A workout and a hot shower rev my engine each morning. If these strategies don't work for you and you can't seem to wake from your sleepy fog each day, try these eight foods. RealAge says they'll perk you right up, assuming you've had a good seven hours of sleep.

• A speck of sweet: A bit of sugar in your coffee or some honey in your smoothie can wake you up. Just don't overdo it -- the opposite may happen and you'll soon feel drowsy.
• A whole-wheat bagel: After a night of sleep, your brain needs carbs. Not a lot -- half of a whole-wheat bagel will do just fine. So will a bowl of oatmeal.
• Lox on a bagel: Salmon contains a fat known as DHA, which helps get rid of cellular waste products that make your brain feel sluggish.
• Spicy V8: This will surely warm your engine. If tomatoes are too acidic, throw a tablespoon of peeled fresh ginger into hot tea or a cold smoothie.
• Soy: It helps clear your mind. Drink a glass of calcium-fortified soymilk, pour it over whole-grain cereal, or toss some chopped tofu into scrambled eggs.
• Ice water: A small glass will get your blood pumping and will give your metabolism a slight boost.
• Coffee: Caffeine = alertness. Just don't drink until you jitter -- getting too wired won't help matters any.
• If all else fails: Pop a ginger-flavored Altoids, a few Red Hots, or a Listerine strip.

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My husband wants me to get a phone with an alarm on it because he's tired of hearing me complain when I forget something. He uses one to prompt him on sorts of matters -- upcoming meetings, birthdays, and to-do list items. Clearly, it works better than my paper lists do, so I think I'll let him trade in my cell phone for one with more bells and whistles. I'll use it for all my important dates and deadlines -- and maybe for my exercise plans too.

A new Stanford study found that people who used gadgets like iPhones and BlackBerries to monitor their fitness routines were more likely to stick with their workouts. Check this out: 37 non-exercisers were put into two groups. The first group was prompted twice a day to log their activity levels and set exercise goals. Those who didn't respond received three more alerts. The second group, well, they got educational handouts on exercise. Any guesses on what happened? After eight weeks, the PDA users had exercised about five hours per week. The others: Only two hours per week.

Two reasons I need a spiffy new phone: I'll stay more organized, and I'll stay in shape too.

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Statistics say lack of sleep is one major cause of car accidents. Do heavy eyes ever plague you on the road? If so, try these three remedies for staying awake and alert.

• Suck on a mint. Researchers report that the scents of peppermint and cinnamon boost altertness and cut down on fatigue. Pop a mint in your mouth on your next road trip and see if it works.

• Crank up the tunes. Fast music with high frequency sounds -- high voices, violins, saxophones -- may cause your brain waves, heart rate, and breath to speed up to match the rhythm of the music.

• Grab a cup of Joe. One recent study found that drinking coffee might be more effective than a power nap. Good reason to swing by that roadside Starbucks.
  
  

Source: Woman's Day magazine, April 2008

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I've often said that life would be better if I could only get a daily nap in, like we did in kindergarten. I honestly think I would be more productive in the afternoons at work, when the mid-afternoon slump takes hold and refuses to allow me to concentrate until I've had a coffee or a brisk walk outside. In Europe, they take afternoon naps – why can't we? After all, it's been proven that afternoon naps increase alertness, improve mood and enhances mental performance, according to this. If studies like this keep popping up, what do you think the chances are that our workplaces will adopt an afternoon nap policy? I am keeping my fingers fiercely crossed

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Ever wonder what's in your water? Do you stay in the know with your local news alerts? I was shocked to find out three whole days later about a water boil alert in our area. So how can we protect ourselves from drinking contaminated water if our every day lives are too busy to stay up to date with everything in our local news? And what is the best way to protect ourselves?

Installing a Reverse Osmosis System on your kitchen sink water supply is one of the best investments you can make for peace of mind and good clean healthy water. There are lots of brands out there on the market so be sure to read closely about the warranties, how often you have to change filters, the costs of the filters and how easy it is to change them, the speed in which the system filters your water and how large the holding tank is. And remember charcoal filters will remove odor from water and chlorine to make the taste better, but they do not take out all chemicals and nitrates in your water. Reverse Osmosis is the best and most cost efficient way to do this. Take it from someone who was in the utility business and has researched water thoroughly.

Boiling water will kill some bacteria but it only intensifies some chemicals and nitrates. Don't be fooled by bottled water either. There are very few regulations on bottled water and anyone can slap a label on a bottle of water and sell it. Read the fine print on where that water comes from and how it is filtered. Bottled water is the number one selling drink in the United States and nothing governs it to make sure it is completely safe. So take the steps to make it safe for you and read the labels on your water and do something to make sure that your home water supply is the healthiest and safest it can be.

So here's to drinking healthy and wisely. Water is the fluid of life. It is one of the the most essential things a body needs to operate totally functional. Cheers and bottoms up.