We all know the feeling of hugging a friend or loved one and experiencing a rush of energy. As it turns out, that warm, happy feeling isn't just in our heads. There's new scientific evidence that shows that certain embraces also have a positive and powerful effect on hormones in our bodies.

Scientists at the University of Vienna have shown that certain embraces lead to a release of the hormone oxytocin in our bodies. Oxytocin is also released in large quantities in women during and after childbirth, effectively strengthening the bond between mother and child. The hormone is known to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and boost memory.

According to the Daily Mail, lots of embraces during a lifetime can also lead someone to become more empathetic.

But there is a catch.

Not all hugs result in a release of oxytocin. Neurophysiologist Jürgen Sandkühler told the Daily Mail that when we embrace strangers or people we don't like, the affect is reversed. In fact, these hugs can actually create more anxiety.

"This can lead to pure stress because our normal distance-keeping behavior is disregarded," Sandkühler said. "In these situations, we secrete the stress hormone cortisol."

So don't be afraid to go in for an embrace the next time you see a friend or a loved one, but remember to be careful who you hug.

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Too bad most of you missed the great interview Oprah had on her network last week.

Yes, she pulled in more than 12 million U.S. viewers for that two-part conversation with Lance Armstrong, and good for her, because the cold reality of media is that even Oprah needs ratings to pay the bills.

But we wish her segment with Nick Vujicic could've been just as popular.

Who's Nick Vujicic?

Well, for starters, he isn't an arrogant sociopath who expressed minimal contrition for trying to ruin the lives of those who spoke the truth.

And he isn't a professional athlete.

But he does surf, snorkel, golf and play soccer, which is only a big deal because he was born without arms and legs.

Nick was teased in school about his condition and attempted suicide when he was 10. But then he found the inspiration to make the most of his life. Now 30, he got married last year and travels the world to inspire others.

"I had parents who were my heroes," he says. "They always said: 'You can either be angry for what you don't have or be thankful for what you do have.'"

Here's the video clip with more Nick's motivational message:

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Tommy Carroll, a 20-year-old from outside Chicago, looks quite natural on a skateboard.

Carroll glides through skateparks with ease, mixing impressive tricks with dangerous spills. In his 10 years on the board he's developed an extremely impressive knack for the sport.

And oh yeah, did we mention he's blind?

Carroll, a sophomore journalism major at Northwestern University, was born with a retina cancer that blinded him by the age of 2. But that didn't stop him from picking up skateboarding in his free time.

As Carroll explains in this interview with Tony Hawk, when he rides at a new location he gradually familiarizes himself with each aspect of a skatepark. He'll use his senses to feel out his surroundings, and after a certain number of rides he says he usually feels comfortable enough to begin trying tricks.

You can see Carroll showing off his skills in the video below, which was produced by the Dutch retailer Perry Sports.

"I think everybody should know that everything happens for a reason," Carroll says in the video. "And that there's always a way to overcome an obstacle if you really want it enough."

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A stellar cross country runner in high school, Carroll is also an avid drummer.

(H/T to BuzzFeed)

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The definition of insanity, it's been said, is continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In the case of the Jets and Tim Tebow, things are clearly getting a little insane.

After zany coach Rex Ryan repeatedly passed over underthrowing Tebow for the underperforming Mark Sanchez and underwhelming Greg McElroy, ESPN reported that sources said Tebow refused to play in the team's Wildcat formations. In an exhausting game of “he-says-he-says,” Tebow claims that's nonsense. Some say Ryan quit on Tebow. Some say Tebow quit on the Jets.

The mere suggestion that Tebow might have quit got the would-be QB riled. He said that while he doesn't mind criticism about his performance, being called a quitter impugns "your character, your integrity, who you are as a man." (Read the The 7 Life Rules Tebow Follows.)

Letting go can be particularly tough for guys, experts confirm. "Men are often socialized to play with pain and play to the end, even if they end up destroyed in the process," says William Pollack, Ph.D., a psychologist and associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School who specializes on men's issues. "That’s because they feel as if their masculinity is at stake, and if they quit they'll be less of a man. They have to realize that the stronger man knows when to stop."

All of which made us wonder, whether in a marriage, a job, or a game of football: When is it actually the sane choice to face the facts, admit things aren’t working, and yeah, quit?

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D., is an expert in the area of motivational psychology who focuses on helping people succeed at their goals. (Click here for Halvorson's 13 Tips to Reach Your Fitness Goals.)

She says there are times, however, when it makes sense to give up -- if you're doing it for the right reasons. We should not quit, she says, if we think we won't succeed; persistence and hard work are more important than ability. (Tebow could actually learn to throw.)

Halvorson, however, cites three good reasons to abandon a goal:

*Lack of time. If you're already working two jobs and caring for a sick parent, say, you might as well put that dream of mastering professional badminton on hold.
*If the goal is costing you too much. You probably can complete a marathon, but if the pains in your feet during training turn out to be stress fractures, stop.
*When your goals compete. You want to put in 90-hour weeks so you can rule that law firm, but you also want to see your children grow up. Something has to give.

Is your New Year's resolution to get in shape? Try a leg-searing, heart-pounding plan from the star himself.
Click here for The Tim Tebow Workout.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

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'Tis the season to get your drink on -- and to buy bigger pants. But that doesn't have to be the case. Alcohol may be filled with empty calories, but it's not completely off limits if you want to look great without your shirt on. We polled leading experts for their strategies to imbibe without wrecking your quest for six-pack abs.

Follow the Golden Ratio
For hard liquor, drink a 4-to-1 water-to-booze ratio, suggests Cassandra Forsythe Ph.D., R.D. For beer, 2-to-1 will do. This will keep you full and fight hangovers, making sure you don't miss gym time the next morning.

Know What's in Your Glass

You don't have to count every calorie, but a ballpark estimate will keep you in check. Here's a cheat sheet to guide your choices. Keep in mind that serving sizes vary, so adjust accordingly.

• 12 ounces beer = 153 calories
• 12 ounces light beer = 103 calories

• 5 ounces wine (red) = 125 calories

• 5 ounces wine (white) = 121 calories

• 3 ounces sake = 117 calories

• 1 1/2 ounces liquor (80 proof/40 percent alcohol) = 97 calories

Not all light beer is flavorless swill. Check out our list of the Best Low-Calorie Beers.

Strike Preemptively
Gain the upper hand before you go out. Nutritionist Alan Aragon, M.S., recommends reducing the number of meals you eat that day so your overall calorie intake is in check. If you're going out on Friday night and usually eat four meals a day, reduce them down to one or two. (Just don't drink on an empty stomach. Duh.) You can also reduce the size of your meals instead of their frequency, eating more at the meal prior to hitting the town. To maximize their impact, include protein since research shows that it helps to keep you fuller. Or try one of these easy recipes to make your favorite comfort foods, like mac & cheese, waistline-friendly.

Pre-Game
If all else fails, get a workout in the day you plan on drinking. If you chow down high-calorie foods under the influence, a workout helps improve nutrient partitioning, shuttling incoming calories towards muscle building and repair rather than fat storage, explains Forsythe. (Try one of the most popular muscle-building, fat-blasting workouts in Men's Health and Women's Health history -- The New Spartacus Workout.)

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You were so ticked off about the NFL replacement refs that you can no longer make out Commissioner Roger Goodell's features of on your dartboard. In the middle of a Web search for explosives, you have a moment of clarity and stop to weigh your options. One is to stay home and contemplate your problems. The other is to get drunk, start a fist-fight, and drag-race. Which do you think is the better choice?

Botched calls by replacement refs have left a lot of NFL fans depressed. Even with the regular refs set to return, I'm sure there will be calls that will send you into a tailspin. If you're of sane mind you can put the NFL in perspective, but the question of how you handle adversity -- particularly the bigger problems in life that lead to depression -- may surprise you.

To simplify, get out your scorecard and start scoring for "drinking away" or "thinking away" your problems.

A clue can be found in one of my favorite books, Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. He explains that women suffer from depression more than men at a ratio of 2 to 1 because they ruminate on problems while men find distractions.

Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, who leads the Depression and Cognition Program at Yale University, says, "From a cognitive approach, paying attention to one's negative moods can increase thoughts of negative events, which eventually increases the quantity and/or intensity of negative feelings." In other words, thinking about your problems makes them worse.

That's 1-0 in favor of raising hell.

This might lead you to conclude that reckless behavior is a better approach. Never mind the other guy's face or the people with whom you share the road. Besides, once you come down from your buzz or adrenaline rush, your problem—not to mention the gutterpup in your jail cell—is still there.

Score one for "thinking away" to even things up.

The majority of the time, the problem is your mind. That's why taking your mind off it is often the solution.
That's two-one in favor of "drinking away." But don't fill up that beer funnel just yet.

Alcoholics Anonymous has an adage that there's no problem a drink can't make worse. Trading Aaron Rodgers for Tavaris Jackson on your fantasy team because you're hammered will only put you in a deeper hole. Immersing yourself in fantasy statistics, on the other hand, just might be the perfect way to take your mind off those unspeakable fantasies about Roger Goodell's dismemberment.

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The key is choosing a distraction that isn't destructive to you or others. If shopping makes you feel better and you are flush with cash, go for it. If, however, you are depressed about being in debt and unemployed, put that credit card away! It's the same with comfort food. A vat of macaroni and cheese might be the perfect remedy to cheer you up. It only becomes destructive if the very thing you're upset about is your weight.

We'll score this one a draw.

The argument against distraction is that avoidance can turn a simple problem into a train-wreck. Taking your mind off piles of laundry might attract buzzards. Disappearing for a week after a fight with your spouse might be the coup de grâce that gets you kicked out of the house.

Chalk one up for "thinking away" to knot us at two-two.

Before I show you an even better choice, the trick is to differentiate between dealing and ruminating. Complaining or worrying while going in circles is ruminating and leads to depression. Checking in with yourself, recognizing your patterns, and taking action is dealing and leads to a more fulfilling life.

Here's a checklist to use next time you feel depressed:
1. If you can do something to fix or ease the problem, do it immediately.
2. If the problem requires strategic thinking, take the time to come up with a plan.
3. If there's no (more) thinking required, let it go.
4. Find an innocuous distraction.

Getting drunk and fighting may be a better choice for warding off depression than ruminating, but it doesn't mean it's your best choice. Instead, the next time you're down in the dumps, find the right mix of strategic action and non-destructive distraction. If all else fails, consult two of the wiser sages on earth: Ben & Jerry.

-- Greg Dinkin is a Certified Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the author of three books including The Poker MBA. He explains in his TED talk how he used the power of both mind and body to lose 100 pounds.

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Most men gain weight throughout their wives' pregnancy. Unfortunately, guys don't have access to the one-day miracle weight loss plan that women utilize called giving birth. One minute, a woman is bursting at the seams with child, the next minute; she's 15 pounds lighter. Three months later, she's 30 pounds lighter. For men, what was once affectionately called "sympathy weight" is now referred to as "being fat". Once a guy is fat for a certain amount of time, he has officially "let himself go". And once he's "let himself go," it's not easy to get himself back. Here is a conversation with Jon Finkel, author of The Dadvantage.

***

ThePostGame: The tag line of your book is "Stay in Shape with No Sleep, No Time and No Equipment." When you had no time and weren't sleeping because of your newborn, did you gain some "new dad" weight on your own before writing your book?
JON FINKEL: It wasn't so much that I gained lots of weight as I just got completely out of shape. And it happened so much faster than I ever thought it could. The morning my daughter was born (scheduled delivery), I was excited about becoming a dad and I had energy to burn. I got up, put myself through a nice Master's swimming workout in the pool, showered and then we went to the hospital. That was June 10th. If you would have told me that my pool workout was the last time I'd exercise before July 4th, and that by Independence Day I'd have put on five pounds and I'd get tired just shooting a few free throws in my neighbor's driveway, I wouldn't have believed it.

TPG: What happened? How did you get so out of shape?
FINKEL: There are so many awesome things that come with being a dad, but the schedule of taking care of a newborn isn't one of them. Every involved dad goes through it, so it's no mystery, but when you're suddenly sleeping less than Al Pacino in "Insomnia" and you have so little time to make decent food that you know the name of your Burger King drive-thru guy, the odds of staying in shape aren't great. You top that off with a little stress and no time in your schedule to get to the gym, and it's a wonder all new dads don't end up on "The Biggest Loser." For me, personally, I've been a staff writer at magazines like Men's Fitness and Muscle & Fitness, and living an active lifestyle just goes along with that. When you're active, you eat a lot because you burn a lot of calories. After my daughter was born, my activity level dropped to zero, but my appetite stayed the same. A month of that led me to sweating like Patrick Ewing after only one lay-up.

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TPG: And this problem of having no time is where your idea for the book came from, right?
FINKEL: Yes. Because time is the one thing new dads who work simply don't have, I wrote the book with that always in my head. That's why "The Dadvantage" is short and meant to be read in one or two sittings. The other thing I kept in mind was that blocking off even a half hour a day for exercise just isn't feasible for most new fathers -- there always seems to be something that comes up to sabotage you. Knowing that, I took a long, hard look at my day-to-day schedule and the schedules of a few of my buddies with young kids and I found dozens of wasted minutes throughout the day. It's during those minutes that you can start burning calories or building muscle. You add up the push-ups, Baby Bjorn Squats, Burp Lunges (you'll learn about the last two in the book), and all the other stuff I came up with as one-minute exercises that you can do and it is possible to get in a good 15-20 minute workout that fits seamlessly into your schedule.

TPG: The first part of the book is called "Conquering the Countdown" and it deals with advice for men and their pregnant wives. If your wife is indulging in ice cream, tacos and potato chips to satisfy her cravings, how can you possibly stay away? Not to mention keep her from feeling guilty when she's rightfully eating for two and you're nibbling on your lettuce wrap?
FINKEL:That's a good point, and honestly, the idea of the book isn't to turn you into a macrobiotic vegan while your wife eats at IHOP. It's kind of the exact opposite. The premise of the book is that you're definitely going to be sharing the chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream, and you're never going to be able to resist polishing off the nachos your wife ordered, but if you're going to do that, which every guy pretty much does, you can counteract it a bit by fitting some of the exercises and workouts in the book into your day somehow. It's meant to make things easier for you, not harder. The diet portion of the book could not be simpler (or shorter).

TPG: What about when your wife can no longer exercise, or she's too tired or just doesn't feel like it anymore because she's eight months pregnant? It must be tough to say, "See you in a bit, honey, I'm heading to CrossFit!" How do you strike a balance between commiserating with how your partner might feel and taking care of your own needs?
FINKEL: This one is tough, and it might be a long answer, but I feel like there is a huge difference between sympathy and guilt. You were born a man. It is physically impossible for you to carry a child. No matter how uncomfortable or miserable your wife begins to feel towards the end of her pregnancy, you can't take her place. You should definitely feel sympathetic, but you should definitely not feel guilty. Of course, do whatever you can to help your wife out and make her feel comfortable (foot rubs comes to mind), but you are allowed to enjoy physical activity even though your wife can't.

Think about it this way: If you and your wife both loved playing tennis, and you sprained your ankle or pulled a hammy the last time you played, would you tell your wife not to play until your ankle or hamstring got better? Of course not. What does one thing have to do with the other? Why should your inability to enjoy a sport stop your wife from playing it? How selfish would you be if you said, "Listen, honey. I know you look forward to your tennis game every week, but my leg is killing me, I don't think you should play." The point is that you can be supportive of your pregnant wife and continue to enjoy working out. Of course, you don't have to rub it in. I wouldn't dress up like Bjorn Borg and start hitting forehands off the garage to remind her that she can't play, but just let her know that between your job, taking care of her and preparing to be a dad, you need the physical activity to work off some stress and clear your head.

TPG: Is there a void in our culture for looking after the father's health and fitness when it comes to pregnancy? We spend so much time obsessing over celebrity moms who are back in their bikinis in three weeks, or the opposite, the ones who might have a harder time shedding the baby weight -- but the media largely ignore what the dads look like before and after babies.
FINKEL: There is a huge void and that's why I wrote the book. If you're a guy and your wife is in the third trimester, what are you doing to get ready for your kid? Chances are you’ve got the house prepped: Crib, changing station, dresser, clothes, diapers, formula, infant bath, butt cream, baby wipes, bottles and on and on. You've probably got your wife all set as well: nipple pads, cabbage for sore boobs (trust me), What to Expect: Year One, cocoa butter, shea butter, Spanx, and whatever else your wife heard from her friends that she needs. Now, what about the guy? Does he have a list or a game plan for how to deal with being a new dad? Probably not. So he wings it, eats ten pounds of chicken wings and pizza a week and ends up on cruise control to middle age.

TPG: Why do you think this is how it is? And do you expect to see a shift?
FINKEL: I think that the very existence of so many men's fitness magazines speaks to the fact that yeah, guys care about their physiques almost as much as women, even though people don't pay as much attention to it. This concept has certainly taken off the last decade or two, and when you couple that with the modern family, where often both parents work and both equally share the parenting responsibilities, you have a situation where it's a fact of life that new dads need to schedule time to exercise and blow off steam right along with scheduling their next meeting or deciding whose night it is to give the baby a bath. Eventually, the kids get older and parents get their lives back ... But it's important not to put yourself in too big of a health hole that you can't dig yourself out. I don't know if there will be a huge shift, but maybe "The Dadvantage" will be the start. That would be cool.

TPG: What are the top three tips you'd give a new dad or a father-to-be right now to stay in shape?
FINKEL: In no particular order:

1) Look at your schedule and identify the minutes throughout the day that you waste. Then, instead of wasting those minutes, do a set of push-ups. For instance: When you turn the shower on and it's getting to the temperature you want, take those 50 seconds and crank out a set of push-ups. Get into this habit every day. If you can bang out even 20 at a time, that's 140 push-ups a week you weren't doing (if you shower every day, of course).

2) As for your diet, one of the easiest ways to consume wasted calories is through soda, fruit juice, alcohol and sports drinks. If you commit to only drinking water during the week, you'll be eliminating thousands of calories a week from your diet right there.

3) For the new dad, every time you put your child in her removable car seat, do a set of 10-15 curls, nice and easy with each arm. Car Seat Curls are great because the weight automatically gets heavier as your child gets bigger. By the time your child is too big for the car seat, you'll have arms like Popeye.

-- Jon Finkel's "The Dadvantage -- Stay in Shape on No Sleep, With No Time and No Equipment" is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information on Jon, The Dadvantage, or his previous works, visit JonFinkel.com. Follow on him Twitter @3dollarscholar.

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Mike Higgins and his wife, Janet, are avid walkers. The couple, from Shropshire, England, received a pedometer from their daughter four years ago, and they've put it to good use.

Recently, Mike, 61, and Janet, 65, decided that instead of walking around their home in England, they wanted to see just how far their legs could take them. So the pair went on an incredible journey, walking all the way from Shropshire to Italy.

In total they walked 1,424 miles through four countries in 148 days. That would be the equivalent of someone walking from Boston to Miami.

"Each part of it was wonderful, there was something every day to enjoy, just a fabulous experience," Mike told the Daily Mail. "When something like this finishes almost immediately ordinary life takes hold and if you are not careful it can become like a dream and you wonder if you have really done it."

And this wasn't exactly walking through the plains. The couple traversed the Swiss Alps, at one point reaching an altitude of 20,319 feet above sea level.

Mike and Janet, who are both retired, finished their trip at an apartment they own in Ponte Caffaro, Italy.

For more photos of the couple and their journey, see here.

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By Nick Cannon
NickCannon.com

It has been so busy for me with the premiere of "America's Got Talent," but I still wanted to share the latest installment of the NCredible Health Hustle with you.

This episode is bittersweet because I had to make the tough decision to step down from my radio show, but I also returned as host of America's Got Talent. Watch the latest episode of the NCredible Health Hustle now, featuring behind the scenes footage for AGT.

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By Nick Cannon
NickCannon.com

I packed so much into this episode of the NCredible Health Hustle, from my hospital visit to me making some of the toughest career decisions I've ever had to make.

If you take anything away from this episode, it should be the importance of prioritizing, and knowing when to make the best decisions for yourself, your health and your family.

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