* Start by

weighing without clothing before you run.

* Run for one

hour without drinking fluids.

* Stop and

towel off sweat. Then weigh again.

Cianca recommends

drinking 16 ounces of fluids for every pound lost during that hour.

Don't let the

flu knock you out of the game

Team sports

can provide a good playing field where flu germs score points, says Dr.

Joseph Chorley, assistant professor of pediatrics, adolescent and sports

medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

"Influenza

is a highly contagious viral infection," he said. "It spreads

easily through coughs and sneezes. Athletes who train intensively can

have a reduced immune system making them susceptible to the flu bug."

"If one

member of a team comes down with the flu, it can take out other team members,

too. So it's a good idea for the entire team to get a flu shot,"

he said.

Supplement

has unknown effects on young athletes

Adolescent

athletes who take creatine to "bulk up" should do so with caution,

says Dr. Joseph Chorley, assistant professor of pediatrics, adolescent

and sports medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Creatine monohydrate,

a supplement marketed to enhance athletic performance and muscle size,

could cause health problems for some athletes.

"Creatine,

found naturally in the body, is generally considered safe for adult athletes,"

said Chorley. "But, we don't know its health risks for young athletes.

Parents should be concerned if their adolescent is using creatine."

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