Sondra E. Z. Hines, AILT, is an adjunct professor of health & wellness and is certified to teach group fitness exercise and Zumba. Wednesday Wellness - Fitness News You Can Use is published weekly. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

The holidays are peeking around the corner, which means many will slip off their fitness paths. To ensure you aren’t one of them, Carolinas Healthcare is holding a free event -- Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain -- offering healthy eating tips.

The seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the CMC Morrocroft Medical Plaza. For details or to register, call  704-512-3209  704-512-3209 .

Nasty Trick; No Treat
Police nationwide report a lousy ‘trick’ that escalated during Halloween – gummi bears laced with vodka. Accounts include children receiving boozed gummi bears on Halloween as a cruel joke. The prank has gained popularity due to the availability of how-to videos/instructions on the Internet. And teens, now hip to this fad, are cleverly fooling parents who believe they are merely enjoying the popular confection. The danger is that the booze-laced candy is practically odorless. Thus, teens are unaware of how much alcohol they are ingesting, resulting in getting drunk faster from mouthfuls of candy.

How Effective Is A Flu Shot?
The shot’s strength depends on how severe the flu virus is and "can range widely from season to season," reports the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention website. “Vaccination before December is best since this timing ensures that protective antibodies are in place before flu activity is typically at its highest,” says the CDC. Therefore, unlike other vaccinations lasting longer, flu shots are good only during the flu season. Despite this, the CDC highly recommends that everyone receive a flu shot. For more information, consult your physician or visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm.

Germ Busters
Washing plastic grocery bags is effective in halting the spread of bacteria, particularly E coli, which thrives in plastic bags, says a published study in the International Association for Food Protection's Food Protection Trends magazine. To avoid the growth and spread of bacteria, consumers are advised to: ensure that raw meats and fruits/vegetables are bagged separately, avoid storing plastic bags in car trunks (heat increases bacteria growth) and wash bags prior to reuse. "Simply throw your bags in with your clothes," says Natalie Slater of Reuse It, a company dedicated to selling reusable items.

In Case You Missed It …

• Desperately Seeking -- An growing number of women, desperate for perfect bodies, are intentionally packing on pounds to qualify for gastric bypass surgery, commonly known as stomach stapling, according to published reports. Sadly, this trend continues to pick up steam. "I never tell patients to gain weight, but the reality is that some of them do," said Dr. Nestor De La Cruz-Munoz, associate professor of surgery and chief of bariatric surgery at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. Surgeries of any kind present potential complications and should be carefully thought out, he said.
• Night Night – A recent study reports that Detroit tops a list of U.S. cities most sleep deprived. The findings, from a survey of 350,000 adults, found a link between the Motor City’s (and nine others on the list) lack of sleep, high crime, high unemployment and poor health. What other cities made the list? Click here:

I leave you with this week’s fitness tip: To prevent blisters, rub feet with deodorant before putting on new shoes. The deodorant decreases moisture, thus minimizing the friction that causes blisters, while also reducing sweat, which eliminates stinky feet!

Until next time, I wish you good health & wellness.

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