Lose Weight for Summer

(HealthCastle.com) All winter and spring you've been hiding under your layers. But now the first beacon of summer - Memorial Day - has passed, and summer is officially in full swing. It's time to finally shed your layers for warmer weather! If your diet hasn't been up to par and you're worried about shimmying into a swimsuit, don't despair… there's plenty of time to lose weight the healthy way and shed your cover-up with confidence.
Eight Ways to Kick-Start your Diet Back and Get Back on Track to Lose Weight for Summer

* Start now.
Don't wait for next week, Monday, or even tomorrow. Finish this article and set out to make positive changes right away. Setting up a “start date” can backfire, since many people overeat in anticipation of cutting back for an upcoming diet. The trouble is, too many false starts and “last treats” can add up to hundreds of extra calories, not to mention lots of frustration. Remember, dieting isn't about ditching all of the things you love to eat - it just means eating less of them and replacing the balance with healthy foods.

* Set some goals.
Most people wouldn't set out for a big adventure without a map, directions, or even hotel reservations. So don't set out on a diet without simple goals; they are your roadmap to losing weight with success. Jotting down a few realistic expectations can give you something to aim at. Want to wear a swimsuit to a party you know is coming up later in the summer? Do you have an upcoming vacation planned, and you'd like to feel confident lounging on the beach? Make a diet road map and get going!

* Plan for a healthy breakfast.
Choose a doughnut, and you're more likely to continue to choose less-than-healthy picks throughout the day. Choose a healthy breakfast that gives you an energy boost from whole grains or fruit-based carbohydrates, plus protein to sustain you, and you'll set in motion a day of better choices. Your breakfast does not have to be time consuming or fancy - cereal and milk with fruit or a whole grain English muffin with 2% cheese and an apple are perfect.

* Stay hydrated.
Sometimes it's easy to confuse hunger for thirst; staying properly hydrated can be a big diet help. In fact, a 2005 University of North Carolina study found that people who drank about 6½ cups of water ate nearly 200 less calories throughout the day - not to mention the fact that your body requires water to work well (which includes burning calories). When your body is working the way it should, it's easier to find the motivation for exercising, cooking, and eating right.

* Use a hunger scale.
If you're not eating mindfully, it can tough to figure out why you are eating; are you hungry, stressed, sad, or bored? Try picturing a scale where 10 means you're ravenously hungry and 1 means you're not hungry at all. Before you eat, think of the scale and consider where you are on it, then match that assessment to how much you will eat. For example, if your hunger is at "1," you really don't need to eat - but perhaps need another diversion like taking a walk or responding to a few friendly emails. And while you're eating, keeping a hunger scale in mind will help you stop eating before you are over-stuffed.

* Set up your kitchen for success.
If you find that, say, a package of Oreos tempts you into eating too many, get rid of them! It's OK to have a splurge every now and then, even when you are trying to lose weight. But sometimes it's just easier to have a single splurge, like going to the ice cream shop and enjoying a cone, rather than buying a carton of ice cream to keep (and tempt you) at home.

* Try a new recipe.
Sometimes it's easy to feel unmotivated to make a change to your diet if you are tired of eating the same old foods. So, try a new recipe using healthy ingredients. Take a trip to the store (or better yet, the farmers' market) to inspire a culinary creation out of some of the beautiful, fresh, and super-nutritious produce finds that are ripe and delicious this time of year.

* Keep a food journal.
Those bites, licks, and tastes can really add up to big calories! Make this your mantra: if you bite it, write it. You may be surprised at where you are taking in extra calories that are keeping your weight loss efforts from taking off. Plus, a journal makes it easier to find times during the day that you can pinpoint stress eating or overeating; you can then use the journal as a tool to devise a solution to diet-destroying eating patterns.

- The Bottom Line
Commit to making some healthy changes now! Most importantly, find the combination of motivators that gets you started and keeps you going. Make this your summer to lose weight for good!

Here Are Some Handy Uses For Vinegar

If you need to unclog a drain or deodorize your shoes, grab the vinegar! You've heard that before on this show. Well, here are some handy uses for vinegar that you probably HAVEN'T heard so pay attention! We found these in Real Simple magazine.

* Use it to treat oily hair. Vinegar is a good degreaser for oily hair because it helps adjust pH levels. Just shampoo and rinse as usual. Then pour a quarter cup of vinegar on your hair and rinse it again.

* Removing stubborn price tags or stickers. Cover them with several coats of vinegar, let the liquid soak in for 5 minutes, then wipe away the residue.

* Use vinegar to remove coffee or tea stains from the bottom of a cup. Just swish 2 tablespoons around in the cup and wash as usual.

* Making wool sweaters fluffier. Drop in a couple of capfuls of vinegar during the rinse cycle for an extra-soft feel.

* Vinegar will kill weeds between cracks in paving stones and sidewalks. Just fill a spray bottle with straight vinegar and spray a few times. But don't get it on the grass because it'll kill that, too.

* You can use it to deodorize your garbage disposal. Make some vinegar ice cubes and put them down the disposal. After you grind them up, run cold water through the drain. You're disposal will be smelling as good as it did the day it was made.

What's Normal Human Body Temperature?

What’s normal human body temperature? 98.6 Fahrenheit, right? Well, not exactly! According to The Week magazine, for most adults, normal body temperature is actually half a degree cooler. 98.1. So, how come the wrong temperature was established as the standard? Well, back in the mid-19th century, German doctor Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich decided to establish the norm for human body temperature. He acquired a new-fangled invention – the mercury thermometer – a 1-foot long glass tube that was held under the armpit for 11 minutes to get a reading. He took the temperature of 25,000 people at different times of day. He discovered that temperature differed from person to person. For everyone, it was lowest in the morning, and highest in the afternoon as activity and metabolism picked up. The range: between 97.2 and 100.4 degrees.

Once he had all the numbers, he had to calculate the “average” of over 1 million readings by hand – since the calculator had not yet been invented. He came up with the now-familiar average of 98.6. More recent studies discovered that not only is average human body temperature lower than that, it’s also different for different groups of people. For example, it’s slightly higher in women than men. Slightly higher in blacks than whites. Slightly higher in children than adults. On the flip side, body temperature is slightly lower in senior citizens. The overall average is 98.1 degrees. Of course, scientists were puzzled about how Dr. Wunderlich came up with 98.6. So, they examined his only thermometer. The result? The thermometer was calibrated incorrectly – so all of his readings AND his results were false.

Five Hidden Dangers of Using Facebook

Facebook is not very safe. That’s the opinion of Joan Goodchild, the senior editor of CSO Online – which stands for Chief Security Officer. She told CBS News there are five hidden dangers of Facebook:

* First, they’re sharing your information with third parties, like advertisers. Facebook can make money gathering as much info about you as possible, and then use it to attract advertisers. Goodchild says the more personal info you give out, the more money Facebook can take in.

* The second hidden danger of Facebook involves your privacy settings. Every time Facebook redesigns its website, your privacy settings revert to an unsafe default mode - essentially making all your info public. These redesigns happen about twice a year, and Facebook does not always notify you when they make changes. So periodically click on the Privacy Settings button and make sure yours are what you think they are.

* The third hidden danger of Facebook: Beware of clicking on those ads on the side of the page. Some contain malicious software. One of these so-called “malware” ads told Facebook users to download anti-virus software, but it was really a virus. Stay safe and ignore the ads!

* This next hidden danger of Facebook involves your friends - even your real-life friends. They can unknowingly make you vulnerable on Facebook. Let’s say their profile was hacked. The scammer can use their account or email address to send you malware. One of the most popular scams is called the “419 scam.” With the 419 scam you’ll get a message that says, “Help. I was mugged. I’m hurt. Please send money.” You think it’s a legitimate message from a friend, but it’s really a lie to get your cash.

* The fifth hidden danger of Facebook: fake profiles created by scammers. In fact, a recent study found that 40 percent of all Facebook profiles are fake, set up by imposters. If you have hundreds of Facebook friends, do you really know them all? Do you trust every one of them with your personal info or letting them know you’re out of town – or even out to eat? Probably not. So take your home address, phone number, last name, birth year and phone number off your profile NOW. Unless you have a burglar alarm and it’s activated, don’t tell anyone, “Hey, I’m off to the grocery store.” By the time you get back, you could have been robbed.

The Top Germ Magnets Lurking Inside Your Hotel Room

Have you heard? Travel experts have announced that the era of “stay-cations” is over, as people begin to book real summer vacations again! If your travel plans include staying in a hotel, we want to remind you that most hotel rooms aren’t as clean as you think. So, here’s a refresher course on some of the hidden germs lurking in hotel rooms, according to the Web site Smarter Travel .com:

* Germ magnet #1: The Alarm clock. Just think of how many guests set that alarm with their dirty, sweaty hands. That’s why our expert recommends using an antibacterial wipe on all high traffic areas in the room - including doorknobs, light switches, dresser handles, and the telephone!

* Another hotel germ magnet: The bed. No matter how clean the bedspread looks, it’s one of the least washed linens in any hotel room. So, take it off and toss it on the floor before you ever plop down on the bed. Then, take a close look at the headboard, sheets and mattress. If you see any small black or red specs, beware: Those are common signs of bed bugs.

* Another place germs hide in hotel rooms: Drinking glasses. Unless each glass is individually wrapped in plastic, you should never use them. That’s because cleaning crews often wash those glasses with the same chemicals they use to clean the toilet!

Know this – just because a hotel room is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s clean. ABC News asked microbiologist Charles Gerba to test $500 a night hotel rooms. He swabbed nine items in each – from the irons, to sinks, toilets, and drinking glasses. What did he find? One three-star hotel turned up fecal coliform and MRSA, a serious germ known to cause severe skin infections. One place hotel guests may not think about when it comes to germs is the room-service menu, but at one swanky five-star hotel, the experiment uncovered high levels of bacteria on the menu. One last surprising hotel germ hotspot? The hair dryer! In almost every case, Gerba found it had far more germs on it than the hotel toilet seat.