HAPPY MEALS: What You Put in Your Stomach May Have a Significant Impact on What Goes on in Your Head

They say you are what you eat, but exciting new research suggests otherwise: You feel what you eat. Scientists are focusing on psychobiotics, a type of bacteria found in certain foods that can produce and deliver important chemicals like serotonin to the brain. Their findings could mean a whole new approach to treating mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. 

Fitness Quickie: Stronger in 3 Moves

Add this workout to your routine twice a week to build more muscle, fast. 

You can tone up in just a few moves when you use the right ones. In a study in the Journal of Translational Medicine, when exercisers went from an eight-machine workout to just three, they increased their resting metabolism by 18 percent. The secret? They targeted large muscle groups with heavier weights and shorter recovery intervals. 

The Scoop on Plant Waters

Move over, coconut water: New plant-based drinks are coming to a grocery near you. Here’s the lowdown (note that nothing beats the benefits of regular H20):

ALOE / ALODRINK.COM 

WHAT IT IS: It’s made from aloe vera juice and pulp, plus other ingredients like sugar and honey.
HEALTH CLAIMS: It’s promoted as a health powerhouse, full of vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.
TRY IT? Skip. It has 32 grams of sugar per bottle—that’s more than a candy bar. 

Can Wearing A Bra Cause Breast Cancer?

For years, there were rumors that wearing a bra might increase the risk for breast cancer by trapping toxins that can trigger tumors. But recently, a study of 1,500 women in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that your bras—no matter what type, how long you wear them or at what age you started wearing them—don’t lead to cancer. (So go ahead and leave on that jog bra all day.)

You Snooze, You Win!

Need another reason to make “Get more sleep” your New Year’s resolution? According to a study in the journal Sleep, skimping on shut-eye increases your odds of getting sick, leading to more missed days at the office. 

Women who sleep 5 or fewer hours per night miss about five more workdays per year due to illness than those who get about 7 . hours. A big sleep enemy: electronics. So skip Candy Crush or a Netflix binge before bed and crack open a book instead.

The Ripple Effect

#Fitspo followers, prepare to take it up a level. The hottest body hashtags on Instagram are #fitabs and #situps. Forget skinny: this time we all want sixpacks. Start with a stretch and these secrets from the ab experts.

THE MODELISER
LA-based “body stylist” Nonna Gleyzer (bodybynonna.com) sculpts superbodies Gisele and Stacy Keibler. Her surprising advice: ditch killer crunches. “I don’t like overdoing them — it sends stomach muscles into spasm and can expand a woman’s rib cage so she actually looks wider,” Gleyzer explains. “And they give you short-looking abdominals, not that long definition women want.” Her go-to exercise is the “elephant” move, performed on a Pilates reformer. “I never do a lot of repetitions of any move — it also shortens muscles. I’ll do 10 or 15, have a little break, then switch to a different Pilates exercise.” If doing Pilates on a mat, focus on your back first. “I always have the spine supported by a yoga bolster so when you do ab work the stomach muscles are only responsible for the stomach, not the back. It lifts the intensity without risking injury.”

‘Bootox’ The New Lunchtime Leg Slimmer

For anyone who struggles to zip up their knee-highs, calf Botox (dubbed ‘bootox’) is the new quick-fix cure – but is it worth it? Forget glass slippers – if Cinderella was going to the ball in 2014, she’d be all about the knee-high boots. 

At least, that’s if her fairy godmother could help zip them up. It turns out 40 per cent of women say they struggle to fit into the most obligatory of winter footwear – no matter what size or weight they are. But now cosmetic surgeons reckon they’ve got the answer. Promising to reduce calf circumference by 2cm, ‘bootox’ has hit just in time for Christmas. ‘The procedure involves injecting Botox into your calf muscles to relax them. This changes the contour of your calves, reducing their size for up to six months. The treatment cost round $400 and involves lying face down and having about ten jabs in each leg. But in ten minutes you will be walking back to work straight afterwards.’