Your Health: Get rid of that belly

A flatter beach bellySummer's here - a good time to lose that winter insulation!To trim your beach belly, Prevention magazine suggests:1. Pick up the pace. One study found doing shorter, high-intensity walks cut 20 percent of abdominal fat in three months, compared to doing longer, moderate walks, which had no effect. You should be working hard enough to only speak a few words at a time, two or three times a week for 30 minutes each time. If you can't keep that up, alternate bursts of speed with a slower pace.2. Get on the ball. Doing crunches on an exercise ball activated much more top and side abdominals.3. Pump iron. Those who did high-intensity strength training combined with cardio and a high-protein diet lost four times as much abdominal fat as those who did cardio alone. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn - all the time.4. Work your core. Do semi-squats or sit down and stand up on one leg. Or hold a light weight overhead while doing lunges and squats. Keeping your balance will work your core.5. Drink green tea. Green tea exercisers lost eight times more ab fat than those who drank ordinary caffeinated beverages.Statins and depressionPatients taking statins to lower cholesterol, and those on low cholesterol diets, sometimes get the blues.A new study suggests long-term low levels of cholesterol in the brain could lead to that depression and anxiety.The report, in the journal Biochemistry, found statins in animal cells interfered with receptors of serotonin, a hormone that influences mood, but adding cholesterol returned them to normal.Fibroid treatmentA trial of a birth control drug found it's an effective treatment for uterine fibroids.Ulipristal acetate, or UPA, is currently used for emergency contraception, because it blocks receptors of progesterone. That's the hormone which also helps cause fibroids, which are the leading cause of hysterectomies, and contribute to infertility and miscarriage.In studies by the National Institutes of Health, women taking UPA shrank their fibroids significantly, had less menstrual bleeding, less severe symptoms, more energy and better quality of life.Final trials of the drug are now under way.Work out for cancerA suburban gym will hold a fitness boot camp with almost half of the proceeds going to St. Baldrick's Foundation for cancer research. Fit Body Boot Camp will donate $100 of every $197 monthly fee for its boot camp.The charity drive runs from July 12 through Aug. 12 at The Gymnastics Factory, 888 E. Belvidere Road in Grayslake.The camp features fun group cardio mixed with strength training to burn fat and firm the entire body. For information, contact owner Dustin Martorano at (877) 423-3481 or info@lakecountybootcamps.com.Phone driveThis month, AthletiCo Physical and Occupational Therapy will collect used cell phones for charity.Drop off any decent wireless phone or accessory and it will be refurbished and resold, if possible, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. Any unusable parts will be recycled for precious metals, and toxic parts will be kept out of landfills.All phones must be deactivated in advance. For locations across the suburbs, see athletico.com. For questions, contact Maxine Olhava at molhava@athletico.com, or (630) 575-6228.