Tomorrow is the deadline for my book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook. I'm thrilled with Adams Media for hiring me to write it but on occasion, my body has been very angry at them for giving me such a tight deadline. This uber short deadline has caused little Miss Fitzness Trainer to sit for 12 hours at a time with my head buried in my laptop quite often. My brain is thrilled, but my back has been bummed.

The only reason I've survived is because I'm already really good at taking care of my body. I've never had to sit down for such long periods of time as a requirement of my job, but when the side effects of doing so set in ... I knew how to respond.

I imagine a lot of you are stuck at a desk for hours on a daily basis. I feel for you. I also have some ideas to help you survive it without all of the stiff, achy and strained body parts.

When it comes to fitness one of the hardest things about getting started with something new is the inevitable sore and achy muscles the day after. Beginning fitness habits are delicate enough in terms of keeping them going without being unable to get back out there no matter how much you want to because you hurt too much. But there are things you can do to make sure you don't overdo it and inadvertently throw a kink in your own plans: try these simple tips to help you bounce back better than ever after a strenuous workout:

• Drink plenty of water and other fluids
• Stretch!
• Don't skip the cool down
• Refuel with carbs and protein within 30 minutes of finishing exercising

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As the large population of Baby Boomers grows older, and as all ages of Americans become more interested in exercise and activity, a new challenge is being created for fitness companies to create equipment that will not only work for the previously common "average" customer, but for newly growing "aging" group as well.

Recently companies from all over convened in Las Vegas to show off what they've done to make fitness machines not only challenging and effective, but also sensitive to older users and adjustable for things like achy joints. There are all kinds of new ideas out there, click here to see a few examples of what the Vegas trade show had to offer.

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Nobody wants to give pain for Christmas (well, unless you're the Grinch) but researchers and doctors say that that's exactly what might be sitting under the Christmas tree, this year more than others. High-tech games and fancy gadgets are more popular now than ever, but with them comes the risk of sore thumbs, inflamed elbows, stiff shoulders...and the list goes on.

Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) used to be fairly uncommon, affecting only people who had reason to perform the same movements over and over -- such as heavy computer users and jackhammer operators. But now that electronics are so popular, and getting smaller and smaller everyday, RSI's are making a much bigger appearance in the mainstream population. Some popular gifts, like the Nintendo Wii, now come with health warnings suggesting users take frequent breaks and pay attention to their posture while playing.

Good news is that RSI's are easy to avoid -- simply pay attention to your body and take a break if you start to feel tense or strained. Moderation (yep, that one again!), stretching, and proper posture are the keys for keeping those gadgets fun, and not painful!

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Trouble walking is not a normal part of aging, and according to doctors at Georgetown University Hospital there is a major push for more patients to get checked for PAD, or peripheral artery disease. PAD is a little-known but surprisingly common disease that causes arteries in the legs to stiffen and narrow, eventually cutting off the blood flow altogether. Ulcers, infection, and even gangrene with the possibility of amputation are the unfortunate end stages of the disease. 12 million Americans deal with PAD every year, and although anybody can get it, diabetics, African Americans, and the elderly (over 70yrs old) are at the highest risk. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and heart disease.

On the upside, PAD is extremely easy to for your doctor to check for at your appointments -- simply feeling the pulse in your ankle and comparing arm and leg blood pressures is an accurate way of evaluating the possibility of PAD. Treatments, however, are not so simple. Many studies are underway on the most effective treatments for both early-stage and late-stage PAD, varying from special leg exercises to medications to surgery. There is even a success story in the article of a man who had successful implantation of the latest type of artificial artery.

So next time you have an MD appt, or sooner if you feel you're at higher risk, ask about getting checked for PAD. It won't take long!

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