That's Fit

Last week, the Houston Wellness Association is holding their 2008 Wellness Symposium at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. This two-day health care event was designed to bring together wellness experts from across the country, to talk about how to tackle healthcare and the problem of obesity in American children. At the event, William J. Clish M.D., a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, said, "Of all the mothers I see, the majority argue with me about their kids' right to be obese ... to be 'what they are.' I argue they have the right to be their very best."

Well put.

His presentation included several tips on how to help keep your kids in shape:

Gavin Rossdale -- aka Mr. Gwen Stefani, famous musician in his own right and subject of many of my high school daydreams -- has a brand new addition to his own family but still managed to hit the tennis court to support a good cause. Rossdale recently participated in the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, a charity sports event that raises money for the fight against child abuse, drug abuse and homelessness.

Gavin had some worthy opponents at the match -- Greg Norman, Chevy Chase and Jon Lovitz, to name a few.

The tournament, which has been happening since 1989, has helped raise over $16 million for troubled kids over the years.

(via Chatterbox)

Cameron Mathison just might be handing out hugs in a couple of weeks, and you might be able to score one ... if you're in the right place. The gorgeous All My Children and former Dancing with the Stars star took some time this week to chat with me for a future Celebrity Fitzness Report feature.

Cameron is not only totally buff, he's totally sweet too. Loves to talk fitness and boy, does he ever do it right! On to the hugging part, though. On November 15th, Cameron will be in Orlando, Florida to headline ABC SoapNet Super Soap Star weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. This event truly allows fans to get up close and personal with their favorite soap stars ... and Cameron will be one of them.

Since I'm always looking out for you (who loves you baby?), I asked Cameron (on your behalf of course) if we could expect him to be handing out hugs and kisses to his fans. After reassuring me that he always acts "appropriately" in order to respect his wife ... sure! He definitely gives his finest fans deserving hugs when possible.

Ryan Reynolds has been an observer of the New York City Marathon in past years, and says he was amazed by the "guys coming in to finish with bleeding nipples ... People were crying. People were limping, hobbling, screaming, crawling. But most importantly, people were experiencing a sublime rapture that I couldn't even hope to understand."

Add to that statement the fact that Reynolds, who has described his early morning runs as "nothing short of horrifying," has chosen to run the marathon after speaking with Michael J. Fox in an effort to raise money for Parkinson's Disease, which his father has battled for the last 15 years, and whoa -- he's starting to sound awfully serious. Did his recent marriage to Scarlett Johansson rid him of his funny bone? Nope, not at all. The funnyman wrote the following:

"Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective. It's my hope the story of my father combined with my own goal of becoming the first person in history to sob uncontrollably for 26.2 miles straight, may inspire you to give something, too. ... [C]ome on down and watch. Feel free to bring a smile, automated defibrillator, or a fresh set of nipples."

Kristen tells us that today is Love Your Body Day. And Fitz tells us she loves her abs -- rightfully so. Let's just say I'm a tad bit jealous (OK, a lot jealous), and I'm pretty convinced when I gawk at the girl's midsection that a lot of hard work really does pay off. As for the rest of us here at That's Fit, well, we love our bodies too.

• Laura is so happy that the round, ample, apple-shaped derriere is in style, because it makes her love hers even more. A major plus of having an ample "A," says Laura, is that she automatically has a bit more padding and sitting is more comfortable on hard surfaces. Also, her strong buttocks can get her places faster if she uses them in just the right way. Yes, Laura loves her butt. After all, it's kind of grown on her.
• Maggie loves her calf muscles, even wrote a love letter to her prized body part. Her calves are strong, allow her kick countless soccer balls, and never complain when she doesn't give them the exercise they crave.
• Me? I love my calves too, and I also wrote a love letter to my body, thanking it for delivering me two whopper baby boys and for kicking cancer's butt.
• Bev loves her quads because they're her most low-maintenance, major muscle group and because they're rarely sore, they're sporty shapely, and they're always flexible (unlike her cranky hamstrings). They've never suffered a major injury either, and the lovely things allow her to hike, climb, bike, and walk.
  
  

Do you love your body? Tell us about it.

Whether hitting the gym every day or once in a blue moon, there's one thing we all need to do -- love our bodies! You don't have to be completely content with the size of your waist, and maybe you wish your arms were a little more toned, but today, for Love Your Body Day, I want you to take a minute and appreciate what your body does for you.

Your legs and feet take you where you need to go. Do they run? Do they walk well in heels? Can they kick a soccer ball? Your arms lift all kinds of important things -- food and drink to nourish your body, books so you can read, and your children when they need to be held. And, don't forget -- your arms can give great hugs!

To celebrate Love Your Body Day, I have a couple of suggestions. First, do something good for your body -- take a long walk, do some strength training, complete 20 push-ups, whatever works for you. And second, keep reading here at That's Fit, because we'll be telling you all day long what we love about our bodies because we want to inspire you!

Next week, from September 24th to 30th, parents in cities across North America are encouraged to get their kids out into the great outdoors. It's called 'Take a Child Outside' week, and it's happening with 250 organizations across the nation.

To be honest, at first I thought this was a joke -- because, really, do you need a special event to encourage parents to get their kids outdoors? But it is legit, and given the obesity epidemic, it's really not all that surprising. After all, we are living in a time where kids use treadmills.

If you ask me, every week should be 'Take a Child Outside' week. The only exception should be in cases of really extreme weather, and even then, your kids should be getting some sort of indoor physical activity. Your thoughts?

(via Calorie Lab)

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 26 years old and have never been happy with my upper body. My arms are lanky and my chest is soft. I have a demanding job as an attorney, and simply don't have the time nor the know how to get involved in a complicated training regiment. I know I have to "earn" a good body, so I was hoping you could dumb things down for me. A simple routine I can do in a hurry. P.S. I love your fit tip videos! Thanks. Tim

A. Hello Mr. Tim! Training for a guy with "no time" huh? That' my specialty! Glad you asked. Look pal, I wish I could pull off the persona as a rocket scientist, because I'm on top of this stuff ... but I can't. Fitness is painfully simple, and you can achieve your goals without much complexity.

There are any number of different walks for a cause. You can join walks to support conditions and issues from diabetes to breast cancer to asthma to world hunger to almost anything else you can think of. Walks for a cause are a total win-win situation. You benefit your health with the activity while you're helping a good cause. But the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes cause ... well, it's unique.

The walk has a definite sense of humor. Men are asked to literally walk a mile in her shoes ... her high heels to be exact. But underneath the sense of humor is a serious issue. The walks are designed to draw attention to rape, assault, and other forms of sexualized violence against women.

This month, there are walks scheduled in Indiana, Kentucky, South Dakota, Ontario, Minnesota, Vermont, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, and Georgia. If there isn't a walk scheduled near you, you can register to organize a walk.

Well, the triathlon season is certainly not over, but my prospects for completing a tri this summer are not good -- I injured my shoulder and haven't been able to swim. However, a duathlon is taking place right here in my home town, so what's to stop me?

A duathlon consists of running and biking and running again. The one I'm considering consists of a two-mile run, a 10-mile bike, followed by one more two-mile run. What's great about this is that, like a sprint triathlon, I can complete each of these legs on their own with ease, but when it's all put together, it becomes a fun challenge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- races like these are great ways to get yourself motivated to train. Even if you don't have an event near you, set a date, maybe with some friends, to complete two or three events. You can do this at your gym, from your home, or at a nearby park. It's up to you!

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, My name is Sarah and I'm almost 16. I have always been involved with sports including: hockey, basketball, soccer and you name it! Now that I am older, I have slowed down a bit and only play basketball for high school and travel. This is what is bothering me: I can't seem to run as long as I used to. I get tired easily and run out of breath. I'm not fat or anything, and I am even really fast. But by the time I run one length of the court I'm pretty much dead. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to do to change this? It seems like I get more out of breathe each season. Thanks, Sarah

A. Hi Sarah, Thanks for writing. I have two thoughts on what may be happening with you, the first being more probable than the last. Most likely, you've just become out of shape. That doesn't mean you're obese or in horrible shape, it just may mean you're not capable of doing as much as you were two years ago when you were involved in three sports! You take pride in the fact that you run fast. That's great! But, the fact that you like to go all out probably makes you more likely to suck wind at the end of one lap.

Healthy snacks -- what exactly constitutes such a thing? More or less, a healthy snack is something that will tide you over until your next meal, keeping you properly satiated until then. It is also something that is relatively low in calories, but still has a good amount of nutritional value.

Rather than continuing to talk about what makes a snack healthy, I'm sure you'd prefer to instead learn about some actual healthy snacks!! Try these on for size (each contains 200 calories or less):

• Reduced-fat popcorn and 1/3 cup of dried fruit
• 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese and 2tbs of low-sugar jelly or jam
• Single servings of many different types of fruits
• 2 graham cracker squares with 2tsp of natural peanut butter and apple slices
• Cereal bar and 1 cup of light yogurt
• Mozzarella cheese stick, 5 baby carrots and 5 celery sticks with 1/4 cup of fat-free black bean dip
• 1/2 egg salad sandwich made with 2tsp of light mayo

For more ideas for healthy snacks, visit our sister site, AOL Health, by clicking here.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Nutrition expert, Elizabeth Somer, and I recently sat down in New York City at the Prilosec OTC round table event to chat about aging without feeling or looking OLD! She tosses out tons of great advice about living well, living long and looking hot while doing it. The interview was fun and her books are great!

View Elizabeth's books below:

Has Olympic fever hit your household? If your kids are broad-jumping the family room or breast-stroking in their bathtubs, perhaps a more organized kid Olympics is in order.

Parent Center has compiled a list of three kid activities that will help you put together your own Kid Olympics.

1. Obstacle Course -- Set this one up outdoors for fresh air and exercise. Aside from things to run around and through, add an element of skill with a golf or croquet aiming station.
2. Balance Beams -- Start your toddlers off with phone book balance beams, then get narrower as your kids get older. Remind them that practice is the key in this event, and teach them balancing tricks, like holding out their arms.
3. Broad Jump -- All you need are ropes and a motivated kid, and you've got yourself an Olympic sport.

The best part about these Olympic-inspired activities? They get your kids off the couch and moving. Yet another way to convince them that fitness is fun!