“Scientists issue warning over chemicals in carpets, coats, cookware.” “chemicals in pizza boxes may be health risk.”Headlines like these make you want to curl up on the sofa and never leave the house—except that couch! Chances are it’s loaded with toxic chemicals, too. As a savvy, health-conscious (and, OK, slightly worry-prone) woman, how are you supposed to function in a world where everything from the dust bunnies in your home to your ATM receipt could be poisoning you?First, some perspective: Yes, chemicals are everywhere, and some are undoubtedly harmful. But linking a health issue, whether it’s breast cancer or premature births, to specific substances is difficult. “We’re exposed to so many chemicals—some potentially hazardous, some not—and often health problems take months or years to develop. That makes it tricky to identify the culprit,” explains Tracey Woodruff, PhD, director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).Moreover, the average person’s exposure to any one toxin is relatively low, as is her individual health risk. The potential peril of, say, eating microwave popcorn pales in comparison to smoking, which is directly responsible for 30 percent of cancer deaths, says Margaret Kripke, PhD, professor emerita at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and co-author of the President’s Cancer Panel report on environmental cancer risk.RELATED: 9 Ways to Detox Your HomeThat said, developing fetuses, infants and children are more vulnerable to chemicals’ effects. In fact, this fall, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics issued a report sounding an alarm about the serious health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals during pregnancy and breast-feeding.Whether you have little ones or not, it’s smart to understand the science behind the most buzzed-about chemicals. We talked to top scientists and analyzed the research to find out what you should really be concerned about and how you can protect yourself and the planet.Flame retardants (including polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PDBEs)What are they?In the 1970s, California instituted strict flammability standards for upholstered furniture sold in the state, leading manufacturers to add flame-retardant chemicals to the foam used in furniture sold throughout the U.S. Today these chemicals—designed to inhibit the spread of fire—are in chairs, sofas, cars, commercial airplanes and infant car seats. A typical sofa contains three or more pounds of treated foam.RELATED: Here’s Where You Can Buy a Couch Without Flame RetardantsWhat’s the worry?Because the flame retardants are sprayed on rather than chemically bonded to the product, the molecules migrate out of the products and collect in household dust, where they get on our hands and, inevitably, into our mouths and bodies, says Philip Landrigan, MD, a pediatrician and dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City…

Tighten your core and sculpt your obliques with this calorie-torching exercise. In this video, fitness expert Kristin McGee demonstrates how to do Medicine Ball Russian Twists to tone your abs.

Here’s a great way to strengthen your obliques for a tighter core. In this video, fitness expert Kristin McGee shows you how to use a stability ball to do the Oblique Driving-Knee Crunch. Your abs will thank you!