L.A. Walks: Upper Fanklin Canyon Reservoir

I only recently discovered this hidden country-in-the-city hiking spot, set below Mulholland Drive, west of Coldwater Canyon, and just...

Fitness: Exercise apps for your smartphone

Forget Angry Birds. Your smartphone can be a powerful tool for improving your overall fitness if you give it half a chance.

Are raspberry ketones a 'miracle' fat burner? Dr. Oz weighs in.

Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell....

Five Questions: Randy Jackson on Type 2 diabetes

Randy Jackson is known for providing measured critiques to aspiring singers on Fox's "American Idol," but in his private life, he's had to...

Gear: Big wheels rule

The revolution is over — and big wheels have won. The "29er" mountain bike, which first appeared on the scene a decade ago with...

Nighttime fasting may foster weight loss

In an age of long commutes, late sports practices, endless workdays and 24/7 television programming, the image of Mom hanging up her dish...

HBO's 'The Weight of the Nation' is a wake-up call for America

Next week, the combined efforts of an entertainment giant, a health insurance titan, a group of academic heavyweights, a technology...

Abs joining apps on tech firms' to-do list

SAN FRANCISCO — Dustin Moskovitz, at 27 the world's youngest billionaire, gained fame and fortune after founding Facebook with Mark...

Should Obama ban photo ops with foods like burgers and fries?

What could be more American than hot dogs and apple pie? Perhaps it’s no wonder that politicians spend much of their time on the...

Try This! Firm up with step-ups

Teens in California, which patrols school food, eat less fat, sugar

Anyone who’s gone on a diet knows: It’s easier to avoid potato chips if you don’t have any.

5 Questions: 'Top Chef' judge Gail Simmons

Being surrounded by delicious food all day sounds like a decent way to make a living. And according to Gail Simmons, a judge on Bravo's "Top...

Pantry Raid: A diet of good intentions

Most of us are too plump and are overly fond of snacks, fast food — and food in general. So why did two lean young women who dine on...

Gear: Cardio exercise machines add fun features

Time does not pass quickly when you're going nowhere fast. Suddenly, however, a new crop of stationary cardio exercise machines has...

5 Questions: Montel Williams confronts MS head on

Montel Williams is not your typical pot-smoking snowboarder.

5 Questions: Leven Rambin's lean, mean routine for 'Hunger Games'

In "The Hunger Games,"actress Leven Rambin plays a teenage girl who has trained since childhood to fight to the death in a post-...

Southwest Museum / Eldred stairs

You don't have to fight the crowds in Santa Monica Canyon to get a great stairway workout. You can hike the historic wooden Eldred stairs in...

To effect change, should the 99% go vegan?

Circus training without feeling like a clown

I always dreamed of running away and joining the circus, and then on a recent Wednesday I did — and took my whole family with me. We...

Gear: Resistance cord workouts

Home workout products made of resistance cords, including stretchy rubber tubing and retractable nylon cables, usually don't get much...

Beauty might be a matter of dietary makeup

Please don't take this wrong. You look absolutely fine the way you are. It's just that ... well, with a little work, you might look even...

Try This: Go ahead and jump

Michael "Frosti" Zernow likes to vault, flip and catapult his way from A to B. The Santa Monica-based professional parkour athlete and...

Sounding the sugar alarms

Worried about trans fat or salt? That's a little old-school. If you want to stay current on dietary villains, you'll want to start...

Try This! Close-to-wide squat

You don't need a gym or pricey fitness machines to get a great workout. Here Jackie Warner (www.jackiewarner.com), star of Bravo's fitness...

Gadget: Gruve helps mine every little calorie burn

When it comes to weight control, exercise doesn't matter. Non-exercise is what counts.

Five Questions: Sean Astin

Actor Sean Astin — a.k.a. Samwise Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings" — trekked across much of Middle-earth wearing hairy...

Weight loss study: Fads not as helpful as exercising, eating less

Nearly two-thirds of Americans who are obese try to lose weight, and about 40% of them actually succeed. How did they do it? The old-...

Try This! Skateboard pike

A look at new camping and hiking gear

With summertime weather hitting lots of the country in late winter this year, overnight backpacking trips can now conveniently move to April...

Shilajit is unproven yet touted as a panacea for many ills

It has a smoky, bitter taste, a deeply unpleasant odor and bears a close resemblance to black gobs of tar. Pricey tar, mind you: 10 grams (a...