Thy Brother’s Keeper

Everyone loves a new baby, except, that is, new baby’s siblings. Apparently, they aren’t so keen about the new kid at all, according to Mary J. O’Conner, professor of psychiatry at UCLA and director of the UCLA infant and preschool service. To siblings, a new baby means less lap time, attention and space, O’Conner explains in the spring issue of Fit Pregnancy. Some ways to mitigate sibling resentment are: discussing feelings with your children before the baby arrives and including older siblings in care of the baby. If only Cain had had more lap time with Mom and Dad.

Exercise for Cheap

Between upscale health clubs and infomercials selling the latest exercise gadgetry, it’s no wonder people looking to get into shape can get confused. According to the nonprofit American Council on Exercise, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for exercise products that rarely deliver on their amazing promises. Instead, it recommends several products for $20 or less: a jump rope, dumbbells, and resistance tubes and bands. And then, of course, there’s always the dreaded old-fashioned way: jogging, push-ups and sit-ups.

Early to Rise

One of the great debates of fitness in the ‘90s is whether it’s better to work out in the morning, afternoon or evening. According to Edmund Burke, director of exercise science at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, morning time gets the nod. On an empty stomach, you’ll draw more from your fat stores and continue to burn into the early part of your day, he says. Also, working out in the morning gives you energy all day long. For most of us though, it’s not a matter of when we exercise, but if we work out at all.

What They Didn’t Teach at Harvard

If you insist upon spending loads of cash to get into shape, has Jim Karas got the program for you. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Karas will--for $10,000--spend a week with clients and give them a “business plan” for their bodies. He’ll plan all meals, meet with their favorite restaurant chefs, private chefs, spouses and secretaries to design a food and exercise program that will last a lifetime. The Chicago-based fitness guru says his clients are people who have $7-million homes and wouldn’t blink an eye at paying someone $5,000 to trim their Christmas tree. Wonder what a Harvard Business School grad would charge?