learned to accept mediocrity in at least some aspects of your life. Because, hey, you're never going to be perfect at everything. (Unless you’re Bradley Cooper—man, that guy is handsome.) Here are some moments where it’s totally OK to be just OK.

1. Staying in Bed Until the Last Second

Some mornings, you’re up at the crack of dawn working on that side hustle, hitting the gym, or journaling like a freakin’ pro. Other mornings? You hit the snooze button until it breaks, staying in that warm, womb-like bed until you’re forced to race around your room and dash out the door without brushing your hair. It’s called balance, people.

2. Eating the Same Sad Desk Lunch Every Day

Lunch is perhaps one of the finest mediocre meals. Sure, you could prepare an elaborate, healthy dish to bring to work, but there's nothing wrong with picking up a semi-edible salad that won't make you feel sleepy or bloated. Even better is devouring it at your desk while you surf the web and respond to your conservative aunt’s FB posts with the dankest memes.

3. Being Totally OK With Never Having Six-Pack Abs

You went to the gym but did not crush it, get swole, or leave it all on the floor, bruh. But you showed up, and sometimes, that’s good enough. Stop sweating it and celebrate the body you have—man boobs, belly jelly, cellulite, stretch marks, and all.

4. Having a Non-Instagram-Worthy Day

Today’s agenda: Wake up. Put on pants. Go to work. Return home. Repeat.

5. Being in a Totally Predictable Relationship

Did you meet in college? Hit it off after a couple of dates and move in together after two or three years? Don't worry if your relationship is more Jane the Virgin than Scandal. Not everyone needs to spontaneously fall in love while tripping at Burning Man, get married by an Elvis impersonator during an anti-Wall Street protest, and honeymoon in a remote region of Myanmar. It's all about the small, boring things—eating pizza together in bed, having a quickie so you don't miss Westworld, downloading Venmo so you can split rent. That's the good stuff.

6. Drinking Cheap Coffee Instead of Fancy Pour-Over

No one will ever say that drive-thru coffee is tastier than Hawaiian beans lovingly brewed with a French press, but who has time for that? Mediocre coffee is like mediocre pizza: better than nothing. Plus, a lukewarm cup of Dunkin' Donuts is way more nostalgic than single-origin, froth-topped joe served out of a soup bowl.

7. Enjoying Totally Forgettable Nights With Friends

And not because you mixed boxed wine with Fireball. Remember that time you and your bestie watched that movie (wait, which movie?) while chilling on your couch (wait, whose couch?) and ordered from that amazing take-out place (wait, what was that dish you always got?). Exactly.

8. Not Being the Life of the Party

Some people are happier hanging in a cozy corner and chatting with the same crew they’ve had since fourth grade. No need to force yourself to be an extrovert. Plus, you don't want that dip on the snack table to get cold. Oh, it's supposed to be served cold? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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5 Makeup Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

While ladies have been making up their faces for centuries, studies show that most of them make mistakes when applying it. The most common mistakes include: Using the wrong brushes This is common for people that are new in makeup. While the brushes might seem similar, they are meant for different roles. When you use the wrong brush you don't achieve ideal results. To be on the safe side you should always do your research and ensure that you buy and use the right brush. For your units to last for a long time take good care of them. This calls for you to regularly clean them.

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9 Strength Moves You Can Do at Home If You're Too Intimidated to Try a Pole Dancing Class

Weight Loss - Is Eating Too Quickly the Reason For Your Weight Gain?

If there is a mistake many of us make when it comes to diet and nutrition; it is eating too fast. You may or may not be aware you eat faster than you should. Your digestive system is able to metabolize food at a limited rate, and we often push it past its limits. The results are not surprising: there are consequences to eating too quickly

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Weight Loss - Four Steps To Help Control Your Cortisol Levels to Ensure Fat Loss

If you want to maximize the amount of fat loss you see with your program, one hormone you will want to ensure you have good control over is your cortisol level. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone, meaning it breaks tissue down. Now at first this might seem like a good thing. You need to break body fat down so you can become leaner. But not so fast. Cortisol also causes the breakdown of lean muscle mass, which then reduces your metabolic rate to a crawl. Also, too much cortisol in your system can also increase the risk of body fat accumulation around your waist. Not sounding so super anymore, is it?

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