THEBESTADVICE
can range from a couple of days to an
entire week, depending on how easily
you bruise. The best way to lose a double
chin, however, is through lifestyle and
diet changes, which will also have the
pleasant side effect of boosting your
overall health.
The first, and most important, lifestyle
change is exercise, and the fastest
way to burn calories (and lose fat) is to
elevate your heart rate by moving as
many muscles as possible with as much
intensity as possible. Then, to send
your fat burners into overdrive, take a
five-minute break in the middle of your
workout. The rest period will allow your
body to transport this fat more efficiently
to your working muscles, which burn the
fat as fuel, according to a recent study
in the Journal of Applied Physiology. In
practice, this might mean doing three
nonstop circuits of push-ups, bent-over
rows, and split squats (eight to 10 reps
per exercise), followed by five minutes
of rest. Then do 15 minutes of intervals,
alternating one minute of intense effort
with two minutes of active rest. Any
type of cardio will do—cycling, rowing,
running. Also, eat more lean protein.
High-protein meals may boost energy
expenditure and accelerate fat loss,
according to a recent Australian study.
HAIDEH HIRMAND, M.D., AND
ALWYN COSGROVE
Dr. Hirmand is a plastic surgeon at New
York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center.
Cosgrove is a certified strength and
conditioning specialist and the author of
The New Rules of Lifting.
HOME
INSECURITY
Home burglaries occur every 15 seconds, according to the FBI, costing
taxpayers $17.6 billion in 2007. So what’s a homeowner to do? We asked
the nation’s top experts to compare the most popular security measures.
“The best approach involves more than one,” says Good Morning America’s
security expert, Bill Stanton. “Think of it as a multilayered defense.”
“Burglars don’t want to draw
attention, and that’s exactly what
a barking dog does,” says Steve
Kaufer, owner of the security firm
Inter/Action Associates.
PROS: Heightened sense of
hearing, sight, and smell to identify
potential invaders. Large dogs can
also provide physical protection.
CONS: “Most dogs are all bark
and no bite, and burglars know it,”
says Kaufer. Specially trained dogs
are another story. “They attack on
command or when danger presents
itself,” says Perry Ahlgrimm,
president of Command Control K- 9.
“It’s like having a best friend that
will take a bullet for you.”
COST: Trained guard dogs range
from $2,500 to $65,000, depending
on the level of training ( cck9.com).
GUARD
DOG
HIGH-SECURITY
LOCKS
“A gun can protect you,” says Kaufer, “if
you know how to use one and are prepared
to do so.” Many gun owners aren’t trained,
making their guns more dangerous than
potential intruders. “If you buy a gun, take a
class,” says Kaufer. Also, consider buying a
shotgun, which doesn’t require as much skill
as a handgun.
PROS: Peace of mind. “There’s nothing
like the distinctive sound of loading a round
and pumping a barrel,” says Kaufer. “It’s a
tremendous deterrent, even without being
fired.”
CONS: If you don’t know how to use your
weapon, “a gun brought out for self-defense
can be turned against the homeowner,”
says Kaufer.
COST: From $359 for a 12-gauge Remington
ALARM
SYSTEM
SECURITY
GUARDS
More than 60 percent of
burglaries show no signs of
forced entry. “Thieves are
using a new technique called
bumping,” says Michelle Boykins,
of the National Crime Prevention
Council. A bump key fits into any
standard lock and requires only a
light tap from a hammer to trip the
pins. “But this method won’t work
on a high-security lock.”
PROS: Bump-proof, pick-proof,
drill-proof, and crowbar resistant
CONS: If a thief can’t get into your
home through a door, he can still
break a window, but at least you’ll
have proof of forced entry.
COST: From $122 per lock
( medeco.com)
SHOTGUN
“State-of-the-art technologies
include remote monitoring and
motion-sensitive lighting,” says
Kaufer. “Just having an alarm-system sign outside is a deterrent.”
Homes with alarms are three times
less likely to be burglarized.
PROS: Around-the-clock
protection and automatic police
notification. “Just make sure
you turn on the alarm,” says Ron
Walters, of the Security Industry
Alarm Coalition. Half of all
homeowners regularly don’t.
CONS: False alarms
COS T: $1 to $2 per square
foot, plus at least $25 a month
in monitoring fees. Most big
companies—AD T, Brinks, Slomin’s
Shield—have comparable prices.
Although security guards and
patrol officers are more commonly
found in gated communities,
residential neighborhoods are
also hiring them in increasing
numbers.
PROS: Continuous monitoring
by a trained professional who
can also collect mail and turn
lights on and off. “Parents also
like the peace of mind they bring
to neighborhoods with children,”
says Kaufer.
CONS: Daily patrols can’t
compare to a 24-hour alarm
system.
COS T: About $550 a week.
Many neighborhoods also patrol
themselves through neighborhood
watch groups, which can reduce
crime by up to 53 percent,
according to recent research.
FINANCE
How can I be sure
that my advisor
isn’t a Ponzi?
Make sure he or she is focused on doing
one job and doing it well. Disgraced Wall
Street fund manager Bernard Madoff—
who allegedly squandered $50 billion
of his clients’ assets—filled two sets of
shoes. He served as both an investment
advisor and a custodian, so he decided
how to invest his clients’ money and
then executed the trades. This is highly
unorthodox. A reputable advisor will
have trades executed by a well-known
custodian—Fidelity, Schwab, or TD
THE BEST ADVISORS most pressing concerns? Write
Want the best advice for your
to bestadvice@rodale.com.
SEXUAL HEALTH EXERCISE MENTAL HEALTH
AND UROLOGY PHYSIOLOGY Mario Alonso, PhD
Ridwan Shabsigh, MD William J. Alonso is a psycholo-
Dr. Shabsigh is gist, executive coach,
Kraemer, PhD
the director of the and expert in leader-
Kraemer is a
division of urology at ship development. His
professor of
Maimonides Medical new book is Family
kinesiology in the
Human Performance
Center in Brooklyn Business Survival, and
Laboratory at
and author of he is based in Allen-the University of
Sensational Sex in town, Pennsylvania.
Connecticut at Storrs.
7 Easy Steps.
DERMATOLOGY
Bruce Katz, MD
Dr. Katz is a clinical
professor of
dermatology at the
Mount Sinai School
of Medicine in New
York City.
STRENGTH
SPECIALIST
Alwyn Cosgrove
Cosgrove is the owner
of Results Fitness in
Santa Clarita, California,
and the author of The
New Rules of Lifting.
Q: How can I gussy up my
hair if I’m going directly
from work to an event?
Mixing sugar with water creates a highly effective styling agent.
Trust me. First, dilute a small sachet of sugar in an eight-ounce cup
of water. Then dip a comb into it and resculpt your look. (Every guy
should keep a comb or brush in his desk drawer. British barber Geo
F. Trumper makes my favorite grooming tools.) If you’re heading to a
party, dampen your fingers in the simple styling syrup, and then run
them through your hair to texturize your coif and add volume.
CAREER
Gil Schwartz
Schwartz is an
executive vice
president at a
Fortune 500 company
in New York City.
GROOMING
John Allan
Allan is the founder of five men’s grooming clubs in New
York and Chicago that bear his name, as well as his own
line of hair and skin-care products.
