Given the current economic climate, you're probably trying to pinch your pennies a bit more than usual. But that doesn't mean your healthy habits should suffer -- you can still find great workout inspiration without having to spend tons of money. How? With all the thousands of free fitness videos available on the internet. As the "LA Times" points out, there's no reason why you should be paying for advice when there's so much of it available for nothing. Some recommendations?

• Our friends at "Fitsguar" recommend BeYOU.tv, which offers free full-length DVDs covering activities like yoga and Tai Chi.
• Exercise.tv is always a handy, comprehensive source.
• "Fitness" magazine's website offers lots of great tips for the fitness enthusiast.
• Spark People not only has ton of fitness videos, but they have great calorie counting resources too.
• And, of course, our in-house fitness expert Fitz offers tons of great advice in her Fit Kicks Videos.

There -- your lack of money excuse is busted, so get moving!

What is GOOP, you ask? Well ... I have no idea, other than it's the unusual and nondescript name for Gwyneth Paltrow's up and coming advice website.

We wrote a lot about Gwyneth in September -- about her cooking habits, her workout routine, and her slimdown secret. Now all the press makes sense; Paltrow's website is set to launch soon and a little media attention pre-launch never hurt, right?

GOOP isn't exactly getting rave reviews. Though I don't understand how anyone could make a judgment call yet ... there's no real content on the yet-to-be released website. The subjects she intends to discuss sound interesting enough -- it looks like there will be tips on cooking/nutrition, exercise, travel, shopping, and more. If you're interested in what Gwyneth Paltrow has to say about living a full, happy, and healthy life, sign up for the GOOP newsletter.

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Compulsive text messaging, urges to get online and surf the web, cravings to play video games... What do all of these activities have in common? They're practices people do on the Internet, and one doctor says psychiatrists should recognize it as a bona fide mental illness.

Technology certainly has made things easier to get work done. But it can also be a great distraction to "unplug" from the rest of the world. After all, have you ever looked at your watch and gotten online to check your email, only to realize hours have passed in what seemed like minutes? Making time fly is one thing, but a doctor from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland says this habit can be taken a step further to addiction.

According to Dr. Block, getting hooked on the web has all the same traits of a typical "offline" addiction: withdrawal and tolerance and requiring more time to get the same satisfaction, for example. He also says that 86 percent of Internet addicts have other mental illnesses -- so I'm wondering if those traits contribute to this computer-aided dependency. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if psychiatrists diagnose "web addiction" in the future.

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The Internet is big. It can feel even bigger when you're scouring search engines for valuable medical information. Spam, sites trying to sell you stuff, and bad directions plague every corner of the information super highway. That's why there are articles like this one giving a handful of tips on how to navigate the wild wild west of the world wide web.

For starters, try using search engines that won't give you garbage as search results. Google is great, but as we all know sometimes it can be misleading. Sites like MedlinePlus are made specifically for health and medical purposes. If you're looking for trusted info, start there.

Tutorials are also helpful. Why? Because they can teach you how to decipher the jargon behind so many of the research and medical articles you see online. This literature can be helpful, so it would be to your advantage to know what they're saying if you want a complete picture. Of course, if you ever come across a website that you aren't sure about, do a background check. Many sites (especially the ones you can trust) have an "About Us" page which you can use to learn more about them. These are just a few examples, so check out the full article here!

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Right now you can find almost anybody in the world using the internet, whether it's through paying a high-tech online service or simply "Googling" names and seeing what pops up. But what if, in searching for long lost relatives in particular, there was an enormous online DNA database you could check? Now that would be cool. Creepy, sure. But cool.

Well we're one step closer (practically there, actually) to that possibility with Ancestry.com. You can order a DNA kit, swab yourself, and send it in to their system where they'll check you against all the other DNA in their system. If a match is found they'll notify both parties and if everyone agrees, contact information is exchanged.

Interesting idea, and it's all supposedly private and anonymous, but I'm skeptical to say the least.


Via Book of Joe

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I found volumes of solid, reliable information on the Internet when I was newly diagnosed with breast cancer and navigating my way through a maze of uncertainty. I also found loads of questionable material and ended up feeling quite overwhelmed at times about all that I'd uncovered.

The Internet can be a scary place. Anyone with an opinion can post anything on a Web site, appearing an expert to those searching desperately for direction about health matters. Therefore, it's important to locate sites that are reputable and worthy of your attention.

Take note, because here are some reviewed, ranked, and rated Web sites, part of a more comprehensive listing of the Top 20 health Web sites. Thanks to Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Health Improvement Institute for compiling these valuable resources.

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Technology has added so much to our society, but it's also taken away a lot -- including our friends and our sex lives. According to new studies, Internet is taking away from many offline activities like socializing and sex, with as many as one in three people saying that they give up time with friends and spouses in order to spend it on the Internet.

What's more, people can't seem to live without the Internet. Only 7% said they could go a week without Internet access, and 48% of people say they feel as if something important is missing if they have to go without Email or the web.

While I don't think I sacrifice time with my friends and family for the Internet, I have serious trouble going without it for a few days. But then again, it's the sort of the basis of my career. How important is the Internet for you?

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A recent survey by the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that 1 in 8 American adults obsessively check emails and surf the internet . It says that basically, they're addicted. Are you that 1 in 8? Or is it somebody in your office or family? (If you have a big family there's probably several afflicted members!)

You know you're addicted to the internet when:

• You zone out while surfing the net or mindlessly browse through pages and don't even remember what you've just read.
• You easily get sidetracked at work with emails instead of doing work.
• You worry what you might be missing when you're not online.
• You have family or friends who are upset by the amount of time you spend online.

Strategies for coping with internet addiction or internet addiction symptoms:

• Turn off email alerts so you aren't distracted while working.
• Schedule specific times during the day to check your email, and stick to only those times.
• Set up regular face-to-face times with people that get you away from the computer (i.e. meet a friend for lunch instead of emailing him/her back and forth all day).

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If you spend time online seeking out weight loss advice (and the chances of that are pretty good considering you're reading this blog) there's good news: it turns out information on dieting and weight loss found online is correct more often than not. Weight loss and obesity are some of the most researched topics on the internet, and getting valuable info from your computer at home or work is a priceless convenience for many. Experts advise, however, that the larger online forums (more than 1000 messages per month) are generally more reliable and that specific questions about dieting medications should be directed to your doctor.

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There are all kinds of different types of quit smoking assistance out there, but no matter what kind of help you get it's not an easy habit to break. And although doing so for the sake of your children is a powerful motivator, they can help you in more ways than you might have thought. A website called C.H.A.M.P.S.S. (Children Helping And Motivating Parents to Stop Smoking) provides resources and tips for kids on how to help their parents kick the habit, making suggestions like simply asking parents to quit and finding out what they can do to help and offer support.

C.H.A.M.P.S.S. is full of resources, offering advice and links for adults too on how to quit, and how to help keep kids and teens from starting up in the first place.

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WebMD offers a neat interactive tool, which will help you find out how many calories you burned during various activities. Even though most tools like this offer an average guesstimate, not able to take in consideration your exact muscle/body fat ratio......it's pretty close and provides a reasonable guideline.

Use it not only to see how many calories you just burned, but also use it to see how much more you can burn if you take things up a notch. Inspiration is everywhere!

Spend all day sitting in front of a computer? Although that generally isn't a healthy way to spend hours on end, many of us just can't avoid it. But, surprisingly, there is a small upside: the internet, sitting right in front of you, is a powerful tool for weight loss.

In a study that compared internet-based exercise programs against more traditional printed-on-paper plans the internet programs finished right up there in terms of effectiveness and motivational power. Both groups kept activity logs and filled out regular questionnaires to keep them on track, which I think may have been the biggest help, but it is nice to know that online programs can be successful. For many people the internet is just so much more convenient these days than anything else.

So, depending on your situation, you might want to try squeezing in just a little websurfing as long as you're going to be stuck in front of that computer anyway. It might do your body good!

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