That's Fit

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. Fitz, For about a year now, I've been doing exercises for my obliques. I've done them about three or four times each week and have done a variety of different exercises each workout. I'm also a naturally thin person who recently lost 10 pounds (so I'm really thin now) and I still have those awful love handles! How do I get rid of them? Emily

A. Ugh Emily! This is a question I've answered before, but since it's such a tremendous source of frustration for so many...I believe the topic of love handles is worth visiting again. You're actually the perfect example of how annoying they can be. You are a trim person who does a variety of abdominal exercises frequently. Most folks would believe that would be enough. Unfortunately for some people, it is not.

Love handles often have to do less with abdominal muscles and more with body type. For example. I'm a pretty trim chic, but when I have gained weight...it's all gone to my boobs, belly and thighs. In fact, I used to be 40 pounds heavier than I am today, but I've never had love handles. Some people get it all in their hips. Even if they achieve their ideal weight, some of those people are still stuck with dreaded 'saddlebags'. Your issue is the same. Great fitness. Lean body. One or two annoying pockets of fat.

If you feel a little pain, tension, or pull on your shoulder, take a look inside your purse. What you've got crammed in there may be weighing you down.

A heavy bag can cause pain in your neck, tingling in your fingers, even headaches, says family practitioner Jane Sadler of the Baylor Medical Center in Garland, Texas. Sadler recommends carrying bags no heavier than three pounds and definitely no more than 10 percent of your body weight. For those wishing to lighten up a bit, Sadler offers these tips:

• Clean out your wallet. Only carry credit cards, papers, and store cards you'll need that day.

• Stash a duplicate make-up bag at the office and in your gym locker and remove the one you've got stashed in your purse.

• Keep your cell phone or PDA in a pocket.

• Wear bags with the strap-messenger style (across the body).

• Alternate shoulders.

• Watch your posture. Slumping adds to the strain.

Cookies, cookies, cookies. The little girl all dressed up in olive green came knocking on my door today dropping off the boxes of scrumptious treats that I love. Girl Scout cookies. Thin Mints are my favorites and most Americans agree since it is one of their biggest sellers. So how can I stay in a non binge mode and keep within a healthy diet with these treats sitting on the counter staring at me longingly. The best advice I can give is to freeze them. Yes Thin Mints hold up well to freezing. My father actually likes to eat them frozen better than straight out of the box. They are also great crumbled up in vanilla ice cream.

With the change in eliminating trans fats this year in their cookies, they are at least better for you but Thin Mints still have 150 calories per 1 ounce serving. To me if they are exposed on the counter, they are as good as gone in a jiffy. I can't let myself grab a whole sleeve out either or I am tempted to munch away. So I take the cookies out of their sleeves and put them in zip lock bags. That way it is easier for me to eat the morsels two cookies a day as an extra little treat. So a zip lock bag in the refrigerator lets me do that and the extra boxes will have to wait their turn in the freezer. Yummy.