Issue Date: October 16, 2005
Get a full cardio workout in 15 minutes
Option: If your running sprint can't be an all-out effort (85% of your max), don't hit the track. Instead, "sprint" on a stationary bike to cut risk of injury; check with your doctor.
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If you're in a rush, consider interval training. Just 15 minutes of intense interval training can replace 45 minutes of low-level cardio, like walking.
The difference? Instead of maintaining a moderate pace throughout your exercise session, you alternate all-out sprints with rest periods.
This technique burns calories and can be potent for "everyday people, even those with heart conditions or previously inactive people," says Martin Gibala, a kinesiologist at McMaster University in Ontario.
As for timing, alternating 1 minute of sprinting with 1 minute of rest is a good plan for most people, Gibala says, but, "anything from 30 seconds to 2 minutes of sprinting with rest periods from 1 to 4 minutes in between will work."
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Vinegar curbs appetite
Having vinegar with meals -- even mixed in a glass of water before or a salad dressing during -- may lessen damage from high carbs while curbing appetite and possibly weight gain.
In a new Swedish study, downing 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar with white bread cut expected rises in insulin and blood sugar by about 25%. Surprisingly, subjects also felt fuller.
This study confirms research by Jennie Brand-Miller, of the University of Sydney in Australia, finding that eating 4 teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing with a meal lowered blood sugar by as much as 30%.
FYI, vinegar drinks are now popular in Japan.
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Halloween hot spots
A generation ago, Halloween was a night of trick-or-treating reserved for young children. Now, All Hallows Eve, its rightful name, has evolved, offering action for all ages.
For literary types: Relive the ride of the Headless Horseman at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., as Washington Irving's creation chases Ichabod Crane Oct. 28-30 during this nightly re-enactment of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
If witches are your thing: Try Haunted Happenings in Salem, Mass., running through Halloween. The fright fest features a ghost tour and extended hours at the Witch Museum, which transports you to the witch trials of 1692.
To be scared silly: Open the door to a haunted house, like Rocky Point in Salt Lake City, where 100 characters will scare the living daylights out of you. And the Edge of Hell promises to terrify you in Kansas City, Mo. This converted five-story warehouse features up to 50 live performers, a swinging rope bridge and a creepy-crawly graveyard.
For children: The youngest goblins are heading to Chicago's Navy Pier, which is part of Illinois' Fall-O-Ween. There, they will find inflatable Halloween play areas and a haunted maze.
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Save now on health care
For many workers, it's open-enrollment season -- a yearly chance to change health insurance. Let's strategize on how to cut costs, but not the quality of care.
Examine the plans. Employers may offer several. Which is best? If you have young kids and your family is fairly healthy, look at Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Premiums are relatively low, and co-pays for your primary care physician may be as little as $10. Have special medical needs? Then Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) can save money in the long run. Premiums and co-pays may be higher, but you'll have more specialists at your disposal.
Use a flexible spending account. This benefit saves you money by let-ting you pay out-of-pocket medical expenses with pretax dollars. You put a fixed amount of your salary into the account to spend on deductibles, co-pays, bills insurance won't cover and over-the-counter drugs. One big drawback: If you don't use all the money in a year, you lose it. So calculate your anticipated expenses carefully.
Shop. Compare prescription prices at discount chains (Costco, Sam's Club) and websites (drugstore.com, cvs.com, Walgreens.com). Also, check whether your insurance plan has options for mail-order medications.
Ask questions. Whenever your insurer rejects a bill, ask why. Most problems are simple administrative errors. And always insist on an itemized hospital statement to verify the treatments are yours.
Walecia Konrad is the news editor at "Good Housekeeping."
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