Do you ever have days when your get-up-and-go gets up and goes without you? Even if you are the most hyper person on the planet, there are days when your shiny, wonderful, boppy self can feel a little tired and run down--espeically when a case of the sniffles or a fight with the flu has you feeling icky. Even the super-energetic and underniably cute Backstreet Boys--Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson--tell BOP that they have days when they feel kinda funky.

So what's the Backstreet Boys' secret to battling the blahs and fending off illness so they can pour all of their energy into singing songs suck as "I'll Never Break Your Heart," "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)" (the acoustic version of this song appears on our not-to-be-missed BOP BOYS! album) off of their hit-happy, 1997 debut CD? Twenty-three-year-old Brian, who is a trooper when it comes to staying spunky even when he doesn't feel well, has the answer: The key to staying peppy is to take care of your health and take time out for yourself. And he should know. The blue-eyed wonder recently underwent elective heart surgery this past spring to fix a condition he's had since he was a baby. Brian is recovering nicely and only had to take a few weeks off from his singing and dancing duties as a Backstreet Boy. "I try to eat better," he shares. "And I try to focus on me a little more. Since we're so busy, my time is valuable to me [for my] personal stuff."

Fellow Backstreet Boys A.J., Howie, Kevin and Nick agree with Brian that taking care of their health is key, particularly since they want to keep their awesome bods peaked for performance. Hot honey A.J. tells BOP that he's all for staying healthy and he works out a lot, but his one weakness is that he's a fast-food junkie. "I'd eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I had a choice," raves the 20-year-old. "You wouldn't be able to tell because I haven't gained a pound from it for the last 10 years."

Packing on the poundage is the least of any of the Backstreet Boys' worries since they burn so many calories performing and rehearsing. Yet even though unexpected weight gain isn't a problem, that doesn't stop cute-as-can-be Kevin from watching what he eats and taking his vitamins like a good (Backstreet) boy. As a result, he rarely gets sick. And when he does, he knows how to cure himself lickety split. "There might be times that I might be sick and not feeling good," Kevin, 26, explains. "Like I have a sinus infection or a stomach ache or I'm tired. But I get on stage and the lights go on and the music comes up--it's gone."

Unlike his groupmates, the one thing that 18-year-old Nick says that he suffers from sometimes isn't a runny nose or high-fever--it's the blues. Nick's sure-fire remedy for banishing the blues when he's far from home is talking it over with someone. "When I'm feeling really down I turn probably to Brian (aww!)," Nick reveals.

But when no friend is in ear shot, the fair-haired studmuffin admits that he has a definite cure-all for whatever ails him--and it is quite simple. "Playing my video games," Nick laughs. Sounds like Nick's not too hard to please, give him a Nintendo N-64 and it's on!

As for Howie, the babely boy with the incredible head of flowing hair, he's had plenty of experience picking himself off when he's not feeling up to it. He tells us that he felt pretty crummy while on the road a couple of times, but he still kept going. "I hurt my leg and injured my knee one time and I was really in pain," Howie, who turns 25 on August 22, remembers. "I got the stomach flu one time in Europe and I was really feeling sick, but it was a big pay-per-view show and I couldn't skip out of it." Geez, people have stayed home from school for much less!

For the Backstreet Boys, it seems as if performing for their adoring fans is the best medicine. Like his bandmates, A.J. says that once he gets onstage, whatever is bothering hime goes away. And he should know, since of all the boys, he's had the most drama while away on the road. "I had three really bad things happen to me in one day," A.J. recalls. "And we had a show in from of 35,000 people. I had just broken up with my girlfriend, my dog died and my grandfather went to the hospital."

Not surprisingly, A.J. wasn't in his usual festive mood that night and he didn't want to perform, but he quickly snapped out of his funk when the show started. "When I walked out onto the stage I didn't think about [anything] except me and the fellas making those girls out there smile," A.J. says. He adds that the pleasure he got from being on stage that night is the same happy feeling he gets every time he performs. "I love watching [the girls] be so happy and just filled with laughter and love," he gushes. "The second I walked off that stage again, I was all [sad]."

Sounds like these five cuties know what it takes for them to stay smiley even when life throws them a curve ball. Hopefully their music and upbeat attitude will keep you smiling, too!