Remember when exercise meant playing kickball with neighborhood friends and Capture the Flag during recess? As a kid, I never went in search of a new workout or felt like I needed to check it off my list for the day. I got a workout without even trying! Boy, when did exercise stop being fun?

On any given day, you probably find yourself sitting way too much. Many of us sit behind a desk all day at work then park our butts in front of a laptop or TV for a few more hours when we get home. But did you know that a mountain of research shows that too much sitting is bad for your health?

We have our reasons for picking each of these exercises, but with each one you’re just not getting the most bang for your buck when you use exercise machines. Why? For one, you usually end up not using the muscles you want to be targeting as much as you think, because your more dominant, stronger muscles end up doing most of the work.

Older adults at risk for getting diabetes who took a 15-minute walk after every meal improved their blood sugar levels, a new study shows. Three short walks after eating worked better to control blood sugar levels than one 45-minute walk in the morning or evening, said lead researcher Loretta DiPietro, chairwoman of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in Washington, D.C.

Is lacing up your running shoes and hitting the pavement getting dull? If you’re bored of your regular running routine, you’re more likely to skip a run altogether or go into it with low expectations. Besides battling boredom, when muscles are constantly doing the same thing, it’s easy for the body to hit a weight-loss or fitness plateau. It’s time to get out of that running rut! Here are some simple ways to mix things up.

Last weekend, I struggled though a 10K race. I have to admit, I wasn’t properly trained for it, but the hot, humid weather didn’t help either. I managed to make it through the first few miles without much trouble, but the final couple of miles really tested me. I knew if I wanted to finish the race, I needed to get my head in the game and mentally toughen up, so I used some motivational mantras to help pump me up. Here are a few that helped get me to the finish line!

Certain lifestyle changes could greatly reduce your stroke risk, according to a new study.bvResearchers calculated stroke risk among nearly 23,000 black and white Americans aged 45 and older.

Wearing a pedometer that tracks daily physical activity can motivate you to sit less, move more and perhaps shed unwanted pounds, a new study suggests. Researchers from Indiana University found this type of intervention was particularly helpful for workers who had desk jobs. And, they noted, pedometers are also an inexpensive way to target a large number of people.

Switch up your normal shoulder press with this reinvented version: The balancing overhead press. As you balance on one leg, your core becomes engaged and other muscles in the body are flexed to help steady your equilibrium. The movement of throwing the medicine ball from hand-to-hand works the shoulders, upper body, and back.

We all fib a little, but telling your co-worker her new haircut looks great (when what you’re really thinking is “oh my!”) is pretty harmless. Lying to yourself about your own eating habits on the other hand, can wreak some real mental and physical havoc; and a new study shows it may be pretty common.