That's Fit

Instead of jogging or stepping onto the treadmill, have you ever grabbed your significant other and went dancing? No, this is not a joke, but a good suggestion on a way to exercise. If you've ever ballroom danced before (for at least 30 minutes), you'll know precisely what I mean.

Dancing is a great way to exercise, burn calories, stretch and have fun at the same time -- plus it gives that quality time between you and your spouse (or date, heh). Now, we all don't have to start out at the level of "Dancing with the Stars," but you could get ther if you desired.

On the way, you'll be building up an great exercise regimen as well. If you have not checked out local dance studios or practice clubs (even a vo-tech) in your area, what have you got to lose? Well, except that weight?

Do you agree that the state of food marketing in the U.S. is detrimental to the youth population in this country? Jacki hit on a post recently where activist kids told junk food marketers to hit the road, but I wish all kids would do this.

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) contested findings almost two years ago that found food marketing to be detrimental, which is absolutely absurd. The quality of the advertising for junk foods is top-notch and apparently it works but the quality of the product is so shabby it's mind-boggling.

Kids are not receiving nutrition in any form from most of these products. But hey, they taste good and have plenty of refined sugar. Yummy! A recent report on the state of food marketing even said that "current food and beverage marketing practices puts children's long-term health at risk. If America's children and youth are to develop eating habits that help them avoid early onset of diet-related chronic diseases, they have to reduce their intake of high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks, which make up a high proportion of the products marketed to them."

I 100% agree. Do you?

In a recent conversation, I was disagreeing with someone about the quality of organic product you can find at many health food stores, and increasingly, at normal grocery stores.

Are these products really that much better? In a nutshell, yes. For one, toxic pesticide residue is generally not going to be found on organic produce. Secondly, there has been no genetic modification to the fruit as well -- ever wonder why those 'grocery store' strawberries or oranges are so friggin' large? No thanks. And, I won't even tough the irradiation that most conventional fruits and vegetables go through.

But the most important is nutrient content. It's hard to believe that the same millions of oranges and apples still contain plentiful nutrients from the soil they are grown in when that soil was used up long ago. Visit a fruit farm or volume vegetable farm and ask for a soil sample from the field. You'll be amazed at what is in there (and actually, what is not).

Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of my all-time favourite celebrities. She's beautiful, elegant and tasteful -- and you'd never see her pulling a 'Britney.' She's also slim without being skeletal, and she has curves in all the right places. How does she do it? Well, you might be surprised to hear that she detests diets. No joke. And she's not on the low-carb bandwagon like so many other celebrities -- she'll eat pasta, as long as she's hungry. The only food that's off limits is French Fries.

As for fitness? She works out often, alternating between cardio and weights. When she's not at the gym, she keeps in shape by golfing, dancing and doing aerobics.

I think she's a great role model. What about you?

After this past week's mess with cough syrup and cold medications geared towards young kids, the FDA took the advice of a two-day panel (which concluded yesterday) and said that no cold medications (cough remedies) should be marketed or administered to children under the age of six from now on.

A group of pediatricians said that cold and cough medicines given to infants and toddlers work no better than dummy pills. If so, then parents have been wasting tons of money on remedies with no function while putting their young kids at risk from an accidental overdose.

The 'accidental overdose' is what has killed a few small kids after having ingested too much cold medicine, and was the impetus for determining if these products should even be marketed towards children.

The notion of all women being an apple or a pear shape is a bit outdated, don't you think? So how many body type are there? 12 according to Brit style experts Trinny and Susannah, there are 12 body types (to see them in pictures, click here):

• Apple: Round all over
• Hourglass: Round on top and bottom, with a tiny waist
• Skittle (American translation: Bowling pin): Small on torso, big in the thighs
• Vase: Like an hourglass but stretched out
• Cornet: Top-heavy, but bottom-thin.
• Lollipop: Big bosom, long legs.
  
• Column: Tall and thin
• Bell: Small on top but quite large on the bottom
• Goblet: Heavy and square in the torso, with long, thin legs.
  
• Cello: Big shoulders and bosom, with even an even larger bottom
• Pear: A small bosom, with the majority of the weight in the hips, stomach and thighs
• Brick: Square, heavy and solid all over.
  

What shape are you? Even though there's all these choice, I still think I'm a pear -- small on top, but carrying a bit of extra weight in the hips, thighs and lower abdomen.

Are you a fan of erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis? Although some of those names are now the butt of junk emails for many of us, they may also contribute to an increased risk of sudden hearing loss. Now, that's a weird correlation, eh?

The FDA now wants labeling changes for these products with hearing loss warnings, and added the Revatio blood pressure control drug to that new warning list as well.

The problem stems from an active ingredient classified as a Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitor (PD-5 inhibitors). It took an ear, nose and throat article from last April's Journal of Laryntology and Otology for the FDA to start investigating. Nice work, folks.

Does a latter have as much caffeine as a regular coffee? Does a large regular coffee have the same amount of caffeine as an espresso? Does a chai latte have caffeine? As someone who needs that caffeine kick in the morning, I'm always wondering these things when I head to Starbucks. Or course, for me the idea is to get a good dose of caffeine, but you might ask the same questions if you're looking to cut down on your caffeine. Luckily, Diet Blog has a guide the the amount of caffeine in your favourite Starbucks drinks.

Interestingly, regular brewed coffee has more caffeine than anything. The Americano comes in next, and then Cafe Mocha. To see the full list click here.

I tend to excuse the 50 pounds and the 42 pounds I gained during my two pregnancies as understandable given the two whopper babies who emerged from my body. My first baby boy weighed 10 pounds, nine ounces. The second guy: 10 pounds, two ounces. I had to gain a lot of weight to support the monsters growing inside me. Or did I?

Nearly half of all pregnant women may be packing on excess and unnecessary pounds, say experts on the topic. As a result, the 1990 guidelines issued by the Institute of Medicine -- doctors still rely on these -- may soon be up for review. What do you think about these almost 18-year-old standards?

• Underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds. By the way, I was not in this category prior to my pregnancies.

• Normal weight women should gain 25 to 35 pounds. This is my category -- which means I surpassed my target by 15 and then seven pounds. That puts me in the "half-of-all-pregnant-women" category.

• Overweight women should gain 15 to 20 pounds.

• Obese women should gain at least 15 pounds.

This past week, Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives were unable to override a Presidential veto from a week ago related to children's health care in the U.S.

The bill, which would have provided health care for many children in the U.S. who lack insurance, was too expensive, according to its detractors. What do you think -- should part of your taxes go to subsidize health care for uninsured children? The total for this plan was $35 billion in expanded care costs

On Thursday, the override vote fell 13 votes short of passing, with a 273 to 156 count. A two-thirds majority is needed to override a veto.

Researchers from Penn State discussed at the Experimental Biology Conference in May their own little experimental study, featuring some pasta, some veggies, and some 61 preschoolers. It went like this:

Researchers cooked up two versions of a pasta dish. One was made from a traditional recipe, and the other had pureed broccoli and cauliflower hidden in the sauce. The researchers then served up their creations, along with carrots, applesauce, and milk to the kids at a child care center. It turns out the children liked both versions the same. And guess what? When they ate the veggie pasta, they consumed more vegetables and 17 percent fewer calories.

The moral of the story is this: Slip your kids some extra veggies and they may never know it. The researchers do urge parents to still push not-so-hidden vegetables. Because ultimately, the goal is for kids to eat their veggies -- and like them too.

Many acne sufferers meticulously care for their skin with a variety of products to keep their complexion as clear as possible. But did you know washing and styling your hair each day can trigger acne? I sure didn't. As a teenager, I slathered acne medicine on my breakouts, never thinking chemicals in hair products could be part of the problem.

According to this skin expert, the most common acne-causing, pore-clogging ingredients in hair products are isopropyl myristate, coconut oil/other natural oils, silicone derivatives and petrolatum. Acne-prone individuals should steer clear of those ingredients and reach for oil-free or noncomedogenic choices.

Don't forget to wash your face after rinsing conditioner out of your hair, and try washing styling gunk out of your gorgeous locks before bed. At a minimum, pull your hair back before hitting the pillow to keep the hair products away from your face. Change your pillowcase often, and avoid applying hair products before exercise. Dripping sweat will deliver those chemicals right to your face!

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

Sometimes I worry a bit much. Apparently, I'm not alone. Almost 40 percent of us worry every day, a habit that compromises our minds, our bodies, our spirits. Worrying is simply bad for our health. And we really need to cut it out. HealthyUpdates.com lists four steps we can take to minimize worry.

Step One: Make Worrying Matter

If we must worry, we should worry about productive matters only. Forget the weather. We have no control over that. But we do have control over matters involving a vacation, for example. Productive worry is asking yourself, "Do have a map?" or "Do I have a car reserved?" It's productive because you can take action on these items. Since it's relaxing to make progress on something tangible, this is the type of worry you want.

Step Two: Embrace Novelty

We worriers tend to avoid trying new things because it makes us uncomfortable. But a little discomfort is just what we need. Challenging our comfort zones will eventually help us rely less on worry as a coping strategy.

Step Three: Reframe

Try to reframe situations until you see them as positive opportunities. If you're stressed about moving, think about what you'll gain from the experience, not what you might lose.

Step Four: Wait it Out

Remember: Most emotions are temporary. Tell yourself your worries will not overwhelm you or last a really long time. Because realistically, they won't.

I've worn fake nails exactly one time in my life -- on Halloween when I was a teenager. And all I can say about that experience is that I've kept my nails super short ever since. Typing, opening jars and even wiping your behind are just too much hassle with long nails, if you ask me. But if you've found a way to get used to acrylic nails, good for you. However, there are some things you should know about acrylic nails, according to my favourite beauty experts, the Beauty Brains:

• Don't use your nails as a tool. Sure, your nails are a handy alternative to a screwdriver, but if you end up ripping it off? You real nail goes too. Ouch.
  
• Acrylic nails can also expose you to some harmful chemicals.
  
• Gel sculpted nails can react with some medications.
  
• Nail polish remover can be harmful both to real and artificial nails.
  

Want to find out why? Read the original post. And tell us -- do you use acrylic nails? Have you encountered any problems with them?

Google continues to infiltrate many areas of our everyday lives. We use it to search for health problem causes, nutritional advice, psychological advice and where that evening movie is playing.

But, Google wants to get deeper into your life -- it wants to collect a set of health information problems and apply its search technology to get solutions to its users as neatly as possible.

A Google exec says that the company noticed the number of searches being done with its search engine had to do with hard-to-diagnose health problems. As standard Google fashion, the company listened to its customers using that method and has devised a solution to it that will most likely be incredibly useful for millions seeking advice on health issues.