· If your spouse has a separate plan, act quickly to get on it.
· Ask about your COBRA rights. With some exceptions, laid-off workers can continue their coverage for 18 months by paying its full cost. (Congress is considering a temporary, 65 percent premium subsidy.)
· If COBRA coverage isn’t an affordable option, explore non-group plans. Make sure that any coverage meets the requirements to protect you against preexisting condition exclusions Read the rest of this entry »

Dallas workout groups combine fun, fitness
11:33 AM CST on Monday, January 12, 2009
By ELSA K. SIMCIK / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
When it’s time to exercise, you could grab your iPod, head outside and go for a run. You might even consider it your “me time,” a chance to be alone with your own thoughts. But if you were to go to, let’s say, soccer practice for your workout or meet up with your inline skating Read the rest of this entry »

 BOOKS.
In three short weeks, chances are you will be making a New Year’s resolution about losing weight. Here are four diet books, coming out the next few  weeks, that can help you on that journey.
Collins, $26
TODAY’s nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer promises you more energy and more room in your pants in her latest book all about how to make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
by Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra
Read the rest of this entry »

Ridgeland, MS, JAN 21, 2009 (EventX/Knobias.com via COMTEX) –
— AspenBio Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq SC :
) will host a conference call regarding to discuss these preliminary results and related FDA plans.
When : Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Webcast : Click Here to Listen
Phone # : 800-896-8445
Intl # : 785-830-1916
Passcode : 7ASPENBIO
Misc Information: An audio replay of the call will be available starting at noon Eastern Read the rest of this entry »

Avoiding meat? Heed these tips
Did you know that an estimated 367,000 kids in the U.S. have switched to a vegetarian diet?
That’s about 1 in 200, and it’s a number that seems to be on the rise.
Some have gone vegetarian to lose weight or eat healthier, or for reasons related to animal rights, but is going vegetarian good for your body?
With more and more teens becoming vegetarians, an important question is whether a meatless diet Read the rest of this entry »

. They get paid fees by drugmakers through the prescription drug user fee act (PDUFA) to make decisions about whether drugs are safe and effective or not, but if they miss a deadline, there’s not a whole lot pharmaceutical companies and investors can do.
And these days, they’ve been missing a lot of deadlines. Let’s take a look at a few drugmakers with marketing applications stuck in limbo and their chances for eventual approval.
is on its second Read the rest of this entry »

Fitness buffs must be hard to buy gifts for. Shopping for
some of them, I imagine, is like working out too much –
there comes a point beyond which the effort is futile.
Consider that plateau shattered. In recent weeks, I’ve
been trying out all kinds of fitness gear, with the goal of
helping those looking to stuff athletic stockings.
Not every product here is new. Some have been around for
months. But I can vouch that each is something any fitness
enthusiast Read the rest of this entry »

. But if you're time-pressed you can still benefit from the bare minimum: a one-minute burst of movement.
“A quick pump up—something like a jumping jack—is an all-over body workout that can get you over the low slump in the day,” said personal trainer and fitness expert
(left), who includes one-minute cardio intervals in her book “Sexy in 6″ (Lifelong, $17.95).
Sadly, one measly 60-second workout won't blast you into shape. It can, Read the rest of this entry »

A.
Fit into a great bathing suit.
B.
Reduce my chances of getting any of the seven serious diseases related to being overweight.
C.
Be happier and more self-aware.
D.
Increase self-confidence.
Strategy, details and micro-goals:
■ Total calories to cut in a year to reach goal: 35 pounds at 3,500 calories a pound is 122,500 calories.
■ Calories to cut each day: 336.
■ Change in food: Cut 250 calories a day.
Read the rest of this entry »

4 Don’t drink. Binge drinking is particularly dangerous to the fetus; known risks include miscarriage, stillbirth and mental retardation. It may cause facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
5 Don’t smoke. That includes inhaling second-hand smoke. Besides stillbirth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome has been linked to cigarette smoke.
6 Monitor the scales. Gestational diabetes and premature birth are among the Read the rest of this entry »