Productopia | Lisa Maloney

Exercisers with joint injuries often flock toward the low-impact workout of an elliptical trainer. Because your feet never come off the elliptical's pedals, you can run as fast as you want without having to endure the usual impact with every footfall. But as Dr. Mi`chele S. Olson, an exercise physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine, explains, the pedal-based workout can also contribute to what some have dubbed "numb foot" or "sleepy-foot syndrome."

"The constant pressure on the foot can compress both the nerves serving the muscles in the feet as well as the blood vessels that supply oxygen-fresh blood to the foot muscles," she explained in an email interview. Dr. Olson also warned that wearing too-tight shoes, or shoes with a lot of wear and little padding, can increase your likelihood of numb feet during an elliptical trainer workout.

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Many juicers and blenders excel at predictable tasks like juicing and making smoothies, but high-end versions of these machines are being pushed further and further into multitasking territory.

For high-end blenders, this means more power and pitchers shaped to funnel food smoothly into the spinning blades. Among juicers, masticating models -- which use rotating augers or gears to slowly crush produce -- show the most multitasking ability. Some can even make foods like nut butter, pasta and baby food.

So which machine is a better investment? Consider how each appliance would fare in this head-to-head boxing match: Read more

Your feet and your breasts both need support when you run, but a company that's mastered foot support doesn't necessarily excel at keeping the ladies in check. Several companies well known for their running shoes, including New Balance and Nike, placed surprisingly low in our latest report on sports bras. In fact the only two running shoe companies that placed well were Asics and Brooks Sports (which produces Moving Comfort sports bras). Read more

While researching our report on the best weight-loss programs, we learned that the key to keeping weight off is making sustainable, long-term changes. If you don't address -- and adjust -- the habits that put the weight on in the first place, it'll just come right back. Still, it's hard to resist the lure of celebrity diets, plans that promise to help you quickly, easily shed the pounds and look just as glamorous as the stars. But these fad diets usually don't live up to their promises; here are just a few reasons why. Read more