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It once was that personal fitness trainers were exclusively for the super rich, sighted by us normal folks only in paparazzi photographs of a celebrity's entourage. But as fitness centers have spread throughout the country and the number of personal fitness trainers has increased, getting your own has become a real possibility for the average person, says Patrick Hagerman, EdD, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Tulsa.

"They're really much more affordable than people would think," says Hagerman, who is also a board member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and owns Quest Personal Training in Oklahoma City.

Nor are personal fitness trainers just for the buff, spandex-sporting crowd, says Fred Klinge, chairman of the Health and Registry Board at the American College of Sports Medicine. Klinge emphasizes that the scope of personal fitness trainers has broadened. "It's not just about weight lifting and cardio work anymore," he tells WebMD. "It's more about assistance in developing a healthy and fit lifestyle."

Although there haven't been too many, some studies have shown that personal trainers can help people stick to their exercise routines more effectively than they would on their own, according to Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise (ACE). But for someone who hasn't had any experience with personal trainers, figuring out how to get one can be daunting.

Who Needs a Personal Trainer?

You may ask yourself why you would benefit from a personal trainer. After all, why should you pay for somebody to tell you to exercise when you can just go and exercise for free?

But for some, having a person to answer to really helps provide motivation. After all, if we never got scolded by our teachers and parents for not doing our homework when we were kids, a lot of us would still be in the second grade. Knowing that you have someone who will take you to task can make a difference.

Hagerman sees a lot of practical advantages to having a personal fitness trainer. "It saves time and it reduces injuries," he says. "You have someone who can help you figure out what exercises you need to do and how the equipment works rather than wasting time figuring it out on your own.

"A lot of people in the gym learn exercises by watching other people do them," Hagerman continues. "But the person they're watching probably learned by watching someone else, and whoever started the chain probably didn't know what they were doing to begin with."

The expense of hiring a personal trainer can be motivation in itself, according to Klinge, who is also general manager of the North Little Rock Athletic Club in Arkansas. For the same reason that some people will clear their plate at a restaurant so that they get their money's worth, others get fit simply because they hate to see the money they paid for a gym membership and a trainer go to waste.

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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and found in certain foods, such as from animals, like dairy products (whole milk), eggs and meat. The body needs some cholesterol in order to function properly. However, too much cholesterol can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease. There are several factors that contribute to high cholesterol -- some are controllable while others are not.

Uncontrollable risk factors include:

Gender: After menopause, a woman's LDL-cholesterol level ("bad" cholesterol) goes up, as does her risk for heart disease.
Age: Your risk increases as you get older. Men aged 45 years or older and women aged 55 years or older are at increased risk of high cholesterol.
Family history: Your risk increases if a father or brother was affected by early heart disease (before age 55) or a mother or sister was affected by early heart disease (before age 65).

Controllable risk factors include:

Diet: The saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat raise total and LDL-cholesterol levels.
Weight: Being overweight can make your LDL-cholesterol level go up and your HDL level go down.
Physical activity/exercise: Increased physical activity helps to lower LDL- cholesterol and raise HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) levels. It also helps you lose weight.

With arthritis, the simplest tasks can seem Herculean -- especially when they involve preparing and eating meals. You're not alone. Opening a carton of milk, slicing a tomato, or making a sandwich can be overwhelming to the millions of people with arthritis and other diseases and conditions that affect mobility.

So how are you supposed to eat the healthy, balanced diet that your doctors insist is part of your treatment?

"Anyone with osteoarthritis or any kind of limitation that affects their ability to walk, use their hands, or their ability to stand, as well as those with decreased general endurance and weakness that's secondary to another disease, can run into trouble when it comes to preparing and eating meals," says Susan Underwood, RN, RD, manager of nutrition services for the Visiting Nurse Service-Choice of New York. (VNS-Choice), a long-term care program serving the elderly and disabled.

"Someone's ability to cook and prepare meals is compromised if they can't stand or use their hands."

But simple strategies and tasty tips can help make cooking and eating manageable and enjoyable once again.

Counting Your Calories

First things first: "If someone isn't as mobile as they used to be, their total energy decreases so their calorie needs go down. But if they are still eating the same amount as when they were more mobile, it can lead to weight gain," Underwood says.

"Over time, they will gain weight and this will exacerbate problems with mobility." That's why the first step is to talk with a registered dietitian or health care provider who can evaluate calorie needs and discuss how best to meet them, she says. The American Dietetic Association can help you find a dietitian near you.

Harnessing the Power of Protein

Getting adequate amounts of protein is crucial for the elderly and disabled, Underwood says. "As people get older and older, we become concerned about weight loss and we tend to see decreased protein intake," Underwood explains. "When you don't eat enough protein, you don't just lose fat, you lose lean body mass and muscle that your body burns off for energy, then tissue repair," Underwood explains.

So how do you make sure you meet your protein needs?

Tina Freiwald, RD, CDE, at Windber Medical Center in Windber, Penn., suggests the incredible, edible egg. "Eggs get a bad rap, but if you don't have a problem with cholesterol, they are a good source of protein, are soft, so they can chew them as well as cook them very easily," she says.

Tuna and salmon, which are also high in protein, now come in pouches, not just hard-to-open cans, she says. Imitation crabmeat and frozen shrimp are also easy to open and good sources of protein.

You can also get protein and a bonus of calcium from cottage cheese and yogurt -- both of which are easy to chew and open, she suggests. "The less mobility you have, the heavier you [can] get, so calories can still be an issue, and many of these dairy foods come in low-fat varieties, which can be helpful unless you are already not getting enough calories because you are so frail," Freiwald says.

Extended Warranties: A Good Deal?

From iPods to hot-rods, treadmills to plasma screen televisions - it seems everywhere you shop these days, more and more retailers are encouraging you to buy extended warranties.

"I love every one of our service plans," said Best Buy customer experience manager Gina Gabrielson.

"We mention them to customers," said 2nd Wind store manager Chris Ball, "and they think it's a great idea."

"I think they're good for everyone," said Jim Lupient Infiniti finance manager Chad Ottoson.

But are they really?

"It's very rarely a good idea to purchase an extended warranty," said Robert Krughoff, the president and founder of Consumers' Checkbook magazine. "And, in fact, in most cases I think of it as irrational."

Pause and think about it awhile. Just seconds after convincing you to buy a top-of-the-line washing machine, digital camera or laptop computer, a sales clerk urges you to spend an extra couple of hundred bucks on something called a "performance guarantee" or "product replacement plan."

"That's how they sell [extended warranties]," said Minnesota Assistant Attorney General, Jessica Palmer-Denig. "They suggest your [new purchase] is likely to break and then you'll need an extended warranty that will go on past the manufacturer's warranty."

"If it's such a great product," wondered Krughoff, "then why am I buying protection for something that might go wrong? It just doesn't make any sense."

Krughoff said warranties are really just another form of insurance and it only makes sense to buy insurance against catastrophes.

"It makes sense to buy insurance in case you have a heart attack or your house burns down or you're in a terrible car accident," Krughoff said, "but extended warranties are not generally covering real catastrophes.

You're better off, if something happens to your product, taking it to a good repair shop and getting it fixed. In the long run, you'll save money doing that and you'll have a lot less hassle."

Those who actually profit the most from the sale of extended warranties are the retailers who sell them.

"It's a $15 billion a year industry," says Assistant Attorney General Palmer-Denig, "and more than $7 billion of that gets paid to the retailers who sell you the warranty.

Profits aside, not all extended warranties are the same.

Target entered the extended warranty market just recently, offering three-year "extended service plans" on most products sold in its electronics department.

The plans come in four different prices ($19 - $79), depending on the price of the electronic device, and eliminate the need for customers to save sales receipts. Instead, they merely apply a sticker to their electronic device and call the phone number printed on the sticker when they need to arrange for service.

"Target has simplified the extended service plan," said Rob Saba, store team leader at the new Super Target near Knollwood Mall in St. Louis Park. "Anything goes wrong with your product and all you have to do is call that number and they'll take care of your product from there. If it's a smaller product, we'll send you out a pre-paid shipping box, you send it back to us and we'll repair it. If it's a bigger product, what we'll do is actually send someone to your house to repair it within 24 to 48 hours."

Consumer Reports magazine recommends buying extended warranties on exercise equipment with lots of moving parts, like treadmills and elliptical machines.

"They're electronic devices," pointed out Chris Ball of 2nd Wind. "They have motors and rollers and belts that have a tendency to wear out if [the customer] uses the machine a lot."

2nd Wind offers five-year performance plans ranging from $195 to $250 on most of its fitness equipment. The warranties are transferable anywhere in America.

"So, even if you move to Alaska," said Ball, "and there's no town anywhere within 200 miles, we will get a service technician to your home."

Experts say consumers rarely get their money's worth buying extended warranties on cameras these days because most well-known brands are so dependable that the warranties are an unnecessary added expense.

"It's a bad deal," said Krughoff of Consumers' Checkbook. "Don't buy an extended warranty on a camcorder or a digital camera."

Managers at National Camera Exchange disagree with Krughoff.

The cost of a one-year "performance guarantee" on a $600 digital camera at National Camera Exchange is about $50.

"The cost of a typical repair on a digital camera is a couple hundred dollars," said Gil Robles, a manager at the National Camera Exchange store in Golden Valley. "Every camera I personally own has a performance guarantee on it, because I know the cost to fix a broken camera is prohibitive. If your camera needs repair and you have a performance guarantee, then we'll send it back to the manufacturer. If they determine that [the problem] wasn't because of abusive mishandling, then they'll fix the product for free. Parts and labor are covered. There are no deductibles. If your camera cost under $200 and it breaks, we'll replace the camera, or we can credit the customer the value of that product and they can purchase something else if they want to."

Whether it's cameras, refrigerators, or big-screen TVs, sales assistants at Best Buy are instructed to inform all customers about the store's extended warranty options, which Best Buy refers to as "performance service plans" and "product replacement plans."

"It's my job to inform everybody of what the options are," said Best Buy customer experience manager Gina Gabrielson. "I can't say that [every] TV is not going to break within four years. I'd love to tell you that, but that's why we offer [extended warranties]. So we can [provide] peace of mind for our customers. It's all about choice."

While checking out at the register, Best Buy customers are reminded about the store's warranty options.

"Our cashiers are instructed to make sure that you are aware of the benefit," said Gabrielson.

"If you feel pressured at the checkout line to buy a warranty," said Assistant Attorney General Palmer-Denig, "then it's not necessarily in your best interest to do it. Take your time, wait, take the product home, read the contract, and then make a fully informed decision about whether the warranty is going to offer you some value."

Car salespeople will tell you extended warranties are a bargain for consumers.

"It only takes one repair for the customer to come out ahead," said Chad Ottoson, finance manager for Jim Lupient Infiniti in St. Louis Park. "I have [an extended warranty] on my own car. I've got one on my mom's car, I've got one on my uncle's car. It's not something I would do to myself and my own family if I didn't believe in the product."

You don't have to purchase an extended warranty from the same place you purchase a vehicle, however.

"Some dealerships might charge you $800 for the same extended warranty that another dealership would charge you $300 to $400 for," said Krughoff.

Consumers' Checkbook has created a list of dealers offering the lowest prices on service contracts for all types of cars. "We actually have shopped all around the country," said Krughoff, "to identify dealerships that will sell those warranties at the best possible prices."

Click here to visit the page with their findings.

Finally, if you're determined to buy an extended warranty, Krughoff said Target's prices "compare favorably" to most.

It's a gamble either way, but wagering that new, special something you just bought won't break might be your safest bet.

The Importance of Exercise

Around the world, scores of people participate in some sort of exercise, sports, or physical activity. They are overcoming excuses and realizing numerous benefits that one can achieve from undertaking physical activity on a regular basis. Exercise is important to keep both your body and mind "in shape". Here are some of the basic benefits that people can look forward to, when embarking upon a lifetime fitness outlook that includes some form of exercise:

Increased Energy
By working out on a regular basis, your body becomes more efficient at burning calories. This gives you more energy throughout the day.

Increased Metabolism
Increased physical activity through working out leads to more muscle mass, which in itself leads to a higher metabolism. As per some studies, every extra pound of muscle allows you to burn anywhere from 50-100 calories when at rest.

Improved Muscle Tone
Physical activity, especially weight training allows you to change the shape of your body. Since muscle is denser than fat, one can get bigger or smaller by gaining more muscle mass.

Better Health
Increased exercising leads to a strengthening of the immune system; which means that one is less likely to get sick when exercising the right amount. On the other hand, over exercising can weaken your immune system and make you sick.

Stress Reduction
Stress levels are reduced extensively by regular work outs. They allow the individual to take their mind off the daily grind and use pent up energies for productive purposes.

Improved Self-esteem
When following an exercise regimen for a regular basis, you bring about greatgreater self esteem through the results and accomplishment achieved.