Issue Date: October 22, 2006
For $75, create a home gym
A home gym can be a great way to make fitness part of your life every day. But you have to be realistic about whether you'll use it.
"Identify whether you'll be able to work out at home. And can you set aside time without any distractions? Often, it only works for people who are already dedicated to a program," says Jason Hadeed, the co-owner of Elite Athlete Training Systems and a home gym consultant based in Rockville, Md.
If you want to make the commitment but are nervous about how much you will use a home gym, don't spend thousands to test the waters. Hadeed recommends starting out with "a stability ball, resistance bands and 5-, 10- and 15- pound dumbbells. You should be able to get all of those items for about $75."
For just a small investment, you're ready to get started and can build your gym from there.
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Alcohol "grows" cancer
If you have cancer, new research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is sobering. Drinking alcohol spurred the growth of existing cancer in mice.
In the study, mice were given either water or water and alcohol for a month; in week two, researchers injected them with melanoma. Mice that drank the human equivalent of two to four alcoholic drinks a day for a month had tumors twice as large as those in the water-only mice.
Researchers explain that the alcohol spurred development of new blood vessels needed to feed cancer -- a process that's known as angiogenesis.
"Our message is simple," researcher Jian-Wei Gu told "Science News." For people with genetic signs of vulnerability to any kind of cancer, "No drinking."
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4 spots to spend the holidays
Thinking of spending Christmas away from home this year? Most beach hotels and ski resorts already are booked. But there are a host of cozy inns, rustic retreats and grand hotels to visit.
Santa Fe is illuminated on Christmas Eve with glowing "farolitos," lanterns made by putting candles in sand-filled paper bags. And as you stop for carolers on the streets, you'll smell the aromatic pinyon wood coming from fireplaces all over town. A good choice is the 134-room Inn and Spa at Loretto, which resembles a Native-American pueblo. It's within walking distance of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and art galleries on Canyon Road.
The Greenbrier calls itself "America's Resort" and, indeed, 26 presidents have stayed at this grande dame in the mountains of West Virginia. The 802-room hotel even looks like the White House. A holiday stay here focuses on family, with the Gingerbread Ball and Jingle Bell Parade on Christmas Eve.
For those craving a rustic getaway, Sorensen's Resort consists of 32 log cabins, some with wood-burning fireplaces, amid an aspen grove in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe, Calif. You can cross-country ski or snowshoe from your cabin to the trails in Hope Valley.
Finally, for those who love New Hampshire's White Mountains, the Inn at Jackson is a 1902 Victorian with antiques and four-poster beds. The adjacent Jackson Ski Touring Foundation offers cross-country skiing.
Sign up for Everett Potter's free travel newsletter at everettpotter.com.
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Web buys for wee ones
How to outfit your new baby? If you are a Web shopper, take a look at the 2006 edition of "Thepurplebook Baby" by Hillary Mendelsohn (Warner Books, $8.95). It offers a comprehensive overview of online stores for furniture, gear, clothes and more, and rates each site's ease of use and shipping costs. Among the book's favorite picks (and mine, too):
CLOTHES Gap.com: frequent sales, good deals on shipping and returns to any Gap store. HannaAndersson.com: quality clothing, especially for winter. TuttiBella.com: fun brands not readily found elsewhere (Charlie Rocket, Zutano, Oink!Baby).
TOYS RightStart.com: well-priced educational toys, gear and feeding supplies (including my favorite Bumkins bibs). OneStepAhead.com: now expanded beyond great educational toys to useful gear and supplies.
SUPER SITES Babystyle.com: funky clothes, hip gear, terrific maternity wear. BabyUniverse.com: huge selection of nearly everything (10-plus styles of jogging strollers for twins!). It's not listed in Mendelsohn's book, but I also like BabyCenter.com for pregnancy, infant and toddler information.
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