Fitzness.com

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I need to buy some new shoes for the gym, but I don't know which brand to choose. Which do you like, and which are overall best? Rachel

A. Hello Miss Rachel. I'm happy to hear from you! This is one of the most common questions I'm asked, so I'm happy to answer it for everyone.

Using proper training equipment, especially footwear, is one of the most valuable steps you can take towards the prevention of injuries and promotion of a fabulous training experience.

Continue reading Sneakers - Choose Them Wisely

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Wendy Alexander

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Wendy Alexander

Age: 45

Occupation: Occupational Therapist

How often do you exercise? Four times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running and working out at the gym.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? Signing up for 5K races keeps me motivated to stay in shape.

Continue reading Wendy Alexander Races in Peace

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Getty Images: Tiger Woods

There's only one Tiger Woods, and the odds are you're not him. But even if you haven't won oodles of tourneys and bazillions of dollars, you still have hope! The U.S. Open begins on Thursday, June 18 in Bethpage, N.Y. With a well-rounded training routine, you might just be able to improve your golf game enough to score some endorsement deals, or at least a few more birdies, in no time at all.

Having a great swing is clearly a top goal when you hit the green, but you'll also want to spend some time working on your body to make it capable of improvement. Strength is vital, but more important is flexibility. A mobile back, flexible hips and limbs are goals you should strive for to create a more fluid swing and prevent injuries. Taking preventative measures to avoid sprains and strains will allow you to spend your time on improvement instead of in recovery.

Click here to view a superb golf stretching guide published by the Mayo Clinic. Every athlete has a certain amount of sports-specific training he must endure to excel at his game, and adding these moves to your routine has the potential to take yours to the next level. So as our elite golfers show off their best, let them inspire you to be your best as well.

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This "Tuck and Push" combination offers an awesome opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. Within a few short reps, you'll have worked almost every muscle of your upper body and have successfully set your core ablaze. It's simple, fun and highly effective. Try it!

For more quick, innovative and fun training tips, visit Fitzness.com.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.

Jill Wagner is the bombshell host of ABC's ludicrous obstacle course game show "Wipeout." We recently spoke, and she openly revealed how she'd fare on the course and why working out is a requirement of her job.

Fitz: The "Wipeout" obstacle courses are insane. In your opinion, do they require great strength and balance or just luck?

Jill: Well, if you look at some of our contestants ... I wouldn't say that some of them are the most athletic. I think that a lot has to do with balance and luck, though, because I've seen the most athletic people not even make it through the qualifier. Balance is probably the most important factor.

Fitz: Do you think weighing more could be an advantage?

Jill: I think weighing less is definitely a bigger benefit. The smaller people get across those big balls easier; maybe it's because they don't make such a great impact as they cross them. You know what happens to the bigger people (she laughs)!

Fitz: Have you ever done one of the courses?

Continue reading ABC "Wipeout" Host - Once Flabby, Now Fit

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hello, Miss Fitz! I think my best shot at getting fit would be to train at home. What size weights should I buy? I'm a 32-year-old woman, and I'm about 20 pounds overweight. Thanks! Alyssa

A. Thanks for writing, Alyssa. I'm glad you're getting serious about becoming more fit, and training at home is a really great place to start! Honestly, since I'm not standing next to you assessing your fitness level, it's almost impossible for me to tell you exactly what weights you should be using. However, I can provide you with a range, and I'm fairly confident they'll meet your needs.

Continue reading Weights - Home Training Advice

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Amy Comesanas

Age: 33

Occupation: Registered Nurse

How often do you exercise? At least three times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running, elliptical, swimming, abdominal and upper body workouts. I also occasionally like to take classes like Body Flow, Abs and Glutes and Power Circuit.

Continue reading Amy Comesanas Trains for Bikinis

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Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama and Vin Diesel all have one thing in common: Great biceps. They're also the names I hear most often from new clients who are eager to improve upon this most prominent body part. Our bellies and booties are super important in the game of creating a great physique, but those parts are usually covered up. Sleek and sexy arms are often on display in the board room and at the beach. Now's the time to make yours great!

In this video, I tell you how the bicep works and share a few pieces of equipment you can use to train them. I expect everyone to choose a challenging weight -- 5-pound dumbbells are rarely enough for anyone. Choose a weight that makes you grunt a bit -- it's OK to work hard. After a few weeks, go get some tank tops!

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I'm a tall, mostly trim guy, but I have a bit of a gut. My sister's always nagging me about it, but since I'm trim, I tend to ignore her. She says it's worse to have fat on the gut than fat in the butt, but I say fat is fat. What's your spin? Adam

A. Wow, Adam! What a saucy way to deliver a question. I'll do my best to respond accordingly. Here goes: Big bums can be sexy. Big bellies can be lethal. My little scenario didn't rhyme as well as yours, but you get the gist, right? Your sister is correct, pal, and you'd serve yourself well to force that waistline of yours to jump in line with the rest of your trim body.

Continue reading Booty Fat vs. Belly Fat

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Annabel Adams

Age: 25

Occupation: Singer, blogger (FeedMeI'mCranky.com), Master's Student and Marketing Assistant

How often do you exercise? I try to exercise every day, but I will not force myself to if I legitimately do not feel well. I typically run three days a week and strength train three days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I run, do the elliptical, strength train, and dabble in yoga and dance.

Continue reading Annabel Adams Lost 150 Pounds

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Sneakers, sports bras and MP3 players are a few of the most popular gym bag finds. Because athlete's foot is a common health club infection, you'd be wise to shove one more thing in with the rest of your gear to prevent this ick and itch!

For more innovative training videos, cooking tips and more, visit SportsHealthExercise.org.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.

Weighing more than 200 pounds at 5'8," "Guiding Light" actress Caitlin Van Zandt was sick of awkward wardrobe experiences, frustrated by her losing battle with diets and frightened about her pre-diabetic diagnosis. Under the guidance of her physician, she chose to undergo LAP-band surgery. Here, the 23-year-old talks about her enormous weight loss, the exciting life changes she's experienced because of it and why she feels this option is far superior to gastric bypass surgery.

Fitz: What drove you to surgery instead of exercise and good eating habits for weight loss?

Caitlin: You know, I'd been overweight since I was 10 years old and believe me, I have tried every method of weight loss around. Even though I knew how to eat right and exercise, I just couldn't control what I was eating. I was aware that I was eating bad things, but I just couldn't stop myself. I was an emotional eater. I also avoided the doctor because, rightfully so, he'd always give me a hard time. Last year, when I went in for my physical, he told me my cholesterol was sky high, and I was prediabetic. He offered up one more diet before he would put me on the drug Lipitor for high cholesterol. I was 22 years old, and I did not want to be on cholesterol medicine. When that last diet didn't work, we decided LAP-band surgery would be my best option. Trust me, I never thought I'd be one of those weight loss surgery people!

Check out Caitlin's transformation in the gallery below. Post continues after gallery.

Continue reading Soap Star Drops 92 Pounds

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, My wife and I have tried diet after diet. We often achieve minor to moderate success with each plan, but have always failed in the long run. We're frustrated to the point of just giving up. Why is it we just can't get fit? Tim

A. Hi, Tim. Thanks for writing. Failing at weight loss is very frustrating, but I'm pleased to say that I have an answer for you. It won't sound as exciting as all of those promises advertised by various "diet" programs, though. I'm not offering a "10 pound in two days" drop or anything like that. I am, however, offering up an answer that will help you lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off for good. No magic pills here, just my magical advice! My fellow fitness pro, Bob Greene chimes in with some advice too.

Continue reading Failing with Weight Loss?

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Summer is the perfect time to enjoy outdoor sports and fitness activities. Beaches, pools, lakes and riding trails all set a brilliant scene for fun in the sun. All of this summer sport does come with a handful of hazards though, so it's time to gather some essentials and make the best out of the months ahead.

• Sunblock: Plan to wear it all the time, so you can worship without paying the price. For active days, wear at least 15+ UVA/UVB waterproof protection.
• Hat: You work so hard to keep a healthy and youthful body, don't let your face grow old before you do. A visor is great for sports, and a big floppy straw hat works wonderfully for strolling on the beach.
• Swimsuit: Take advantage of the warm water while you can. Swim, surf, ski and spend as much active time in the water as you can. It's so much fun, you'll forget you're burning tons of calories.
• Aqua Shoes: They'll protect your feet from icky things on the ocean floor, hot sand at the beach and will keep you running blister-free in the pool.

Continue reading Beat the Heat with 11 Summer Essentials

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Lauren Sapenoff

Age: 34

Occupation: Pilates Instructor

How often do you exercise? Pilates five days a week, cardio 3x a week

What type of exercise do you do? I do a little bit of everything from spinning to weights to bikram yoga and everything in between.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing how great I'm going to feel after I'm done and how awful I'll feel if I don't.

Continue reading Lauren Sapenoff - Pilates Perfect

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Try these three moves to burn calories, build strength and trade saddlebags for strong sexy thighs!

Xercuffs can be found here.

For more innovative training videos, visit Fitzness.com.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, I'm begging for your help. I'm not in very good shape, my skin is pasty white and I am sick to death about having to get into a swimsuit this summer. I know someone might say that I don't really have to, but I do! My social circle spends at least half of the summer at the lake or at the pool. Can you fix me? Melissa

A. Yeesh, Melissa! You really sound stressed. I can help you, but first I want you to take a huge deep breath. In fact, I think I want you to take about 10. You are going to be OK. Swimsuit season is definitely the cause of some major anxiety, but by the time I've said goodbye here, you'll hopefully be ready to relax and enjoy some fun in the sun.

Continue reading Stressed by Swimsuit Season

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jennifer L. Davis

Age: 28

Occupation: I am an insurance sales and service representative for my primary job, but I have several other major responsibilities, to say the least. I am also a single mother, and, as a hobby, I help people with diet and training in my spare time. I meet people and work out with them to teach them new exercises and do nutritional and other advising through e-mails. I also have one night a week when I prepare meals for the week for myself. My life is pretty hectic, but I feel very blessed. I manage the time very well and keep everyone smiling. My days start early with cardio, then off to manage insurance accounts, then soccer practice for my son, followed by the gym and finally, I answer e-mails. These are our normal days. It gets really crazy around time for a figure competition, too. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

How often do you exercise? I do cardio three mornings a week and weight train five days a week.

Continue reading Figure Competitor Jennifer Davis Inspires

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Oliver's exercises offer a range of benefits, including strength, balance and proprioception. Proprioception is something you want to train for -- it's basically your body's ability to respond to its surroundings without you intentionally willing it to. For example, if your foot were to hit the edge of the sidewalk, your ankle would have two choices on how to respond. It could either roll out, causing you to tumble over and injure yourself. Or it could instantly retract and keep you up on your feet. This split-second response comes from your body's natural ability to do what is best for you. With a short response time, you wouldn't be able to think, "Gee, let me pull my foot in this other direction." It either happens or it doesn't. Super proprioception keeps you on your feet!

On another note, I took my family to see Saltimanco. This show offered one breathtaking performance after another. My husband and I gasped, and my children belly laughed. I'd see it 20 more times if I could. I think it inspired every one in the audience to hit the gym a bit more too.

For more innovative fitness videos, visit Fitzness.com

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.

Jeff Probst is best known as host of CBS's long-running hit show "Survivor," but he should also be known for his amazing body and fitness routine. Think you have no time to look like him? Think you have no access to fitness equipment? Jeff offers great advice on how to pull off quick and effective workouts, even if you're stuck in some freaky part of the world.

Fitz: You seem to be more fit now than you were when "Survivor" began. What have you been doing?

Jeff: I think I have put on a bit more muscle, but it could also be that my shirts fit better! I have bulked up a bit in the past couple of years; I'm just trying to stay ahead of the toll that aging takes on the body. It's hard to stay fit while on location, though, because I don't have the same routine. I've also found that to stay in shape, it doesn't necessarily matter what you eat, but when you eat. Eating frequently teaches your body that food is on its way, so it doesn't have to store extra calories as fat. I eat about six small meals a day. They are more like snack-size portions than meals. I'm not necessarily in love with eating, so I truly treat food as fuel.

Fitz: Have you ever really blown it while on location and came back in worse shape?

Jeff: Oddly, my fitness level never suffers while shooting "Survivor." But I recently spent a few months traveling domestically, and my diet was really different. It was the first time I noticed a change in my body that I didn't like, so I quickly got back on the track with eating to manage my metabolism.

Continue reading "Survivor" Host Works Out in the Wild

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