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TO MAKE YOUR NEXT WORKOUT EASIER, DRINK THIS

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BLOOMBERG NEWS

You don't need a fancy sports drink to recover from a short workout quickly and be ready for your next session. Instead, consider the potent recovery drink that's probably already in your fridge: skim milk. It rehydrates exercisers as well as water does and more effectively than sports drinks. Try it for a workout that lasts less than two hours (if it goes longer than that, we prefer that you use sports drinks). When you exercise, you deplete water and glycogen, the fuel that allows your muscle cells to come together or, as we say, shorten and contract. Being depleted of these things is like being starved of sleep; your body just won't perform as well. Being just 2 per cent dehydrated reduces exercise performance and makes your workout feel harder. That's why rehydrating is so important. Milk may do more than that: There's evidence that weightlifters who drank a 16-ounce glass of milk right after a workout and another an hour later gained more lean body mass and lost more fat than the lifters who drank a soy or carbohydrate sports drink instead. So, next time you work out, try a single glass afterward and see if it makes your next workout feel even better.

HABITS THAT MAKE YOU OLD

Are you accidentally making yourself older? Check what these choices are doing to your body: Choosing organic. We don't have a problem with choosing organic when it comes to fruits and vegetables. The trouble is when you think "organic" is synonymous with "healthy." Sorry. Organic potato chips are still potato chips, and contain aging fat and extra calories. Just dealing with it. If you tend to treat pain with a stiff upper lip rather than a pill or a doctor's visit, it's like playing catcher without a mitt: It feels lousy. About 75 per cent of pain sufferers do not receive adequate treatment, and if you're one of them, you're at risk for depression, irritability, fatigue and an overall diminished quality of life. Treating pain early - we like to start with RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation of injuries) coupled with an NSAID in pill or patch form - is an important step in regaining your quality of life. Call your doctor stat if it doesn't get better quickly. Eating in your car. If you're dashboard dining, chances are high that you're having a burger. And that means you're getting aging saturated fats in your bloodstream. Dining in shifts. Sure, your teens and tweens need to be driven here and there. But the impact of slotting in dinner with the family might get your kids farther ahead than their having one more art lesson. Kids who ate with their families not only ate more fruits and vegetables, but they maintained those healthy habits as they got older.

THREE FOODS FOR SUPER HEALTH

The best foods for you might be ones you've never heard of (and remember, until about two years ago, you never heard of the Baconator, either). Some of these are ancient, but thanks to new food trends, they're now at your fingertips. Here's your new menu: 1. Kefir - What it is: A milk drink that has a slightly sour taste. (It's fermented, but don't let the sound of it scare you away. We love the stuff). What it does: Its vitamin K2 helps keep osteoblasts alive, cells that are responsible for forming new bone. Vitamin K2 also escorts calcium into your bones so it can do one of its jobs: making bones stronger. 2. Chia - What it is: Yes, the stuff that put the "hair" on your chia pet. It's a whole grain that was used by the Aztecs as their main energy source. What it does: Contains omega-3 fatty acids, and can help restore your energy levels and decrease inflammation. Similar to cornstarch, you can use chia as a thickening agent and as a substitute for whole grains in your diet. It is great at holding moisture. We make muffins with it. 3. Purslane - What it is: A leafy green that's slightly crunchy and tangy; poised to become the next arugula in food circles. What it does: Reputed to contain higher amounts of omega-3s than other greens. It also contains about the same amount of calcium and magnesium as spinach.

TO FIGHT FAT, DRINK THIS

Haunted by that research suggesting that your friends make you fat? If you missed it, here's the recap: It found that you're more likely to become obese if your friends do. Does that mean doom and group discounts on caftans? Hardly. One way to help change your odds might be to have your friends over for tea. Two types of tea in particular may have you shopping together for smaller clothes: White tea: Made from the buds and early leaves of the same plants used to make green and black teas, white tea may have special fat-thwarting powers. Your body's fat cells increase or decrease in size, according to your weight. And in a lab study, human fat cells treated with white tea extract accumulated significantly less fat. The tea stimulated the breakdown of fat from mature cells. Green tea: Green tea speeds up your calorie-burning process. And it seems to turn up your calorie torches after exercise. In fact, overweight people who worked out for 12 weeks lost more belly fat when they drank green tea every day. Compounds called catechins may be the heroes: They may act on enzymes that influence the way your body burns fat and calories. Make an afternoon of it and have them over for a walk before you break out the tea set.