Warm Up to Winter Workouts

Be a super-fit snow angel with the right gear and a little smart planning.

Get Out There!

When the temperatures plummet and the sun makes only cameo appearances, the couch can seem infinitely more inviting than a jog around the block. But winter exercise does a body good: The hit of sunlight can boost your SAD mood and vitamin D levels, and it will make springtime bikini shopping more bearable. We bet you'll enjoy a few fun childhood flashbacks too. So swap your fleece-lined slippers for waterproof running shoes and head on out!

Warm It Up First

When Old Man Winter rears his ugly, icy head, warming up is even more crucial. Your body needs extra time to prepare for the frigid temps ahead, says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. "During the first six to 10 minutes of your workout, your respiratory and cardiovascular systems haven't caught up to your muscles yet," he explains. "A warm-up enables your lungs to start oxygenating your blood with the nutrients your muscles require." McCall suggests a 10-minute warm-up, starting indoors with some stretching, squats, and multidirectional lunges. Then head outside for a brisk walk, progressing to a slow jog. When stretching, pay extra attention to your calves—they're further away from your core, so they have less circulation and will be working differently to handle slippery sidewalks or slushy snow.

The family dinner: A healthy daily ritual to look forward to

I have been making dinner pretty much every day for the past 16 years. I’d be lying if I said cooking, serving, participating and cleaning-up have been the highlight of each of my days. After a hectic day at work, the question “what’s for dinner” often felt like an accusation, reminding me that despite my efforts I’m still much behind. And not every meal has been peaceful. When my kids were very little (my kids are so close in age that at some point all three were toddlers — an age group you can expect very little table manners from) dinner was so hectic I could hardly taste the food. I often thought that perhaps we adults should eat our meal after we put the little ones to bed, so that we can feel half civilized. But we persisted, and I’m proud to say that I think we all, as a family, look forward to dinner together, and see it as an institution that renews our “familyness” every day.

Are you a secret eater? You're not alone

In a recent poll, over 60 percent of women admitted they're uncomfortable eating in front of their partners. It's so bad, according to the U.K. survey by ShapeSmart, that at least 15 percent end up binging in secret on junk food when their partner isn't around. Here we are, grown women in mature relationships, walking around with secret candy stashes our partners can't know about. What's it all about?

Internet forums, the place we go to confess our sins, prove that secret eating is rampant especially when the cat's away. One forum poster admitted to scarfing down pasta in the morning after her husband leaves for work. Another revealed that her healthy eating habits go down the drain when her military husband is out of town two weeks a month. And several say they wait till their husband's asleep and then attack the refrigerator for leftovers.

How to Get Rid of Belly Fat and Waist Fat

Most everyone wants to get rid of belly fat and waist fat. But studies show that getting rid of belly fat is far more important than mere vanity. Actually, your life depends on knowing how to get rid of belly fat and waist fat!

There are two kinds of belly fat – deep down sneaky visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, deposited just below your skin for everyone to see.

Wanting to get rid of belly fat and waist fat usually refers to noticeable subcutaneous fat. But visceral fat hides beneath the muscles surrounding your vital organs and is far more destructive. The more you have the higher your chances for diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

Gamma Knife Snips OCD in Bud

High-Tech Procedure ‘Cuts’ Abnormal Brain Wiring Linked to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

May 8, 2008 (Washington) -- A high-tech procedure that delivers radiation deep within the brain relieved symptoms in half of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who got no help from medication or talk therapy, a small study shows.

The procedure uses a gamma knife to target brain circuits that work overtime in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), says Antonio Lopes, MD, PhD, of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

"In people with OCD, the network of areas that communicate is always working, working, working. Medication and behavioral therapy can lower the activity of this brain circuitry. But some people don't respond, and we use the gamma knife to try to cut the connection," Lopes tells WebMD.

Not really a knife at all, the gamma knife is a machine that emits powerful, highly focused gamma radiation beams. This helps the doctors target a specific area of the brain while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. It's used to treat people with brain tumors, Parkinson's disease, and other neurological disorders.
Gamma Knife Relieves OCD Symptoms

At the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Lopes presented early results of a study that pits the gamma knife against a sham procedure in 48 patients.

Two years after undergoing the procedure, two of four patients continue to have significant relief from symptoms, he says. Their memory has improved. And they are better able to pay attention to tasks at hand.

In contrast, there has been no improvement among patients who got the sham procedure.

The procedure was relatively safe, with transient headaches and dizziness among the most common side effects.

However, one patient suffered a manic episode about three months after the procedure, which was followed by a bout of hallucinations and delusions a few months after that.

"There are some complications, so this is not for everyone," Lopes says. "This is for people who fail to respond to other treatments."

But for such patients, the procedure can mean the difference between being homebound and functioning "moderately well," says David Baron, DO, professor and chairman of psychiatry at Temple University in Philadelphia.

"These are patients who have failed every single drug and are essentially nonfunctioning, so even a little improvement is a big deal," he says.

Baron tells WebMD that in the U.S., "surgery [for OCD] is an old idea that is coming back because of the gamma knife. It allows you to be much more selective and precise with less adverse effects."