TIPS ON CARING FOR POINSETTIAS & NEW STUDY ON COMMON COLDS & WHEN TO EXERCISE

By OLIVENE GODFREY

I've read that poinsettias are the most popular of flowers
during Christmas and I believe it. Last November, I ordered a poinsettia plant from my great-great niece, Alex, for a school project. When I picked up the beautiful red plant a few weeks ago, I hoped I would have better luck with it than I have had with others in the past. I took no chances this time and asked son Barry, to research the plant on the Internet. There was a lot of good material and we have followed the advice and now the plant is gorgeous and I hope it will continue to be healthy until warm weather.

Here are some of the tips--place the plant in a sunny window;
do not let any part of the plant touch cold window panes,
indoor temp from 60 to 70 degrees F is ideal for long plants life; high temps will shorten life of plant; water ONLY when
the soil is dry; place the plant in a cool room at night'
do NOT fertilize when plant is in bloom; and avoid warm or cold drafts. Be sure to remove foil covering drain holes before
watering and don't let it sit with water in the saucer,
empty the saucer.

AVOID COLDS--Keep your feet warm and dry in winter. We have all heard that and now there seems to be some scientific evidence to support the old belief that to do so will prevent a cold.
The BBC reports on a study where half of the volunteers were asked to keep their bare feet in icy water for 20 minutes.
They found that 29 percent of the 180 volunteers developed a cold within five days, compared with only nine percent in the control group not exposed to a chill.

Professor Ronald Eccies director of the center, said that when colds are circulating in the community, many people are mildly infected but show no symptoms. But, if they become chilled, and believe they have caught a cold, what has actually happened is that the dormant infection has taken hold.

WHEN TO EXERCISE--In FITSmart by Jorge Cruise, in USA WEEKEND
recently I learned that exercising on an empty stomach may lead to burning more stored carbs and protein. And if those energy
stores drop too low, your metabolism may slow to prevent their depletion. This is according to Michele Olson, exercise
science professor at Auburn University Montgomery.

The item went on to say that because you'll burn the same number of calories whether you work out before or after breakfast, it's better to eat a balanced pre-workout meal about an hour before exercising. I've been trying to remember this advice.



See you next time.