8

(NAPS)—You don’t have to buyexpensive foods or try miraclediets to shape up for summer. Usethese easy, healthy tips to burn fatso you can look and feel better justin time for swimsuit season. • Eat more frequently (every

two to three hours). Going longerwithout food can send your bloodsugar and energy levels plummet-ing, which can make you cravehigh-sugar, high-fat foods. To eatsmarter during a busy day, con-sume nutritious low-fat and low-sugar snacks between meals. Tryfruits or nuts. For a quick, healthymeal or a lunch in the office, tryMinute Ready to Serve Brown Rice.This nutty-tasting rice is ready after60 seconds in the microwave andcan be mixed with a variety of ingre-dients, from honey to vegetables.• Don’t skip breakfast. Start-

ing your day with a healthy mealis the best way to boost yourmetabolism and burn off extracalories. Try to eat within the firsthour of your day because energyhas been depleted the night before.If you skip breakfast, your bodywill shift into starvation mode andbegin to conserve energy, thusburning fewer calories. • Eat more fiber. Fiber fills

you up fast, allowing you to eatless and see pounds disappear. Tofight hunger and give yourself anenergetic boost, choose fiber-richvegetables such as broccoli andasparagus and stock your pantrywith a variety of whole grains suchas brown rice, bulgur and oats.Whether you are preparing a dishor a salad, don’t reach for thewhite potatoes and bread. Thinkwhole grains and you’ll be re -warded with additional fiber andanti-aging nutrients. And if youdon’t want to wait 45 minutes tocook brown rice, try Minute Brown

Rice, which is ready in 10 minutesbut still contains the same nutri-ents as long-cooking brown rice.For a delicious and healthy springmeal, try this easy recipe:

Spring Vegetable Rice Salad

2 cups Minute Brown Rice,uncooked

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes1 cup cut-up asparagusspears (1-inch), cooked,cooled

1 cup light salad dressing 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard1 tablespoon chopped freshparsley

1 tablespoon grated lemonpeel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Prepare rice according topackage directions. Toss ricewith tomatoes and asparagusin medium bowl. Mix remain-ing ingredients until wellblended. Add to rice mixture;toss to coat. Serve immediatelyor refrigerate.Serves 8.

Quick Ways To Slim Down

You can enjoy a big bowl of freshand filling rice and vegetablesalad and still stay fit.

(NAPS)—Guarding against airbag fraud—when a damaged airbag system is replaced with a non-functioning “dummy” air bag—could help used car shoppers steerclear of danger. The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration reportsthat about half of fatal accidentswith nondeployed air bags involvecars that have missing or faultyair bags. Additionally, industryexperts caution that as many asone out of every 25 previouslydamaged vehicles inspected hadnonfunctional air bags. Understanding The ThreatDummy air bag systems are

often stolen or salvaged units andmay not match the particularmake and model of your car. Vic-tims of air bag fraud have evenreported finding paper towels,packing peanuts, old shoes or vir-tually anything else that can fillthe hole left by the missing airbag. Many of us assume the airbag will be there when we need it,so most victims don’t know they’vebeen scammed until it’s too late.

Staying SafeFortunately, there are ways to

protect yourself:•Ask for or order a Carfax

Vehicle History Report to check forsalvage or junk titles, accidents inthe vehicle’s past or “air bagdeployed” notations. If any of thesered flags shows up, the air bag mayhave been deployed and you shouldhave it closely in spected. Remem-ber, even if it remained undeployed,the air bag system may still havebeen affected by a crash.

• Take the vehicle to an ASE-certified air bag mechanic forinspection prior to purchase toensure a properly working air bagsystem. • Turn on the ignition. The

air bag indicator light shouldappear momentarily and then goout. If the indicator light re -mains on or flashes, this mayindicate that an air bag systemproblem exists. Take the vehicleto a qualified mechanic for fur-ther inspection. • If the air bag light never

comes on, it’s highly likely the airbag is missing and the bulb hasbeen removed. Air bag lights mayalso not come on if the previousowner had an on-off switchinstalled. If you face this situa-tion, ask the owner or dealer toprovide a copy of the NHTSA let-ter authorizing the switch andhave the air bag turned back on. For more information and a

free air bag deployment report,visit www.carfax.com/airbag.

Air Bag Fraud: The Hidden Danger

Consumers can protect them-selves from air bag fraud by ask-ing for a vehicle history report.

(NAPS)—Style guru CarsonKressley reveals the secret togreat style begins with gorgeousskin. He recommends a dailybeauty routine complete with anexfoliating or silkening body washto keep your skin looking its bestevery day. To give women a headstart on making skin their ulti-mate fashion statement, Kressleyand Hollywood fashionista KimKardashian reveal a few more oftheir favorite tips:

Pretty in Prints•Embrace your

wild side and go forbold in this season’seye-catching prints.Whether it’s a flirtyfloral, graphic printor bright boldcolor—step out ofyour comfort zoneand reveal a newstyle. Try a flowydress or skirt in asheer, lightweight

fabric or pair a ruffled, sexy floralblouse with white jeans. Keep itlight and airy, not heavy.

Update your LBD• Absolutely every woman

needs a “little black dress” in hercloset—it is a classic, universallyflattering and can work for everyoccasion (date, work, weekend).Find a simple style that suits yourbody type and lets your skin takecenter stage. You can even update

a style you already have byadding a fabulous statement neck-lace or a bright-hued belt andstilettos.

That’s a Wrap• A classic wrap dress can be

a workday staple for just abouteveryone. It shows off curves andreveals just the right amount ofskin while still looking polishedand professional. Most wrapdresses are low-cut so make sureyour neck, collarbone and chestarea look smooth and even. Goahead, throw it on, wrap it upand strut out the door lookingamazing.

Show a Little Shoulder• Take a cue from celebrities

on the red carpet and get ready toshow some skin in this season’s“it” style…the one-shoulder dressor blouse. This asymmetrical lookflatters every body type andreveals your best accessory—gor-geous, even-toned skin. Go boldand show it off with CaressEvenly Gorgeous Exfoliating BodyWash. With burnt brown sugarand karite butter, it gently exfoli-ates and moisturizes to revealbeautifully smooth skin. Be sure to visit www.caress

yourstyle.com to create and dressup a Virtual You, watch videos ofCarson giving style advice andenter for a chance to win a $100gift card to create your ownCaress inspired look.

Style Secrets Every Woman Should Know

CarsonKressley

(NAPS)—Millions of Americanswill suffer from nasal congestionat some point this year. Whetherit’s caused by allergies or the com-mon cold, nasal congestion can beuncomfortable. A new survey

(n=4,282) found that83 percent of peoplesurveyed felt theirnasal congestionslowed them down.Actress and long-time allergy andcongestion suffererAlison Sweeney—

well known for her roles as thehost of a popular reality TV showand a daytime soap opera star—can relate. “Congestion and other allergy

symptoms can really get in theway when you’re juggling work,family and everyday life. And forme, finding the right medicine torelieve my symptoms includingcongestion can make a big differ-ence,” Sweeney explains. “I ini-tially didn’t realize the medicinesthat I’ve relied on, SUDAFED® andZYRTEC-D® made by McNeil Con-sumer Healthcare Division ofMcNeil-PPC, Inc., were locatedbehind the pharmacy counteruntil I spoke with my pharmacist.That’s why I hope other allergysufferers will do the same,

because know-ing what’s avail-able and whereto find it is thefirst step tofinding the med-icine that’s rightfor you.”A lot of peo-

ple like Alison may not be awarethat some of the allergy and nasaldecongestant medicines theyrelied on for years are still avail-able but have been moved behindthe pharmacy or service counter,

or “BTC.” To encourage fellow suf-ferers to talk to their pharmacistand learn their treatment options,Sweeney has teamed up with theAmerican Pharmacists Asso -ciation (APhA) and McNeil Con -sumer Health-care Division ofM cNe i l - PPC ,Inc., to launchthe Behind theCounter Countscampaign. “We’re so

grateful for Ali-son’s help withthis initiative.We hope it willencourage sufferers who havequestions about nasal congestionproducts or how to access theseproducts to ask their pharma-cist,” said Michael Negrete,PharmD of the American Phar-macists Association. People can also visit BTCcen

ter.com, which features Sweeney’spersonal tips and a new tool tohelp people figure out if allergiesor colds are causing their nasalcongestion.

Don’t Let Nasal Congestion Get You Down Actress, Mom and Allergy Sufferer Alison Sweeney

Wants You to Get Relief

Visit www.BTCcenter.com toLearn Your Type and Counter YourNasal Congestion!

(NAPS)—By connecting directlyto a home’s security system, Honey-well’s 5800CO wireless detectorsends monitoring stations an alertif CO is detected in the house. Themonitoring stations can then notifyemergency personnel.

** ** **Dietitians counsel clients on

making lifestyle changes toimprove digestive health, butthere may be times when a laxa-tive is needed. A gentle productsuch as Senokot® Tablets can pro-vide overnight relief from occa-sional constipation. For moreinformation, visit www.get constip ationrelief.com.

** ** **Chicken Verde Tacos layer fla-

vors of fresh garlic, smoky chilipowder, tangy lime zest and—thesecret ingredient—Tabasco brandgreen pepper sauce. For moreinformation and fun recipes, visitwww.tabasco.com.

** ** **Millions of young people across

the country are participating ininnovative programs such as ThePower of the Wind, which teacheshow to use engineering principlesto design and build wind-energyprojects. To learn about this andother innovative 4-H programs,visit www.4-H.org.

** ** **In just one season, 437 Chevy

dealers sponsored more than 470youth baseball teams across the East Coast and raised$3,665,785. Millions are expectedto be raised this year as well.Visit www.youthsportswired.com.

***Be bold and mighty forces willcome to your aid.

—Basil King***

***Baseball is the only field ofendeavor where a man can suc-ceed three times out of ten andbe considered a good performer.

—Ted Williams***

***No game in the world is as tidyand dramatically neat as base-ball, with cause and effect, crimeand punishment, motive andresult, so cleanly defined.

—Paul Gallico***