Many people like to point to genetics as the reason why their body looks a certain way. Although they're not entirely wrong in this assertion, they're not entirely correct, either. I feel that one of the best examples of this fact can be found in one of the most stubborn muscle groups in the body: the calves.

Take Arnold Schwarzenegger, a genetically gifted bodybuilder who was able to pack on slabs of muscle to his frame. While it is true that Arnold was an animal in the weight room, his gains were still partly due to the fact that he had a good genetic foundation from which to build. But even Arnold's genes weren't perfect. His arms and chest may have been enormous, but his calves lacked the girth and definition of many of his competitors at the time.

Enter hard work. And more hard work. Soon enough, Arnold's calves were on par with everyone else's, and at that point there was nothing that could keep him from victory. For the rest of us who deal with stubborn calves, however, getting on stage and competing isn't so much the priority as making our lower legs look better in a pair of shorts. But, this doesn't mean that we don't have to work hard, just as the Governator did.

So, to help you along in your calf-building endeavors, here are just a few methods you can try:

• Go Slowly. Try lowering your lifting tempo - taking 8 to 10 seconds to complete each rep.
• Go Heavy. Lower your rep count per set, but increase the weight you are lifting.
• Complete Reps. Don't curtail your progress by only performing half of a calf raise. Go all the way up and down with each rep you complete.
• Blast 100. Perform 100 reps, using light weight, without stopping. If you have to stop at some point, pause only for a second or two and then resume. Keep going until you've finished 100.
• 10 sets of 10. Obviously, this also adds up to 100 reps, but it is different from the last suggestion in that you are taking a one-minute break in between each set.

As I said before, your calves are extremely stubborn muscles. Think about it; you walk on them all day long, so it's going to take quite a bit of effort to shock them into growth. Any of the above stated methods should help you do just that. Feel free to mix and match them from week to week or even day to day.

When it became common knowledge that Blue Cross had been sending letters to doctors, asking them alert the insurance company when a patient had a pre-existing condition that wasn't reported on their insurance form, the outcry was so great that Blue Cross immediately terminated the practice.

Though Blue Cross claims that they only sent out the letters to protect themselves from fraud, critics say that they used the knowledge they gained to cancel policies when patients racked up expensive medical bills. The company has been accused of offering coverage and then using practices like this one to pull it away just when it's needed most.

California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were among those calling for a halt to the practice. Blue Cross was also targeted in Michael Moore's movie Sicko, in 2007.

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It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat...

For this week's edition of Gym Lingo, we'll take a look at some of the various types of pressing exercises. Some of these are pretty common, while others are a little lesser known. Here are just a few to help you along with your gym vocab:

Military Press. Weights are lifted over the head to almost full extension and then slowly lowered to just above the collarbone. This can be performed with either dumbbells or barbell.

Arnold Press. Similar to the dumbbell military press, only you start with your palms facing your at the bottom of the movement and then twist your hands as you raise the weights above your head. By the end of the movement, your palms should be facing away from you. Oh, and in case you were wondering -- yes, they are named after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bench Press. One of the most popular exercises in any gym. Usually when people say bench press, they mean with a barbell (whereas if they were using dumbbells, they would call it a dumbbell press). Were someone to ask you "How much you bench?," know that they are curious as to how much weight you can bench press. Authors note: Don't bother worrying about how much you can bench press. Focus on using weight you can handle and maintaining good form.

A huge health care bill up before the California legislature may be seeing a permanent dirt nap soon, leaving that state to end up not setting a precedent for health care coverage to millions of uninsured people.

Many Senators are reportedly on the ropes on voting no to the legislation that would provide health insurance to all Californians through private or public means. The state's large population makes the current health care insurance battle a sight to watch from all other states, apparently.

Health care is shaping up to be one of the hot-button issues in this year's U.S. Presidential election, and the timing of the California proposal will keep the issue of medical coverage for the uninsured fresh in the minds of millions.

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In less than two weeks, Thanksgiving dinner will be served in millions of households throughout the U.S. As a variety of dinner sides are shared, so too will some interesting bits of conversation. In most cases, they're basically the same conversations you have every year. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're dull, but for the most part they're always worth listening to.

But, what if you found yourself at a dinner table filled with a whole new group of people? And, let's pretend for a second that you could choose five people who would be at that table and whose conversations you would like to listen in on. Who would you choose? The one ThatsFit stipulation is that your five people have to be related, in some way, to health and fitness.

Playing along myself, I think these would be the five guests at my ThatsFit Thanksgiving dinner table:

5 - Arnold Schwarzenegger. If we could check all political conversation at the door, I'd be fascinated to hear the Austrian Oak speak candidly about his bodybuilding career. Having Arnold at the table would be akin to having someone read directly from a health and fitness encyclopedia (which, incidentally, Arnold wrote).

4 - Bill Phillips. As the owner of EAS and the guy behind the "Body for Life Challenge," this fitness expert and author would presumably have some great fitness tidbits to offer up. Plus, if he can pay someone $1 million each year for winning his challenge, he could probably spring for dinner.

3 - Kim Lyons. Known best as one of the personal trainers on the TV show "The Biggest Loser," she not only would add some much needed femininity to this testosterone-filled dinner table, but a great deal of fitness knowledge, as well. In addition, I think it would be quite interesting to hear her personal success stories with some of the contestants.

2 - Kevin Trudeau. Yup, the guy that tries to hawk those books in his infomercials. You know, the Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About guy. Having never read any of his books, I would at least be interested to decide for myself whether this dude is for real or just full of ... stuff(ing).

1 - Dr. Andrew Weil. In case the name doesn't jump out you (don't feel bad if it doesn't - I just spent about 10 minutes Googling it), the face probably will. In the event that Kevin Trudeau doesn't bring much to the table (no pun intended), I'd hope that Dr. Weil could offer up some natural health conversation. But, if he too turns out to be a dud, maybe he'll at least bring some healthy desserts.

Those would be my esteemed guests. Who would be yours?

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British newspaper The Daily Mail has put together a sort of expose called 'Hunks who've turned into Chunks', detailing some aging dreamboats who have packed on a few pounds over the few years. These 'hunks' include Richard Gere, former James Bond actors Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, Rod Stewart, David Hasselhoff, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Check it out -- it's kind of funny, though the best part is the title.

However, I think it's a little cruel to poke fun of these men in their swimming trunks -- just like it would be if it was an older woman snapped in her suit. Few look good when they're letting it all hang out on the beach, and plus, it's fairly normal for people to put on weight as they age.

What do you think?

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Kids need to be more active, and who better to inspire and encourage them than body building champ AND California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Good ole' Arnie has issued a fitness challenge to the children of California, encouraging them to get between 30 and 60 minutes of activity at least three times a week. But tell me: What defines activity? Is it playing the bowling game on the Wii? or getting outside and playing soccer with friends and actually getting some sunshine and social interaction? I think only the latter should count, especially since those lucky California kids can actually venture outside in January, unlike us here in the arctic north.

What do you think of the plan?

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