That's Fit

Sometimes I don't know which one is worse: dealing with the bugs or dealing with the greasy, smelly, full-of-toxic-chemicals bug repellent! Thankfully there are natural ways to cope.

Oh man. This is one of those statistics that makes you either swear off eating all together or throw your hands up in the air in disgust. I mean seriously. Who is the guy with the weird job which allows him to research these odd little details? I'd hate to be his wife, as he comes home each night with all the yucky tidbits in life that I really never want to know.

I learned about my bug consumption while flipping through the June 2008 edition of Women's Health magazine. Seems more the type of scoop you'd find in Maxim, but no ... it was my beloved Women's Health that broke the news.

It's that time of year again. The first 2008 case of West Nile virus has been reported. A Phoenix-area man in his 60s is said to have contracted the virus; he's been released from the hospital and is recovering.

As spring continues to spring forth around the country, mosquitoes will be out and about. Here's a quick refresher course on protecting yourself from contracting the West Nile virus:

• Use insect repellent when outdoors.
• Eliminate any areas of standing water (birdbaths, kid-sized pools, bases of flower pots, etc) around your home.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Install window and door screens and repair any holes or loose spots in existing screens.

I love summer but there are a few aspects of it that I can do without, one of the bigger ones being bugs. I dislike them all -- spiders, mosquitos, bees, especially wasps. This summer, I've managed to avoid getting bitten much, but many of my friends haven't been so lucky. Here are some tips for avoiding bug bites from Everyday Health:

• Don't provoke insects
• Avoid rapid movement
• Don't wear lots of perfume or floral prints
• Cover up and apply insect repellent

If you do get stung, there are some great home remedies out there, including soothing a bee sting with lemons. What do you do to soothe a bite?