"OK, dear. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps media is blowing this politician thing out of proportion. But what about SARS?"

"SARS is simple. We all fight disease best when we are less stressed. So everybody should take a vacation and relax on a Mexican beach. Then SARS would be defeated."

"But dear, do you really think six billion of us can fit onto a Mexican beach?"

"I suppose not. Which means we must take other measures to avoid stress. We can start by avoiding stressful situations, such as malicious colleagues, cantankerous in-laws and violent movies."

"OK, I'm taking notes."

"Make sure you get plenty of sleep."

"Why? Does SARS leave people alone while they sleep?"

"No, but well-rested people fight off diseases better than worn-down, tired people."

"OK, what else?"

"Keep fit. Eat nutritious meals and get plenty of exercise."

"But won't exercise just wear me down? Then I'll be a sitting duck for disease."

"Don't exercise THAT much. Just enough to keep fit. And pray.

"I can do that."

"And don't pick on people with slanted eyes. Believe it or not, people are keeping clear of anybody who looks Chinese. I know many people of Chinese ancestry who have never even been to China. I know people born in China who have not been there for years. Why avoid people based on their ancestry, when SARS began just a few months ago?"

"I make decisions based on ancestry all time, dear."

"You do, mother?"

"Sure, why do you think I am your biggest fan?"

Upper Body Work Out: 2 repetitions of 10 each http://www.hooah4health.com/body oning/arms.htm 2 repetitions of 10 each http://www.foodanddiet.com/NewFiles/chest.html

Aerobic Work Outs (Choose a different one each day or make up your own!): 1 - Jump rope - jumping rope is actually kind of fun! 2 - Jog in place - boring but effective! 3 - Walk up and down stairs for a few minutes - great lower body workout! (Just be sure that you have a railing to hold onto.) 4 - Pretend you're a boxer and move from one foot to other around while jabbing air. 5 - Turn on some loud music and dance around. 6 - Geared towards housewife in all of us, put vacuum on its lowest setting and push that baby around for awhile, alternating hands that you use to push it.

The point is - get yourself breathing deeply and sweating a little.

Cool Down: Choose a few more stretches for a complete cool down.

It's more about how much effort you put into each exercise rather than how many exercises you do. In other words, make each exercise work for you.

Again, see your doctor before planning any exercise routine.