Your health: Cycle safety and soothing baby

Cycle safely

Bicycling and spinning are known as low-impact workouts, but cyclists still are at risk for injuries of their own.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says you can avoid common knee and hip problems, as well as stress fractures and tendinitis, if you:

• Ask a professional to help choose your bike and set seat and handle heights.

• Warm up and stretch your butt, thighs and calves before riding.

• Take action at the first sign of injury. Rest, ice, compress and elevate the injured area and see a doctor if pain continues.

Soothing baby

Babies speak their own language, if you know how to listen. Without resorting to special baby-talk programs, caregivers can learn a lot by paying attention to context, Parents magazine says:

Hunger: Baby's opening and closing his mouth or sucking on his hand. The clincher: if it's been two hours since the last meal, "feed me" probably is what your tyke's telling you.

Overstimulated: Your baby turns away from a crowd of well-wishers, closes his eyes and wails. He might be sleepy, but probably just craves some peace and quiet.

Pain: A cry of pain stands out from the rest. It's sudden and shrill, and often includes long wails followed by a pause, as if the child is out of breath.

Family meals

Adolescent girls who eat meals with their families appear less likely to use diet pills, laxatives or self-induced vomiting to control their weight.

Teen girls who ate five or more meals with their families each week were significantly less likely to try extreme weight-loss measures five years later, according to the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

For unknown reasons, the findings did not hold true for adolescent boys.

Medicare medicines

If Medicare doesn't cover your medicine, there might be ways to address the problem.

The federal government says patients should check why their plan didn't cover their medicine -- they may need to meet a deductible before the plan will kick in.

If the medicine isn't on an approved list, you might be able to get "prior authorization" or an exception.

Find out more in the government's free booklet by sending your name and address to What to Do, Pueblo, CO 81009, visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov/rc/n71whattodo.htm or call (888) 878-3256.