Q: I've been doing aerobics classes and using the treadmill at the gym to try to get rid of my belly fat. It doesn't seem to be working. I'm turning 72 next month. Is this gut an age thing? Arthur L., Naples, Florida

A: It's great that you do regular aerobics. It's essential to keep pushing yourself if you want to avoid age-related weight gain and muscle weakness. But when it comes to losing belly fat, aerobics alone won't cut it. You need to add weight training.

Now, we don't mean that you should start bench-pressing 200 pounds. But working with resistance bands and hand weights or the weight machines at the gym is essential to get rid of that heart-stopping, inflammatory visceral fat that packs in around organs in your abdominal cavity. Go for reps not pounds, and you'll build muscle mass and bone strength and trigger fat-burning processes at the same time.

A recent study from Harvard's School of Public Health found that guys who did 20 minutes of daily weight training had less of an increase in age-related abdominal fat than men who spent the same amount of time doing aerobic activities. The study also reported that adding 20 minutes of weight training was twice as effective as adding 20 minutes of aerobics for reducing your waistline, "especially among the elderly."

The researchers seem to assume that you're going to gain girth as you age, and to us, that's defeatist. You can burn off that belly fat and stay in shape at any age just go for MORE weight-concentrated training. We suggest 30-40 minutes, but only two to three times a week. (Besides, everyone should spend more time at the gym than it takes to get there and back.) While you're still a long way from elderly, talk to your doc and get cleared for doing resistance work at the gym. Remember, "Resistance Is Fertile."

Q: I bought a hypoallergenic and expensive wrinkle cream and I broke out in big red welts! How is that possible with something that isn't supposed to bother your skin at all? Cheryl W., Mentor, Ohio

A: There's a lot of hype around hypoallergenic products. And unfortunately you and lots of other folks pay the price for products that don't deliver what they promise on the label. How is that possible?

Well, according to the Food and Drug Administration, there's no regulation governing the use of the word hypoallergenic! In fact on their website, the FDA says the term means, "whatever a particular company wants it to mean, but dermatologists say it has very little meaning."

Recently, researchers writing a letter to the editor in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology said they analyzed 187 personal-care products for kids (shampoos, sunscreens, diaper creams, etc.) all labeled "hypoallergenic," "dermatologist recommended," "fragrance-free" or "paraben-free." What they found was that 89 percent contained at least one chemical known to cause contact dermatitis and 11 percent contained five or more contact allergens. Methylisothiazolinone, named "Contact Allergen of the Year" in 2013 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society, showed up in 21 of the 187 supposedly kind-to-skin products.

So what's a consumer with sensitive skin do to? If a product bothers your skin, read the ingredients label and try to avoid those contents in the future. But, said the researchers, that's not easy. The 80 allergens they searched for show up under around 500 different names! Here's our added advice:

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Burning belly fat; don't fall for the hypo hype