Men's Health May 2015

05/01 Brace Yourself for Marvel Mayhem We’re not sure what thrills us most about Avengers: Age of Ultron. Scarlett’s costume? Spader voicing Ultron? Downey’s charm? Whedon at the helm? Or is it the irresistible Cobie Smulders, trying to save the world? Yep, that’s it. Save us, Cobie! 05/02 Dream On, Fans of Losers Sports fans are like succulent plants: All we need are a few drops of encouragement to nourish our tender dreams of better times to come. The three-day NFL draft ends May 2, followed on May 19 by the NBA lottery. Lotsa luck, suckers—er, succulents. 05/04 Experience Documentary Nirvana What more can be said about Kurt Cobain 21 years later? Plenty. Filmmaker Brett Morgen had access to unseen home movies, photos, and recordings. His documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage…

FINALLY BROKE UP WITH GOLF AS A SOPHOMORE IN COLLEGE. WE’D HAD A GOOD FIVE YEARS together. My dad and I had some of our most heartfelt talks walking the front nine at our local club. And my buddy Jon and I raised some hell on the back nine, without managing to get arrested. I even played decent golf at times. But my game probably peaked about a year after I started, and then got progressively worse, until the day I sliced my drive through the back window of a car and walked off the course. My clubs were like modern-day antibiotics, each one losing its effectiveness over the years as my swing mechanics mutated. That was 25 years ago. I haven’t played a round since, even though our articles…

A BETTER DAY TOMORROW Next month, Men’s Health launches The Better Man Project, the book that will help flatten your belly, sharpen your mind, and keep you healthy and happy for life. The idea is simple: All men can be better today than they were yesterday. We asked readers, and a few celebs, what motivates them to be better. “ Having the same friends ever since I was a kid. They keep me grounded.” RORY McILROY “A lways striving to be fulfilled while understanding that gratitude is something I can embrace every day.” MAHERSHALA ALI (Remy Danton on House of Cards) “ Some of us want to create a legacy. You can’t do that being average.” @DRJOHNWHYTE “ I love life too much to miss any important event I have…

Your smartphone already enhances your quality of life. (Fist-bump to Spotify and Google Maps!) Someday it could also save your life, says Eric Topol, M.D., chief academic officer at Scripps Health and author of The Patient Will See You Now. “The smartphone is becoming the hub of individualized medicine,” he says. “Treatments will be more tied to a person’s data, and this information may also help prevent illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease before they strike.” Dr. Topol prescribes what he preaches: He gives smartphone-compatible blood pressure cuffs from Withings and iHealth to all his patients. Expert Advice from Eric Topol, M.D. 1 Raise the Salad Bar “Most nights of the week, I eat a heart-healthy arugula and kale salad topped with a whole bunch of stuff: sunflower seeds,…

OUR ADVISORY BOARD ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE Benjamin Kligler, M.D., M.P.H., C.A. BRAIN HEALTH P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D. David S. Liebeskind, M.D. CARDIOLOGY John Elefteriades, M.D. Prediman Krishan Shah, M.D. Eric J. Topol, M.D. DENTISTRY Mark S. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D. DERMATOLOGY Adnan Nasir, M.D., Ph.D. EMERGENCY MEDICINE Travis Stork, M.D. EXERCISE SCIENCE Alexander Koch, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. Mark Peterson, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.*D FAMILY MEDICINE Ted Epperly, M.D. GASTROENTEROLOGY Mark Welton, M.D. MENTAL HEALTH Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. William Pollack, Ph.D. NUTRITION Alan Aragon, M.S. Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N., F.A.S.N., C.N.S. Mike Roussell, Ph.D. OPHTHALMOLOGY Kimberly Cockerham, M.D., F.A.C.S. SEX & RELATIONSHIPS Debby Herbenick, Ph.D.,M.P.H. SLEEP MEDICINE W. Christopher Winter, M.D. SPORTS MEDICINE Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S. Jordan D. Metzl, M.D. TRAINING Mike Boyle, M.Ed., A.T.C. Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.*D BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S. David Jack UROLOGY Larry…

Get a Raw Deal To outsmart hunger, keep some raw almonds handy. They have 21 percent more fiber than the roasted variety, a UC Davis study reports. You’ll fill up on fewer calories and stay satisfied longer. Just stop at about 28 almonds to cap your calories at a six-pack-friendly 200. David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., FACPM, F.A.C.P., founding director, Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center; author, Disease-Proof Pinpoint Your Piriformis If this muscle under your glutes is tight, it can cause back pain. Sit in a chair and, keeping your left foot planted, raise your right leg and rest the ankle on your left knee. Lower your chest to your calf. You’ll feel your piriformis stretch. Every day, do four (holding 30 seconds) per leg. Alexander Koch, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., associate professor and…