On Sunday, 25-year-old Tatyana McFadden will line up with 45,000 other runners in the starting corral of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But this champion marathoner (she’s won Chicago four times and holds the women’s wheelchair course record, in addition to being a Paralympics sprinter) has had to work harder than most of her fellow competitors to get where she is today. Read the full story on Shape.com.
Shape.com
Do Older Moms Live Longer Lives?
You love your work—and you finally scored that huge promotion. You’ve just bought a one-way ticket to backpack through Europe. You don’t want to trade city life for the ‘burbs just yet. All compelling reasons to wait until your 30s—or older—to have children. In fact, a new study suggests an interesting link between later childbirth and reaching a ripe old age. Read the full article on Shape.com.
The Dark Side of Antidepressants
What if aspirin sometimes made your head throb more, cough syrup started you hacking, or antacids churned up your heartburn? At least one medicine can have nearly the opposite of their intended effect—SSRIs, a common type of antidepressants. In certain cases, these drugs actually increase the chances you’ll want to hurt yourself. Read the full article on Shape.com.
Is Your Diet a Cult?
You started out with good intentions—you just wanted to lose weight, feel better, or eat cleaner. But now you’re preaching the gospel of Paleo, spending weekends searching for low-fat diet studies to debunk, and hurling Twitter insults at former friends who dare to eat wheat. Read the full article on Shape.com.
Did Your Doc Get it Right?
Misdiagnoses are more common than you think—here’s how to make sure you’re receiving the right care from your physician. Read the full article on Shape.com.
Are You Suffering from Secondhand Stress?
Picture this: You’re quietly enjoying your Americano and catching up on email when your cubemate starts melting down over her bad performance review. Or you’re about to stream last week’s episode of Scandal when your friend texts you about the major drama with her off-again guy. Even though nothing’s actually changed in your life, you may feel your blood pressure surge and your heart beat faster, just as if you were the one coping with tension and pressure. Yep, stress can spread just like a virus—and like the flu, it can make you sick, experts say. Read the full article on Shape.com.
5 Surprising Ways Stress Affects Your Workout
Fighting with your guy or having your brilliant (or so you thought) ideas vetoed in a meeting can compel you to head straight to the weight room or the running path—and for good reason. A serious sweat session zaps stress, releasing tension and anger, and boosting levels of feel-good brain chemicals including endorphins. Read the full article on Shape.com.