Weary of counting calories, some overweight people have a new goal -- to be happy and healthy, not thin.By any measure, Maria Canul is full-figured. The single, 37-year-old public relations specialist is 5 feet 2 and a curvy 180 pounds. And like an increasing number of people who fall outside the normal weight box on BMI charts, she's fine with how she looks, thank you. The striking redhead is healthy, fit, happy -- and has no problem attracting men.

  Size-tolerance activists envision a day 'when fat phobia becomes as intolerable as racism.'Getting heavy people to feel comfortable in their skin, however ample, and focus on healthy behaviors is only half the fat-acceptance battle; the other half is getting society to make room for fat people.

  Researchers say plenty of fat people are healthy, and plenty of thin people are unhealthy.Though many people connect poor health with excess weight, the two don't always go together.

  Even with report after report documenting the nation's considerable girth and the perils of obesity, millions of men and women nonetheless remain blissfully unaware that they have a weight problem.

  The consequences of breathing bad air is linked to appendicitis and ear infections, new studies indicate.It's easy to see how air pollution would affect respiratory disease: You breathe in smog-filled miasma all day and the ozone, other noxious gases and small particulate matter therein can make you wheeze and cough. Pollutants can trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis in susceptible individuals.

  Be patient and be there when your partner is facing this crisis.I don't know how many of you watch "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the HBO series that started its new season this fall. Larry David has split up with his wife and is living with a beautiful woman . . . who was just diagnosed with cancer.

  Most of the health advantages touted by its proponents are valid only when compared against white breads; whole-grain breads are comparable. After that, it's pretty much a matter of taste.Sprouted-grain bread offerings in the market have been slowly but steadily on the uptick of late, and a number of health claims have attached themselves to the spongy, nutty-tasting loaves: more digestible, richer in protein and higher in vitamins and minerals compared with other breads.

  It's open enrollment season at many businesses, and you might want to reconsider your previous year's choices.In Southern California, it's sometimes hard to tell that the seasons have changed, but here's a tip that it's fall: Many employers are beginning to send out the information you'll need to re-up for 2010 health insurance if you get your coverage through your job.

  Three trainers detail how to work up a sweat with soup cans, water bottles, foam rolls.The current economic climate -- not to mention fears of the H1N1 flu -- may drive some fitness buffs to skip the gym this fall and stay home to sweat.

  A fun, new way to strengthen and stretch your core is to add a small kettle bell to your workout. This move is harder than it looks -- so don't be surprised if you can twist with only a small range of motion in the beginning. Your strength and flexibility will increase with practice.