Sneakers, sports bras and MP3 players are a few of the most popular gym bag finds. Because athlete's foot is a common health club infection, you'd be wise to shove one more thing in with the rest of your gear to prevent this ick and itch!

For more innovative training videos, cooking tips and more, visit SportsHealthExercise.org.

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How's the saying go -- starve a fever? Feed a cold? I can never remember. But here's some interesting news: A common cold bug (AD-36) not only infects your respiratory system and makes you feel like hell, it also causes your fat cells to get hungry and suck up all the fat they can find.

Pretty wild, right?

Scientists found that up to 1/3 of obese people tested positive for the virus, compared to 11 percent of those who maintained a healthy weight. While these findings don't really apply to you and me -- because what can you do to avoid a common cold virus, beyond becoming Bubble Girl? -- it's one piece of the obesity puzzle for scientists.

So what should you do if you catch a cold? Take care of yourself by getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids. And when you feel better, take care of yourself by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

Oh, and wash your hands. It is cold and flu season, after all.

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Overweight and unfit men are more likely to have high numbers of white blood cells. Why is this important? Because white blood cells play an important role in health, and elevated numbers can indicate the presence of infection or inflammation (inflammation is a sign of heart disease). But send diet and fitness to the rescue, and all can be well.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center conducted a study that looked at 452 healthy men. After finding the correlation between fitness/weight and elevated white blood cells, lead researcher and professor Tim Church says: "There is nothing worse than a risk factor that an individual cannot modify, but here are two risk factors -- obesity and fitness -- which they can do something about."

Well said, Professor. Reducing inflammation is just the latest in a long list of reasons to exercise and maintain a healthy weight.

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I typically like to address my Stress Less installments to everyone, but this one is for parents of preschoolers who are potty training. That's because I've noticed potty training tends to cause the most stress amongst my fellow parental cohorts. I'm not going to offer magic tricks for how to get your kids to use the potty. But I will aim to ease minds about doing so in public restrooms.

I actually find it strange that parents allow their kids to romp without a care on pesticide laden grass in public parks, identified as such with those handy little flags, but freak out if their child touches anything in a public restroom. Fifty percent of American women won't sit on a seat and they teach their kids to do the same. But in an ABC News test, the toilet turned out to be the cleanest thing in the public restroom. As the subsequent report points out, you're not going to get germs from your backside. You're going to get them from your hands.

There really is little need to worry anyway. At least not about genital herpes or HIV. But you might worry about staph infections. It's possible to contract an infection from potty seats, but it's not as likely as you might think. The bottom line: as long as you wash your hands after a trip to the bathroom, you and your kids will likely never acquire anything by way of the public potty.

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When winter is in full force, you almost expect to catch a few colds. But, with August temperatures reaching the upper 80s on an almost daily basis, a sniffle in the summer seems altogether unusual -- not to mention unfair.

Nevertheless, as evidenced by a pretty nasty three-day man cold I got hammered with back in early July, it's abundantly clear colds -- though more prevalent during colder months -- are a sickness for all seasons. Fortunately, there are some dietary steps we can take target-harden ourselves against illness. Here are just a few I felt were worth mentioning.

Yogurt - A study showed that people who ate three-quarters of a cup of yogurt daily for a year had 25 percent fewer colds than those who didn't. Because it contains probiotics, yogurt helps strengthen the immune system.

Red Bell Pepper - With 130mg more vitamin C than an orange, red bell pepper is a great source for this cold-fighting nutrient.

Eggs - High in B vitamins, zinc, and amino acids, eggs boost white blood cell count and antibodies, which the body needs to stave off illness.

Ginger - Many cultures consider ginger to be a panacea for colds. Researchers say that fresh ginger may help fight viruses by helping the body sweat out toxins.

Garlic - Immune-strengthening, sulfur-based compounds contained in garlic may help the body stay free of infection.

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Recently I came down with my first case of poison ivy. And it's a doozy. A trip to the doctor last Monday has me on medication that's clearing it up quickly, though. I'll be happy to see it go away completely! Since this was my first case of the scratchy stuff, I did a little research online and discovered that a lot of the things I thought were facts about poison ivy turn out to be nothing but myths.

• Scratching will cause the rash to spread. Technically, this isn't true. The rash is caused by contact with urushiol oil from the poison ivy plant. If your skin still has traces of the oil and you scratch, you could transfer the oil to another part of your body. But, once the oil is gone, scratching will not spread the rash. However, take it from my personal experience, you don't want to scratch. I'm on a heavy-duty antibiotic to clear up the infection I have as a result of scratching.
  
• Poison ivy is contagious. Again, only contact with urushiol oil will cause the reaction. The rash itself is not contagious.
  
• Once allergic, always allergic to poison ivy. Not necessarily. Your sensitivity can change over time.

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Swimmer's ear is such a pain, literally. But it's really common, and it got me thinking about whether it's ever a serious condition, or just an annoyance.

You're more at risk to develop swimmer's ear if you have a skin condition that makes you scratch your ears, or if earwax buildup or blockage traps water in your ear. You're also more at risk if you have small ear canals that don't drain terribly well, or if you have another medical condition that impairs your immune system.

While not common, it is possible for swimmer's ear to have complications, including temporary hearing loss and more widespread infection, so it's important that you treat it right away. You can use an over-the-counter treatment, but if the problem persists (or if you have an impaired immune system), you should seek medical attention. Your doctor might clean your ears with a suction device or prescribe you a topical or oral medication.

There are a number of things you can do to prevent swimmer's ear. Check out the gallery to see a few of the suggestions the Mayo Clinic has for prevention.

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A number of facelift patients have recently contracted MRSA (aka the "superbug"). The number is very small (about 1/2 of 1% of facelift patients), but it's still concerning to health officials. Traditionally, the rate of infection with facelifts has been very low, so some physicians may not be quite so vigilant about pre-screening patients for infections and identifying other risk factors (such as previous exposure to hospital environments or a previous MRSA infection). It's not clear if the patients in the study were infected with MRSA as a result of their surgeries or if previous exposure to the bug caused the infection. Regardless, physicians are urged to screen patients as diligently for facelifts as they would any other surgery.

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On its own, joint pain isn't usually something that warrants a visit to the doctor's office. It's more of a nuisance--something to make note of and mention the next time you go in for a physical. But sometimes, joint pain can be a sign of something more serious, as Everyday Health points out. When does joint pain warrant medical attention? When ...

• ... its accompanied by a fever, rash, fatigue, headache, or weight loss
• ... its a result of joint trauma or injury
• ... the pain is severe
• ... there are neurological symptoms too, like numbness in the hands or pain in the neck or back.
  

Not to freak you out or anything, but joint pain can be a symptom of autoimmune diseases, infections and even cancer, so make sure to pay attention to those aches and pains.

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Cystitis is an inflammation or infection of the urinary bladder in women. Often referred to as "urinary tract infection" (UTI), cystitis can be painful, annoying and in some cases downright dangerous if it spreads the kidneys.

Cystitis usually begins its journey when bacteria enter the urinary tract and then adhere to the bladder wall. The bacteria often multiply and sometimes, although not commonly, it spreads to the bladder from an infection in another part of the body.

Cystitis is mostly treated with antibiotics. You'll know you might in the market for such treatment if the following symptoms present themselves.

• A strong, persistent urge to urinate
• A burning sensation when urinating
• Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
• Blood in the urine
  
• Passing cloudy or strong-smelling urine
• A feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen
• Low-grade fever
• In young children, new episodes of bed-wetting (enuresis) may also be a sign of a UTI.

If you'd like to prevent cystitis, try these steps.

• Drink plenty of liquids, especially water. Cranberry juice may have infection-fighting properties. But don't drink it if you're taking the blood-thinning medication warfarin (Coumadin) -- bleeding can result.
  
• Urinate frequently. Avoid holding your urine for a long time when you feel the urge to go.
• Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement. This prevents bacteria in the anal region from spreading to the vagina and urethra.
• Take showers, not tub baths. Baths can increase your chances of infections.
• Gently wash the skin around the vagina and anus. Do this daily with gentle soaps.
  
• Empty your bladder as soon as possible after intercourse. Drink a full glass of water to help flush bacteria.
• Avoid using deodorant sprays or feminine products in the genital area. These products can be irritating.

Most important, be sure to seek medical attention if this health condition pays you a visit. Letting it run its course could land you in a more serious predicament.

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Only if you eat about ten thousand of them! Yucky, yuck, yuck! I can't tell you how many people have asked me this strange question throughout my 18 years in the fitness industry. Too many to count. So! To anyone else who may be concerned about the belly bulging effects of fingernail chewing, here is my answer.

I'm not exactly sure how many calories are in each nail per se, but since they are made of keratin, a sturdy fibrous protein....it couldn't be much.They'd probably just run right through you. In fact, I think you'd have to chew through the hands and feet of everyone you know to even equal a moderately satisfying snack. Hmmmmmm. Yummy!

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Brooklyn, New York medical authorities are probing the death of a 12 year-old after the cause of death was pegged as due to a staph infection. As a result, there is a scare throughout NYC's school system of a possibility of more infections (or deaths).

The particular strain of staph in this case, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is actually responsible for more deaths each year than the virus that causes AIDS, and tracking how those who have the infection contracted it continues to be increasingly difficult for the medical establishment.

Fatal staph infections in children are "in the order of 1 in a million" according to a source. Those a long-shot odds, and finding a way to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections continues to be a fight for biologists and geneticists. Who said medical technology is cutting-edge? In some cases, yes. In others, we're still clueless.

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Pneumonia is a serious ailment, and any vaccine that helps prevent it in children and the elderly is generally a good thing for advanced medicine. Well, except for the drug-resistant germs it is creating that end up as ear infections in kids.

Drug-resistant mutations are common with advanced drugs, and children's vaccines are no different. But, if your child has received a pneumonia vaccine recently, let's hope he or she does not develop an ear infection due to that vaccine.

the new "superbug" is a strain of the strep bacteria that's not included in that actual vaccine, but can be promoted by that vaccine's use. Result? A new focus on childrens' antibiotics an their specific uses, most likely.

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Can a computer game help health experts better plan for the next epidemic? It can, and it is. It started when a computerized illness that started as an intentional "challenge" for advanced players of the popular video game World of Warcraft back in 2005 soon did what many real illnesses do in the real world: it broke loose and began running rampant among computer characters of the game that the creators didn't intend. What's interesting is that how the computer game epidemic spread was very similar to how real ones do -- so similar in fact that it's helping real health experts fine tune how they do their research. The game is pointing out flaws in the current research system along with natural occurrences and social tendencies that surprisingly hadn't been thought of before.

Of course all the game designers had to do to fix their "epidemic" was reset the system and redo some programming. Too bad it doesn't work that way in the real world too.

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As far as minor inflictions of the body go, I find few things more annoying that canker sores (itchy mosquito bites are probably the only thing that I find as irritating). The painful sores make eating less enjoyable -- it's hard to get excited about a tasty meal when every mouthful brushes against the spot and sends a minor jolt through your face, and make brushing teeth a chore.

According to this, the good news is that cankers are not caused by a virus or bacterial infection but result from an injury to a part of the mouth (in my case, too much sour candies or a bite to the tongue tend to be the culprits). While painful, most cankers go away on their own within a few days. Cold sores are a slightly different story.

I've been lucky enough so far to not catch the herpes simplex virus 1 that causes the nasty lesions (according to the piece cold sores can also be contracted via oral sex from the herpes simples virus 2. Yikes!) but I've heard others complain about what a pain they are. Like cankers, these sores, which consist of a group of small blisters that eventually burst, will go away on their own after approximately 2 weeks.

They certainly don't sound like fun, so to learn more about prevention and treatment read more about cold sores here. And keep in mind, that any unidentifiable sore in your mouth could be the sign of something more serious so if you've got something in there that seems funny and doesn't go away on its own, make sure to see your doctor about it.

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