Perhaps because of their association with hot dogs and processed meats, nitrates and nitrites have earned a bad reputation. But truth be told, you’re probably getting the majority of these naturally occurring elements from vegetables, which absorb ni

‣ DAILY NUTRITION FACTS

FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH, WELLNESS & INSPIRATION ‣ OPPORTUNITIES TO EXERCISE ARE ALL AROUND YOU. TAKE A STROLL AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND SCOUT LOCATIONS WHERE YOU CAN POWER OUT SOME STRENGTH TRAINING. FOR EXAMPLE, A PARK BENCH LENDS ITSELF TO DIPS, PLAN

Whether you’re in the best shape of your life or could use a dose of motivation, our brand-new Fitness Quests are for you! Each 30-day plan has a specific goal to keep you engaged, such as hiking Mount Everest, building to a five-minute plank or exec

a good pair of shoes seemslike a no-brainer for resistance training, yet every now and then, you’ll see a super-fit person crushing a workout in bare feet. Is there something to this, or is it just some peculiar personal preference? Our dynamic duo o

FEED YOUR BODY, MIND AND CURIOSITY ‣ LOOKING FOR SUMMERTIME HYDRATION? TRUE TO ITS NAME, WATERMELON IS MORE THAN 90 PERCENT WATER. IT’S HIGH IN VITAMINS A AND C, AND IT ALSO CONTAINS CITRULLINE, AN AMINO ACID THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE MUSCLE SORE

It might not be familiar, but hesperidin is a flavonoid compound found in citrus fruit, which can be of benefit to athletes. A new study published in Antioxidants suggests hesperidin supplementation may be a natural way to improve how efficiently you

WORK YOUR BODY, STRETCH YOUR LIMITS ‣ IT’S PROBABLY SAFE TO ARGUE THAT A DEADLIFT ENGAGES MORE MUSCLES THAN ANY OTHER BARBELL LIFT, BUILDING FUNCTIONAL AND ATHLETIC STRENGTH AS WELL AS LEAN MUSCLE MASS AND POWER. LEARN ALL THERE IS TO KNOW — AND MORE

Think you have what it takes? Send your story to futureoffitness@oxygenmag.com. Winston-Salem, North Carolina Stats: 44 • 133 lb • 5’5” Gig: Certified personal trainer Fettucine Fiasco. Kimberly Kenney had been on high blood pressure medication for 1

IF YOU’VE BEEN FEEDING YOUR CORE nothing but plain old planks and common crunches, chances are you’re bored witless — and all progress in the ab department has come to a standstill. As with all bodyparts, variety is imperative when it comes to core t

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Don't miss out on living your healthiest life. Find Talk Healthy Today on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher ■

With a nutrition plan, there are no absolutes. That being said, you have to start somewhere. This two-week Flexible Fat-Loss Meal Plan uses a baseline of 1,600 to 1,800 calories per day with a ratio of 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 30 perc

What’s in a name? If it happens to be “deadlift,” then a whole bunch of fear and loathing among the lifting gen pop. The moniker is apt, though. Not that a deadlift will literally kill you, but if you’re doing it right, you’ll be dead tired afterward

These days, you can bite into a veggie burger that “bleeds,” chomp on chips made of fish skin and whip up a tuna salad with nary a swimmer in sight. Thanks to modern food technology, human ingenuity and the popularity of trendy and/or restrictive die

itamin D is best known for its role in building and maintaining bones, and in the past couple of years, it has taken center stage because of its anti-inflammatory capacity and role in boosting immunity. But this essential nutrient wears many more fun

emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), the therapeutic practice of “tapping,” is rooted in both traditional Chinese medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy. The idea is to acknowledge and verbalize your negative thoughts, fears and worries as you simul

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ISSA-CPT Model for “Built on the Beach” (Page 28) Claire P. Thomas grew up playing soccer and basketball and competing in track, and she went on to compete as a hurdler and heptathlete for the University of Oregon. “Now that I no longer participate i

If an award were given for “Hyphenate of the Year,” the phrase “plant-based diet” would win by a landslide. Recommendations abound urging you to eat more plants, which is not a bad idea given the well-documented positive effects of a veggie-full diet

growing up, Ellie Marie Manacchio realized that she didn’t look like her peers. “I was always the heavy kid in a room of super-thin friends,” she remembers. “My dad told me I was ‘big boned’ and that it was just our family’s genetics.” Manacchio came

AH, THE BEACH — THE SUN, THE SAND … THE WORKOUT? WHY NOT! Sand is a forgiving surface, reducing the force of normally high-impact moves such as plyometrics. It’s also unstable, requiring all those small, stabilizing muscles to play a bigger role than

after her mastectomy in 2019, April Capil was at a weigh-in for reconstructive surgery. She watched in disbelief as she saw the nurse add more weight to the arm of the scale until it read 204. “Here I was having major surgery to reduce my risk of a c

YOUR GUIDE TO FITNESS, FOOD AND LIFE ■

In recent years, the energy bar section of the supermarket has exploded. Yet with all the available options, it’s still a Sisyphean effort to find a product with real, whole ingredients that isn’t loaded with sugar, preservatives and whatever sketchy