Ask Fitz! Your Fitness Questions Answered - Preteen Workouts & Exercising with COPD

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! My 12-year-old daughter has started getting into fitness, all on her own motivation. She's always been on the thin side, and is certainly a healthy weight...and a fairly healthy eater. She said she wants to work out to build muscle and put on a few pounds (certainly not what you usually hear from girls at that age group). I want to support her, but I also want to be sure she is doing things in a healthy age-appropriate way.

She lives with her dad and we live in different states, which certainly makes matters more complicated. If she lived with me we could figure out ways to exercise together. Her dad and his girlfriend are both overweight with unhealthy habits. Any suggestions on how to get started? And is there anything she shouldn't be doing yet or things I should look out for? Thanks, Judy

Hello Miss Judy. You ask a great question and are smart to be both excited and leery of the situation. A child of 12 eager to pursue true fitness is an absolute gift. It is also a perfect point for that child's parent to stop and evaluate the situation, to make sure it's addressed correctly.

I train a ton of kids, and my first rule of thumb is to never harp on "skinny" or "fat". We talk about "healthy bodies". That's the most important message to send. Second...let her try almost anything she'd like to try. Sports seem like the most perfect opportunity for a child to pursue fitness, but she can try 'gym stuff' as well. The BOSU, Gliding Disks, and Stability Ball each offer great opportunities for total body strength training.

When it comes to weights...only allow her to use them while supervised by a knowledgeable adult and keep her to five pound weights or lighter. She shouldn't be 'bulking up', she should be practicing correct form and getting used to frequent exercise. Fitness videos would offer your daughter professional instruction in a comfortable environment. You can buy her some (great holiday gifts), or encourage her to check a few out from her local library.

Judy, my two and five year old children spend tons of time on the mini-trampoline, BOSU, Gliding Disks, Bender Ball, and Elite Rings. They know they're exercising like Mommy, but they're really just playing and having fun. They never come near cardio equipment like the stepper or treadmill (which are both very dangerous for a child), but they have a great time with my risk-free toys and get fit as a side effect. Nice, huh? Hopefully your little lady will learn to have fun with fitness and adopt it as a life-long pursuit.

Living in different states does affect your ability to train with her daily, but it doesn't mean you have to be absent. Ask her about her workouts on the phone. Trade ideas! Tell her about the fun exercises you're doing throughout the week, and plan to do some together when she visits. I would come up with some healthy recipe ideas and cook them together over the phone. Technology is such a gift for long-distance relationships; take advantage of it! Let me know how things progress Judy. I'm so excited for you both! Fitz

Q. Hi I have COPD which makes it very difficult to breathe. I suffer from hypertension as well as very high cholesterol(315) too.I know that exercise is what I need, but have no lung power to exercise with. Please help me. Thank you. BJ

A. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is quite common BJ, so I'm very happy you asked about it. COPD is a serious lung disease and is usually diagnosed to patients suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis or both. Shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing is one of the main symptoms COPD sufferers experience, so of course you must be stressing over which exercises you can actually do.

You can do them all! Sound crazy? Yes, but it's not! Exercise is essential to your ability to combat this disease. It will help you increase the strength of your heart and lungs, which is sorely needed. It will also help increase your: energy levels, strength, stamina, immune system, bone density, ability to relax and ability to sleep more peacefully. Exercise should relieve your hypertension and cholesterol issues as well. Fitness is the magic pill you're looking for!

Having said that. You first need to discuss exercise and follow the recommendations of your doctor. Second. I said you could do all exercises and that's true. You just need to do them at easiest level possible. On a scale of one-ten, ten being the most difficult....you should start at level one. Slow. Slow. Slow. See how level one feels at whatever activity you choose, and gradually challenge yourself as you feel comfortable.

My best to you, BJ. I wish you much success and am eager to hear how you progress. Let me know how it goes!

Punches & Kicks,