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Fit Smart JORGE CRUSE
You CAN be a runner
If you’ve ever thought about trying a
SK, 10K or even a half-marathon, then
start with your shoes. A free gait analy
sis, in which an expert runner watches
you jog and determines the best type
of shoes for your running style and
form, is available at any Niketown or
Road Runner Sports; local stores also
may offer them.
To avoid injuries (like blood blisters
under your toenails), fit is key. “Your
shoes shouldn’t pinch or feel uncom
fortable,” says Stacey Lei Krauss, a
Nike Elite instructor who is based in
San Francisco. “Be sure to break them
in slowly, and log at least 50 miles
in new shoes before wearing them in
a race.”
Find the Ready to run? Be
right shoes ginners should have
with a free short-term goals. “I
gait analysis. my clients to be
gin with a 12-minute
run,” Krauss says. “This means run
straight out your door for six minutes
and then six minutes right back
and that’s pretty’ much your first mile.
It’s a huge milestone for a lot of peo
ple, and it’s very attainable.”
Stick with that routine for a week
and then increase your run by one min
ute each week. “Before you know it,
you’re up to 3 miles, and you’ve almost
run a 5K,” Krauss says.
4 USA
WEEKEND
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4
USA WEEKEND • Oct 12-14,2007
Eat Smart JEAN CARPER
To prevent varicose
veins, eat your greens
Here’s something even Popeye didn’t
know; Eating your spinach might
help prevent varicose veins, those
enlarged blue veins that afflict 5%
to 30% of adults, especially women.
So say FYench researchers who
compared healthy and varicose
veins. They concluded that ad
equate vitamin K is needed to help
activate a key protein that blocks
the calcification and cell prolifera
tion that can lead to vein distor
tions and disease.
Best sources of vitamin K: Swiss
chard, kale, parsley Brussels sprouts,
spinach and broccoli.
Money By WALECIA KONRAD
Are you missing a job benefit?
P
use dependent care accounts, accord
ing to a recent survey by Mercer, a
human-resources consulting firm.
What a missed opportunity! FSAs
let you use pretax dollars to pay cer
tain expenses, so you can reduce your
overall yearly cost by 20% to 40%, says
Mercer’s Jennifer Calhoun. Tips:
Bone up on eligible expenses. Ask
your benefits department for a com
plete list to help estimate how much
you’ll spend in 2008. Medical co-pays
and deductibles are easy to tally. But
did you know that sunscreen, contact
lens solution and over-the-counter drugs
President & CEO • Marcia L. Bullard
Publisher • Charles Gabrielson
Executive Editor A VP • Jack Curry
SVP/Advertising • Rob Harrison
Dir./Finance • Edward Maxwell
Oir./Human Resources • Bhavna Sharma
Dir./Marketing • Sonia David
Dir./Research • Frank Dolcimascolo
To ask any USA WEEKEND columnist a question, visit usawookond.com.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
■M 4 ► ImH
ONLY 20% OF em
ployees sign up for
a company health-care
Flexible Spending Ac
count (FSA), and fewer
Managing Editor: Brenda Turner Creative Manager: Casey Shaw
Senior Editors: Craigh Barboza, Carol Clurman, Constance Kurz. Lorrie Lynch,
Priscilla Totten Copy Chief: Jill Golden Copy Editor Ali Cybulski
Make A Difference Day Editor Pamela Brown Senior Writer Dennis McCafferty
Associate Editors: Michele Hatty. TJ. Walter Assistant Editor: Kathy Rowings
Fact Checker Elena Keithley Design Director Leon Lawrence 111
Art Director Pamela Taylor Associate Art Director Christina Cook
Photo Editor David Baratz Deputy Photo Editor Sarah Claxton
Online: Amelia Stephenson Office Coordinator Troy Artis
Tedi Smart john biggs
Cellphones for kids have parent-friendly features
Just because the littlest members of the
family might not be able to remember
their own home phone
number doesn’t mean
they can’t have their
own cellphone. Several
new carriers sell sim
ple cellphones for tots
as young as 5.
■ Firefly Mobile
(fireflymobile.com) of
fers a small phone that
has just five keys, in
cluding two for mak
ing direct calls to Mom
and Dad. Its kid-sized
glow Phone is available
are covered? Or, if
both parents work, a
child-care FSA can
pay a babysitter and
summer camp.
Learn the dates.
The IRS now allows a
grace period through
March 2009 to rack
up eligible expenses.
However, not all com
panies have adopted
this change, so check with your ben
efits department.
Know about FSAs vs. HSAs. If you
have high-deductible insurance, you
may be offered an HSA (Health Sav
ings Account) that lets you set aside
tax-free money to pay medical bills.
But the IRS won’t allow you to use both
in black or pink, with a color screen, and
starts at $49.99.
■ Disney Mobile (disneymobile.go
.com) offers free-after-rebate phones
and some more expensive models that
come with cool cartoon styling. Parents
can manage talk time and the phone
numbers Junior can dial. Plans start at
$59.99 a month for 450 minutes. A GPS
location function lets you keep tabs on
the phone, and your kid, from afar.
■ Finally, tw’eens might enjoy Ka
jeet a contract-free car
rier that offers cool, slim, prepaid cell
phones starting at $49.99. Kids can learn
the value of a dollar as they add min
utes themselves.
WIMUB—■
I
I
an HSA and an FSA for medical ex
penses, says John Asencio, of Sibson
Consulting. Solution: Use an FSA for
dental and eye-care bills. Ask human
resources for a fuller explanation of
FSAs and HSAs.
Contributing Editor Walecia Konrad
is an award-winning consumer writer.
Contributing Editors
Pam Anderson, Ken Bums, Jean Carper.
Stephen Covey, Jorge Cruise.
Steve Dale, Kenneth C. Davis,
Sharon Epperson, Dennie Hughes,
Walecia Konrad, Lisa Ling,
Lou Manfredini, Dr. Tedd Mitchell,
Ann Pleshette Murphy, Cokie Roberts,
Steve Roberts, Tavis Smiley,
Terry Stickels
Regional Directors/
Newspapers
Charlie Williams
Taaz Williams
Luci Day
c Copyright 2007
USA WEEKEND.
A Gannett publication.
Printed in the USA.
The magazine that
makes a difference.