Your health
Contestants chosen
Five people have been chosen to compete in the Daily Herald/Live Well Fittest Loser Challenge, sponsored by Push Fitness in Schaumburg.
More than 100 applicants sent in heartfelt pleas to be chosen for the weight-loss contest, many describing a lifelong battle with weight. We thank everyone for applying, and hope our coverage of the contestants' progress will offer inspiration and practical weight-loss advice for everyone.
Turn to Health & Fitness on Feb. 9 to meet the contestants, to be followed by regular updates on their 12-week exercise program with personal trainers. You'll also be able to follow their progress in Live Well, our new fitness-focused publication, and on dailyherald.com.
The winner will receive a shopping spree and other prizes.
When statins need a boost
Statins generally do a terrific job of lowering cholesterol and heart attack risk. Except when they don't. About 20 percent of people have a genetic mutation that lowers the drugs' effectiveness, according to a new Duke University study reported in U.S. News & World Report.
After going on a low-dose statin, people who carry the gene mutation had a 24 percent drop in "bad" LDL cholesterol - compared to a 32 percent reduction for everyone else.
Options include switching to a more powerful statin, study author Dr. Deepark Voora said, or combining a statin with a cholesterol-lowering fibrate drug such as TriLipix, which was approved last month.
Couch potato pets
Runners can always hop on a treadmill when bitter cold and icy streets prevent an outdoor workout. But their four-legged friends don't have that option.
Pets need daily exercise to stay healthy - and happy. Prevention magazine offers these tips for indoor pet exercise:
Stair climber for dogs: Throw a ball up a short flight of stairs for a great cardio workout. Not for elderly or obese dogs, which can tear a ligament.
Stair climber for cats: Same idea, but use a catnip toy or bell ball.
Laser chase: Use a small laser pointer like the Miracle Beam Laser Pet Toy ($5.99, amazon.com) to zip a red dot around for your cat to chase. Or you can get your own heart pumping by running around the house with a dangling feather toy, like Da Bird Feather Teaser ($9.99, Petco.com).