The squat is a great exercise for building your quads and hamstrings, but a slight tweak can help you work even more muscle. Squatting with a wide stance increases the activation of your glutes.

What’s more, setting your feet about twice hip-width apart, as the study participants did, doesn’t lessen the impact on your quads and hamstrings.

But be careful: Weak glutes can make your knees cave in. Keep your knees in line with your toes by pushing outward with your knees as you stand back up.

Go ahead: Talk yourself up, say professional trainer and researchers. In a test of vertical-leaping ability, people who said “bend and drive” out loud jumped higher than when they didn’t give themselves an instructional talk. The researchers say verbalizing the action may influence your brain’s cerebral cortex to activate more muscle fibers. As for those muscles, do box jumps: Squat, jump onto an 18- to 24-inch box, and then step down. Complete 3 sets of 5 reps, resting 3 minutes between sets.

Presbycusis (old-age deafness) happens when your sensitive inner-ear hairs stop sending messages to your brain.

Prevention

A diet high in antioxidants can have a protective effect on long term hearing. So eat seedy fruit like pomegranate. Better for your ears than seedy nightclubs.

Step 1:

Assume the up position of a pushup, with your hands just past shoulder width and your body in a straight line.

Step 2:

Brace your abs and hold them that way for the entire exercise.

Step 3:

Slowly walk your hands out in front of your head until your back begins to “collapse” in other woes, the point at which your hips start to sag.

Step 4:

Walk your feet forward so your body is back in the starting position of a pushup, and then repeat.

Step 5:

Complete a total of 6 to 10 repetitions.

A full stomach could improve your appearance. Eating before you train speeds muscle growth, according to professional trainer and researchers. But the secret to more growth is consuming the right combination of nutrients to boost protein synthesis after a workout. Participants ate a 570-calorie meal consisting of 52 percent carbs, 34 percent protein, and 14 percent fat an hour before exercising.

A study of professional nutritionist found that chocolate could help improve your brain activity.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in making chocolate can counter mood depression. Cocoa stimulates the mood to make you feel happy and the caffeine substance in it fuels alertness; both factors help the brain to work better.

In addition, a sharper focus coupled with smiles throughout the day.

You already know that slurping soda will rot your pearly whites, but now a new study shows that drinking milk may actually help prevent tooth decay. Professional researchers soaked teeth in orange juice or diet Sprite, and then doused them in milk, artificial saliva, or water. Turns out, the teeth exposed to milk had less enamel erosion than the ones immersed in the other two liquids.

The calcium in milk may bind to the acid from the juice and soda, decreasing its effect on enamel erosion. Who’s going to chase pop with milk? No one. So just skip to the last step: Option for dairy, not soda.

Don’t wait until you’re in a nursing home to eat prunes. Eat up now-a chemical in dried plums may keep your arteries clear. Scientists and nutritionist found that mice that consumed prune powder had less plaque in their arteries than mice on a prune-free diet. The mechanism isn’t yet identified but certain flavonoids in the fruit may help prevent the inflammation that can damage blood vessels. More studies will determine if the fruit has the same effect in humans.

The most common cancer in men over 75. As the gland swells, side effects include incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Prevention

The Australian Cancer Council found ejaculating more than five times a week in your 20s and 30s cuts the risk of prostate cancer in later life by a third. The report said masturbation is more effective than sex, so take matters in hand.

If pollen is making you miserable, a cure could be waiting in the produce aisle. Eating broccoli sprouts may help you breathe easier, say nutritionist. In the study, people who ate 7 ounces of sprouts for 3 days saw up to a 200 percent increase in the production of proteins that make antioxidants in their nasal cells. The nutritionist believe these antioxidants help fight off the inflammation that causes allergies. Credit the sprouts’ high content of sulforaphane, which triggers the increase.