That's Fit

Hungry at the ball game? Wave down that snack vendor and order peanuts in the shell. It's your healthiest option. The worst? Nachos with cheese. Tummy grumbling while you're stuck in the airport? Pizza, no pepperoni, is your best bet. There's protein in the cheese, and the tomato in the sauce counts as a veggie serving.

According to the Today Show and Real Simple magazine, a small bag of plain pretzels or whole wheat crackers with peanut butter from a vending machine are tops compared to any variety of chips or candy bars. Headed to the movies? Pick a child's size popcorn -- no butter -- and if you must have a sweet something, Junior Mints have less fat than most other sugary options. Two more tips: Avoid all "Jumbo" choices, and definitely don't opt for Milk Duds. A whole box will fill you with more than 500 calories.

Is a stop at a mall food court in your future? How about the mini-mart? Before you head to these locations, be sure to check out this article.

Have you ever been playing a basketball game and it was so intense and fast-paced that you couldn't take the time to look up at the scoreboard?

Well, I haven't (at least not in a long time), but for those of you who have experienced this, you're in luck, or, at least, you will be. An Australian company is working on jerseys that have "electro-luminescent displays" which will show information for the players, like the score and time left.

Prevent muscle mutiny with these four feel-good moves from the April issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now! Instead of letting a great workout leave you feeling miserable, use some of these suggested exercises to prevent muscle imbalances in your: back, knees, neck, and shoulders.

Ball Squat with tubing

Pain-prone area: Fronts and sides of the knees
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and wrap resistance tubing around your knees so there's no slack in the band. Place a stability ball between the middle of your back and a wall, but put only enough pressure on it to keep the ball from falling. Squat down as if sitting on a chair, pushing out against the tubing to keep your knees from caving inward. Press back up to start. Do two sets of 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

So low brow, I know. But my sister sent her fabulous fitness trainer counterpart (me) this ridiculous photo today and I had to share it with you. I suppose, bubblegum could be bad for more than just your teeth!

I've never looked at the stability ball this way before, but I promise I will never look at it any other way again!

Here's a crafty do-it-yourself project for those readers interested in making their very own stress ball. You've seen the iconic, squishy stress relievers that probably sit atop every desk on Wall Street. Well, if you've ever wondered what in the world goes into making them, this home project may give you a rough idea.

In fact, the steps are definitely geared toward using a partner, so it makes for a great group activity too! You can paint or decorate the finished product for a bit of personalization -- something not everyone has tried with the store-bought variety.

There are two types of stress balls: the single balloon ball, and the dough ball. Using a funnel, the first type is filled with cornstarch. It's encouraged to read the instructions, but after funneling as much as you want into the balloon, tie it off as near to the cornstarch as possible. The second type is created by making, heating and stuffing dough into a series of balloons to make it as sturdy as possible. It wouldn't be justified cramming all the steps in here, so check out the rest of the post to find out how to make your own stress reliever!

Want to know what professional trainers like me wish for, for Christmas? Sing along!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, one water-based heavy bag.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two boxing gloves.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three ropes for jumping.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, four Body Buggs.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, five Versa Steps.

Do you know what kind of arch you have? Want to find out? Just dip your foot in water and step on a paper bag. Then look closely at your footprint.

If you're flat-footed or have a low arch, you'll see your entire footprint. If you have a high arch, you'll see a thin line between the ball and heel print. If you have a neutral or normal arch, your print will look like a half moon.

So what's your type? Whatever it is, make sure you use this information next time you go shopping for the perfect workout shoe. Different shoes support different arches -- so be sure to find the shoe that's just right for you.

For the weekly Workplace Fitness feature here at That's Fit I've covered all kinds of ways to be healthy and get some exercise while at work, including everything from moves you can do at your desk to cardio you can do if you have a more private office. But something that's important to remember (and why the above clip is so hilarious!) is that you really need to keep your coworkers in mind and not let yourself become a distraction or annoyance to them. Yes, health is important, but huffing and puffing next to a coworker on this gadget (or on an exercise ball either for that matter!) is so not cool.

There will be a shortage of toys this coming holiday season due to underestimated demand and the whole toy recall thing -- you know, because of the lead paint and toxic plastic used in the production of some children's play things. "Say it isn't so," you might be saying. Me? I say this is the best news I've heard in a while.

I'm always looking for excuses to not buy toys. We already have a house full and in my opinion, they are a grand waste of money. Most toys, with the exception of imagination-builders like blocks, puzzles, and games, have a shelf life of a few hours for my two guys. I can't begin to list off all the trinkets we've brought home that ended up swiftly stuffed into some toy bin without a second thought. So yes, I like that the toys shelves may be a little bare this year. "See kids, no toys, sorry."

Now don't think I'm a Grinchy old mom or anything. I love presenting my kids with gifts that make them happy, and Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Learning about this trouble with toys just gives me more motivation to be creative, to purchase items for my kids that have a little more staying power and really matter in the long run. I'm thinking physical fitness here. Just imagine the possibilities.

I just got hold of a cool new tool called the Bender Ball and a few of the videos that go with it. Cool tool! My clients and I have been working with it for the past week, and every last one of them, has been challenged. They all came back in the next day or so griping about abdominal soreness (in a good way!) I've experienced the same thing too.

Not only great for abs, the Bender Ball can be used for a total body workout.. The Bender videos are not the "woo-hoo fun" type, but they are the clear, concise instructional type and that's good enough for this sort of training. The videos are great for those who like to religiously work out at home, but they're also great for those who don't. Use the videos to learn how to use the ball and fill your head up with training ideas. Then, take the ball in your gym bag and use it at the health club. That's what I plan to do. The ball is small and light, and it will be easy to toss in the bag with my mp3 player, so I'll always have it with me.

Best news about the product is that it's DIRT CHEAP! The Bender Method Kit comes with a Bender Ball, the Bender manual, and the Bender Method of Core Training DVD. Only $12.98. Crazy inexpensive. Quite a few other videos are available on the website BenderBall.com as well. Oh! And what does Bender mean? Bender is the last name of the woman who invented the product and designed a training method for use of it. Leslee Bender has done a great job, and if you're in search of something new and challenging......give that Bender Ball a try.

I remember when I first heard about fitballs and stability balls I thought they looked both hilarious and fun, and so it was great that they had such sound principles behind them. Today you can find stability balls everywhere, along with every kind of workout you can imagine. They're great for strengthening your core, improving balance, and toning pretty much everything, but in order to get the most out of your efforts you should make sure you're doing all the moves and using everything correctly -- even down to having the right sized ball.

eDiets has a handy chart for figuring out what size stability ball will work best for you based on your height (or just sit on it and if your thighs are parallel to the floor it's perfect), plus they've listed some good basic stability ball moves complete with animated pictures.

So if you're not already, get on the ball! And have fun (try not to roll off!)

That picture is the single weirdest way to advertise a diet pill I've ever seen. Believe it or not, that mass of jelly is actually the diet pill -- it swells up like that in your stomach to help you feel full.

It's currently undergoing trials in Rome, and it's basically a powder in the Jell-O family that absorbs water and becomes a big mass of gelatin when wet. The idea would be to pop a small pill followed by two large glasses of water whenever you feel hungry, or before any big meal where you're afraid you might over-indulge, to prevent yourself from eating too much.

The pill could be available to the public in a little as a year, but I don't think I'll be trying it out. How many times a day are people going to be taking this pill? Can it really be healthy to digest that many tennis ball-sized gelatin blobs on a daily basis?


Via FitSugar

Yes, we all do crunches. Crunches, crunches and more crunches. I do them myself, and think very highly of them. But! If you'd like to change things up and work on sculpting your fancy torso in new way, give these skills a try.

• Prone pikes. Place your feet on a stability ball or on some Gliding Disks, with your hands on the floor in push-up position. Back flat. Lift your hips straight up to the sky while keeping your legs straight. Once you've elevated your hips as high as they'll go ... lower back to push-up position. Repeat at least eight times. Add one rep each day you do these. Very advanced!

• Front kicks. Stand with one foot in front of the other with feet shoulder width apart. Lift the front leg by the knee first, and follow to extend your foot up high. You'll engage your hip-flexors and rectus abdominus as you raise that leg up high. Kick within your comfortable range at first, but challenge yourself to kick higher along the way. The higher you lift your knee, the more you'll work your abs. Switch your stance and repeat on the other leg. Kick at least 20 times per leg. Beginner to advanced level exercise, depending on how high you kick.

The Ballast Ball is the new and improved version of the stability ball. In fact, you can do absolutely everything you can do on a stability ball with the Ballast Ball....except for consistently fall on your head.

Created by BOSU, I tested out the new product last week at a fitness conference. Ar first glance, I thought "no way am I dropping another sixty bucks on a ball with some sort beads in it, I already have too many!" But then I tried it. I squatted down on the ball, and when I stood up it didn't roll away. Then I put both feet on the ball and my hands on the floor to do push-ups.....and I didn't roll away! Then I lifted it up for a while and my arms got tired, my core remained engaged and my glutes never unflexed themselves. Hmmmmmm I though. Maybe it is worth the sixty bucks.

The Ballast Ball is genuinely cool, and I simply wish I'd thought of it myself. You can do all of your regular stability ball exercises better, because the ball is more stable. It weighs five pounds, which offers a whole slew of other productive things you can do with it as well. I did end up buying one. My beginner clients love it, because they can do what I ask them to do without constantly falling and readjusting. My high level fitness clients love it cause they can do the really advanced exercises without losing the ball.