Harvard Health Content API

Kettlebells can add depth to home workouts as they are easily stored and can be used to perform virtually any type of movement for an all-around workout that hits the major muscles. Kettlebells look like balls or bells with handles on top and range in weight from five to 30 pounds and higher. While they can function similarly to dumbbells, kettlebells can provide a more challenging workout, as a person needs muscle strength, balance, core stability, flexibility, and coordination to control its weight.

Active surveillance (AS) is the most common choice for men facing a diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer, in which the tumor is confined to the prostate gland and unlikely to grow or spread. Men can potentially continue AS indefinitely until their condition changes. There are situations in which they should move to treatment because the cancer has become more aggressive. Or they may be ready to stop if there has been no cancer progression or they no longer wish to continue with the regular monitoring and testing of AS.

A 2024 research review suggests that consuming a Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes plant foods and healthy fats, may reduce depression symptoms in people with depression.

A 2024 study suggests that women with polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition stemming from a hormonal imbalance, may face higher risks of cognitive decline at midlife.

A 2024 study suggests that younger women with migraines and early menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats may have higher cardiovascular risks at midlife.

The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by February. But people don’t have to tie their personal improvement to a calendar date. Reinvention can begin at any time, making any day a fresh opportunity to stretch toward a long-wanted goal. People should break down their one-year goal into a process to accomplish it. Helpful strategies include writing goals down; breaking them into steps; tracking progress; being accountable; and tying progress to an event.

Contrary to common assumptions, new allergies can emerge well into adulthood. New food allergies are more common than new seasonal ones, and shellfish is the most prominent late-emerging allergen. Women are more likely to develop food allergies in adulthood than men and to grapple with severe food-related anxiety. Some people with childhood allergies, such as those to peanuts or pollen, stop having symptoms when they reach adulthood. People who experience potential new allergy symptoms should see their primary care doctor or an allergist.

In a 2024 study, people who exercised at least twice a week (for a total of at least an hour), for 10 years were less likely to report difficulty falling asleep or sleeping for less than six hours a night compared with people who were inactive for 10 years.

Traveling long or short distances can be tricky for people who have incontinence. Certain strategies can help: avoiding bladder irritants (such as caffeinated or carbonated drinks), practicing urge suppression techniques, speaking with a doctor about medications that can ease an overactive bladder, wearing clothes with easy-to-use fasteners, wearing “bladder leak” underwear, packing important supplies such as a change of clothes or a portable urinal, using bathroom locator apps, and scheduling bathroom breaks.

The Shingrix vaccine decreases the risk of developing shingles (herpes zoster), a painful and potentially serious condition. In some people, the reaction to Shingrix includes mild soreness, redness, swelling, or pain in the arm at the injection site. Some people also experience fatigue, headache, muscle achiness, stomach pain, nausea, fever, or chills and shivering for a day or two. Very rarely, people have an allergic reaction. There is no evidence that anything will prevent a reaction to Shingrix.