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Even as more and more people become overweight, fat gets a bad rap. Between the ever-thin actresses and prominent healthy-living campaigns, most know that being fat isn't something to be proud about. But this increasing nonacceptance for the overweight is not just in our celebrity-obsessed American society — a recent study found that most people view obesity in a negative light, especially ones in cultures that usually view bigger bodies as attractive.

The study asked 700 people around the world what they thought about overweight people by responding to statements like "Fat people are lazy." or "A big woman is a beautiful woman." They found that societies that traditionally value larger bodies actually had the most negative opinions about the overweight.

An increasing global fat stigma can be a double-edged sword. While it does help encourage people to lose weight, it doesn't factor in the fact that being overweight is caused by a number of factors, not all of which have to do with lifestyle habits — which can make the obese feel even worse about themselves.

But is it needed? Do you think a global fat stigma, like a smoking stigma, will help us become a healthier society?

Source: Flickr User tobyotter

Getting enough shut-eye each night is vital for our overall mental and physical health. We've already learned that not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain because when you don't sleep, the body experiences physiological stress that causes our bodies to store fat and slow down our metabolism.

Not only that, but a recent study suggests that when you sleep less, you typically consume about 300 calories more per day.

Another recent study related to this topic looked at 472 obese adults who were counseled about lifestyle changes over a 26-week period and asked about sleep time, depression, insomnia, screen time, and stress. The results from the study showed that high stress and too little sleep (or too much of it) can hinder weight loss even when people are on a diet. According to the study author, Dr. Charles Elder from the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente, in Portland, OR, it was the people who got between six to eight hours of sleep and reported low stress who achieved the most success in the weight-loss programs.

Keep reading to find out why you can't lose weight if you're not getting enough sleep and what you can do about it.

In my opinion, the only downside to consuming lots of garlic is having stinky breath. This mighty food adds an abundance of flavor to dishes and can help a variety of ailments putting it at the top of my superfood list.

Just some of garlic's healing properties include warding off colds, reducing inflammation, and boosting immunity. What's not to love? Here are a few garlic tips and tricks:

• How to eat garlic: When you consume garlic, make sure it's crushed to conserve its healthy anti-clotting compounds. You can press it with a garlic press and be sure to only cook it for 3 - 6 minutes. To make chopping a bit easier, find a garlic gadget that will cut and peel cloves into perfectly diced pieces so you can quickly add your garlic to dishes or sprinkle it on food.

Keep reading for more garlic goodness.

A lot of people figure that since retirement is eons away, they have more than enough time to start saving for it. This might cause them to push it off to yet another day.

Stanford researchers have nipped this procrastination problem in the bud by experimenting with a virtual reality world which assigns an avatar to participants that looks and acts like an older, more aged version of themselves. Findings show that young participants whose avatars were aged said they would save twice the amount of their peers who didn't view elderly versions of themselves.

This might mean more creative ways to incentivize people to save. For example, the Wall Street Journal suggests the possibility of retirement advisers morphing their client's picture in order to encourage them to put more money in their 401k.

If you want to test out this theory on yourself, you can check out the neat little app called AgingBooth (99 cents) on iTunes. As you can see from the picture in this post — I tried it out for myself. I'm not sure what kind of effect it'll have on my attitude towards saving, but I definitely feel an immediate urge to take better care of my skin.

People who sleep less, eat more — about 300 calories more per day. A Columbia University study looked at the eating habits of sleep-deprived individuals and found that not only do they eat more, but they also choose unhealthy foods.

Thirteen men and 13 women were kept in a controlled environment for six days at a time on two separate occasions. During one visit they were allowed nine hours of bedtime, on the next, four hours. For the first four days of each visit, the group was kept on the same diet; researchers then allowed participants to eat anything they wanted to on day five. On the fifth day, participants ate an average of 300 more calories when sleepy compared to the previous visit when they were well rested. Interestingly, the added calories did not come from eating more simply because they were up for an extra five hours. Most of the participants stuck to their normal eating times, but chose foods high in saturated fats during these meals.

While the study is small, in both size and scope, researchers feel that it may provide evidence for a link between sleep and obesity. Previous research has shown that lack of sleep is linked to weight gain because the body functions poorly when sleep-deprived and ends up storing more fat. Just another reason to make sure that you're getting enough sleep.

Ginger, the powerful herb used as a spice in many dishes, can also be used as a treatment for a variety of ailments. Whether dried, fresh, in juice form or as a powder in a pill, ginger has many therapeutic properties. Here are some to just name a few.

1. Cold Remedy: Drinking homemade ginger tea (which by the way, I'm addicted to), can help relieve congestion, that icky symptom of the common cold.
2. Soothes Sore Muscles: Two separate studies showed that participants who had sore muscles due to a variety of exercises and who took ginger supplements had a reduction in pain of almost 25 percent compared to the placebo group. This study demonstrated ginger's healing anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Motion Sickness: Put me in the back seat of a car and it's a nauseous nightmare. Several studies have found ginger to be effective against nausea from seasickness and other motion sickness related conditions. Taking just two capsules of ginger in powdered form can delay the onset of sickness about twice as long as antinausea medication. And not only that, but another study showed that ginger improved the symptoms of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women and is a low-risk effective treatment.

What else can ginger do?

If you think you're doing your friend a big favor by buying a really expensive item that she's been lusting over, there might be one drawback that you probably didn't know about. It's called the "aesthetic incongruity resolution" and it gives people the urge to buy things to match up with the nicer item, according to the Boston Globe.

For example, if your closet has no designer pickings, getting a brand-new Balenciaga from your pal might upset the balance. You might use it as an excuse to get a pair of expensive Manolos to "even things out" in your wardrobe.

There are plenty of gifts that won't cause this designer distortion in your friend's life. If you want to gift your friend with something meaningful, consider experience gifts such as tickets to the theater or crafty presents like scrapbooks or framed pictures.

Internet etiquette has been a hot topic around these parts for a while, but it seems that the majority of Americans' mobile manners are getting worse. Texting while sexing may be the most heinous mobile etiquette offender, but people are breaking manner rules left and right while out in public as well.

A new study by Intel reveals that keeping your phone handy while at the dinner table may not be the biggest pet peeve. According to the report, 73 percent of respondents say that using a mobile device while driving is not only dangerous (and illegal in some states), but it also happens to be the biggest annoyance.

Find out what other mobile habits make people cringe after the break.

Forget Gatorade; some fitness enthusiasts are turning to beer to rehydrate. Erdinger Alkoholfrei, a nonalcoholic Bavarian brew, is becoming a favorite amongst European athletes. The beer even has a team of reputable athletes that it sponsors consisting of triathletes, biathletes, and championship skiers.

Positioning itself at many of Europe's top sporting events, the company claims that unlike sports drinks, the carb-rich beer is free of additives and unnatural ingredients. And because it's nonalcoholic, there's no chance of getting wasted after running a 26.2-mile course. The company is now setting its sights on the American market. While there's nothing satisfying like a good beer after a long run or bike ride, my experience with nonalcoholic brews is less than noteworthy. Although, it might be better than one of the alternative sports drink offerings: pickle juice.

Source: Flickr User paul-simpson.org

A new report from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that Americans are not moving enough: fewer than two in 10 get the recommended amount of exercise, and more than 25 percent of the American population is considered inactive. This statistic is most rampant in the South and Appalachia regions where it's reported that 30 percent of individuals do no form of exercise at all. Many of these regions also show the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the country.

On the other end of the spectrum, areas in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington report the highest levels of activity by its residents. On the lowest end of the rankings was Kentucky, which had the highest number of least active counties; Colorado fared the best. Data from this survey was collected from over 3,000 American counties over a three-year period.