When perusing the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble and Borders, most of my time is spent in the health and fitness section. From Men's Health to Maximum Fitness magazine, I usually give each of these publications a quick once-over. But I must admit, even though I'm a guy, I usually take time to read Women's Health (even at the risk looking like some sort of perv for reading a magazine featuring extremely fit women in spandex).

By and large, the reason I find Women's Health to be such a great resource is the section on diet and nutrition. Offering tips you'd never find in musclehead mags like Flex and Iron Man, the folks at Women's Health do a fantastic job of making fit food taste great. To that point, the July edition lists several ways to upgrade junk food by adding some healthy mix-ins. Here's a sneak peak at some of the food combos they suggest:

Lucky Bran. If your weakness is a big bowl of Lucky Charms, all that sugar and lack of fiber really isn't doing much for you in the health department. Still, if you can't live without all those blue diamonds, green clovers and purple horseshoes, mix half a cup of this cereal with a half a cup of All-Bran cereal. It may not serve up a pot of gold, but this combo has 10g of fiber without losing much of its flavor.

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Go, stop, and then go again. A grown-up version of Red Light/Green Light appears to be the better approach to exercise, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Researchers examined the benefits of splitting a workout into two segments and taking a long break period in between. Usually, a long break period is somewhere around 3 to 5 minutes. For this study, however, the break time was a full 20 minutes.

In the study, scientists measured fat metabolism in men that followed a specific work/break/work exercise pattern. The men first pedaled a stationary bike or 30 minutes, then took a break for 20 minutes, and then finished off their workout by pedaling for an additional 30 minutes.

The researchers discovered that during this break, the body seems to redirect its excess energy into burning fat, as evidenced by the fact that the work/break/work test subjects had 3-times the amount of free fatty acids (compounds released when stored fat is used as energy) than men who did not take a break.

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As I pointed out in a recent post about olive oil, many foods have a wide variety of applications that fall beyond simply filling up our bellies. This is certainly the case with the potato, which is, as the Men's Health article from which this information was sourced suggests, a utility player.

Here are five less common uses the folks at Men's Health mention for this super spud:

1. Heal Injuries. Wrap a cold potato with plastic wrap to make an effective compress. A raw potato will help reduce the swelling around cuts and bruises.

2. Soothe Eczema. Cube and then lightly boil a potato. Next, fold it into a thick gauze and apply it to the affected area. The warm potato poultice can relieve inflammation in some cases.

3. Fight Heartburn. Drop an uncooked, white potato through a juicer and get ready for an awful tasting drink but an effective method of reducing heartburn. Drink a half a cup after dinner for best results.

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Someone new to resistance training recently asked me what they should eat after a workout. I was actually quite impressed that the question was even asked, for it demonstrated that there was at least a basic understanding of the significant role food plays in the 20 to 30 minutes right after you've lifted your last weight.

The post-workout meal is actually quite specific in terms of its contents. To help begin the muscle repair process, you need to consume food high in protein and fast-digesting carbohydrates. In fact, this post-resistance training workout meal is just about the only time you actually want to consume any food or drink that is high in simple sugars.

Something else to keep in mind about the post-resistance training meal is this: Stay away from fats. Whereas eating healthy sources of fat is something you should be doing at other parts of the day, try to avoid fats of all kinds right after your workout. This is due to the fact that fat will slow digestion. And, since we want that protein and those carbs to get back into our system as quickly as possible, eating fat during this meal becomes counterproductive.

Personally, I feel that one of the best ways to get a proper post-resistance training meal is to down a protein or meal replacement shake. However, not every has money to spend on -- or cares to spend money on -- nutritional supplements. Fortunately, a much simpler solution can be found at your local grocery store for about three bucks. Low-fat chocolate milk will satisfy both your need for protein and simple carbohydrates (sourced from the sugar contained in the milk and its chocolate syrup).

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