You worked hard all week long, and all you want to do on Saturday is chill and do nothing. But if you lace up your sneakers and burn some calories, you know you’ll probably feel good. If you have a tough time exercising on the weekend, here are some ways to get psyched about it, and do all the prep work the night before. Choose your gear : The night before, choose your outfit and lay it right next to your bed, including any gear you need (charged iPods included). Seeing it first thing in the morning will inspire you to slip it on – getting dressed is half the battle. Cue up that DVD : Before you go to bed, leave dumbbells, an unrolled yoga mat, or an exercise ball out. Or, pop in your favorite fitness DVD so it’s all set to go. It’ll be hard to walk out the next day with all those visual reminders. Let music inspire you : Hop on iTunes and make a new cardio playlist that you can use during the weekend. When you get out of bed, you’ll be so psyched to listen to it, you’ll rush to get your sports bra on. Make a date : Earlier in the week, call up a friend and make plans to hike, meet at the gym, or take a long bike ride together. When you make an agreement to meet at a specific time and place, it’s tough to bail. Pick a fun fitness class : Check out the class schedule at your gym or nearby studio and find a class to take. This way you can mark your weekend schedule before errands or social events prevent it from happening.

MIAMI (CBS4) – Have you heard the saying “strong is the new skinny”?  What if you could have both? It may be as easy as taking a fresh look at the past.  The Paleo Diet, or the caveman diet, means eating and acting like a caveman. To sustain the diet, you can only eat things you gather, hunt or pick. Pinecrest resident Thad Foot, 38, said the diet gives him strength to do stand up paddle boarding. “I want to get stronger,” he said. Tara Grant, 37, did the same diet for a different reason. “I had polycystic ovarian syndrome,” said Grant. “Now, it’s gone.  I had endometriosis. Now it’s gone!” At 250 pounds she also had an extra 100 pounds on her.  That’s gone too for this primal girl in a modern world.  She’s followed the Paleo Diet for two years.  Her goal is to stay fit. Foot’s goal is to stay strong and by this spring be able to paddle board from Bimini, in the Bahamas to Miami. The two went back in time and started eating and exercising like cavemen.  Foot made it easier for himself and put an entire garden in his backyard so that all that good food could be readily available. The do’s on the diet: fruits, veggies, nuts, berries, meats.  The don’ts on the diet: rice, pasta, bread, anything processed, junk food. All this was discussed among the hundreds of researchers, scientists, doctors and nutritionists from around the world who discussed the Paleo Movement. At a sold out symposium in California the focus was Ancestral health.  The ides is that our DNA has changed little since the late Paleolithic Era.  That means our bodies are better suited from prehistoric, not modern times. Mark Sisson, the author of the book “The Primal Blueprint” said, “We are hunters, gatherers, living in the twenty first century with all this technology and we don’t know what to do with it.” The mismatch could explain why we have so many complex degenerative disorders including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and so much more.

In a 21 to 5 vote on Thursday, U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers said that the labels on certain oral contraceptives do not adequately reflect the risk-benefit profile of these drugs. The pills in question contain the hormone drospirenone. The brand names for these products include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and Sayfral. At a joint meeting of two FDA advisory committees in Adelphi, Maryland, members discussed the available evidence suggesting that drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives may be linked to a higher likelihood of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which are blood clots that can break away and move around in the circulatory system. Some studies suggest that the risk is higher for VTE in birth control pills with drospirenone than those with another hormone called levonorgestrel, a progestin.  But the results are conflicting, and the labels for these products should communicate that uncertainty, committee members said. The majority of the committee members (15-11) present voted that the benefits of these drugs – primarily, preventing pregnancy, but also treating certain menstrual-related problems and acne – outweigh the risks. Many said that while the relative risk of these drugs was shown to be higher in some studies of VTE, the absolute risk level is still relatively low. Those who voted "no" noted that the alternative is not necessarily unwanted pregnancy; there are other birth control pills on the market that appear to show a lower risk of VTE. Many voters noted that the studies on the subject, some industry-funded and some not, do not adequately take into account many factors that could contribute to the development of VTE.  Body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status and family history are just some of the variables that could skew results.  These are also observational studies, not controlled.  Participants were not randomly assigned to take one kind of pill instead of another and followed. Advisers called for further investigation into these confounding variables. Filed under: Heart , Pregnancy Tagged: Elizabeth Landau – CNN.com Health Writer/Producer

Maybe you’re like me, and when you hear about all of the health benefits associated with wine - like how one glass a day can increase bone strength and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke -concern about calories fades into the distance. The good news: if you are looking to indulge in an after-work aperitif, wine is one of the most waist-friendly libations you can choose, unlike other happy hour bevvies, which can contain a ridiculous amount of calories . Wine is low in calories and is free of cholesterol, sodium, and fat. But keep in mind the sweeter you go (I’m talking about you, dessert wine), the higher the calorie content. Keep reading for a calorie breakdown of all your favorite types of wine.

So you want to build muscle? It’s not just about trying to lift the heaviest weights. Building muscle and obtaining that oh-so-flattering definition is all about a dedicated plan. Read on for a how-to on planning a muscle-building routine and what (and when) to eat. First, you need to form a schedule for strength training. Try to do it at least 20 minutes of strength-training twice a week so that you can build a foundation for a stronger body, without having to devote too much time at the gym. It also helps to switch up your routine often so you don’t plateau. Need some ideas? Check out these total-body and body-specific routines that will work out your shoulders to legs, and everything in between. Now that you have a strength-training plan, read on for more tips on how to build your muscles.

Free HIV testing is being offered throughout the United States today in commemoration of National HIV Testing Day. AIDS and HIV aren’t in the news as often as they used to be, but they’re still highly relevant health threats that directly affect an estimated 30,000,000 or more people worldwide. New data presented by the Centers No related posts.

FitSugar reader debnicole shared this fitness DVD review for the eighth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway, and you should too! I incorporate various workout DVDs in my exercise regimen. Lately it’s been mainly the P90X series. My husband and I started two months ago on P90X and are halfway through. It’s definitely an investment to buy the set; but I definitely feel like the money was well spent. It’s a 12-disc collection with a variety of workouts. What I love about the collection : You never repeat the same workout two days in a row. Variety is key! There is cardio, strength, abs, yoga, and stretch workouts. It’s pretty fast-paced . . . there isn’t much (if any) resting between sets. You don’t have to have a gym membership – the kit came with resistance bands. Even if you don’t own free weights, the bands work great. The trainers encourage you to work at your own pace. My favorite workouts are: core synergistics, back and biceps, shoulders/triceps/chest. Find out what she didn’t like about P90X when you read more. Take it or leave it : The diet plan – if you have horrible eating habits presently, it may be a good jumping off tool. I personally feel like this is geared more towards men. The women are almost always in tiny shorts and a sports bra while the men are sporting shirts and shorts. I’m not speaking out of jealousy (the women having amazing bodies) just out of equality – the men should lose their shirts! On days when I just went to get through it, the instructing gets really annoying. Luckily you can silence the DVD and you have the option for just the cues. So what’s P90X done for me ? I’ve gained strength in my upper body – I can now do 20+ consecutive push-ups, I can even properly do the Chaturanga pose during yoga (the Chaturanga push-ups are insanely hard for me . . . still). I’ve noticed muscle tone in my back – and in my abs! (Holler!) No chiseled six pack by any means, but it’s nice to jump in the air and not continue shaking five minutes after you’ve landed back on the ground. Speaking of jumping, the plyometric workout (aka jump training) has totally helped my runs – granted I think the entire combination of the workouts have helped my run – but specifically, with the plyo one, I’ve noticed a difference in my endurance and breathing. I’ve also seen more definition in my legs, and even feel like my rear has firmed up. So if you’re in the market for a new workout series, look into P90X! I do suggest though: get a workout buddy! It will make you more committed. Share a fitness DVD or workout review in our Get Fit For 2011 challenge group to enter to win a $100 Nike gift card and a chance to win our grand prize – a four-day fitness boot camp in LA!

After years of participating in the craziness from the sidelines, I recently signed up for San Francisco’s most infamous (and most naked) race: the ING Bay to Breakers 12K. The 7.5-mile race crosses the entire width of San Francisco and draws thousands of participants, from serious runners to those who are decidedly not, and turns the whole city into race fans for a day. I love that my first race will be for the 100th anniversary of one of my favorite San Francisco “holidays.” And since I haven’t been much of a runner lately, registering now is good motivation for me to start a dedicated routine that’ll prepare me for the May race. Before I can don a wild outfit and brave the city’s hilly landscape, I need to get serious. Read on to see how I’ll start training for my big day.

Males were more likely to report amnesia and confusion/disorientation than females, who were more likely to report drowsiness and noise sensitivity.

DUI and drug courts marry criminal justice supervision and treatment.