There are no hard and fast rules for exercising during illness--there is little in the way of solid medical research--so athletes must use common sense. Generally, if you're sick and don't feel like working out, don't. This is simply a corollary of the rule "listen to your body"--it's trying to tell you something. Read the story »

Training after work isn't always an option for publicist and marathon runner Carly Morrison. With two young children and a husband at home, Morrison must often squeeze a quick workout into her lunch hour so she can be home for dinner with her family. But to jet back to the office in time, she often skips the shower and finds herself sitting at her desk feeling sweaty, flushed and, let's admit it, a little greasy. Read the story »

During heavy training for a marathon or triathlon, you, like many athletes, may feel hungry from the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night. Worse, with a jam-packed schedule, those pesky hunger pangs can lure you to stray from your carefully thought-out nutrition plan and toward huge meals and unhealthy snacks. Read the story »

It's hard to resist those chocolate bunnies and adorable duck-shaped cakes around Easter. But you might want to reconsider that impulse buy. While we all know most desserts aren't healthy, commercial cakes, pastries and candies can be downright bad for you. Store-bought goodies contain hydrogenated oils, which dramatically raise your risk of heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, these oils increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease your HDL (good) cholesterol. Adding further insult, a piece of frosted cake can contain as much as 18 teaspoons of sugar, which when combined with the 20 teaspoons of added sugars most Americans consume in an average day, far exceeds the 8 teaspoon recommended daily allowance. Read the story »