Tuesday on Today 7/17

We began the third hour of Today with an introduction to Peter Alexander, who was filling in for Natalie Morales. She is probably still making her way across the country for the continuing "America The Beautiful" segment. Last week she was in Niagara Falls.

Today's Style featured Summer Hair Makeovers. Two women received cuts and highlights and a third got a cut and went from yellow/red hair to a darker red. They showed how to use Knotty Knots and giant pin curls to make waves and the redhead got twisted dreadlocks while her hair was wet and then dried into curls. This segment was supposed to be about how summer is for carefree hair and easier styles, but all that twisting and knotting seems like too much work for me. My summer hair-do requires a towel fluff and a comb. Same as my winter do. If I want to make waves I'll twirl my hair into a bun with some gel for a few hours, then set it free. That's carefree summer hair. They also suggested using leave-in conditioners--I like those too. And not washing hair every day if at all possible because it usually looks better on the next day. That I also agree with since my hair tends to triple in size right after it's washed.

Take It Off Today: Frozen Not Fattening. Nutritionist, Elizabeth Somer suggested some alternatives to the usually fat laden frozen desserts. Slow churned ice creams are delicious and much lower in fat than regular ice cream, according to her. Also ice pops are good for portion control. And why not make your own smoothie? She also suggested reading labels and opting for the ones with no more than 150 calories per serving and two grams of fat. But many of the low fat kinds are high in sugar and vice-versa. I say you're eating ice cream because it tastes good, not because you feel like a healthy snack. Otherwise you can grab an apple. Just don't have too much and you should be all set. Why make more work for yourself?

Moving on to Today's Health: Dealing With Summer Bummers (catchy title, eh?) and how about, Summer Bummer Fast Fixes? They love their subtitles over at Today. The "Summer Bummers" they refer to are sunburn, bug bites and dehydration. Chocolate, walnuts and green tea are all good at preventing sunburn--though, I don't think you're supposed to rub them on your skin. And here is today's page from the book of the obvious: Use a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 and reapply every 2-3 hours. And there's more: Drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration. And to avoid bug bites (I love this one): Wear long pants and long sleeves and use bug spray. This is summer time! Who wants to wear long pants and long sleeves when it's 85 degrees outside? Here is something you might not know: Poison Ivy can remain on clothing for years. She suggested using something called "Ivy Block," to prevent it and "Domeboro" if you're not so successful at that. Also, food left out for more than two hours can cause food borne illnesses--keep it in the fridge.

Today's American Story featured a man called The Tree Doctor from Bay Bridge Island in Washington. He studies dying trees and brings new life into them by figuring out what's causing their decay. I could use him at my house.

And they ended the hour with Military Workouts: Shaping Up at Fitness Boot Camps. These are places where people actually pay money to have their butts kicked into shape by drill sargents. You couldn't even pay me to go through that, never mind fork over cash for someone else to do it to me. People will go to almost any lengths to lose weight. Except, of course, maybe giving up fast food or walking instead of driving everywhere or maybe using the stairs instead of the elevator. No, just enroll in a week or two of hell. But what about when it's over? Don't they realize that unless they change their habits, their change in bodies won't last? Then again, we're talking about people who are willing to pay to get screamed at by fitness militants at 5:00 in the morning.

Till Tomorrow.