Ephebiphobia: The fear of youth - It's one thing to yell at teenagers for skateboarding on the sidewalk, but it's quite another to have a genuine fear of young'ns. Ehebiphobiacs often refuse to go near young people, even going as far as voting against legislation that would merge young people with older members of society. The Free Child Project promotes Ephebiphobia awareness and claims it's a problem made worse through the media's portrayal of our nation's youth.

Gymnophobia: The fear of nudity - God I wish Bruce Valance suffered from this. Disturbing jokes aside, The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook indicates this is a very real fear that may stem from the overly modest standards present in some societies. Obviously, Gymnophobia is no picnic for a sex life either; with therapists reporting numerous cases of marriage troubles caused by the phobia. This one also packs a little star power via Arrested Development characters Tobias Funke and Philip Lit, both of whom suffer from Gymnophobia.

Taphophobia: The fear of being buried alive - Horror movie villains could certainly make a case for Taphophobia. That hand of the supposedly dead and buried evildoer suddenly breaking through the ground to indicate a sequel is likely would make an excellent brochure image for this disorder. Historical experts will tell you there was a time when such a fear was far from absurd, as doctors often misdiagnosed unconscious people as dead, and the poor souls made their way to an early grave. Any Edgar Allen Poe fan knows the author frequently worked the "buried alive" theme into his work, suggesting Poe had a hint of Taphophobia himself. Modern Taphophobiacs may refuse to go to funerals or even seek medical attention.

Other notably intriguing phobias include a fear of ants (Myrmecophobia,) garlic (Alliumphobia,) and even Jews (Judeophobia.) Check out an unabbreviated list here, and if you suffer from an irrational fear yourself, contact a doctor...unless, of course, you're an Iatrophobiac.

Kangoo Jumps claim that you can wear the "safe" low-impact rebound sport shoes for everything from running to at-home fitness. But despite what they say, I would be embarrassed to wear the springy running boots anywhere in public. Actually, I think that the humiliation of wearing the streamlined moon boots in public would make me want to hit the gym even less.

As rediculous as Kangoo Jumps are, Shape Up Shoes are even worse. These towering platform flip flops say that "when worn for at least 30 minutes a day, Shape Up Shoes are an effective fitness and weight-loss tool that allow you to tone and shape your body and shed unwanted pounds. Wearing the shoes while active encourages improved posture, a toned inner core and fantastically fit legs, abs and glutes." Yep, apparently teetering around your house and falling down every five seconds will make you skinnier.

Shelley, a personal trainer at City Place Fitness Center in Creve Coeur, wants you to know that you'll be wasting your money. Not only is the "get-fit-fast" approach completely impractical, she says you'll end up with scabs on your knees instead of the buns of steel you desire.

Moral of the story? Save yourself some money and some scarred knees by avoiding this ridiculous fitness footwear.

When I spoke with Jill at the City of St. Louis Refuse Division, she informed me that technically, everyone can just toss their dead batteries in the trash and not think a thing about it, because the Department of Natural Resources doesn't consider the quantity of hazardous residential material dangerous enough to regulate . But if you're thinking about the big picture and do decide to recycle your old batteries, you'll help lessen the risk of polluting St. Louis' soil and water with lead, mercury, chromium, lithium and other harmful heavy metals. You see, there's only a couple of layers of clay and geotextile separating the batteries in landfills from our soil and H2O, and who wants to learn this lesson the hard way? (Phew, science lesson over.)

Fortunately, it's pretty easy to find a place to recycle your old batteries in St. Louis. To recycle your old rechargeable ones, head here and enter your zip code. It will automatically find all the acceptable drop-off options nearest to you. To recycle the "old-fashioned" kind of batteries, drop them off at one of the 26 recycling centers around the city.

Enduring a hiccup outbreak is one of the most embarrassing, frustrating things that can happen in your day. If you’re lucky, a bout with hiccups will be just that - a few minutes long and its business as usual. But what if you aren’t so lucky?

I had the hiccups four times in one day last week and I was convinced I was hexed and going to end up in the looney bin. I don’t know if it was the all of the excitement of the warm weather in St. Louis that caused it, but I was miserable. I could get about two words out at a time and then, "hic, hic, hic!" 

I used every antic/remedy I had ever heard and gave them a whirl:

• Hold your breath.
• Drink water upside down with a pencil in your mouth.
• Eat a teaspoon of sugar. 
• Eat a "Fluffernutter" sandwich, made with peanut butter and marshmallows.
• Hold your breath and then swallow three times. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
• Yank on your tongue.
• Go to your "happy place" and think of something peaceful. 
• Stick your fingers in your ears and drink water (a two-man job.) 
• Anticipate the hiccup and say "beep" right before it.

All a dirty trick to make me look a fool, right? 

Collectively, I’m guessing the hiccups cost me about three hours of my life. In the end, I’m not sure what stopped my diaphragm spasms, but I know the last round ended with someone (purposefully) scaring the crap out of me.

Things could always be worse; remember this girl? Jennifer Mee hiccuped an average of 50 times a minute for over a month, poor thing! 

What’s the lore on hiccup remedies? Any favorite cures?

Take Madonna for instance. The woman is so ripped and veiny, her fans have to be wondering if steroids are to blame. This is a woman has taken exercising to an extreme level (Madonna? Extreme? Weird.), and doesn't seem to care about being more ripped than her bodyguards.

On the other hand, Kelly Ripa has the toned-arm look down pat. She doesn't make her upper body quite as buff (or scary) as Madonna, but it's obvious she's not sitting around eating Twinkies all day, either.

To tone your arms without having to ask people to your "gun show," Deborah, the owner of a Curves for Women in St. Louis, has a bit of advice: "You should overload your muscles with circuit training and quick, 30-second arm exercises. You want to build muscle, not bulk, so avoid tearing your muscles down and rebuilding them bigger." Ladies, that means you shouldn't be doing three sets of bench presses at a max weight, unless, of course, you want to end up looking like Miss Davis.

What classifies as too toned, ladies? And at what point do buff biceps start to freak you out, gents?

Sidewalks are an easy solution if you're going for a stroll around the neighborhood, but before you head out to pound the concrete, you might want to consider one of St. Louis' many trails instead. So whether you like to run, bike or hike, check out where a few of your fellow St. Louisans head when they want to get out on the trails for some exercise:

• Ryan S. likes to head to Forest Park, which is probably the most well-known outdoor exercise-friendly locale in St. Louis. He says that you can get a great ride or run in without ever having to leave the city. He also really enjoys Lost Valley, which he says offers great trails for an after-work ride that is somewhat challenging, but not too crazy.
• ToastedRav's own Jen D. says that hands down, Castlewood State Park is her favorite place in STL to bike or hike. Since the area is also open to equestrian use, you might have to watch out for piles of "waste," but the 15.5 miles of trails that the park offers are incredibly scenic. There are even seven different trails that are color coded along the way.
• Evie W. is a big fan of roller blading, and she says that she loves blading around the large lake in Creve Coeur Park. For something different, the roads in Babler State Park are wide and quiet enough for everyone to share the road. The 13 miles of hiking trails are pretty great, too.
• Like Ryan (and most of St. Louis for that matter), Tim M. really enjoys Forest Park, but he says that for longer runs and bike rides, heading down Page Avenue from St. Charles (by the bridge on the St. Charles side of the river) to Lake St. Louis is always pretty interesting. Then, when you get to Lake St. Louis, the five-mile ride around the lake is nice and refreshing.
• Alexa P. like to do her outdoor exercising on the Katy Trail, which starts before St. Charles and continues on past Sedalia. The small gravel on the wide, even trail makes it ideal for biking, especially with groups or small children, but it's runner friendly too.

Any other great trails around St. Louis that you're looking forward to exercising on?

So, I guess I should wish you a Happy 'National 2-1-1 Day..." Yeah, I didn't know what exactly that meant either, other than it was the numerical equivalent of February 11. It turns out, not only do Missouri and Southwest Illinois have an easy way to connect with a help hot line, they've actually designated today to celebrate it.

I have to say, this easy-dial help line is pretty random. According to United Way, who is responsible for being just a phone call away, dialing those three little numbers will connect you with a specialist who will hook you up with health and human service assistance on everything from food and shelter to job counseling services, health resources and an assortment of other random everyday needs.

Just think of it as a non-emergency 911 that's specific to your locale. Sweet.

While I won't be quitting my day job, I had a lot of fun trying out some of the basics.

Remember the hours spent swinging around on the monkey bars, doing flips and jumps and challenging your friends to the latest gravity defying feats? Sure it was an adrenaline rush, but it was also great exercise. The same basic premise underlies aerobic pole dancing - a popular new exercise class being offered at Floored on Grand. This South City dance and yoga studio offers nine pole dancing classes a week at varying skill levels, and the classes fill up fast. The class sizes are only around eight to nine students, and the room has no mirrors - a couple of blessings for those who are pole-shy but want to give it a whirl.

All types of St. Louis ladies, from teachers, to nurses, to real-life exotic dancers, take the pole dancing classes for a fun way to build core strength and confidence. Michelle, one of the pole dancing instructors at Floored, talked to me about some of the health benefits of the class and showed me a couple of the basic moves. Click on [tab:trav_video] to see me take aerobic pole dancing for a spin.

Floored on Grand has been offering classes from their studio space, located at 3190 South Grand, for just over two years. Evening and weekend classes are available in a variety of dance styles, martial arts and yoga practices. The pole dancing classes are priced at $100 for an eight-week session, and trust me they are a ton of fun. You can check out their classes schedule and even register try some pole dancing on for size yourself at www.flooredongrand.com.

It was a close race with countless competitors, but the winner of the worst food for your health in the entire country this year is a large chocolate Oreo shake from Baskin Robbins. You might think that you're stopping by BR to grab a little dessert after a sweltering summer day, but really, you're adding a few pounds to your butt. 2,600 calories worth of fat to your butt, actually. Not to mention the 135 grams of fat and 52 grams of sugar that are heading straight to your double chin. This bad boy is so disgustingly gross that by finishing it off, you have completely exceeded your recommended caloric intake for the entire day. That is just wrong.

When going out to eat, I always try to pick one of the healthiest options on the menu. Often, that dish is chicken, because I just associate chicken and fish with being healthy. The Primo Chicken Parmesan from Macaroni Grill is definitely not one of those healthy chicken dishes. Not. Even. Close. Weighing in with 2,220 calories and 4,440 grams of sodium, you would have to practically run a marathon to burn the dish off.

Other commonly consumed artery cloggers are another one of Macaroni Grill's pastas (Spaghetti and Meat Balls), a Rack of Ribs from Outback Steakhouse, the Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad from T.G.I. Friday's and the chicken and fries kids' meal from Chili's.

For the sake of your health and your bathroom scale, please people, avoid these uber-unhealthy foods. Your waistline and your health with thank you.

For centuries fasting has been a part of many cultures and religions. In fact, a large number of St. Louisans are getting ready for a mini-fast when Lent rolls around in three weeks. You only have to give up one item until Easter with Lent fasts, but complete detox regimens are becoming increasingly more popular for people all over the country. Detox diets are the biggest story in this month's Shape and many St. Louis folks have been chattering about their detoxing experiences online.

The basic premise of the detox diets is to eliminate unnatural things from your body like refined sugars, caffeine, processed meats and unnecessary medications. While a full fast (or even a juice fast) can be very hard on your body and mind - not to mention dangerous, there are other detoxification diets that are much healthier.  More and more people are detoxing their bods by simply eliminate the unhealthy stuff from your diet for a short time or making a complete change in their lifestyle by cutting it out. The idea behind lighter detox diets is that once your body is completely rid of the unhealthy substance your cravings for it will also stop.

About a year ago I started eliminating processed carbs and sugars from my diet - it was easy to do and I noticed a big change. I lost weight, started sleeping better and had much more energy throughout the day. I made it a permanent change in my eating habits, and since then I eat mainly low-sugar and unprocessed foods. I may still crave a fast-food burger and fries on occasion, but when I cave and eat one I notice a difference in my mood and energy levels for the rest of the day.

What about you guys: have you tried a detox diet and what was your experience - good or bad? Is this a diet fad or just smart thinking in your opinion?

In the last eight years, this charitable social circus organization has helped thousands of children in St. Louis. The Circus Day Foundation (aka Circus Harmony) teaches children of all different cultures, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds how to function as confident kids and to "leap over social barriers." Sure, the seemingly endless supply of corny mottos can be a bit much, but if they can use juggling and acrobatics to better the lives of the youth in the Lou, more power to them.

I'm a little too old to run away and join the circus myself, but I would definitely be interested in going to see them perform. If you're interested in helping to teach a child the art of life through circus education, please go here to sponsor a child.

So when I read that Hollywood's newest diet helps you skip a meal if you eat their magic cookie, I couldn't control my inner groan. This Hollywood Cookie Diet promises to "satisfy hunger while providing 13 essential vitamins and minerals as well as fiber and protien. A delicious meal in a cookie!"

They can't even spell "protein" right, and I'm supposed to trust their crazy cracked-out cookies? Heck no, and I don't think you should either.

Sorry St. Louisans, but if you have asthma, this might not be the city for you. In fact, it is the worst city in the entire United States for you to be living in, at least according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Based on our massive quantities of pollen, our lack of smoking bans and the high death-due-to-asthma percentage here, St. Louis is just plain dangerous if you depend on an inhaler. Considering one in eight of us has asthma, being named the most asthma-unfriendly place in America is a pretty big deal.

New Year's resolutions have been in full effect for almost three weeks now and one of the top resolutions is to quit smoking. I have been a fan of the old nic-stick for a while now, such a fan that I keep returning. With non-smoking legislation possibly coming our way and enough frigid days to dissuade even the most staunch smoker I am toying with the idea of quitting smoking again. There are a few methods I have tried in the past, but the collection of lighters that currently live on top of the washing machine are proof that they weren't 100% effective at the first shot.

The Cure All Ear Zap - Ahhh, the wonders of electricity, without it I couldn't see in the dark to light that smoke. I actually paid money to have someone send a bunch of electricity through my cartilage being convinced my it was somehow my ear's fault that I smoke. One the recommendation of a few friends (who also eventually rejoined me on the smoking patio at work, mind you) I stopped by the Leslie-Cam Smoking Cessation Clinic. I was told it didn't work because the "key" was to really want to quit... uh, duh I just willingly went to get electrocuted, I think that was pretty close to really wanting to quit.

One Pill-A-Day - The wonder drug that stops you from smoking and keeps you from gaining weight. It was expensive, gave me some really freaky lucid dreams, and I am pretty sure I was addicted to the pill in the end. I had to get a few refills because I knew it was working, but as soon as I stopped taking it I was back on the chain-smoking gang. Then, as with any medication, all these freaky side effects started making headline so I thanked my lucky stars that I was ok while I light up.

A Big Band-Aid Soaked in Nicotine - This was actually one of the easier ways I found to quit. I slapped one of those puppies on (sometimes wishing I could slap on two or three) and it seemed to work pretty well. The only downfall with the patch was that I never really knew when to step down to the lower level, oh yeah - and when someone offered me a cig while out of the town I would forget I had one on and get a quadruple nicotine dose. Plus, they are kind of expensive. After a few months I figured smoking was cheaper so I bought a pack instead of a patch.

There are a lot of ex-smokers out there among us who have been able to put down the cancer stick and never turn back. How would you quit smoking? Know of any good ways to quit and keep your girlish figure, too? I am all ears.

If I were to ever tag one of my blog posts with the words "disgusting bodily fluids," this would be that post. Now that you've lost your appetite, I can tell you about the poor Liz Venegoni, the woman who opens the mail at the St. Louis circuit clerk's office.

Liz now has to wear gloves when opening the mail, because some sick man in the pen keeps sending her bodily fluids in the mail. Tyler Johnson, said disgusting jail bird, has sent the clerk's office urine, blood and...other bodily fluids so far this month, and because the office cannot legally refuse letters from jail, they must be opened.

According to a witty person at that office, "he's mailing himself out of jail, one envelope at a time." How is that not a biohazard?! Excuse me while I lose my lunch.