Now that winter is officially over, it’s time to begin shedding the layers of clothing that concealed our bodies during the colder months. For many, bathing suit panic hits as we begin to think about the warm summer months and that means stepping up your exercise program to get the beach body that you always wanted.

Here are some tips for avoiding sports injuries as you increase your exercise this spring from Laurie Towers, top New York City celebrity trainer and CEO of Physical Advantage PC, the sports and performing arts massage center in NYC.

Diet and exercise work hand in hand and one will support the other tremendously. "You can't out train a bad diet," says Towers. To see the results you will do well to honor both of these principles.

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September is National Yoga Month, as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote the benefits of the practice and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Though Americans spent $5.7 billion on yoga products in 2008, practicing doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

Follow these tips to find the many benefits of yoga for less -- your body and mind will thank you.

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If you spend most of the year spoiling your grandkids, the time has finally come for a role reversal. With Grandparents' Day coming up on Sept. 9, kids of all ages are preparing to honor those in their life who have provided wisdom and guidance through the years.

Whether it's through a thoughtful card in the mail or an afternoon at the movies, it's nice to be appreciated. Many retailers and restaurants offer perks and money-saving offers to seniors year-round, and there's no better time than now to take advantage of these senior deals.

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Thanks to recent legislation, merchants will soon enjoy greatly reduced "swipe fees," the fee charged to retailers every time a customer swipes a debit card. Starting in July, larger banks can only charge merchants 12 cents per transaction, instead of the now-standard 44 cents per-transaction fee.

The Senate Wednesday voted down an effort to delay the new rules. Opponents said small banks would suffer, even though banks with under $10 billion in assets are exempt. Small merchants will especially enjoy big benefits, as the reduction in overhead allows them to pass on these savings. Customers also will benefit as smaller retailers may no longer require a minimum purchase before cards may be used. The legislation also could result in the end of the standard 10-cents-per-gallon charge for using plastic.

As with any new regulation, however, consumers will likely pay somewhere down the road, whether in higher overdraft fees or reduced interest rates. Read on for five tips explaining how you can avoid getting stuck paying behind the scenes for these new regulations.

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When middle class families need to find unbiased financial advice, they can look to CrispyMoney.com, a new magazine website launching this week, for the answers that will help them quickly, easily and in language they can understand.

"As a financial planner, I've helped many families plan for their retirements and save for their children's college education funds. But I can only help so many people one-on-one. That's why we created CrispyMoney.com. It's a way to give back to the community and to help people who couldn't normally afford my services," said Robert Hockett, CFP, Senior Editor of CrispyMoney.com and founder of Cambridge Southern Financial Advisors, a successful Wealth Management Firm headquartered in Atlanta.

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Findmypast.com researchers analyzed the records of the U.S. Social Security Administration, which has recorded baby names, based on Social Security applications for births, since 1879.

The top 10 most popular girl names in 1940, they found, have fallen by an average of over 700 places in the popularity rankings since – nearly seven times as far as the top 10 boys’ names the same year, which have dropped an average of barely 100 places.  None of the top 10 girls’ names in 1940 even make today’s top 100. Three of the top 10 names from 1940 (Betty, Carol, Shirley) have now dropped entirely from the top 1,000, compared to none of the equivalent boys’ names. Betty, Carol and Shirley are now the names of deceased grandmothers and aged aunts – the names that time forgot.

“Baby names are like period pieces”, says Josh Taylor, genealogist for findmypast.com.  “Some recall a particular era, which can make them clues when researching family history.  So, you can sometimes guess roughly when someone was born simply by their first name.
In such cases, names can be to genealogy what carbon-dating is to archaeology.”  This is far truer, however, of girls’ names than of boys’.

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