Twenty years ago children were forced outside. There were no video games or cable television.  Wii was something you said when sledding down a hill. Kids could be seen riding their bikes and playing baseball in the park. Many things have changed in the past few decades. Parents are busy and automatic entertainment is almost a must. The problem is that with every new electronic gadget that appears on the stage, we up the stakes of the effects these novelties have on America’s growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

Statistics show that the number of overweight children ages 6-17 has doubled in the past three decades. One in five children in the United States are considered obese.  Childhood obesity is firmly related to obesity in adults. The question is what can a parent do to help an overweight child? After all, this is your child; how do you let them know they need to lose weight? The schoolyard is surely not the place for a child to find out they are not the same as the other kids, and what are the best ways to prevent obesity in the first place?

First, it is important to remember that nutrition has to be the number one priority when dealing with a child and weight loss. Always keep in mind that children, preteens, and teenagers are growing significantly during this time in their lives. Emotionally, mentally and physically, children’s bodies are changing everyday. Balance is very important. Just as obesity can effect your child, lack of nutrition can be just as damaging. For this reason, traditional packaged programs (Nutrisystem,Slimfast, etc.)  and diet pills are not recommended for kids.

In fact, before even trying a “diet plan,” there are many common sense ideas for losing weight that might work with just a healthy diet.  Activity, any activity, burns calories. The experts say it is not increased energy on the part of children that is causing the obesity, but rather, a systematic slowdown in activity. Here are some creative ideas that can turn everyday activities into important calorie burners.

If you are going grocery shopping, or any shopping for that matter, don’t drive around until the front parking space is free. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk.  If you are grocery shopping, allow your child to push the cart and if you are at the mall, make frequent trips back to the car to drop off packages.

Television is here to stay. We might want to throw it out the window, but let’s face it; it sure is handy for a working parent when trying to finish that last minute project. How to combat the couch potato? Make every commercial a dancing moment. If your child is going to sit and watch TV then every commercial must be spent involved in some sort of physical activity. Dancing, jogging in place, or jumping rope, (okay, keep jump roping to a minimum if you value your furniture,) just get up and move.

For your teenager who loves the telephone, there is no more sitting down to talk. If cell phone minutes are going to be used up, so are calories. We walk as we talk. Have your teen go from one end of the house to the other. If they get tired, they should be tired of talking too and it is time to help clean the house.

A healthy diet will be the cornerstone of stopping and preventing childhood obesity. The Internet is chalk full of healthy recipes for children.  Some tips worth thinking about are taking the skin off the chicken, use low fat milk and cheese, include lots of fruits and vegetables and stay away from fast food.

You may not be able to change society. Yes, it is cool that Wii has an exercise program, but that is not the solution. Concern for today’s children and their weight is a big investment with plenty of simple, everyday fixes.

The weight loss tips that will help you are:

1. The first thing you can do to lose weight is eat small, healthy meals every two to three hours. This will help you increase your metabolism, which is important for weight loss. It’ll help you burn off those unwanted pounds. Some of the foods that you can eat that will help you are lean meats, whole wheat pastas and bread, fruits, veggies, and yogurt.

2. Another tip on losing weight after having a baby is to exercise. By exercising, you will be able to tone your muscles, which will help you burn fat. Some exercises you can do that will help you are weight training, cardio training, and taking fitness classes. You can also walk around your neighborhood if you don’t feel like going to the gym.

3. The third thing you can do to lose weight is breastfeed your baby. This helps burn off those extra calories. When you body burn calories, it burns fat. So, while you’re able to provide nutrients for your baby, you’ll also be able to lose weight at the same time.

Brushing your child’s teeth twice daily is of course the most important thing that you need to do if you want your youngster’s teeth to be healthy. Make sure that your child brushes his teeth twice daily. Employ a toothbrush with soft bristles and a rounded end as this can not hurt your youngster’s gums. Also, ensure that you do not use fluoride toothpaste.

Ensure that your child doesn’t eat anything before bed time and after brushing. Many kids eat even after they’ve brushed at night which causes food to stick to the teeth. These in turn make for an apt breeding ground for germs or bacteria. This makes your child more at the mercy of cavities.

If you would like to maintain your youngster’s teeth as powerful and healthy; it’s imperative to consult a dentist. Frequent dental check ups is the key to promise oral health. Such visits in turn help to keep a check on assorted dental issues ahead. Timely diagnosis can avert problems such like before time runs out of hand.

Flossing is as vital for a kid as it is for an adult. You should start once his / her teeth start touching each other. A a kid as it is for an adult. However, you want to practice caution while flossing your youngster’s teeth as you might finish up injuring the gums if you do not do it correctly. Also, pick floss which is especially developed for youngsters.

Dental sealants are also an up wounding the gums. You also have to keep your child’s teeth healthy forever. These sealants are fixed to the chewing surface of the molars. As a result, the teeth always remain protected and the risk of cavities gets significantly reduced. However, dental sealants can only be applied to children aged six and above.

Food is also in direct link with your child’s dental health. It’s been noted that uncontrolled sugar consumption is a first cause behind the problem of tooth decay, cavities and a couple of others. Try to limit the quantity of sugar from your child’s dietary pattern. For this limit the consumption of sweet food stuffs like nibbles, juices, chocolates and several others. Restricting the intake of sugar will go a long way in maintaining your kid’s teeth health.

So , it is not at all a difficult task to keep your kid’s teeth healthy. By adhering to simply dental hygiene tips, your child’s teeth should be healthy indeed.

When it comes to exercise, you know you need to include cardio, strength and flexibility training, but if you’re fed up with the same old running, lifting and stretching, energize your workout with some new ideas.

Cardio

If you’ve had enough of the treadmill, try…

Forza It transforms Japanese sword-fighting techniques into a low-impact aerobic workout. Borrowing from kendo and aiki jujitsu, Forza takes you through a series of movements that strengthen your muscles and raise your heart rate. No actual fighting is involved, so if you don’t have a sword handy, a broomstick or a bat will do.

Zumba Pulsing Latin rhythms drive this intense dance workout that mixes salsa, merengue and hip-hop. “No dance experience is needed; it’s all based on simple moves,” says Gabrielle Taylor, owner of Manhattan Motion Dance Studios. “The high energy of the music is what people love — and the fact that the moves aren’t complicated.”

Strength

If you’re tired of just lifting weights, try…

Plyometrics “There is a trend now for a workout that can be done with no weights, and that includes plyometric work,” says Los Angeles personal trainer Nancy Krank. “When done right, it’s an effective way to strengthen muscles while decreasing impact forces on the joints.” Jumping up and landing softly or throwing a ball with explosive power are examples.

Functional training Strength training should be meaningful to everyday life, says Cary Raffle, a Manhattan personal trainer. “Rarely can you lie down and get into a perfect position in life before lifting a weight,” he says. Using this philosophy, performing movements that mimic natural movement patterns and strengthening core muscles — used for balance and posture — is especially important. Raffle encourages clients to do strength exercises while standing on one leg or lying on the stability ball.

Flexibility

If your stretching routine has gotten stale, think about…

Self-myofascial release You can improve flexibility and help avoid injuries by working muscles with a firm foam tube — it’s like giving yourself a deep-tissue massage with a large rolling pin. “The foam roller smoothes out knots in muscles,” Raffle says. “If muscles are knotted, they cannot fully stretch. Eventually, you’ll get a tear.”

Gyrotonic® Using cables and pulleys, the Gyrotonic Expansion System® increases flexibility by guiding your movements as you stretch, twist and bend in circular, fluid motions. Joint mobility and balance are also improved; the exercises stimulate the skeletal system as well as the muscles.

Spring is right around the corner and retailers have already begun stocking their floors with warm-weather goods — including swimsuits. Besides looking great on the beach, commonsense tells us that one of the best things you can do for your overall health is to drop a few pounds. Or maybe more than a few pounds.

Being overweight significantly increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer … the list seems almost endless. Plus, if you do get sick or need surgery, being overweight can make any treatments riskier.

You know the drill when it comes to losing weight — take in fewer calories, burn more calories. But you also know that most diets and quick weight-loss plans have about as much substance as a politician’s campaign pledges. You’re better off finding several simple things you can do on a daily basis — along with following the cardinal rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activity. Together, they should send the scale numbers in the right direction: down.

1. Once a week, indulge in a high-calorie-tasting, but low-calorie, treat. This should help keep you from feeling deprived and binging on higher-calorie foods. For instance:

• Lobster. Just 83 calories in 3 ounces.
• Shrimp. Just 60 calories in 12 large.
• Smoked salmon. Just 66 calories in two ounces. Sprinkle with capers for an even more elegant treat.
• Whipped cream. Just 8 calories in one tablespoon. Drop a dollop over a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.2. Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown. Make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa, suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad.
• 3. After breakfast, make water your primary drink. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That’s nearly 90,000 calories a year — or 25 pounds! And research shows that despite the calories, sugary drinks don’t trigger a sense of fullness the way that food does.4. Carry a palm-size notebook everywhere you go for one week. Write down every single morsel that enters your lips — even water. Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don’t.5. Buy a pedometer, clip it to your belt, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day. On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight; adding more than that will help you lose weight.6. Add 10 percent to the amount of daily calories you think you’re eating, then adjust your eating habits accordingly. If you think you’re consuming 1,700 calories a day and don’t understand why you’re not losing weight, add another 170 calories to your guesstimate. Chances are, the new number is more accurate.7. Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 30 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast. Other studies show that even if you eat the same number of calories distributed this way, your body releases less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps control hunger.

  8. Walk for 45 minutes a day. The reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.

  9. Find an online weight-loss buddy. A University of Vermont study found that online weight-loss buddies help you keep the weight off. The researchers followed volunteers for 18 months. Those assigned to an Internet-based weight maintenance program sustained their weight loss better than those who met face-to-face in a support group.

  10. Bring the color blue into your life more often. There’s a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

  11. Clean your closet of the “fat” clothes. Once you’ve reached your target weight, throw out or give away every piece of clothing that doesn’t fit. The idea of having to buy a whole new wardrobe if you gain the weight back will serve as a strong incentive to maintain your new figure.

  12. Downsize your dinner plates. Studies find that the less food put in front of you, the less food you’ll eat. Conversely, the more food in front of you, the more you’ll eat — regardless of how hungry you are. So instead of using regular dinner plates that range these days from 10-14 inches (making them look forlornly empty if they’re not heaped with food), serve your main course on salad plates (about 7-9 inches wide). The same goes for liquids. Instead of 16-ounce glasses and oversized coffee mugs, return to the old days of 8-ounce glasses and 6-ounce coffee cups.

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Start sending your scale numbers in the right direction: down.

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13. Serve your dinner restaurant style (food on the plates) rather than family style (food served in bowls and on platters on the table). When your plate is empty, you’re finished; there’s no reaching for seconds.

14. Hang a mirror opposite your seat at the table. One study found that eating in front of mirrors slashed the amount people ate by nearly one-third. Seems having to look yourself in the eye reflects back some of your own inner standards and goals, and reminds you of why you’re trying to lose weight in the first place.

15. Put out a vegetable platter. A body of research out of Pennsylvania State University finds that eating water-rich foods such as zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers during meals reduces your overall calorie consumption. Other water-rich foods include soups and salads. You won’t get the same benefits by just drinking your water, though. Because the body processes hunger and thirst through different mechanisms, it simply doesn’t register a sense of fullness with water (or soda, tea, coffee, or juice).

16. Use vegetables to bulk up meals. You can eat twice as much pasta salad loaded with veggies like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes for the same calories as a pasta salad sporting just mayonnaise. Same goes for stir-fries. And add vegetables to make a fluffier, more satisfying omelet without having to up the number of eggs.

17. Eat one less cookie a day. Or consume one less can of regular soda, or one less glass of orange juice, or three fewer bites of a fast-food hamburger. Doing any of these saves you about 100 calories a day, according to weight-loss researcher James O. Hill, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado. And that alone is enough to prevent you from gaining the 1.8 to 2 pounds most people pack on each year.

18. Avoid white foods. There is some scientific legitimacy to today’s lower-carb diets: Large amounts of simple carbohydrates from white flour and added sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and lead to weight gain. But you shouldn’t toss out the baby with the bathwater. While avoiding sugar, white rice, and white flour, you should eat plenty of whole grain breads and brown rice. One Harvard study of 74,000 women found that those who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the white stuff.

19. Switch to ordinary coffee. Fancy coffee drinks from trendy coffee joints often pack several hundred calories, thanks to whole milk, whipped cream, sugar, and sugary syrups. A cup of regular coffee with skim milk has just a small fraction of those calories. And when brewed with good beans, it tastes just as great.

20. Use nonfat powdered milk in coffee. You get the nutritional benefits of skim milk, which is high in calcium and low in calories. And, because the water has been removed, powdered milk doesn’t dilute the coffee the way skim milk does.

21. Eat cereal for breakfast five days a week. Studies find that people who eat cereal for breakfast every day are significantly less likely to be obese and have diabetes than those who don’t. They also consume more fiber and calcium — and less fat — than those who eat other breakfast foods. Of course, that doesn’t mean reaching for the Cap’n Crunch. Instead, pour out a high-fiber, low-sugar cereal like Total or Grape Nuts.

22. Pare your portions. Whether you eat at home or in a restaurant, immediately remove one-third of the food on your plate. Arguably the worst food trend of the past few decades has been the explosion in portion sizes on America’s dinner plates (and breakfast and lunch plates). We eat far, far more today than our bodies need. Studies find that if you serve people more food, they’ll eat more food, regardless of their hunger level. The converse is also true: Serve yourself less and you’ll eat less.

23. Eat 90 percent of your meals at home. You’re more likely to eat more — and eat more high-fat, high-calorie foods — when you eat out than when you eat at home. Restaurants today serve such large portions that many have switched to larger plates and tables to accommodate them!

24. Avoid any prepared food that lists sugar, fructose, or corn syrup among the first four ingredients on the label. You should be able to find a lower-sugar version of the same type of food. If you can’t, grab a piece of fruit instead! Look for sugar-free varieties of foods such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and salad dressing.

25. Eat slowly and calmly. Put your fork or spoon down between every bite. Sip water frequently. Intersperse your eating with stories for your dining partner of the amusing things that happened during your day. Your brain lags your stomach by about 20 minutes when it comes to satiety (fullness) signals. If you eat slowly enough, your brain will catch up to tell you that you are no longer in need of food.

First and always most important, consult your doctor. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, extra pounds mean extra pressure on knee and hip joints. If you end up with an injury from your running program, you may be discouraged from continuing.

Secondly, start slowly. The folks at eHow have a check list that can be very helpful for beginners. The web page provides information on everything from shoes to proper breathing, all issues that can be very helpful for beginning runners.

How beneficial is running? Typically, a runner burns 100 calories for every mile that they run. The exercise provided by running helps to keep the heart strong. Runners tend to have lower blood pressure and some former smokers have recovers almost full lung capacity after starting on a running program. Some very serious runners have stated that they run to achieve a sense of euphoria when betaendorphin is released by the neurons in the nervous system.

Contrary to what some believe, running will not cause an increase in appetite. In fact, running acts as a natural appetite depressant. Runners typically pay close attention to their diets, trying to avoid fats and at times eating large amounts of carbohydrate dense foods. Carbohydrates are very important for runners,  who need the glycogen to produce the energy required by their muscles.

Including the little ones in your exercise routine can help you stick with it.

Finding time to exercise is always challenging. Make it easier — and more fun — by including your kids in your workouts! Here’s a quick rundown of what you can do without having to call a sitter.

Exercising With Your Baby

Because your little one is portable, there are many options for working out with a baby in tow.

Head out with the stroller. If you like exercising with a group, join a stroller-walking program. More than just good exercise, research shows walking with a group also helps moms ward off postpartum depression. But if you prefer to walk on your own, keep increasing the challenge by adding hills or intensity. “Even just skipping with a stroller ups your workout — and it makes you feel good,” says exercise physiologist Felicia Stoler, R.D., F.A.C.SM.

Pilates. Pilates is the perfect mom and baby exercise, says postnatal Pilates expert Jennifer Gianni. “You get one–on–one face time throughout, which creates a bonding time for you and your baby,” she says. Try an exercise like push–up kisses: Start on your hands and knees, or in a full push–up position, with the baby lying on the floor next to you; lower yourself, give your baby a kiss, and then push back up. Once she can hold her head up, have her do bridges with you: Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, hold your baby on your pelvis as you lift it (and her) toward the ceiling. She’ll love the ride — and it’s good resistance for you.

Bouncing baby. Once your baby is old enough, put her in a bouncer. Then stand in front of her and bounce too! Create your own cardio routine with jumping jacks, jumping rope or other plyometric exercises.

Exercising With Your Toddler or School–Age Child

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children get at least one hour of physical activity a day (it doesn’t have to be consecutive). By working out, you can be a real role model for your impressionable child; research shows that active parents raise more active kids.

Head to the playground. Climb, swing, slide and hang with your kids. “Pumping your legs on a swing is basic flexion and extension — it’s a workout,” Stoler says. Get reacquainted with the monkey bars. When was the last time you tried a static hang? “We lose that kind of strength so fast,” she says.

Take a ride. Bike together, or jog alongside your little one as he rides. Get creative: Sprint up ahead, do 10 push–ups, and then sprint back. He’ll get a kick out of watching you (and you’ll get some intensity).

Rock and roll. “I’m a big fan of music and dancing,” says Stoler, the mother of an 11–year–old and an eight–year–old. Turn on the stereo and dance with your kids. Make sure your feet are really moving. And let everyone take turns leading the dance.

Try a fitness DVD. A recent Mayo Clinic study showed that children who trade sedentary screen time — watching TV or playing video games — for active screen time, such as working out to a DVD, double their energy expenditure. Find exercise DVDs for kids and parents at your local library.

Take a class together. More fitness centers are offering classes like family yoga. If you have older kids, try taking tennis lessons or a martial–arts class together. You’ll both learn something — and you’ll have fun doing it.

Here are a handful of other fun activities that will get your heart rate up while also bringing a smile to your child’s face.

• Play tag.
• Go hiking together.
• Have a relay race.
• Go roller–skating at a skating rink.
• Toss a Frisbee.
• Play kickball in the street.
• Set up fun exercise stations in your basement.
• Play Twister.

Five simple ways to shed pounds

For those of us who’d like to be a bit slimmer, stepping on the scale can be truly disheartening. You do the mental calculation of how much you weigh minus how much you want to lose, only to think: How am I ever going to accomplish that? But perhaps that’s the wrong way to think of weight loss: Setting smaller goals may make it more likely you’ll succeed in a big way.

Even small goals have their benefits: If you’re overweight, shedding just 5% to 10% of your body weight can have significant effects on health. “Any of the major risk factors — blood sugar [for diabetes], blood pressure, cholesterol — are also weight-associated,” says Molly Kimball, R.D., sports and lifestyle nutritionist at the Ochsner Clinic’s Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. “So losing weight will improve numbers, and it’ll help with conditions like sleep apnea and chronic acid reflux.”

Setting a series of smaller objectives may also make it more likely you’ll break the common cycle of dropping pounds only to gain them back. “This is true of everything, not just weight loss,” says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., a former personal trainer and the author of The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising Unbiased Truth About What Treatments Work and Why (Fair Winds Press, 2008). “It doesn’t matter what your goal is, you have to cut back on things in a manageable way.” Here, a handful of doable goals to jump-start your weight-loss efforts.

Start small. “When I was a personal trainer, guys would come to the gym and plan to do a two-hour Mr. Olympia workout,” Bowden says. “They would last three days, maybe.” Bowden points out that when you aim too high and don’t achieve your goal, your brain registers that as a failure. “The brain is very yes or no, on or off; it doesn’t know much about shades of gray,” he says. “But if you say, ’I’m going to walk on the treadmill for three minutes and you do that, the brain logs that as a success.” Remember: Even what seems like a ridiculously small goal can be crucial in setting you up to achieve your overall objective.

Scale back. Anyone who’s tried to lose weight knows that the scale often isn’t your friend; sometimes you stick to a diet and exercise religiously but the numbers just don’t drop. So try using other measurements to gauge progress, Kimball says. Pay attention to how your clothes fit and use a tape measure to track the inches around your upper arms and thighs, setting these as your objectives. “I usually ask guys their waist size [as one way to measure weight loss], but for one guy his neck size had gone down three or four inches,” she says. “Looking at other measurements takes the emphasis off pounds and puts it on things you can see, other indicators of success besides the number on the scale.”

Create a temptation-free home. Bowden calls this “bulletproofing my kitchen. If I have any kind of ice cream, it’s not going to last through the night,” he says. So he doesn’t keep any at home — ever. “Take an inventory of your trigger foods — we all know what they are for us: salty, sweet, crunchy, whatever things set off your cravings — and keep them out of the house.” If you need to satisfy a craving, go out and get a single serving of your favorite food.

Make peace with the gym. Exercise definitely doesn’t need to happen inside a health club, but for many of us it’s the most convenient way to work out regularly. If you’re intimidated by the idea of going to a gym, you can take small steps there too. “When I was a trainer I worked with people who were terrified; they’d come in and see a meat market and the spandex, and want to turn around and leave,” Bowden says. “Sometimes, to start, I’d just have them come in, look at the locker room and go home — that was it.” This technique, he explains, helps retrain your brain, and is known in psychological circles as systematic desensitization, the same method that helps people overcome their fears of things like flying, public speaking or snakes. “You have to approach these things in small increments you can manage, so you’re managing the anxiety or the feeling of being overwhelmed,” Bowden says.

Pat yourself on the back. Every success in reaching a goal, no matter what or how small it is, calls for a celebration, Kimball believes. “If one of your weak spots is going all day without eating and then bingeing at night, and you make the change of having breakfast and lunch every day for a week, give yourself credit and celebrate when you make that change,” she says. “Just like you’d tell your friend ’good job,’ do that for yourself. Most people are way harder on themselves than they’d be with anyone else.” Rewards, big and small, help reinforce both achievement and motivation.

Boost your well-being with these energizing tips

Sure, you have a lot going on in your life, but that’s exactly why you should take more breaks. Taking care of yourself isn’t optional; it’s vital to your health. A little downtime is all you need to recharge your body and look your best. Here’s how.

Revitalize

Take a mental vacation. Close your eyes and picture yourself in a serene setting that soothes you. Doing this for just five minutes can boost your energy. If you’re on the road, stop at a local park and step out into nature to clear your mind.

Energize

Free up some minutes to get active. Go for early-morning walks and enjoy the solitude at the start of your day. Follow up with after-dinner strolls or bike rides.

Hydrate

If plain water doesn’t entice you, try a glass of sparkling water garnished with frozen strawberries and fresh lime. Or get a healthful boost from a cup of tea. It’s loaded with flavonoid antioxidants, which are believed to protect your body’s cells from damage.

Refresh

Soothe aching feet with a custom-blended footbath. Mix your favorite moisturizing body wash, Epsom salts and warm water and ease your feet into the bath. Let the events of the day fade away.

A partner can help you stay on track.

Sound familiar? You come home starving from an exhausting workout to find your family eating pepperoni pizza in front of the television. Suddenly, your plan to grill fish and steam veggies is, well, losing steam. Next time, summon the help of your personal support system. Your chance of success soars if you’ve got friends urging you on.

Who and where should you recruit?

At Work

Best Buddy: A health-minded peer or supervisor who eats lunch around the same time you do.
Why: Make her a healthful-eating role model.
How Your Buddy Can Help: She can eat lunch with you once or twice a week to help you stick with your food plan. She can also take lunchtime walks with you and dissuade others from plying you with bagels and birthday cake.

At Home

Best Buddy: A friend who lives nearby.
Why: You might think it’s okay to lean on your family — but the experts warn against it. Focusing kids on dieting can lead to eating disorders. And having your spouse restrict your diet can lead to resentment.
How Your Buddy Can Help: She can take evening walks with you and exchange low–fat recipes. She can also go grocery shopping with you and help you make healthy choices.

At Parties

Best Buddy: A chatty and social pal who’s also invited to the fete.
Why: You’ll spend more time socializing and less time grazing at the buffet table.
How Your Buddy Can Help: Meet before the get–together for a pre–party snack of something low–cal but filling, such as fruit. When you arrive, stay hydrated and away from temptation by sipping a glass of water. When you do approach the goodies, have your friend accompany you.

Dining Out

Best Buddy: A pal with a good track record of restraining herself at restaurants.
Why: She’ll help you refuse other friends’ urgings to try “just one bite” of their fettuccine Alfredo.
How Your Buddy Can Help: Ask your buddy to split a salad or another healthful appetizer with you as well as a sensible main course if neither one of you is starved. If others order alcohol, ask her to abstain with you. For dessert, share a fruit sorbet — or just chat over tea.