Massage for most of you is probably no more than an occasional treat you get to enjoy when someone gets you a gift certificate or when your muscles are so knotted up you just can’t take it anymore. But it is starting to be recognized as a true medicinal therapy, and because of that, I want all of my *f.a.t. (Fit After Thirty) sisters to start thinking of regular massage as a prescription for your health, rather than as a luxury. 

Regular massage is truly one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to stay Fit After Thirty! Besides, if you incorporate it into your relationship with your partner, it can serve as great foreplay, and will go a long way toward keeping the romance alive! After all, what woman doesn’t appreciate a man who pampers her, and what man doesn’t love a happy ending? Granted, there is nothing like a professional massage therapist to really work out the kinks, but a novice with a pair of strong hands can go a long way toward helping achieve some of the following major health benefits of massage:

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In keeping with my New Year’s theme of trying to get you to think of fast food differently in 2009, I’m passing along a great resource from Dr. Gourmet. He has created menus from popular fast food restaurants with the healthiest options from each menu. He has handpicked the items from each restaurant that average about 400 calories and have 15 or fewer grams of fat. 

The menus are downloadable and easily printed, so you can take them with you. I suggest just leaving them in the glove compartment so you have them conveniently at hand when you are out. This way, if you have to eat fast non-food, you can at least make the best choice possible for your health. Remember, many fast food meals contain more than an entire day’s worth of calories, so for those of you trying to see some real weight loss success this year, little efforts with your fast food habits can go a long way!

Okay gals, for all of you who don’t have a workout buddy to drag your saggy booty to the gym when you’re feeling lazy, I’ve got the answer for you! You can register this under the “what will they think of next” column in your imaginary diary chronicling all things weird in cyberspace.

Weight Nags is the latest creation by some well intentioned, clever techies (who didn’t get the memo that “fatty” means Fit After Thirty Hotty), to aid others in their quest to stay in shape. For those who respond best to a little tough love when it comes to motivating you to follow through on your commitment to yourself to stick to your workout schedule, this might be the answer. Here’s how it works:

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If you’ve taken my advice about changing your eating for the new year, you’ll need to forego some of last year’s fast food runs. In order to help make this transition easier, spend some time looking at these before and after fast food photos, taken from Hungry Girl. I think we can safely call it fast NON-food by the looks of some of these items!

If you are heeding my advice from yesterday about cutting back alcohol in the new year, in order to burn fat more efficiently, here are some non-alcoholic party drinks to try, from Associated Content.

Vienna Soother:  Add 4 ounces of strong coffee, 2 ounces of cream, a hearty drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon to a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with plenty of ice and shake well. Strain the cocktail into a clear coffee mug or highball glass and top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

 Nada Colada: This non-alcoholic alternative to the Pina Colada can be made to taste even more like the real thing by adding a little rum extract to the blender. Blend 2 cups skim milk, 2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice frozen into ice cube trays, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 1 tablespoon of coconut extract, and two tablespoons of vanilla in a blender until mixture becomes frothy. Pour into glasses and garnish with pineapple wedges.

 Cinderella:  Add one ounce each of strained fresh orange juice, pine