Learn to Control Everyday Stress Before it Kills You

“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” -- American Playwright, Jane Wagner

SINCE WE ALL LIVE in reality -- well, most of us anyway -- we’re likely to experience stress. And, getting stressed out is hard to avoid. Every time I vow not to sweat the small stuff, I find myself getting drawn into a winner-takes-all NASCAR competition with the guy who cut me off in traffic. I’d better watch it; I’m one rude driver away from a permanent facial tic.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Recent medical studies indicate that a growing number of people are more stressed than ever. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, roughly one in three people suffers from moderate to severe stress, and on a daily basis. This can have grave and long-term effects on one’s health.

To most people, the very idea of stress has negative connotations. They see it as a painful or debilitating condition. But, physiologically, stress is merely the body's instinct to defend itself. This hard-wired feature aids us during emergencies, such as dodging a speeding car or fleeing a hard-charging wart hog.

The late Hans Selye, M.D., a Viennese-born endocrinologist who won international acclaim for his research on stress, was the first to explain that, for better or for worse, stress is a constant influence in our day-to-day lives. He also made an important distinction between positive stress, known as “eustress”: the type of stress you are likely to experience when you win the lottery or finish a 5K run; and negative stress, or “distress”: the stress brought on by a money woes, a bad relationship -- or a hard-charging wart hog.

Eustress is beneficial in that it can give us a competitive edge in performance-related activities, such as athletics or public speaking.

Distress, however, can be harmful. When distress is allowed to continue unabated, real problems can crop up. Prolonged distress has been shown to compromise the immune system, damage memory cells in the brain and increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses, according to Bruce S. McEwen, M.D., author of “The End of Stress as We Know It” (Joseph Henry Press, 2002) and director of the neuroendocrinology laboratory at the Rockefeller University, a medical research center in New York City.

Experts agree that the key to successful stress management is to find and maintain a personal equilibrium between channeling eustress and reducing distress. In other words, being your best when faced with positive stress, such as a tough workout; and better controlling the negative stress that emerges during a traffic jam, for example.

To do this, it may be helpful to first examine the science of stress. Human beings are designed to respond instinctively in certain situations. For example, in times of emergency, the body shifts into a biological stress mode of “flight or fight” that galvanizes us into action. Our focus sharpens, our heart and lungs accelerate, the body releases adrenaline, all of which helps us respond quickly and decisively. It's how you might feel at the market when you turn around to discover that your 2-year-old has somehow scaled to the summit of the carefully-constructed pyramid of bean dip.

However, it’s the persistent nature of stress in our lives that can overload our body’s stress systems. In other words, we are not as biologically equipped to meet multiple stresses that often hit us simultaneously -- traffic jams, urgent appointments, job deadlines, unexpected house guests and our little canned-food climbers.

“The fact is, we're now living in a world where our systems are not allowed a chance to rest, to go back to base line,” says Dr. McEwen. “People are being driven by excess calories, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, by smoking, by isolation or frenzied competition.”

So what can you do? Dr. McEwen advises such things as sensible eating, smarter exercise and moderate drinking. “It's a matter of making choices in your life,'' he says.

Here are five ways to help subdue the stress in your life:

Recognize it

This is the first, and most important, step. While it’s not difficult to do, it’s difficult to remember to do. Like flossing, I suppose. The idea here is that when you feel negative stress creep in, take a moment to recognize what’s causing it and how it’s making you feel. This will allow you to take action before the distress takes a firmer hold on you.

Breathe

Once you recognize the distress, breeeathe. Often the difference between stress and serenity is a breath away. That’s because when you breathe deeply, you engage your parasympathetic, or relaxation, response which can lower blood pressure and soothe your spirit.

Champion athletes also rely on breathing techniques to channel their stress before major competitions, and studies show that deep, diaphragmatic breathing seems to have the most immediate effect on reducing stress.

Leonard Holmes, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who directs the Chronic Pain Program at the Hampton Veterans Administration Medical Center in Tidewater, Va., outlines a breathing technique that consists of taking three very deep, deliberate breaths. Try it right now: Breathe in through your nose and count silently and slowly to 3; push your stomach out rather than your chest. This allows you to breathe with your diaphragm and to get a deeper breath. Breathe out on a slow count of 6 -- through your mouth -- and as you do, visualize all negative stress melting off your body. Nice, eh? The best part of this stress-buster is that you can do it anytime, anywhere to gain control of almost any situation.

Exercise Right

It’s been verified repeatedly that exercise is a killer stress killer. But did you know that if you exercise too intensely, your body can register some of that as stress? That’s right. When you work out strenuously, your body releases adrenalin which is a stress hormone. Too much adrenalin can bring about adrenal exhaustion. Also, hard, or “anaerobic,” exercise can engage the fight-or-flight response.

The best exercise program to manage stress combines relaxing physical pursuits such as yoga, swimming or Pilates with moderate aerobic activity. To be sure you’re exercising in that “optimum zone,” monitor your heart rate; it’s a reliable indicator of how hard your body is working. There are several products that can help you do this. Polar makes a device that transmits your heart rate from a chest strap to a wrist watch: www.polarusa.com. MIO has a line of a new products that measure your heart rate and track calories burned without the uncomfortable chest strap. For more information, log on to www.miowatch.com.

Eat Right

The quality of the food you eat, in large part, determines the quality of the life you live. You can help your body manage stress better by including, and excluding, certain foods. First, strive to eat a balanced diet filled with fresh vegetables (organic if possible, lean meats (free range if possible) and quality fats found in extra virgin olive oil and fish such as wild salmon. The National Institutes of Health also offers this suggestion: Eliminate or reduce intake of caffeine or other stimulants since they just make things worse.

By putting the above strategies into action, you can slough off a lot of stress and free yourself up to live your best life.

Finding the Time to Exercise

“Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.” -- Will Rogers

The single biggest barrier to better health and fitness is: lack of time.

Despite the myriad gadgets and “killer apps” designed to help us save time, we seem to have less and less of it. Over the years, I’ve gathered together a literal arsenal of accoutrements to streamline my life -- software, hardware, Blackberries, Blueberries, (if there’s a Berry, I own it) -- and I’ve never been more pressed for time.

Most people feel it’s hard enough to find time for the things we have to do, much less the “extras,” like exercise.

But, therein lies the crux of the problem. Why don’t have the “time” to exercise, because we consider it a nonessential “extra.” And, when our daily schedules tighten like a noose, the extras get pushed to the periphery and relegated to the end of our “to do” lists.

However, exercise is not an extra. It’s an essential.

Here are four things you can do to find the time you need to fit in fitness, so that you can live your best life. Time is short. Let’s get moving.

DO IT EARLY

You’ve likely heard this advice ad nauseum, but there’s a reason for that: it works. Exercising first thing in the morning is the only way to assure that something else won't push exercise out of your schedule. By putting off workouts until later in the day, you stack the odds against yourself.

"Plenty of research has been published about lack of time as the most frequently cited reason for exercise dropout," says Joe Quatrochi, Ph.D., associate professor of human performance, sport and leisure studies at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. "Since many people have limited free time during the day, I suggest they attempt to exercise early in the morning. It prevents them from using excuses like ‘someone scheduled a meeting for me.’ It saves time, because you only have to shower and change clothes once. It’s also a major boost to your self-confidence to know that by 8am, you’ve done more than some people do all week!”

There are two caveats here. One: listen to your body. We each have our own natural 24-hour biological cycle (called “circadian rhythms”). That means we experience exercise differently at different times of the day. For example, some of us are “morning people” (me); others are not (my wife). With some effort, you can get learn to actually enjoy morning workouts. But, if you absolutely, positively loathe morning exercise, then do it at another time. Two: if you have to wake up at ungodly times for work, then morning workouts are not realistic. Find a time that suits you. Then, lock in those exercise times and treat them like “serious business appointments.”

STREAMLINE YOUR ROUTINE

The more “layers” that exist between you and a workout, the greater the odds that you’ll nix it. For example, if, to workout, you must: drive home, gather together all of your workout clothes, drive to the gym, wait for the machines, shower, lather, rinse, repeat change and drive home, you’ll more likely to skip all of that in favor of something easy and tasty like…Cheetos. Life is chaotic and time-consuming. Your exercise shouldn’t be. Simplify your routine: keep all of your workout gear in one place; swap time-intensive workouts, like cycling and swimming, for time-efficient ones like running, walking and hiking. Sometimes, the best -- and most rewarding workout – can be had when you lace up your shoes and step right out your front door!

NO NIXING

If we’re running short on time, we tend to nix workouts altogether. That habit needs to change. If you’re short on time, cut your planned workout by half -- or more. The fact is, in fitness, something is always better than nothing. Even a 10 minute walk confers cardiovascular benefit. The value of doing that workout goes much deeper, however: you’re keeping your promise to yourself. And you’re sustaining your precious exercise momentum, which -- in physical terms -- is nine times more difficult to generate than it is to maintain.

CHOOSE WISELY

There are 168 hours in one week. The average person spends roughly one of those 168 hours on their health and well-being. If our health is our most precious asset, there is something very wrong with that picture. We often claim we don’t have the time to exercise. Yet, we do have the time to: clean our homes, wax our cars, pay our bills, mow our lawns, synch our Berries and watch the playoffs. Could it be that we simply choose some activities over others?

Ultimately our lives -- and the quality of them -- are determined by the choices we make each day. Putting off exercise is like accruing credit card debt. It feels mighty fine in the short-term, but later on you’ll be asked to pay. With interest. That said, it’s time to get out of (fitness) debt. And to do that, you must pay yourself first. I’m not asking you to become a self-absorbed, ego-maniacal professional athlete (like I used to be!); I’m merely suggesting that you make one choice per day to protect, and cultivate, your health and well-being.

You won’t think you have the time to exercise until you make it a priority. Let me say that again: you won’t think you have the time to exercise until you make it a priority. Once you do that, it will completely change your perspective. When you put exercise (health) on par with work (money) and time with your kids (family), your exercise will become one of the last things that you drop during the day.

The bottom line is this: we make time for things that are important to us. Health is important. Without it, everything else falls away. Make exercise important to you, give it the reverence it deserves -- and you’ll find the time you need to do it. And that’s a Berry good thing.

CBS Early Show Appearance

[On January 1st, fitness expert ERIC HARR appeared on the CBS Early Show with four simple exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home that promise to give your metabolism the jump-start it needs to kick-off the new year on a good note.]

SO MANY OF US MADE the resolution to get fit in 2006, but found it difficult to actually get started with an exercise regime. For our fitness, this is the toughest time of year! Our metabolism is in winter hibernation, our bodies are turning every spare calorie into lovehandles (not fair!) -- and we’ve just eaten more than any other of time of year.

But now, there are no more excuses. Here are five moves to fire up your metabolism moving in 2007:

1. The “Jumpstart” Jumping Rope: Rocky 6 is in theaters, so jumping rope is back in style -- and it’s for all ages! It’s trendy, shapes a fab physique and burns the calories like no other single exercise.
Demo: You want to start low to the ground and keep your elbows close to your sides…by flexing your biceps, you’re working your arms as well as your legs. This is a phenomenal total body workout.
Benefits: It shapes your shoulders, calves arms and abs, while rocking your heart rate -- all on par with running. You can burn up to 1000 calories per hour. Even though this is a weight-bearing exercise, it doesn’t jar your joints, since the impact of each jump is absorbed by both legs. Overall, jumping rope works wonders on your agility, posture, balance, reflexes and coordination.
Goal: If you’re just starting out, try to jump without stopping for one minute. Then, take an active recovery period for about 30 seconds. Your goal is to build up to ten minutes of jumping rope at one time—which is the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile!
Gear: A hot number is the “Valeo Digital” that counts calories as you jump ($10). I'm not -- nor will I ever be -- a fan of counting calories, but I do believe in the value of "tracking progress." So, don't obsess with the calories, but do monitor your progress!
For a better upper body workout, choose the RopeSport Premium 4-in-1 ($15) that includes a “weighted” rope.

2. The Go-To Gadget: Reebok Core Board: This is a fun and fresh spin on strength training. This exercise integrates two of the “top 10 fitness trends for 2007” according to the American College of Sports Medicine: core training (#5) and strength work (#6).
Demo: This is sort of like a surf – or snow – board…this platform provides instability. That’s good because it fires every muscle in your body just to balance on it.
Benefits: Instead of spending thousands on machines, here’s a great alternative. Millions of Americans suffer from back pain. It prevents us from living our best lives –- a lot of that is due to poor core strength. In this case, instability is a good thing! When you are forced to balance on this unstable platform, every muscle in your body is “activated.”

- “Simple Stand” Just balancing on the board is a great workout for beginners. Loosen the stability setting as you progress.

- “Balance Lunge” hits your entire lower body…two “trouble spots”: hips and backside. You want to lunge right onto the board. The balance involved as you land on the board boosts the benefit of the move. (Watch Eric do the move on the CBS Early Show. Link at end of post.)

Exercise bands provide a double boost to your metabolism: it revs up your heart rate and it builds strength. For a more aerobic workout, loosen the resistance and do more repetitions, more quickly. For strength, up the resistance and do fewer repetitions, more slowly.
Goal: Use this instead of weights to get a total body workout two to three times a week. You can do it while you're watching TV!
Gear: Reebok Core Board. $170. Includes a workout DVD with directions of how to do all these exercises.

3. “Band Camp”: Functional fitness training -- i.e. using strength training to improve performance for activities of daily living -- again, this combines two of the hottest fitness trends for 2007: “functional training” (#4) and strength work (#6). Exercise bands are the most efficient and effective way to strengthen and tone your entire body. They are completely adjustable (to the millimeter). And, they are a terrific “portable gym,” ideal for travel and “anywhere” workouts.
Benefits: Exercises that mimic actual job tasks or other activities help improve balance, coordination, strength, and endurance. Many of the activities we do in life are performed across multiple planes of movement, but most traditional “strength training” in the gym doesn’t really strengthen us for everyday life. Functional training embraces that fact and allows strength training to be more applicable to the everyday movements of the human body as well as sports specific training. In addition to building strength, significant improvements in balance and coordination are principle benefits of the unrestricted motion of functional training. The bands can burn up to 500 calories an hour -- and revs your metabolism all day long.
Goal: You can use bands every day for strength training or to help you stretch. Go entirely on feel and strive to "comfortably challenge" yourself each time you do a session with exercise bands. That level of subjective effort will ensure that you get fit without fatigue.
Gear: Bodylastics - Basic Tension. $40.

4. Body Bar Workout: The Body Bar is a classic, timeless fitness tool; a simple, one-piece solid, weighted fitness bar encased in easy grip rubber. But, here’s the fresh, new spin on it: the new “flex” version allows for an array of super strength and toning moves.
Demo: Two basic moves:

- “Waist Twist”: develops core strength and flexibility simultaneously and improves performance in any “rotational sport” such as golf, tennis or swimming.

- “Flex Squat”: A better variation of the traditional squat (which puts too much pressure on the knees.) This more elegant and effective move strengthens the lower body, while toning the upper body in safe way.
Benefits: This workout tones and stretches all major muscle groups. Perfect for people just starting to exercise or for people wanting to get past a fitness plateau. Builds flexibility, balance and strength. Using controlled movement strengthens core muscles, back and abs to stabilize the body and develop functional range of motion and balance needed for everyday movement. Also targets the midsection which weren't not feeling particularly thrilled about this time of year!

Goal: Like the core board, you can use this instead of weights to get a total body workout two to three times a week. You can do it while you're watching this show.
Gear: Power Body Bar Flex 4’ ($40).

5. GAIAM Balance Ball: Balance training is a red hot trend in the fitness world now -- and for good reason. Here’s a simple balance ball move to rev up your metabolism and reshape your body.
Demo: Sit with your hands on the floor behind you, your fingertips pointing toward your body. Place your feet on the ball (if you’re feeling wobbly, try it without the ball at first or come down onto your forearms). Keeping your abdominals tight, press your hips up toward the ceiling (think of making a diagonal line from your shoulders to your feet). Hold for 3–5 breaths, then return to starting position.
Benefits: The Reverse Plank tones and strengthens shoulders, arms, low back and abdominals..
Goal: Complete 5–8 reps; build to 3 sets a day.
Gear: Brighten up your workout with the GAIAM BalanceBall in Tie Dye. $30. Includes air pump and DVD with three complete workouts.

(A note from Eric on his Early Show appearance: "I felt compelled to make a comment about CBS Early Show anchor Hannah Storm. There are countless stories about network personalities being demanding or difficult to work with. Hannah Storm is anything but. She is an absolute delight. I've been doing TV for almost 8 years -- and in that time, I've learned that you can tell a lot about an on-air personality on either end of the actual on-camera segment, i.e. when the camera is off. Hannah was sweet at all times, to everyone on set. The sweetness you see on the air is genuine; it's who she is. Nice to know, because I admire her work professionally.")

To view Eric's segment on the CBS Early Show, vist: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2319214n

New Year, New You: 8 Weeks to Your Best Life in 2007

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -- Helen Keller

THERE'S SOMETHING HOPEFUL and heartening about a New Year.

It’s an opportunity to slough off past indulgences, offenses and omissions, and look ahead with a gleam in our eyes and a fire in our bellies. The New Year is a clean slate.

Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions have lost much of their gravitas -- at least with respect to fitness. We set them, we break them. We don’t think much of it. Some of us have broken the promise to ourselves so many times that we no longer pursue our resolutions with the firm determination they require … and deserve.

The New Year presents a fresh opportunity to live our best lives. We ought to seize that opportunity -- and pursue it with great conviction. After all, there is a lot on the line: This is your life. Right here, right now. And this year you can live your best life.

Over the next 8 weeks, I’m going to cover the “eight pillars of success” when it comes to health and fitness goals. They are, in order: Commitment, Guidance, Time, Motivation, Health, Support, Environment and Enjoyment. Each week, I’ll also present “Action items” that, when taken together, will form a foundation for success all year long.

First, some ground rules:

Believe

No matter how many times you’ve failed in the past, this is a new year. And, in a literal sense: this is a new you. Believing in yourself is the key to success. There’s even research to substantiate this. In a study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, two groups of sedentary women were given a fitness test. Regardless of how they had actually performed on the test, one group was told they had scored in the highest fifth, while another group was told they’d scored in the bottom fifth. When the women subsequently worked out, the ones who’d been told they’d scored well reported feeling better and more energetic about the exercise than the women who were told they’d done poorly. Clearly, if you believe you can succeed in achieving your goals in 2007, you more than likely will.

On the other hand, if you lack confidence, reaching your goals can become a challenge—if not downright impossible. And if you’re like a lot of people attempting to achieve a higher level of fitness in the New Year, self-doubt can creep in at the most inopportune moments. Even if you’re bursting with buoyancy right now, it’s important to plan for times when that might not be the case—whether it’s in the face of adversity or simply manifests as a slight twinge of uncertainty about how to proceed. As Helen Keller once said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Whether that sunny disposition eludes you or not, it’s always a good idea to have some self-assuredness exercises and strategies in your exercise arsenal.

Seek support

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “you’re your own worst critic” -- and if you’ve heard it a lot in reference to yourself, well, nothing is going to be more valuable to your fitness success than other people who can knock some sense into you. Even if you don’t have a tendency to come down a little too hard on yourself, having a support system in place is crucial for not just staying on your game but kicking serious butt. You simply can’t afford not to surround yourself with people who will cheer you on when you feel like giving up (and that will happen often!), who will point out how far you’ve come when you’re not sure you’re doing enough, and who will tell you that you can do it when you lack belief in yourself.

According to sports psychologist Dariusz Nowicki, who works with Olympic athletes, people are 47 percent more motivated to exercise consistently when they involve their family and friends than when they go solo. “Studies have shown time and again that when people know others are watching them, they perform very differently than when they know they are alone,” adds Nowicki in his book Gold Medal Mental Workout. He suggests that you tell everyone you know that you’re going to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions -- to create accountability that will drive you even further. “The more involved those around you become in your event, the higher your motivation becomes to do the daily workouts,” he says. And the mere act of telling others you’re going to do something might just make you believe it’s completely doable!

Be uncompromising

We tend to put ourselves last in life. Think about it for a moment: if your health is your most precious personal asset, why is it that we’re so willing to nix workouts in favor of doing things for others – such as cleaning the house or putting in extra time at work? Exercise often gets relegated to the end of our “daily to-do lists.” This year needs to be your year -- to take the time you need, and deserve, to look and feel fabulously fit. And, anyone who cares about you will support that position wholeheartedly.

You only need to invest 4-8 hours a week into physical activity; that’s roughly 3-6% of your total available hours each week. Making time for exercise is like “paying yourself” first each month, by allocating a percentage of your earnings to savings. It’s difficult at first, but you soon learn that the investment is well worth it.

In 2007, be unyielding -- even a little stubborn -- when it comes to making and taking time for your fitness. When you have a workout to do, treat it like a serious business appointment, or time with your kids. Don’t let anyone, or anything, get in your way. Life can wait. Your health may not.

Never give in

In a 1941 speech to the Harrow School, after months of an unremitting Nazi air attack, Winston Churchill uttered words that would echo through the ages: “Never Give In, Never, Never, Never.” It was Churchill’s moxie and resolve -- and his willingness to back it all up with every fiber of his 5 foot, 6 inch frame -- that helped the Allies secure victory in World War II.

When it comes to commitment, we can learn much from Churchill. Granted, comparing working out to war seems a little absurd, but the underlying message is not: Commitment is commitment. What is the depth of yours? Achieving your New Year’s resolutions comes down to a mindset: if you are firmly committed, you’ll never give in. Regardless of how many workouts you miss, or how long you come off your diet -- on any given day, you can get right back on track. In fact, that ability is the hallmark of every successful person in every area of life. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "A hero is no braver than an ordinary [person], but [she] is braver five minutes longer."

To Do This Week: “Commitment Workouts.” Each time you exercise this week, spend some time reflecting on how important (and tenuous) your health is, and how you must do everything you can to achieve your resolutions this year. Solidify that commitment. Deeply.

When you commit to living your best life -- I mean, authentically and unwaveringly -- nothing will get in your way. And, the life you've often imagined will come to you.

Next up: The Plan. Stay tuned.

Four Gifts of Health...That Give Back

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." -- Albert Pine (English author, d.1851)

THE HOLIDAY SEASON is a time to take stock of what is good in our lives and to extend goodwill -- and wishes of good health -- to those who need it. It's easy to lose sight of that as the holidays can descend into a frenzied bacchanalia of unbridled avarice!

What follows are four "gifts of health" ideas -- each with an altruistic twist. These gifts feel good and do good. They enable and inspire the recipient to lead a healthier, more vibrant life, while improving the health of our world.

MioPINK: Gift with 'heart'

The story of Mio began in 1999 when it was created by entrepreneur and mother of three, Liz Dickinson. Like many, Dickinson was balancing family and career, leaving little time for fitness. After several unsuccessful attempts to shed the pregnancy weight of her third child, she realized the key to get and stay in shape came down to three things: eating smart, monitoring caloric intake and using a heart monitor to exercise at the right level.

"I didn't have time to read labels and carry a calorie journal in my purse, nor did I have much patience for the uncomfortable chest strap I had to wear to get my heart rate," Dickinson says.

She knew there had to be a better way, so she created Mio, the world's first heart rate monitor to work without a chest strap.

"We didn't stop with just heart rate. Mio also has a patented calorie management system that offers a straightforward approach to managing your diet."

With the help of Mio and a balanced diet, Dickinson shed the pounds and gained the benefits that come with improved fitness: more energy, more vitality and less stress.

If you want to give a great gift of health that gives back, get the MioPINK. This fashionable piece of fitness gear allows you to record calories eaten throughout the day and track calories burned during exercise -- all against a daily calorie target. This is the crux of effective weight management. The MioPINK also includes a heart rate recovery timer, which is a good indicator of overall fitness.

Best of all: 10 percent of the retail sales price from the Mio-PINK goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. That's good to know because every 13 minutes another woman will learn that she has breast cancer.

To order, visit www.amazon.com or www.miowatch.com.

LIVESTRONG apparel

When you consider that one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during his or her lifetime and that three in four families will care for a family member with cancer, this gift of health feels particularly apropos.

Most people are familiar with what Lance Armstrong did as a cyclist in the Tour de France. But what he has done, and is doing, for cancer survivors may be even more prolific.

In 1997, before he pedaled to superstar status as a cyclist, he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation , or LAF. The foundation's message is that anyone with cancer is a survivor; they're not dying from cancer, they're living with it. And, its mission is to help anyone affected by cancer.

"The Lance Armstrong Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer," says Stephanie Elsea, associate director of public relations for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, based in Armstrong's hometown of Austin, Texas.

"The good news is that more people are living beyond a cancer diagnosis. There are approximately 10 million Americans who are living with, through or beyond cancer; the bad news is that there are very few resources to help guide cancer survivors deal with the physical, emotional and practical issues that come with the disease."

The Lance Armstrong Foundation received a 4-star charity navigator ranking indicating that "more than 80 percent of expenses are invested in mission-related activities and grants."

The LIVESTRONG store offers an array of good-quality workout apparel, particularly in Armstrong's favorite sports: cycling, and now, running. (Hey, the guy is a sub three-hour marathoner!)

And, check out their fun, new line of pet accessories. You can run, walk or hike with your pup - with LIVESTRONG leashes and collars -- to help you both "live stronger."

Visit the LIVESTRONG store at: www.livestrong.com.

CARE package

Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

In 1945, 22 American organizations embodied that quote.

In the aftermath of World War II, this cooperative rushed lifesaving packages to millions of survivors who were in danger of starvation. On May 11, 1946, the first 20,000 packages flooded into the war-torn port of Le Havre, France. In the ensuing two decades, CARE shipped approximately 100 million more Army surplus "10-in-1" food parcels, which came to be known as "CARE packages" (yes, that's where the term came from).

Since then, the scope of CARE's mission has changed, but the significance of its work has not. CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE not only feeds the hungry, it also helps tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognizing that women and children suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters and helps people rebuild their lives.

In the past year, CARE's work has helped 48 million people in 70 countries.

Purchasing "I am Powerful" CAREWear (timelessly stylish and appropriate exercise apparel), or making a donation on behalf of a loved one, is a gift that feels good and does good. CARE allocates an industry-leading 91 percent of all funds to program activities.

To learn more and to make a donation online, visit: www.care.org .

Empower a kid

While this gift may not "give back" to charity in a traditional, monetary sense, it nets a return that is indeed boundless.

Few would argue that humanity's future rests with our children.

One might wonder then why we continue to fail them when it comes to their health. In California this year, our kids' health received a failing grade. In the United States, 18 percent of children are overweight or obese, and that number is rising. In the world, every second child lives in poverty.

When you boost the health of our children, you elevate humanity.

This gift of health needn't come in the form of a pricey gadget, such as the "Super-Super-Happy Fun Activity Slide."

This gift idea (like most great gift ideas) requires commitment, not cash.

The goal here is to help kids lead healthier, more active lives. To do this, you could volunteer a day a week for an organization such as CARE or UNICEF. You could join Big Brothers/Big Sisters (www.bbbs.org) and play sports with kids. You might start a local parents group whose raison d'etre is to get active with their children. Or, you could simply spend more time helping your own kids be healthier.

Bottom line: Determine where your talents and passions lie, and unleash them on helping children lead better lives.

When a child feels healthier, she comes alive. And when she comes alive, she lights up the world.

And, that is the essence of giving a gift of health -- that gives back.