Top Health Magazines to Help You Shape Up

Looking for new ways to get in shape and live well? Here are NEA members’ top 4 magazine picks offered by the NEA Magazine Service and why editors and fitness pros love them.

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by NEA Member Benefits

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If you’re looking for inspirational ways to get in shape and live well, look no further than your newsstand. There are hundreds of health and fitness publications! To help you in your search for the ones that might be right for you, we found out the NEA Magazine Service’s top four NEA member favorites. Here, editors and fitness pros tell us why they love them.

Women’s Health

Women's Health Magazine Cover

Who it’s for: Active, health-conscious, time-crunched women.

What’s distinctive: “The workouts in Women's Health can often be done without any equipment, leaving you with no excuses to get in shape for the beach. The tear-out cards are typically total body exercises intended to help create a toned, lean look, which many women want,” says Melissa Rodriguez, a personal trainer at Channel Fitness in Boston. The main focus of their nutrition coverage is on eating healthy while eating well. “Unlike many other magazines, we reinforce the idea that food can and should be pleasurable, and that it’s good to focus on how it makes you feel, not just how it will make you look,” says Lisa Bain, executive editor at Women’s Health. “Since we also cater to the time-pressed reader, our recipes don’t have a dozen arcane ingredients that you can only buy at a specialty store.”

Men’s Health

Men's Health Magazine Cover

Who it’s for: Active men seeking an edge in all facets of their lives—fitness, food, relationships, career, health.

What’s distinctive: “One of my favorite sections is the 15-minute workout (WH has this also). It’s always a short, focused routine targeting a specific muscle group or it meets a certain function for fitness, like building endurance,” says Rodriguez. The nutrition coverage takes a personal approach: “We have the same needs and desires as our readers, but we also have expertise so we know which nutritionists and doctors are preaching the truth, and who the imposters are. And regular departments like Belly Off Club are keepin’ it real, with regular guys telling their true-life tales of weight loss. It doesn’t get more authentic than that,” says Men’s Health editor Peter Moore.

Prevention

Prevention Magazine Cover

Who it’s for: Women over 40 who want to stay healthy and strong as they age.

What’s distinctive: The workouts are simple and cater to the beginner to moderate exerciser; they tend to focus on slimming belly fat and losing weight. More than other magazines, almost every article is backed by and initiated by research and health news. “Prevention does a lot to dispel consumer myths surrounding food labeling. A good example is the 2% milk coverage. We all thought it was so low fat when in reality it’s fairly close to the fat content in whole milk,” says Carol Espel, National Director of Group Fitness and Pilates at Equinox. In Nutrition Know-How, they cover news and provide authoritative advice on the latest diets, super foods, supplements, trends and research. “Our Supermarket Solutions column tackles the decisions you confront every time you go to the grocery store, providing the smartest picks for your shopping cart. Diet Spotlight takes a hard look at the latest plans to let readers know if they work and if they’re safe,” says deputy editor Margot Gilman.

Psychology Today

Psychology Today Magazine Cover

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to learn about human behavior and mental health.

What’s distinctive: With the motto of "Here to Help," Psychology Today Magazine provides easy-to-understand information about human behavior, mental health, psychological research and scientific breakthroughs. Learn strategies for adapting to life's changes, plus get the latest insights from experts to help you explore your inner self and nurture a healthy mind. 

Try something new today!

So if you’re looking for something new to read, don’t forget to take advantage of your NEA member discount! When you order through the NEA Magazine Service, you get up to 85% off newsstand prices with a guarantee to match the lowest prices of any magazine program available.

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