Today sucked. You felt tense, stressed, and sulky.

Want tomorrow to be different? Want to be in a better mood the whole day? It’s easy: Work out early, for about 20 minutes, before you start your day.

You probably already know that exercise is energizing.

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Every man needs to take an active approach to managing his own health for the better. Good habits, like regular exercise, are vital, and avoiding bad habits (or at least minimizing them) is also imperative. One of the most powerful influences on a man’s health is his diet, and as an extension of that, there are a number of herbs that can help support concerns specific to men, namely vitality, prostate health, and sex drive. Here are seven of those herbs and the positive results they can encourage.

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Fatigue, mood swings, night sweats and decreased libido are just a few of the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany menopause, a process that marks the end of a woman’s fertility, typically occurring around the age of 51.

Hormone replacement therapy, including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, is frequently offered as a treatment for menopause-related hormone imbalances; however, many people experience drug-related side effects. Long-term use and taking the incorrect dosage can contribute to some very serious health risks, including breast cancer, blood clots, myocardial infarction and stroke.

However, a report by EmpowHer.com lists five natural herbs that are helpful in reducing the irritating and sometimes painful symptoms associated with menopause.

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Do you ever wonder where you positive emotions went?

If your optimistic outlook on life has soured, then you should know that – beyond psychological approaches – nutrition plays a key role in maintaining your moods.

Here are some nutrients to research and test:

Amino Acids

As protein’s essential building blocks, amino acids play a key role in helping your brain function properly. When you aren’t getting enough amino acids in your diet, you may begin to feel depressed, unfocused, and sluggish.

B Complex Vitamins

According to a study conducted in 2009, more than a quarter of all older women diagnosed with severe depression were deficient in B complex vitamins, suggesting that these are far more important for our mental health that anyone previously realized.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiencies have not only been linked to depression, but to autism and dementia as well. The easiest time to become vitamin D deficient is during the fall and winter months, when we’re receiving less sunlight. According to the National Institutes of Health, adults need 600 IUs of vitamin D per day.

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Our bodies are around 60% water, give or take.

It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (the 8×8 rule).

Although there is little science behind this specific rule, staying hydrated is important.

Here are evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water.

Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance

Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body’s water content. However, it is not uncommon for athletes to lose up to 6-10% of their water weight via sweat.

This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercisefeel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.

Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent this from happening, and may even reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high intensity exercise. This is not surprising when you consider that muscle is about 80% water.

Hydration Has a Major Effect on Energy Levels and Brain Function

Your brain is strongly influenced by hydration status.

Studies show that even mild dehydration (1-3% of body weight) can impair many aspects of brain function.

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Its unique combination of fatty acids boast profound positive effects on health, including fat loss, better brain function and many other remarkable benefits. Now Brazilian scientists say it could also be heart healthy.

In a study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolismthe scientists studied a strain of rat prone to hypertension. The team from the Biotechnology Center at the Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil found that both coconut oil and exercise training were able to reduce weight gain compared to animals that were given saline and were not exposed to the exercise training protocol along the 5 weeks of study.

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Lifestyle changes and medicines are equally effective in preventing men and women with prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes, a new analysis finds.

Previous research has shown that lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet and regular exercise, and use of medicines to lower blood sugar levels can delay or prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes in people with prediabetes.

However, it wasn’t known what effect, if any, gender might have on the effectiveness of these interventions, the researchers from Austria said.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review that assessed potential sex-specific differences in effects of preventive interventions in prediabetic people,” wrote Dr. Anna Glechner, of Danube University Krems, and Dr. Jurgen Harreiter, of the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues.

People with type 2 diabetes don’t make or use the hormone insulinproperly. Insulin is needed to convert glucose from food into energy. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, is linked to being overweight and sedentary.

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Getting rid of your belly bulge is important for more than just vanity’s sake. Excess abdominal fat—particularly visceral fat, the kind that surrounds your organs and puffs your stomach into a “beer gut”—is a predictor of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and some cancers. If diet and exercise haven’t done much to reduce your pooch, then your hormones, your age, and other genetic factors may be the reason why. Read on for 11 possible reasons why your belly fat won’t budge.

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Everyone enjoys a good laugh. But, did you know that it is actually good for you? A little laughter on a regular basis can go a long way towards improving your life. Here are 4 scientifically backed reasons to lighten up and squeeze out a few giggles more often.      

Boost emotional health. Laughter releases the feel-good hormones dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These little guys work to improve your moods, enhance your experiences, and even reduce stress and pain.

Appear more attractive. Catching someone’s eye may be as simple as offering their jokes a light chuckle. That’s right, laughing can actually make you more attractive to others. According to research, women tend to prefer a man with a sense of humor, while men prefer women who laugh at their wit.

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Here’s another good reason to consider choosing organic fruits and vegetables: the case of a 10-year-old girl who had an anaphylactic reaction to a slice of blueberry pie. Her clinical course has alerted allergists to the possibility that some people can have a severe allergic response to antibiotic residues in food. The young patient had a history of asthma and seasonal allergies as well as anaphylaxis to penicillin and cow’s milk, but she had no known allergy to the ingredients in the pie.

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