Issue Date: October 23, 2005
4 gym maximizers
1. Use gym staff. Ask for advice on classes and how to use equipment.
2. Pick your peak hour. Visit the gym at different hours to find out if you feed on the energy of the evening rush or prefer quiet midafternoons.
3. Rotate workouts to prevent overtraining, injury and boredom. Try:
Monday: 30-minute treadmill intervals
Tuesday: Strength class
Wednesday: 30 minutes on elliptical trainer
Thursday: Yoga class
Friday: 40 minutes of biking
Saturday: Total body circuit
Sunday: Rest
4. Squeeze it in. A quick 30-minute workout is better than nothing."
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Zippy dessert topping
The curry powder in this treat adds a deliciously spicy flavor -- as well as disease-fighting curcumin -- to the antioxidant-packed mixed fruit.
Curried Fruit Sauce
1 cup orange juice
1 Tb. cornstarch
1 Tb. curry powder
1 Tb. Splenda or sugar
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 nectarines, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup toasted almonds
In a saucepan, combine juice, cornstarch, curry and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Add blueberries and nectarines; stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Add banana and almonds, then immediately remove from heat. Use warm or cold over angel food cake, ice cream, pancakes or waffles.
Serves 6
Per serving (with Splenda): 115 calories, 2.5g protein, 20.6g carbohydrates, 3.7g fat (0g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 3mg sodium.
For more great USA WEEKEND recipes, visit allrecipes.com.
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The pros and cons of teen debit cards
There's plenty of plastic for tweens and teens today: MasterCard recently introduced the MYplash card to compete with Visa Buxx. Both are prepaid debit cards, meaning parents add cash online or by phone, then kids use them wherever debit cards are accepted. The cards are convenient and safer than carrying cash, plus parents can track every penny. But watch for the following:
Fees. Be aware of all fees before accepting the card. Banks may charge activation fees of $15 to $30 and $2 to $4 each time you put cash on the card. Some also charge monthly maintenance fees of $1. And if teens use the cards at cash machines, they will incur ATM fees every time.
Overdraft charges. You'll get socked if your child spends more than the amount available. Say your son spends the last of his money on a movie, then splurges on a mochachino. Both charges will be accepted, and you'll have to pay the amount overspent, plus a fee up to $25.
Bad habits. Kids can become awfully comfortable with plastic, especially when families foot the bills. Make sure your teen reviews the monthly statements and understands this is real money.
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One-stop, customized vacations
Travel agents once dutifully sold pre-packaged vacations and cruises. Now, more are customizing trips for demanding travelers.
"About 50% of our clients want a customized trip," says Rebecca Falkenberry, of Hill's Travel Service in St. Petersburg, Fla. "There's nothing I can pull off the shelf that fits them. The timing may be wrong, or it may be a group tour and they want a family trip."
So savvy agents painstakingly plan what can be complex itineraries. Falkenberry recently arranged a client's trip to Vancouver, then to the Canadian resorts of Banff and Lake Louise. Besides flights and hotels, she booked trains through the Rockies and a heli-hiking excursion -- adding a non-refundable fee of $100 per person to the trip's cost. For a father taking his daughter and her friends to New York City for a weekend, she booked a hotel and a helicopter ride, arranged private shopping at the American Girl store and got tickets for a Broadway musical.
"We've taken on the role of a concierge," says Damian McCabe, CEO of McCabe Bremer Travel in McLean, Va., noting she books restaurant reservations and golf tee times on top of hotels and flights. She admits travelers could do most of this, but she and other agents offer "one-stop shopping."
Find a travel agent by contacting the American Society of Travel Agents (astanet.com).
Everett Potter is an award-winning travel writer in suburban New York.
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