ADD FLAVOR, NOT FAT Remember, a little goes a long way: “When cooking with a high-calorie topping like cheese, grate, chop or shred it into finer pieces,” suggests Leslie Fink, R.D., a nutritionist with WeightWatchers
.com. “You’ll use much less while still getting the same
flavor. The same goes for chocolate, coconut and nuts.”
-Fitness
THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT A COLD Go shopping for outerwear. No, subzero wind chills don’t cause colds, but if your body’s stressed by wintry weather, you will be more vulnerable if you’re exposed to a cold virus.
Keep your hands clean. When you’re away from soap and water, use disinfecting hand wipes or sanitizing gels
to wipe out cold bugs you might have picked up.
Drink tea every day. Research suggests that black tea helps trigger the immune system’s antigerm defenses.
Turn in early. Get at least eight hours of sleep nightly so your body will be ready if a virus tries to cause trouble.
Walk the dog, go dancing, learn to ride a unicycle. One study found that women who were moderately active had a 20 percent lower risk of getting sick compared with couch potatoes.
-Health
GET VERTICAL Whether you tend to sit or stand may make a difference of up to 350 calories a day, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, report. Overweight people in the study spent about two and a half extra hours daily chairbound than did their lean counterparts. Give up your seat on the bus or rise when you answer the phone; it may mean a more fit you.
-Self
WAKE UP REFRESHED If you’re having trouble catching zzz’s, cover your alarm clock or cable box with a dark cloth. The glow can keep you from falling asleep easily, the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C., reports.
-Emily Kirven, Self
STOP DREADING THE DENTIST With a procedure called conscious sedation, dentists can use tranquilizers and antihistamines to relax patients before they start the needles and drilling—and patients have no recollection of what’s done to their teeth. The procedure isn’t new, but the newest medications don’t typically cause the nausea and headaches the older ones did.
