Your health: Self-help advice

Self-help advice

American women who pick up one of January's self-help magazines will be assaulted with advice for living better and losing weight in 2011.

Self suggests “62 Ways to Feel Better Fast,” including learning a new skill, surfing HealthyDiningFinder.com and deep-cleaning one's pores. Real Simple's “2011 Get-It-Together Handbook” is divided into sections, such as “Fitness Made Easier” and “Health Made Easier.”

Real Simple encourages readers to “weave a few of these smart, science-supported habits into your routine,” including seeing an eye doctor, getting your thyroid checked and walking six miles each week.

The cover of O, Oprah's magazine, says “Hello, 2011!” and promises “50 Ideas to Make It Your Best Year Yet.” Heart surgeon and television personality Mehmet Oz offers some memorable tips, including “sweat to commercials.” Instead of snacking, couch potatoes should stand up and sit down as many times as possible during TV commercial breaks. He also recommends dropping a pound a month this year, leaving shoes at the door so as not to track in pollutants and having sex one or two times a week.

Try an Elliptigo

Do you love your elliptical trainer but wish you didn't have to be stuck in the gym when the weather turns warm? The makers of this “elliptical exercise cycle,” which costs about $2,500, promise the same low-impact workout that many people now do instead of running, coupled with the speed, handling and pleasure of a bike ride, according to The Washington Post. For more information, visit elliptigo.com.

Eat 400-calorie meals

Counting calories can get tedious. Plus, it's hard to know how best to divvy up your daily allotment. One new solution: Think in 400-calorie chunks. The book “400 Calorie Fix” by Liz Vaccariello gives tons of examples of 400-calorie meals.

A sample breakfast: a whole-wheat English muffin with butter, low-fat yogurt with honey and strawberries. Put four meals together for a healthful, weight-friendly 1,600-calorie day.

Check QR codes

You'll be seeing more of these postage-stamp-shaped “quick response” graphics in and around the grocery store in the coming year as retailers and food manufacturers learn how to put this relatively new technology to work, The Washington Post says.

Download any QR reader app for your smartphone and scan the code on food packages. The reader will send you directly such information as nutrition facts and recipes. Learn more about QR codes at wapo.st/wapoqr.