I'm horrified every time I think about the man who clipped his nails for what seemed like forever on an Amtrak train ride I recently took. What makes people think leaving behind shards of nails in a train seat is okay? I've seen people do this on subway cars and even in a lunch room! And that's certainly not the worst (or grossest) behavior I've witnessed. At AOL Health, we're putting together a story on gross public behavior and I'd love to hear from you. Tell me about the grossest things you've witnessed people doing in public. From puking to spitting, we want to know your true gross-out tales.

You're probably doing your best to squeeze healthy eating choices and exercise into your work day, but are you doing it for all the right reasons? The majority of people are motivated to exercise and eat better by the desires to look better, feel better, and live longer, but did you know that adopting a fit lifestyle can actually help your career? Yep, hitting the gym can improve your work performance right along with your bench press stats.

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We all know broccoli is good for you, right? Not only does it have anti-cancer compounds, and anti-oxidant containing vitamins (vitamin-C and bets-carotene) but it's loaded with fiber. But which way is the best way of cooking broccoli and other vegetables, to preserve the most nutrients?

Believe it or not a recent study done at Cornell University said microwaving (behind steaming) is one of the best ways to cook vegetables and retain the nutrients inside. The study found that cooking vegetables on a grill, which exposes them to higher temperatures, is actually more destructive.

But be careful not to add too much water when cooking your veggies in the microwave. Researchers suggest that in order to keep the nutrients undamaged when microwaving you should only use a couple of tablespoons of water to cook raw vegetables and no extra water to cook frozen ones. That's because vegetables lose water-soluble nutrients like folic acid and vitamin-C when they are immersed in cooking liquid.

What tips do you have for steaming or microwaving your veggies?

Did you know almost one in every six Americans is afflicted with arthritis?

According to Wikipedia, arthritis is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body and arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 55. There are many different forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection and gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation.

Because arthritis is a disease of inflammation, the most effective - and logical - treatment is anything that fights inflammation. The problem is that many people (who suffer from arthritis) don't realize how much nutrition can improve the way they feel, but by eating plenty of the right foods you'll automatically reduce the level of inflammation in your body and relieve some of the stiffness.

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The good news is that a recent study found that patients with obesity and those who smoke actually cost less to treat over their lifetime than people who are thin and healthy.

The bad news? They cost less because they don't live as long.

It seems like common sense -- people who live longer have higher health care costs. But researchers were surprised to find out that people with obesity and those who smoke actually cost less in the long run than those who are fit. The research pokes holes in the alarmist theory that the obesity epidemic will cost billions as the obese seek help for their health issues.

It's an interesting study. What do you think?

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Mary J. Blige recently released a new album, one that at least partially chronicles her path to wellness. Blige not only fought off depression and addiction, she committed herself to a healthy lifestyle as well, one that includes vigorous exercise 5 days a week and a healthy diet. While she acknowledges that it isn't easy, she also recognizes the importance of clean living. You can read her interview with WebMD here as well as her six strategies for a healthier lifestyle.

My favorite quote is this one:

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Do you know people who seem to be bypassed by every cold, flu and other home or office bug with nary a sneeze or fever? Those people always exist, and we can't help but be jealous. What makes them that way?

A growing body of research suggests that personality, stress and social life all can have an effect on the susceptibility of many adults to contract cold virus symptoms.

In other words, if you're a stress-free person with a good demeanor and a healthy social life, you may not have as many colds (and symptoms) as the depressed and stressed out co-worker a cube away. The research that supports this is here. What do you think?

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If you ask me, motivation is the single most important thing to tossing out your bad habits and re-building a healthy lifestyle. After all, if you don't really want it, ultimately, you won't feel the drive to go after it.

But motivation is a funny thing -- sometimes it just disappears and your chocolate cravings seem more important, and certainly easier than going to the gym. So what to do if your motivation takes a vacation? ultimately the key to maintaining your motivation is to build it up yourself -- motivation doesn't just magically appear one day. eDiets has some great tips for holding on to your motivation -- check them out!

What do you do for motivation?

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Sometimes when you're really looking for weight loss or fitness results it's easy to get discouraged and hit a plateau. Adding some extra reps with the free-weights or cutting a few more calories every day can sometimes be a good answer, but not always.

Sometimes it's just a matter of remembering that getting healthy and fit is not just about how much you're working out or what you're eating, but about making complete lifestyle changes. The key to getting more out of your efforts and giving yourself a "jumpstart" may be to reevaluate how you're approaching all kinds of things in your life. WebMD has compiled this awesome list of 8 steps for healthy living -- are you working on doing all of these things? Some of them are motivating and some are just 'good for life' habits:

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One of my pet peeves is people who say things like, 'I can't wait until I'm off this diet so I don't have to go to the gym anymore ... ' and 'when I'm done this diet, I'll eat an entire large pizza on my own ...'.I mean, kudos to them for sticking to their plan temporarily, but don't they realize that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a life-long thing? It's not about vanity, about losing the pounds, about fitting in to those college jeans. At least it shouldn't be, anyway. It should be about your health -- because really, that's the most important thing.

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Making a change toward a healthier lifestyle is one of the best decisions you can make. Creating that change takes knowledge, however, knowledge about nutrition facts and fitness. CNN recently conducted a poll of over 1000 Americans to find out what the average citizen knows about healthy living.

The good news is that when it comes to nutrition, we're not in too bad of shape. We know the difference between good and bad cholesterol and that fat can be good for us in moderation when it comes from proper sources like avocado or fatty fish. The bad news is this astonishing fact: Even though the USDA recommends 30 minutes of exercise per day, only 6% of us are getting that much and only 22% exercise three to four times per week. We need to get moving! We redeemed ourselves, however, when 67% of respondents recognized that small steps they took today would add up to larger health benefits in the future.

There's plenty more interesting statistics, so go read the article and let me know what you think. Then take a minute to test your own Healthy Living IQ.

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AOL's Diet department has come up with this list of the the 100 smartest dieting tips. Usually I'm skeptical of things claiming to be the 'best' or the 'smartest' but I really think they're on to something here. Each of their tips is something simple that you can do, eat or say to help you at any point along your weight-loss journey, whether you're just starting out, you've hit a plateau or you're working the maintenance phase.

The ones that I am taking to heart are:

8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.
16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."
26. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3PM.
72. Try two weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.
95. Yoga can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class.

Read the list and let me know which ones are most helpful for you!

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