Exercise of the Day: Dumbbell Swing Through

This exercise is great for working most of the large muscle groups in the body.

Here's how to do it:

1. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands, and stand erect with your feet about 16 inches apart.

2. With your arms straight, bend at the waist until your upper back is parallel with the floor.

3. Exhale and raise up with the dumbbell held at arm's length until it is directly overhead as you come to an erect position.

4. Lower the dumbbell back to starting position in the same semi-circular motion and inhale.

Remember, don't hold your breath through the exercise. Inhale and exhale deeply, and keep the oxygen flowing!

Exercise of the Day: Dumbbell Flye Off Floor

This exercise is great, because it only requires two dumbbells. No bench is needed — perfect for travelers!

Lie on the floor with two light dumbbells at arm's length above your shoulders with your palms facing each other.

Keeping the arms as straight as possible, lower the dumbbells out to each side of the chest in a semicircular motion until the weights are about even with the sides of your chest.

Return the weights back above your chest using the same path in which you used originally.

Exhale as you reach the top position.

Remember to breathe heavily, hold your chest high, and concentrate on your pecs.

Exercise of the Day: Dumbbell Deadlift

The dumbbell deadlift, properly performed, is an excellent exercise to develop the back and hamstrings. To perform this exercise, observe the following training points:

1. Stand with feet about 8-inches apart and a dumbbell at each side of your feet.

2. With knees bent, back straight and head up, bend at waist and grasp the dumbbells with both hands.

3. Exhale and stand erect with the dumbbells in both hands while arms are locked out.

4. Lower weights to the floor with legs bent and inhale.

Remember to keep your abdominals contracted throughout the movement to develop a strong core.

Disneyland to Free Itself From Trans-Fats

Food served at all Disney theme parks will be free of trans fats by the end of 2007, the company said in a statement on Monday. Limits on the calories, fats and sugar content of all foods marketed with the well-known Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse will also be imposed, according to company spokesmen.

Disney's move comes on the heels of growing media attention on the climbing obesity rates among children in the U.S. Sources say that Disney looked to make the move after its exclusive 10-year deal with McDonald's "Happy Meal" sponsorship came to an end this year.

The Skinny

According to company press statements, added sugar in the new "Disneyfied" foods will not exceed 10 percent of calories for main and side dishes and 25 percent of calories for snacks. Total fat will not exceed 30 percent of calories for main and side dishes and 35 percent for snacks.

Disney CEO Robert Iger comments on the move: "The Disney brand and characters are in a unique position to market food that kids will want and parents will feel good about giving them."

Outside the Disney theme parks, most of the other changes will occur within the next two years.

Am I Overtraining?

Hey Sam. Recently I started playing soccer for a team here in Los Angeles. There are two practices a week which are a few hours long, and two games which are a couple hours long. But, I'm finding myself really fatigued during the day and having trouble sleeping at night. Also my appetite just hasn't been what it used to be. What's happening to me? --Karen, Eagle Rock

Karen, it sounds like you may be overtraining. Symptoms of overtraining can include loss of appetite, strange or disturbed sleeping patterns, muscle soreness that doesn't seem to go away, and general fatigue.

The best way to minimize the risk of overtraining is to try "cyclical training" procedures, (alternating easy, moderate and hard periods of training). As a general rule, 1 or 2 days of intense training should be followed by an equal number of easy training days.

Some other ways you can avoid overtraining are:

*Varying your training methods.

* Taking advantage of, scientific application of the many therapeutic modalities at your disposal (such as chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, sound therapy, stretching).

*Following sensible, scientific nutritional practices and supplementation.

*Using good lifting techniques.

*Getting proper sleep and rest.

*Taking advantage of various psychological techniques that promote restoration (for example, therapy, meditation, visualization, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, and sound therapy techniques).

*Avoiding all other stressors in your life that can become problematic to your training efforts (whether environmental, psychological, sociological, biochemical, physiological or anatomical in nature).