Exercise

LAYTON -- There are young athletes throughout Davis County that may be hindering their athletic futures without knowing it.

OGDEN -- Athletes often speak of the workout high -- a time of clarity and concentration, a clean feeling of purity and purpose. And that "high" is just what Dustin Hawkins is using to help former addicts change their lifestyle in the Workout Addiction Recovery (WAR) program that he designed based on his own recovery from addiction.

Hawkins, a Bonneville High School alumni, baseball standout, and former Houston Astro, became addicted to prescription drugs starting with a knee surgery. He was doing the drugs, playing baseball, and sinking further into it when he started seeing a therapist for his problems.

CLEARFIELD -- Clarissa Bybee thought teaching two to three consecutive hours of aerobics would be enough to help her endure a mini-triathlon.

The Weber County Library system will present Zumba classes Saturday at two library branches.

Almost any exercise is good exercise.

That said, some people waste time on routines that aren't best for reaching their goals, trainers say.

Here are general tips from Shaun Knight, a certified athletic trainer in Virginia Beach, Va.:

* Think about variety, not just time. Keeping your body guessing is the best way to torch calories. "If you ride an exercise bike at the same level for an hour, it may not be beneficial -- especially given the time you're putting in," Knight says. "Your body will get used to it and start to think it's easy."

Let's be honest. Most teenagers aren't going to spend winter days off of school going to the gym for two hours every day. At least for me, my first desire is to sit all bundled up on my couch and play some video games.

The country may be in a panic about childhood obesity but with the freezing temperatures in January and beyond, and snow -- or currently the lack of -- outside, how in the world could we be active?

How fast do you have to walk to stay ahead of the Grim Reaper? About 3 miles an hour.

Australian researchers used the mythical character as a device to determine what walking speeds allow older men to outpace death. The results were published recently in the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue.