Foods with bright, rich colors are more than just nice to look at. They’re also packed with flavonoids and carotenoids, powerful compounds that bind the damaging free radicals in your body, lowering inflammation. (Sadly, skittles do not count.) Eat nine fistfuls of colorful fruits and vegetables each day and you’ll reap the benefits without having to give up other foods. Whenever I shop the produce aisle, I’m reminded that these foods are often more powerful than the drugs sold in pharmacies. My favorites are arugula and blueberries.

Yoga is the most important exer cise of my daily routine. Being surrounded by beautiful women in spandex should be reason enough for you to join a class, but if you need more motivation, consider this: Yoga eases stress, lowers blood pressure, slows heart rates, and increases flexibility. And there’s nothing mystical about it. Loosening your muscles will make them more adaptable, so you may be less likely to injure yourself playing sports. Sure, some of the poses may look ridiculous, but that’s for a reason you’ll learn quickly enough. Yoga can reach and work muscles that are ignored during routine sports and daily life. My favorite maneuver is the sun salutation.

Studies show that valerian not only reduces the time required to fall asleep, but also limits nighttime awakenings. “It acts like a natural Valium, reducing anxiety,” says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., director of the sleep medicine center of Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, and MH’s sleep-medicine advisor. For best results, mix 1 teaspoon of valerian tincture with a glass of water, and drink the mixture an hour before bed. We like HerbPharm’s organic valerian extract

Most guys excel on the leg press because it’s a guided movement. The squat is different; it challenges your legs, but it requires balance and coordination and involves strong upper-body muscles. Your core strength influences how much weight you can carry, because when you squat with a heavy weight on your back, your core muscles must keep your spine stable and protected.

Strengthen your core and add weight to your squats by performing exercises such as Romanian deadlifts, planks, or woodchoppers. After about a month of consistent training (3 days a week), go back to the squat. You’ll be amazed at your improvement.

1. Almonds

These nuts provide a rich source of cholesterol-lowering sterols, but Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., a cholesterol researcher at Stanford University, credits monounsaturated fat with most of the benefit. Unlike saturated fat, the mono kind doesn’t block the removal of LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream.

2. Apples

Earlier this year, Cornell University researchers found that eating one Red Delicious apple a day can block LDL oxidation, resulting in an 8 percent drop in levels. Bonus: Apples (and their skins) contain soluble fiber, the kind that scrubs artery walls clean. Cut one up and mix it into your oatmeal, another top source.
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