A government task force issued new recommendations that women in their 40s skip routine mammograms and even self-exams. (Annals of Internal Medicine) Dissent rose quickly from the American Cancer Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and most sternly from the American College of Radiology, which argued that the new recommendations would “result in countless unnecessary breast cancer deaths each year.”

In lighter news, here are a few more healthy side dishes for your Thanksgiving table, including a promising variation on a traditional Irish colcannon. (New York Times)

Additional healthy fall recipes can be found at the Meat-Free Mondays site. It’s the brainchild of Sir Paul McCartney, who’s been carrying on the vegetarian legacy of his late wife, Linda, to help fight climate change and global hunger.

Want other ways to stay fit and help the planet? Try some high-performance athletic wear made from recycled material. (Atayne) Or participate in a green marathon or 5K that’s run with less paper, more recycling and other sustainable practices. (FitPlanet)

Lastly, delicious new research found what chocophiles already knew: dark chocolate fights stress. (WebMD, or check out the official abstract from the Journal of Proteome Research)

Of course, our #1 safe moving tip is really to hire movers to do most of the heavy lifting for you, but these tips do come in handy when dealing with grocery bags, mail parcels and other day-to-day movables.

10. Check before Lifting. Small boxes may be heavier than you’d expect. Make sure boxes are balanced and not weighted to one side.

9. Be a Tortoise, not a Hare. Slow and steady wins the race and minimizes injury risk.

8. Use the Buddy System. Straining means risk, so ask for help carrying heavier and/or oversized loads. (A dolly can be a buddy too!)

7. Keep it Close. It’s easier to keep loads close to your body. Risk increases when you’re reaching deep inside a truck or across a table.

6. Carry at Torso-Height. Avoid back strain by carrying boxes between your shoulders and waist. Avoid reaching or lifting overhead.

5. Lead with the Hips. Twisting increases your injury risk, so move from your hips, letting your shoulders follow.

4. Use the Straddle Test. If a box is too wide to fit between your knees, you may need help. Over-reaching can over-stress your back.

3. Lift from your Legs, not your back. Don’t bend from the hips. Instead, squat down with feet shoulder-width apart, and…

2. Keep your Chest Facing Forward. Not even bent knees can protect a curved spine. Keep your chest forward to maintain a straight back.

1. Build a Strong Back. Prevention is the best medicine, and keeping fit through regular exercise is the best preparation for heavy lifting, light lifting, fitting into old clothes and so much else.

What does it take to get more people to commute by bicycle? Here in Philly, it took a transit strike. (Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia)

From squash soup to apple tarts, these nine recipes have half the calories and one-fifth the fat of the traditional thanksgiving feast. (SparkPeople)

Two music-related stories: why it makes exercise easier and why it makes you smarter. (Livescience)

When is organic not organic? When it’s a fraud, according to the organizers of this body-care products boycott. (Organic Consumers Association)

File Under: Every Little Bit Helps. Check out the research on how chewing gum can help you lose weight. (Washington Post)

The good news is that I think I’m past the back tightening and ankle flaring and have settled into a more natural gate. It all fell into place Saturday on a treadmill as I focused more on landing mid-foot and let that automatically place my body into proper alignment. Now, maybe all the rigid, back-spasm-inducing tilting of my pelvic area did help, but if it’s as simple as focusing on how your foot falls and I could have avoided feeling like an old man after every run, then I wish someone would have told me sooner. Thanks for the heads up.

Saturday was only a 5K followed by a 10-mile bike ride (thinking of diving into a sprint triathlon, like I need something else to do) but it felt considerably better. The run would have been completely uneventful had my guilty conscience and wild imagination not gotten the better of me. You see, as I was running and landing with so much more of my foot on the belt than I am accustomed to, I noticed a burning smell. Having worked in the fitness centers for about fifteen years, I have been around many a treadmill and smelled more than my fair share of their engines burn out, usually blowing my budget in the process. I began to get self-conscious: I know that the usual treadmill gait – a fluid heal-to-toe strike – only seems to propel the treadmill belt forward, but I imagined that landing mid-foot and with a more forward motion might have been taxing the engine. Made sense to me at the time. So I confessed to a trainer that they I thought I may have fried their treadmill. He informed me that, rather than the powerful, piston-like legs of my imagination setting the treadmill ablaze, they had turned on the building’s heat for the first time and burned out the heater’s motor. So officially, I am innocent of treadmill assault and battery … but you may not say that if you watch me try to chi run.

The moustache has made a comeback, and the Movember movement is using it this month to raise money for prostate and testicular cancer research. Props to Christian and Cory, GlobalFit’s very own “Mo Bro’s,” getting fuzzy for a cause.

How aware of your surroundings are you when talking on your cell phone? Aware enough to notice a unicycling clown in your midst? Not likely, according to new research. (ScienceDaily)

How does a 35-pounds-overweight 40-year-old get to be an Ultraman competitor at 42? Rich Roll has some inspiring tips from his amazing fitness journey. (CNN)

The controversy over humans drinking cow’s milk hits a new peak? Find out why, along with the 411 on the soy and almond alternatives. (Washington Post)

Rodney: “Doctor, every morning when I get up and look in the mirror, I feel like throwing up. What’s wrong with me?”
Dr. Vinnie Boombotz: “I don’t know, but your eyesight is fine.”
If Rodney Dangerfield got no respect from his doctor, could it have been because of his waistline? A new study sheds some light on anti-obesity bias among doctors. (S.F. Examiner)

Do some cancers reverse themselves? A surprising new report indicates that, in rare cases, they do. (New York Times)

While some may question the benefits of stretching (Washington Post), it seems that trying to touch your toes may tell you a lot about your heart’s health. (American Journal of Physiology)

Does posting calories at fast food chains really make us healthier? The preliminary results from NYC are in. (Gothamist)

Yet another study finds that diet and exercise can work better than pharmaceuticals at fighting disease. This time, the disease is type 2 diabetes. (HealthDay, with the official abstract at The Lancet)

And just in time for Halloween comes word that researchers developing new, stronger antibiotics are eyeing their front-porch jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin proteins are showing great promise as anti-fungal agents. (ScienceDaily)

The debate over cancer screenings — their advantages and their risks — flared up this week. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the American Cancer Society is about to revise its screening guidelines. The ACS quickly replied that it “stands by its screening guidelines,” which the Times acknowledged in a follow-up article on the limitations of current screening tools. You can find the current guidelines here.

Confused by the conflicting ‘fish are healthy’/'fish are toxic’ reports? The respected non-profit Monterey Bay Aquarium just issued a list of “Super Green” seafood, choices that are good for our hearts and good for our oceans.

We were fascinated by this case study of a rare adult-onset red-meat allergy, apparently developed in response to a tick bite. (Washington Post)

In the ‘not new but still very cool’ category, check out the Nike Livestrong Chalkbot, spraying temporary inspirational messages on the pavement, and the “I Heart Guts” site, explaining internal organs with cute cartoons and fun text (assuming puns like “Spells Like Spleen Spirit” are to your liking).

Generally known as fatty pub grub, nachos can be a healthy dish. Start with a base of whole-grain corn chips. Add some lean protein (such as pinto or black beans, chicken strips or even sautéed tempeh), fresh antioxidant-rich salsa and healthy fats from avocado. Then top with low-fat cheese.

Of course, not all chips or salsa are created equally, so be sure to read the labels. This healthy tortilla chip taste test from our friends at EatingWell may be of help.

Experiment on your own, or try these healthy recipes to help you celebrate the nacho’s special day:

* These fresh and simple Nachos with Guacamole are boldly salsa-free. (Vegetarian Times)

* These Bean & Cheese Nachos take the concept close to its simple roots (FoodFit)

* With all due respect to our good friend Robin Miller, this blogger would tweak these Halibut Nachos with Chipotle Aïoli by using low-fat yogurt for her mayo/sour cream aïoli blend.

* These Healthy Nachos feature chickpeas and fresh tomato. (SparkPeople)

* Sherre’s Green & Black Bean Buffalo Nachos are made with actual buffalo meat, which has much less fat and slightly less cholesterol than beef. (The Spokesman-Review)

* The video for Homemade Tortilla Chips & Nachos shows you how to bake your own chips for a great, fresh flavor with no added oil. (About.com)

* These Pork & Pinto Bean Nachos have a smart nutritional profile, with half the calories of their beef/full-fat cheese counterparts. (CookingLight)

* Should we assume that these Chicken Nachos are the same ones that Lance Armstrong eats? (LiveStrong.com)

* Lastly, please remember that this recipe for vegetarian Nachos was posted by a cardiologist, not a food stylist.

When your business is benefits for healthy living, it’s no surprise to hear that people perform better on days when they exercise, but it is nice to see it validated by science. (CNN)

We love this video of Stockholm’s Piano Stairs, an imaginative installation that encourages people to use their legs (and their ears) instead of the escalator. (YouTube)

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1. The new Serve 60 movement encourages us to use the extra hour to volunteer in our communities.

Fitness icon Jack LaLanne is still going strong at 95. And his 1959 record of 1,000 push-ups and 1,000 pull-ups still stands, despite his nephew’s recent failed attempt. (S.F. Examiner)

Location, location, location! It’s the mantra of real estate agents, and perhaps soon, diabetes prevention experts. New research links where you live with your likelihood to get type 2 diabetes. See how your neighborhood stacks up. (Archives of Internal Medicine, or the less technical explanation at the L.A. Times)

“If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you are not hungry,” goes one of the “Rules to Eat By,” a new project from acclaimed foodie author Michael Pollan. We like the clean and fun graphics that accompany that and the 19 other reader-submitted rules. (New York Times)

In an era of knitting clubs and home improvement how-to’s, it should be no surprise that the DIY attitude reached the fitness industry. Check out this Washington Post profile for how the Hard Training Club used plumbing pipe and sand-filled basketballs to create a fully functioning, no-frills gym.

Does encouraging people to eat an all-natural, low-fat, low-calorie, protein-rich snack make an acceptable excuse for a teen-pregnancy joke? That’s the question being asked in light of the new pistachio ad starring Levi Johnston, the almost-son-in-law of Sarah Palin.

Worried about the radiation from your cell phone? Maybe you should be. A new interactive database reports on the best and worst offenders (Environmental Working Group), while the Pong cell phone case promises to reduce emissions by up to 85%.

Eating fresh dolmas always puts a smile on my face. Now, research in the Archives of General Psychiatry tells us that the Mediterranean Diet may actually reduce your depression risk. (PhysOrg.com)

This next story, on diagnosing cold symptoms, is concise, informative and health-related, but mainly we’re reporting it because it has ‘green snot‘ in the headline. Just being honest. (New York Times)

Could too many sweets in childhood lead to a life of crime? The research is serious (ScienceNow), but some of the coverage has been quite snarky (LA Times).