By CHARLOTTE SUTTON, St. Petersburg Times

I've always thought worrying gets a bad rap. After all, there really is a lot in the world that's worthy of concern.

The real issue, it seems to me, is what exactly you're worrying about. Are you focusing your attention on problems that you can do something about? Or fretting about something entirely out of your reach?

Friends, we've embarked on the annual dietary danger zone. We just had Halloween, and then it's Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Fat Tuesday, Easter -- and that's the short list.

A young friend of mine recently was in town. She has been dealing with headaches, and so I asked her how she's feeling.

She said she's fine most days, but she did see the doctor, who ruled out more concerning possibilities before concluding that stress may be the culprit.

"But he thinks 19 is young for tension headaches,'' she told me.

Every summer, between water sports, pool parties, beach outings and vacations, most of us find ourselves needing something small and stretchy. To wear in public.

Yikes.

Wait! Don't run away! Here are some life preservers to the swimsuit-phobic.

When Dana Reeve, the actress and widow of "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, announced that she had lung cancer, people were stunned.

Not only was she young and beautiful, and not only had she just lost her husband -- she had never been a smoker.

Do you ever find yourself doing things that make no sense?

One recent morning I arrived at work directly from the gym, as I do most days. And I went to take the elevator to the third floor, just as I do most days.

Let me repeat that: I pay money to work out at a gym for an hour, and then I avoid walking up two flights of stairs.

Several books that address the special needs of cancer patients, or that tell their stories in an effort to inspire others, have recently been published. Here's a brief rundown:

With Season Eight of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" in full swing, some fans may be thinking about shaping up with their favorite contestants. To the rescue: a new book that aims to capture the magic of the ranch.

Watching The Biggest Loser, you couldn't help but be impressed at the astonishing weight loss some of the contestants had achieved.

You also couldn't help but notice a side effect of that achievement -- excess skin. In the arm-baring workout clothes they wore for the weigh-ins, more than a few contestants had pretty prominent "bat wings."

American women are cutting back on a lot these days, but for women over 35, professional hair care is a hard habit to break, according to a recent survey for the National Retail Federation.