PULSE FIT FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF.

POCKET TRAINER: The list makers out there will love ``The Pocket Personal Trainer'' (Lipo-Visuals; $12). Small enough to fit in a briefcase or purse, this pocket guide by Gay Riley, a registered dietitian, contains nutritional breakdowns of numerous foods and dishes, target heart rates when exercising, and calorie counts both consumed and burned. The book comes with daily food and exercise logs to track progress or lack thereof.

- Mariko Thompson

CALL OF THE MALL: Exercising at the mall will lighten more than just your wallet. According to Sara Donovan, founder of WalkSport America, walking at the mall can be the road to weight loss and fitness. Her new book, ``Mall Walking Madness'' (Rodale; $16.95) explains why the mall is an ideal place to exercise, how to get started, mall-walking etiquette and more. It also helps to steer clear of the food court.

- M.T.

BABES ON BLADES: What happens when women who want to lose weight put on inline skates? According to Suzan Davis, they become ``Babes on Blades'' (Wish Publishing; $16.95). Davis' book is part feel-good, get-off-the-couch exhortation and part how-to manual. Those who just want to learn moves with cool names like the ``swizzle'' and ``ride the pie'' can skip straight to Part 2.

- M.T.

BIRTH-CONTROL RENAISSANCE

Between patches, rings, injections and a new generation of intrauterine devices, birth-control options for women have never been so plentiful.

The recent withdrawal of Norplant from the U.S. market, coupled with studies raising concern over reduced bone density and increased risk of heart disease in women taking Depo-Provera, barely caused a ripple among family-planning advocates, who are excited about new products that have entered the market.

``There were years and years of drought,'' said Mary Gatter, medical director of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. ``The litigation around the (Dalkon Shield) IUD scared people off. In the last year, we've got all these new methods, and it's great for patients.''

In the United States, the birth control pill still reigns supreme. About 18 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 44 take the pill. New methods looking to take a segment of the market include:

--Mirena Intrauterine System: Available in Europe for more than 10 years and used by 2 million women, the Mirena is a T-shaped device inserted in the uterus. Though doctors do not know exactly why, IUDs may prevent fertilization and implantation of the egg. The Mirena also emits a low dose of the hormone levonorgestrel that reduces cramping and bleeding during menstruation. However, American women have been slow to return to the IUD since the defective Dalkon Shield led to injury, recall and litigation in the 1970s and 1980s.

--Ortho Evra skin patch: Women place this dermal patch containing estrogen and progestin on the buttocks, abdomen, upper torso or outer-arm area once a week for three weeks. The patch stays on through exercise, swimming and showering.

--NuvaRing: The flexible transparent ring delivering estrogen and progestin is placed in the vagina for three weeks at a time. The ring is about the size of a silver dollar and stays in during sexual intercourse.

--Lunelle: Lunelle is an injection of estrogen and progestin given monthly. The concept is similar to Depo-Provera, which did not contain estrogen and lasted three months at a time.

So what will be the next breakthrough in birth control? Elof Johansson, vice president of the Population Council's Center of Biomedical Research in New York, predicts hormonal birth control methods for men.

``They are now in clinical trials,'' Johansson said. ``It looks possible by the end of the decade.''

- M.T.

MOSQUITOES BE GONE: It was only a matter of time before somebody created the West Nile survival kit. Passport Health Los Angeles offers a kit for $20 that includes Permethrin spray, an insect repellent for clothing and bedding, as well as a gel stick for bites, all in a zippered carry case. Mosquito nets run an additional $20. Call [phone] or visit www.passporthealthusa.com.

- M.T.

BON VOYAGE: If there's anything more miserable than being sick, it's being sick when you're away from home. In ``The Travel Doctor'' (Firefly; $14.95), Dr. Mark Wise gives advice on preparing for a trip, how to find a doctor when traveling abroad, and health risk factors region by region. A chapter aimed at parents traveling to adopt a child from another country gives the book a modern-day feel.

- M.T.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Book: ``The Pocket Personal Trainer'')

(2) no caption (Book: ``Mall Walking Madness'')

(3) no caption (Book: ``Babes on Blades'')

(4) no caption (Book: ``The Travel Doctor'')