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As long as she gets to dance, Makayla Evans says she’ll be OK.

It’s been that way since Evans, now 22, started dancing 20 years ago. Regardless of the state of her relationships or the trials she’s going through, dance has “always been my one constant love,” she tells TODAY.com.

But Evans stopped taking formal dance classes after she graduated from high school and aged out of her lifelong dance studio. The loss stung, affecting her mentally and physically and leading to a 40-pound weight gain. “Something I’ve known my whole life is all of a sudden gone,” Evans says, “and that was obviously hard … when you put your whole identity into something and then it goes away.”

Gone were the days she’d move for four to six hours per week, and her body missed the sensation. So, she turned to other activities — ones she associated with adulthood. Evans launched herself into an intense fitness streak and lost the weight. When she injured her ankle at the gym, she joined a circus class where her exercise routine was suspended in silks and the Lyra, an aerial hoop.

“I just wanted the sensation of spinning like I did in dance, so I replaced that within the air, just so I can feel like I was a turner again,” Evans says. But after one too many bruises from the hoop and more weight gain, she found herself thinking of dance again.

So, she returned to it in August 2023. When she couldn’t find an adult dance program for experienced dancers in her Texas town, she reached out to one an hour away that allows her to take ballet classes with high school students three to four days per week. The commute is long but it’s worth it.

Since then, Evans has posted about her dance progress on TikTok, where she’s gone viral for her 80-pound weight loss from 220 pounds. Dance, she says, was the solution. It…

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In the wake of the Food and Drug Administration banning Red Dye No. 3 from foods, dietary supplements and oral medications, many people are wondering: What products contain Red 3?

The Red 3 ban will not go into effect until early 2027 for food and early 2028 for drugs, according to the FDA. So it’s good to check the ingredient lists for the dye until then, experts say.

Research shows Red No. 3, which is used to give products a bright red hue, can cause cancer in animals, NBC News reported. Many food safety advocates have been concerned for decades about the substance’s presence in the U.S. food system.

“We’re thrilled that the FDA has finally taken action to remove this unneeded color additive for the market and in so doing has followed the clear dictates of the law,” Dr. Peter Lurie, president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), tells TODAY.com.

“In the absence of lobbying by the industry, I think we would all expect this product to have been banned decades ago,” he adds.

In a statement about the ban, the International Association of Color Manufacturers told NBC News that it “remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the highest safety standards. … Our members will continue to comply with FDA regulations.”

Did the FDA ban Red Dye 3?

Yes. The FDA said it is banning the use of Red Dye No. 3 due to evidence that the synthetic color additive can cause cancer in animals. But the additive will still be present in some foods sold in the U.S. in until early 2027 and in some drugs until early 2028.

The agency says that under a clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), the FDA is not allowed to authorize any color additive “if it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals.”

Jim Jones, the agency’s deputy director for human foods, said there is “evidence” of “cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red Dye No. 3” in a statement to NBC News.

Red Dye No. 3 has not been…

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Antibiotics are a powerful tool in fighting bacterial infections like strep throat, whooping cough or a urinary tract infection. But they can leave the patient with nausea, diarrhea or an upset stomach.

That’s because antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately. They eradicate the malicious bugs causing illness and the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract that help the body digest and absorb nutrients — disrupting the balance of microbes in the gut, experts say.

“As they’re fighting the bugs that are making you sick, they’re also killing the good bugs that are in our intestines,” Lauri Wright, Ph.D., a registered dietitian, associate professor and director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida, tells TODAY.com.

“They can wipe out a lot of the good bacteria that are in the gut.”

Antibiotics can also cause villi, the little finger-like projections in the intestines that move things along, to lie flat, which can lead to problems with nutrient absorption, Wright adds.

People can experience antibiotic-associated diarrhea, nausea, bloating and cramping, says Theresa Gentile, a registered dietitian in New York and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

But eating right can help diminish the gut flora disruption and restore a healthy balance of the beneficial bacteria.

“They can regrow and repopulate the gut with either foods or supplemental probiotics,” Gentile tells TODAY.com.

Antibiotics foods to eat

While taking antibiotics, the dietitians recommend adding the following to the menu:

Probiotic foods

These probiotic foods contain the healthy bacteria that help create a well-functioning gut.

They include:

• Yogurt with live cultures. But be careful because dairy can decrease the absorption of some antibiotics, like tetracycline, so always check the label on your medication for any food-drug interactions, Wright cautions.
• Kefir, a fermented milk beverage thinner than yogurt but creamier than milk.
• Fermented foods like…

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Whether you’re trying running for the first time or switching up your workout routine for the new year, you may be wondering whether it’s better to run longer or faster.

There’s nothing quite like a relaxed, long run with a good playlist. But shorter, high-intensity sprints can really work up a sweat. Which one is better for you?

Running longer and running faster both have benefits, and the best running style for you will depend on your experience, preferences, and goals. We spoke to sports medicine doctors about how each running style affects the body, the benefits and downsides, and how to decide whether running longer or faster is right for you.

Running faster benefits and risks

“The running longer, or traditional method, is about slogging through miles at a slower pace,” Dr. Todd McGrath, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery, tells TODAY.com.

Running for a longer distance or time has a number of benefits.

Builds endurance

Endurance refers to your body’s ability to maintain physical activity over a period of time. “The best way to build endurance is to create a situation that needs endurance, which is longer distance and longer time,” Dr. John Vasudevan, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Penn Medicine, tells TODAY.com.

There are two types of endurance. Cardiovascular, or aerobic, endurance is how well your heart and lungs work to supply the body with oxygen, per the Cleveland Clinic. Muscular endurance is how long your muscles can repeatedly contract against resistance.

“Running on the easier, longer side really builds the strength of your heart and (increases) the capacity of your lungs to get that engine working well,” says Vasudevan. “You also develop more muscular endurance by running longer and slower,” says McGrath.

Requires less recovery

Recovery between workouts is crucial. Allowing your body to rest can help the muscles repair themselves and grow, the experts note.

Running longer and slower is…

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Looking to jumpstart your health journey? Download the new Start TODAY app for fitness challenges, meal plans and daily inspiration!

A well-rounded fitness routine is important for our overall health and quality of life — especially as we age. The right movement can help improve heart health, maintain the bone and muscle mass that decrease with age and improve balance and flexibility, which reduces risk of falls and injury.

But what exercises should we be doing to achieve these goals?

“The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recommends that we focus on four types of exercise: endurance, flexibility, balance and strength,” Dr. Karena Wu, Start TODAY fitness expert and board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, said on TODAY. She breaks down each of these types of movement — plus, shares specific exercises you can do at home without any equipment.

Endurance

Exercise: Walking

“Endurance exercises are continuous, repetitive movements over a prolonged period of time,” Wu explained. Any repetitive movement — walking, running, swimming — will improve cardiovascular health, she added.

And walking is arguably the easiest, most accessible form of exercise to add to your routine right now.

“The NIA published a study of adults over the age of 40, of those that walked 8,000 or more steps per day versus those that walk 4,000 steps and the 8,000 group had a 51% lower risk of death from all causes,” said Wu.

Flexibility

Exercises:  Standing side stretch and windmills

“Low-back pain is the most commonly reported symptom in older adults from the age of 50-55 and up to 80% of the population will have low-back pain at some point in their life,” said Wu. Improving flexibility with both stretching and mobility work is key in releasing tension in the back and preventing pain. Wu shared a simple stretch and a mobility exercise that are easy to perform daily:

• Standing side stretch: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and raise your right arm straight…

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Looking to jumpstart your health journey? Download the new Start TODAY app for fitness challenges, meal plans and daily inspiration!

Often up before the sun to get his workout in before heading to work as weatherman and co-host of TODAY, Al Roker knows the importance of a filling, energizing breakfast. And he shared with viewers one of his go-to morning meals — with a secret hack to pack in even more protein.

Al, 70, whipped up his favorite egg bite recipe at home in a step-by-step video tutorial he shared Jan. 23 on his personal Instagram account.

Known for his motivational messages and health tips as the Chief Motivation Officer for Start TODAY, Al told viewers that making a nutritious breakfast at home can be easy, affordable and delicious.

“I’m trying to eat protein in the morning and kind of stay away from carbs. I’ve experimenting with some, like, egg bites and I’ve been adding cottage cheese to my diet. So I thought, why not kind of combine the two?” Al explained at the start of his video.

Al kicked things off by placing about six eggs in a blender and then tossing in a cup of cottage cheese for extra protein. It’s a simple trick that TODAY contributor and registered dietitian Joy Bauer said doubles the protein in your egg-based breakfast. He then added a handful of cheddar cheese that he shredded himself at home to save money.

Next, Al added seasoning to taste. (Al used a “pinch” of actor Matthew McConaughey’s signature secret rub, a blend of several herbs and spices known only to McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey.)

“Give this a little blitz,” Al said as he blended his ingredients.

He was then ready to start assembling his bites by adding a scoop of ground sausage he’d already prepared to each space in a muffin baking pan.

He then layered shredded cheddar on top of the sausage and poured a…

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Ozempic is synonymous with weight loss for many people, even as they can turn to drugs with other brand names that have been tailored to treat obesity.

The blockbuster Type 2 diabetes medication is not approved for weight management, but it comes with weight loss as a famous side-effect.

“Most people have understood Ozempic as kind of a catch-all for the GLP-1 class of medications,” Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina, tells TODAY.com.

GLP-1 drugs — which include Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy, as well as Mounjaro and Zepbound — mimic at least one hormone produced by the gut to signal fullness, leading to a reduced appetite.

About 12% of Americans have taken one of these popular medications, according to the KFF Health Tracking Poll.

Journalist Johann Hari, who lost 42 pounds with Ozempic, calls the drugs a powerful tool, but also “a mass experiment, carried out on millions of people, and I am one of the guinea pigs.”

“There’s a concern that maybe they’ll have some effect that we just don’t know in the long term,” Hari told TODAY.com, echoing a worry other patients may have.

So is Ozempic safe? 

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, stands behind the safety and efficacy of all its GLP-1 medicines when they’re used as indicated and taken under the care of a licensed health care professional, it says in a statement to TODAY.com.

Here’s what doctors say:

Are Wegovy and Ozempic the same?

Wegovy and Ozempic have the same active ingredient, semaglutide.

“Technically, they are exactly the same,” Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic’s Precision Medicine for Obesity program, tells TODAY.com. Hurtado Andrade is a consultant for Novo Nordisk.

But, “practically, insurance companies will not cover Ozempic for the treatment of overweight or obesity,” she clarifies.

Ozempic is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes by the U.S….

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Courteney Cox is 60 and strong. The “Friends” star entered her sixties over the summer and marked the occasion by sharing a video of her intense workout routine.

“So I just had a birthday,” she said. “Don’t love the number, but look, we have no choice. You just gotta do the best you can.”

The actor then showed off her fitness prowess and launched into a series of ab moves, pull ups, a run and weight lifting.

It appears that the star’s outlook on exercise hasn’t changed much over the years.

In a previous interview with New You, Cox offered the following perspective, saying, “My fitness philosophy is to be active in life and enjoy what I am doing. I have always loved exercise and feel that being active is important to maintain not only physical health but mental health as well.”

Cox stays fit in a myriad of ways. Below, we’re breaking down everything she’s said about her impressive routine.

She’s a beast on the tennis court

Playing tennis is one of the many ways Cox stays active. In a 2023 interview with British Vogue, she said she likes to hit the tennis court twice a week.

“I look horrible when I play tennis. I mean, I used to wear cute little shorts; now, it’s just not the same. I wear one of those turtleneck sunscreen things, my Asics sneakers, a hat, and I’ve got the wrist band, the elbow band, the knee brace, I’ve got sunscreen on,” she said.

The actor regularly shows off her tennis skills on Instagram and shares videos of herself crushing it on the tennis court.

She monitors her heart rate during workouts

While playing tennis, Cox likes to keep an eye on her heart rate to ensure that she’s getting the most out of her workout.

“I wear an Apple Watch because I really care how high my heart rate gets!” she previously told British Vogue. 

She uses a variety of exercise machines in her home gym

After experiencing back issues, Cox began working out with a physical therapist. In 2023, she told British Vogue they get together three times a week…

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Weight loss with Ozempic or Wegovy can be effective, but expensive. Enter so-called GLP-1 supplements that have taken on the nickname “nature’s Ozempic.”

They’re much cheaper than the injectable prescription drugs, and include berberine, gummies and drink mixes infused with oatmeal and tea.

One of the latest products on the market — Lemme GLP-1 Daily, from Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s wellness brand — is advertised as helping to reduce hunger, decrease weight and increase levels of GLP-1. It’s a hormone the body produces when people eat food to signal fullness to the brain.

But do these products really work? Doctors are skeptical.

Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes medication, and its sister drug Wegovy, which is specifically approved for weight loss, both contain semaglutide, which mimics GLP-1.

This active ingredient has gone through a rigorous approval process by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been shown to suppress appetite, leading people to lose weight, said Dr. Roshini Raj, a New York gastroenterologist.

It’s a different story with the cheaper alternatives.

“What’s very misleading, in my opinion, is a lot of these supplements have the term GLP-1 on the bottle, but they do not contain GLP-1. They do not contain an agonist or a mimicking hormone,” Raj said in a TODAY segment that aired on Thursday, Sept. 19.

“They contain extracts, maybe from fruits or vegetables, that purport to boost your body’s natural GLP-1. But to me, that’s a big difference.”

So if you pick up a bottle of supplements that says GLP-1 on the label, you’re not getting GLP-1 and you don’t know exactly what’s inside, Raj warned. Companies can get away with that because the supplement industry is not well regulated, and the FDA doesn’t approve the supplements, so little is known about the safety or efficacy of the products, she added, calling it “a bit of a Wild West.”

The emerging supplements claim to promote natural production of the GLP-1 hormone,…

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As summer officially ends and fall begins, it’s the perfect time to get in the kitchen and cook some warm and cozy meals. This week’s dishes feature tasty recipes that are easy to make, yet still healthy and filling.

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