Exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene has helped millions of people slim down, most recently with his online program TheBestLife.com. The best-selling author shares the sure-fire strategies for losing weight, protecting your health and living your best life.

The number of Americans with diabetes has tripled since 1980, and as many as 95 percent of those diagnosed have Type 2 diabetes -- the kind that is often triggered by obesity. Diabetes and its precursor, pre-diabetes, have reached epidemic levels in this country. Sadly, it looks like this trend will continue to grow, as nearly one in five people has pre-diabetes.

These are sobering statistics, but there is good news. You can avoid these two conditions by making easy but significant lifestyle changes. This is the premise of my new book (co-authored by endocrinologist John J. "Jack" Merendino, Jr. and nutritionist Janis Jibrin) "The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes," out Tuesday, November 3.

To reduce your risk, use the following strategies:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Many of the same weight-loss tips I recommend in "The Best Life Diet," such as eating regular meals and snacks and avoiding certain foods that trigger weight gain, also work for fighting diabetes. That's because being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes. In fact, people who carry their weight around their middles are most at risk for the disease. In one study, people who had the largest waistlines were 10 times more likely to have diabetes than those who had the smallest. To find out your waist circumference, take a measuring tape and wrap it around your bare abdomen just above your pelvic bone. The tape should be snug, but not pressing into your skin. Exhale a little and measure. The healthy cut-off: Men should be less than 40 inches; women should be less than 35. (If you're of Asian heritage, the numbers are 38 for men and 33 for women.)

Another good reason to skip dessert: Your health. Photo: sxc.hu

Last week, a flurry of studies reminded us that there are a lot of good reasons to stay fit, and not one of them has to do with looking good in your skinny jeans (though that doesn't hurt):

• The first study, from Virginia Commonwealth University, discovered that weight-loss surgery can lead to long-term control of type 2 diabetes. Ninety percent of patients in the study had normal blood sugar levels within a year, and over half maintained that control 15 years later.
• A second study out of Sweden found that women who had bariatric surgery reduced their risk of obesity-related cancers. (Men, however, did not benefit from losing weight.) In the past, obesity has been linked to certain cancers, and this study strengthened the notion that losing weight -- for women, at least -- can reduce that risk.
• A third study found that being overweight as a young adult increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, while being obese in middle age can reduce a person's chance of surviving the disease.

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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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Today, on the Today Show, they're featuring the Flat Belly Diet, which sounds too good to be true. We know that burning more calories than we consume is the way to lose weight -- however, plenty of people will vouch for this diet and how flat it made their bellies without incorporating any sort of crunches or sit-ups. Don't believe that certain foods can help flatten your belly? Check out AOL Health's slideshow of Flat Belly Diet success stories.

The claims about this diet are pretty major -- it targets unhealthy belly fat first, allowing you to eat foods you love without making you hungry. You can lose up to seven pounds and five inches in 96 hours, and you don't have to exercise. Oh, and there's a 91 percent success rate. Seriously, why am I not doing this?

The Flat Belly Diet is based on a calorie controlled Mediterranean diet, combining monounsaturated (MUFA)-rich foods, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. That means you get to eat things with olive oil and nuts, and even dark chocolate, but you have to stay away from refined grains, trans fat, and artificial additives.

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Who wants to sit on the sidelines? Exercise is for the actively-minded, not for wallflowers. So protect your workout routing and stay injury-free with these five moves.

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I'm not a big believer in the whole superfood concept. I think any diet that's filled with a variety of healthful, nutritious foods is going to be beneficial.

The other day, however, I got into a discussion with the mother of one of my son's teammates. She's reading Anticancer: A New Way of Life and is really learning a lot. Reviews of this book state that, while many of the recommendations are grounded in science, some are a little fuzzy around the edges. But, in my humble opinion, if a food is tasty, good for you in other ways, nutritionally sound, and may potentially ward off cancer or other diseases, then by all means ... go for it.

The book's author believes that 85% of cancer causes are environmental. The foods we eat are one of the most easily controlled factors. Three of the foods he recommends in moderation are garlic oil, red wine, and dark chocolate. Check out the gallery for more cancer-fighting foods.

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We know they are chock-full of antioxidants and other valuable nutrients, but did you know that research has shown that black raspberries can actually alter your genes?

In animal studies, genes that were altered with cancer were returned to normal when black raspberry powder was consumed.

OK people, that's huge! Why aren't you eating black raspberries all the time, every day, at each meal? I jest, because we can't jump on every medical study bandwagon and eat multitudes of foods that are good for us.

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I tell my kids we eat nutritious snacks to keep our bodies healthy. I often neglect to tell them that good-for-you-foods are also key for healthy teeth. We're all about keeping our teeth in tip-top shape here in our house -- we brush lots, floss, and visit our dentist several times per year -- so it seems we need to remember which healthy foods will keep our mouths in fighting shape.

Sticky snacks and sugary drinks are definite no-nos. Fortunately, we steer clear of all juices and try to limit the sticky stuff as much as possible. Tara Gidus, a dentist in Orlando, Florida suggests a snack like a small turkey roll-up with a slice of cheese and a piece of lettuce. The cheese is key -- some studies suggest cheeses like aged cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, and processed American (yes, processed), may protect against cavities. It's the calcium, phosphorus, and casein (a protein found in dairy products) that give cheese the power of prevention.

Other great snacks and drinks:

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There are skinny folks out there who don't exercise and don't eat right. You might be one of them. Ah, the blessed souls who enjoy slim figures without skimping or sweating. Well, maybe they are not so blessed, says Prevention magazine.

In one Mayo Clinic study of 1,101 women (average age: 41), 54% turned up as "normal weight obese." This means despite a healthy weight on the scale, these gals were carrying around body fat of more than 30%. Translation: Nearly four times the risk of metabolic syndrome, double the risk of prediabetes, and a 20% jump in high blood pressure.

In light of this news, and regardless of how thin you might appear, you ought to have your body fat measured by a doctor or the experts at a local health club. If your number is high, I've got a prescription for your: Regular cardio, strength-training, and a healthy diet, all of which can help you lose fat and maintain lean muscle.

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No, organic soda is not the way to go. The only way to go when it comes to soda is to skip it altogether.

Organic soda, like all soda, contains zero nutrients -- and a bigger price tag. A six-pack of the organic stuff will cost you about $5, and yes, it's made without high fructose syrup (clearly, a bonus) but each can contains 120 calories -- that's 20 more than a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola Classic.

Cutting back on nutritionally-void foods and drinks is the best way to go, says Prevention magazine. So ditch the soda and any other organic junk food that temps your taste buds. These items might be better for the planet, but they aren't any better for you.

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Are you working your butt off but noticing not much of a change in your body? Could be something simple holding you back. Like your posture.

Slumping while doing cardio ups your heart rate, says one recent study cited in Prevention magazine. The result: Your workout is harder. Try pulling back your shoulder blades next time you hop on your favorite machine and you'll notice that you're able to take in more oxygen. Your pace should pick up. And you'll burn more calories too.

A little posture goes a long way. Give it a try.

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Here I thought Cosmo was all about sex, seduction, and giving men what they really want. Not so. The magazine also dishes out a lesson or two on health. Right now on its website is a whole how-to piece on giving your skin a monthly once-over in the name of cancer prevention.

In addition to an annual dermatologist screening, you should be following these simple steps. Find something suspicious? Report it to your doc right away.

• Start at the bottoms of your feet and work your way up your legs, torso, back, and arms. Carefully examine every mole and mark. Don't forget to look at your nails and hair. Look underneath every strand of hair. If you need to, use a blow-dryer to part the hair.
• Look for ABCD – asymmetry (one side doesn't match the other), a jagged border, a color that is not brown or contains more than one color within one mark, and/or a diameter larger than a quarter inch.
  
• Document the description of any spot and its location so you can tell your doctor.

My two cents: Have a partner check out hard-to-see areas and consider using a digital camera to capture your spots. Save them on your computer and compare each month's photos.

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Got a habit that falls into the unhealthy category? Are you an emotional eater? A late-night snacker? Are you in a fitness rut? Do you skimp on your sleep? Smoke? Worship the sun? If you said "yes" to any of these, you're in luck. Not lucky because you possess one of these bad habits, lucky because Prevention.com can help you head in a healthy direction.

Check out this website and simply click on a bad habit from the drop-down menu. Let's give it a try by choosing figure fixation as a bad habit. Here's what the Prevention team has to say: Steer clear of the scale, they say. It's not an accurate measure of health -- it simply produces a number and that's all. A tape measure is a much better tool for figuring health. Measure around your hips, stomach, thighs, and upper arms once a week. If you're worried your figure is not so flattering, what you gather from these measurements can help you make positive change.

There's more -- on this topic and many more. Give it a try if you wish to bust your own bad habit.

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Trans fats are bad. But fiber is good. So maybe as you ditch the bad fat from your diet, you could replace it with some good fiber. It's never tasted better, says Prevention magazine. You might not even miss your fats when you give these fiber-filled foods a whirl.

• Grain: Air-popped popcorn, 3 cups, 4 grams of fiber

• Cereal: Quaker Oats (cooked), 1/2 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Fruit: Blueberries, 1 cup, 4 grams of fiber

• Vegetable: Broccoli, 1 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Protein: Black beans (cooked), 1 cup, 15 grams of fiber

• Other: Dark chocolate, 5 pieces, 3 grams of fiber
  
  

These are just a few ideas. The list goes on -- just hop on over here and you'll stumble upon tasty treats like orange juice, chickpeas, canned pumpkin, pears, whole wheat pasta, and so much more.

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On May 21, I wrote about a rape that occurred in a neighborhood in my city. A young woman, 36, with a husband and two small children, was running near her home on a usually well-populated trail at 6:30 AM when a man brutally attacked and sexually assaulted her. The police are calling it one of the worst attacks they've ever seen.

Since my last post, law enforcement officers have been hunting down lead after lead. The community is rallying -- watch this video for proof -- and it's become more clear than ever that right here in Gainesville, Florida, bad things happen, which means we all must look out for our own safety. We must not get comfortable and forget what happened in this case, because just as we do, we may become victims ourselves.

In the spirit of exercise and safety, I offer you these crime prevention exercise tips, featured on a website created to inform area residents about the ongoing investigation regarding this horrible crime.

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