A Tool for Healthier Living
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Virtual Fitness
How to combine a video game-style competition with real-life exercise.

Getting Started
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Reaching Your Goals
Fitness experts offer advice on setting a goal and sticking to it.

Fit at Any Age
Senior citizens are heading to the gym in increasing numbers.

Indexed For Life
To the followers of diet fads, the glycemic index may seem to be the answer to weight-management problems. In reality, it’s just another tool to consider when making food choices.

Buy Healthy

With the constant barrage of information about the need for better nutrition, many of us overlook one of the cardinal virtues in the game of eating better. Namely, learning to become a smarter shopper.

Any nutritionist will tell you that when you go grocery shopping, you have to develop a strategy. Here are a few tips:

As much as possible stick to the perimeter of the store, because here you will find the fruits, vegetables and other bulk items that are the most-nutritionally beneficial.

Look out for sales but beware that items on sale may not always be the freshest (and most nutritious). Stores often sell family-size quantities of fruit or vegetables. These can be good value, but poke around the bag. Some of the fruit may be soft and going bad. By the same token, the largest fruits or vegetables may not necessarily be the youngest and most desirable.

When buying dairy, why not try the low-fat milks or even soy-milk? The same applies to butter and margarine, where the new low-fat (and zero trans-fat) products are readily available. And don’t forget to bulk up on (low-fat, low-sugar) yogurts.

Avoid the center aisles and the more expensive canned and packaged food. Whenever you do buy a packaged item, check its nutrition label for fat, sodium and sugar content and the presence of any potential allergens such as nuts. If any of these appear high, check the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) set by the government, which is printed on the label for each major ingredient.