That's Fit

Home gyms are great to have, but there are a couple of drawbacks. For one thing, they tend to be a bit costly. Plus, it takes up a lot of room, so unless you have a whole extra room dedicated to fitness equipment, it can be an eyesore. But, if you need to have a home gym, what other option do you have?

The HealthCare Chin-Up Exercise Bar seems like a good choice if you don't want to spend a ton of money and don't have a lot of space. It's only about $50 ($54.99, on sale right now for $44.99 here), and it can easily be folded up and put away in a closet when not in use.

And, as far as use goes, it's easy to use it in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it's a chin-up/pull-up bar. As you can see in the picture above, it goes up in your doorway (no drilling or holes or anything like that required), holds up to 300 pounds, and can be taken back down in seconds.

I've got just the snack bar for you: The YOU Bar. You design it. You name it. You devour it. All you need is access to the internet and few minutes of time.

Check out this handy site for a step-by-step ordering system that allows you to choose a protein base and add extra ingredients, like dried fruits, chocolate, even coffee crystals. The folks at YOU Bar do all the work -- they bake, provide nutritional facts, and honor special requests, like "not too sweet." Not happy with what you've ordered once you taste it? Just send back your uneaten bars and you'll get a chance to modify your recipe.

If you're not tempted to create your own bar, tried and true flavors of this treat are available. Beware, though, these treats run $40 for a box of 12. Worth it? Give it a try and see.

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.

As if last week's Celebrity Fitzness Report with Anthony Field video wasn't cool enough....we're back with a new video that will literally chisel you and your abs up like Roman statues. Oh my! Think you're doing everything you can to slim down, build muscle and cut up? Only if you're doing this stuff!

Read more.....

A while back, the physician that has been caring for my lower back injury suggested I go do Pilate's to help strengthen and stretch the muscles that are stuck in a chronic spasm. Now, I've been teaching fitness for 18 years and have been exposed to almost every type of training and equipment under the sun. I'm embedded in it. Strangely though, Pilate's and Yoga are things that have never interested me. I understand the benefit to doing those things, and have recommended them to others. I've just never wanted to pursue them myself. I'm a fighter; literally. If you don't believe me click here. I like to move fast, go hard, sweat, grunt, and pant like a lunatic. I like to GO, GO, GO! The one time I took yoga, I wanted to slit my wrists. The few times I used the Pilate's Reformer, I thought it was interesting....but not anything I'd want to pursue.

So last week I show up at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center, and the advanced Pilate's mat class was just about to start. Feeling guilty for not following up on my doctor's advice from months ago, I half-heartedly asked the perky front desk chic if there was any room in the class. Yep. There was. And she handed me a little butterfly thing with a number on it to hold my place.

If you haven't already done so, you must visit Fitz's website Fitzness.com for a look at her encounter with the blue Wiggle Anthony Field. In the bottom right-hand corner of her site you'll find a once-pudgier Wiggle working his magic with a pull-up bar. He swears by it -- he loves a pair of rings too -- and says he's used nothing but his own body weight to transform his physique. What a physique it is.

Fitz told me I should take a stab at this pull-up bar thing. She's incorporated it into her workout routine and says it's really making a difference in her abs. That's what I need -- different abs -- so I gave it try. We happen to have a bar here at my house and so I gave it a whirl. Well, a whirl implies I made something happen with that bar. I did not. I simply hung there. I tried to lift my body but it never did budge. I almost pulled my arm from its socket in my struggle to make a move, but progress? Nope. The fit and trim Wiggle says that's OK. If you can't do anything but hang, then just hang. Keep at it and eventually, you'll make strides.

Mr. Field makes pull ups look effortless. At this point, maybe they are for him. But I bet when he was heavier and not so agile, they weren't such a cinch. Success takes time, patience, determination, and lots of practice. Once I muster up this bundle of characteristics, maybe I'll be able to pull up my entire 135 pounds. Maybe Fitz will feature me on her website too.

In my December interview with Oprah Winfrey's health expert, Dr. Oz, I harassed him about not doing real pull-ups with a bar. (He was using the Gravitron). I gave him a bit of a ration, detailed in his Celebrity Fitzness Report interview, and he promised to get a bar and start doing them. He was very inspired viewing this video of Anthony Field of The Wiggles performing an amazing pull-up routine. So, I emailed Dr. Oz some links on where to get pull-up bars etc. and harassed him only a teeny bit more.

Well, Friday I randomly sent him an email asking "how are the pull-ups coming"? His awesome response was that he just filmed an Oprah show and demonstrated 21 pull-ups on air! Hooray for Dr. Oz! The show will air tomorrow, Tuesday February 5th and I'm looking forward to it. I'm so proud of him!

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jonathan Fisher

Age: 34

Occupation: Service Director for a chain of motorcycle dealerships

How often do you exercise? Six to seven days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Swimming, running, biking, boot camp, and tennis.

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.

I wrote in November about the world's first liquid chocolate bar, officially named the Lava Bar and much to my surprise, the post generated 122 comments and a flurry of passionate discussion about a tie that binds us all: chocolate.

Among the spirited discourse sparked by this chocolate in a pouch was a general sense of misunderstanding about the product that is not a chocolate syrup but so much more. I don't know this because I've tried it -- although my husband did and reports that it's absolutely magnificent. I know this because Ken Berke, Lava Bar President and CEO, tells me so. He also tells me that while the Lava Bar currently is not suitable for those searching for the ultimate in health foods, it may one day appear in a sugar-free variety. For now, though, this treat is strictly an indulgence -- best used in moderation, of course.

Berke has a lot more to say about his product, born from an idea that struck him in 2005, and he's here to share it all with you, the readers who proved via wild and crazy comments that the Lava Bar is one hot topic. Read on.

So you're the man who created the sweet treat called "Lava Bar." Why such a creation?

Because I love chocolate. Period!

I recently went back to work with Anthony Field of The Wiggles, and finally have his wild new training tactics on film for the world to see. Think you're doing your best at the gym? Think adding more plates to the end of that bar you bench with is the toughest thing you can do? Think again!

I've trained with tons of athletes from around the world and have never seen any one of them (outside Cirque Du Soleil) perform such a show of pure strength as part of their regular training routine. Thanks to my first encounter with Anthony this summer ...my gym is now full of men, women and children of all ages Getting Strong like this Wiggle said we should.

I don't know about you but during the days when I ate chocolate, I thoroughly enjoyed savoring each and every bite. The enjoyment I got from tasting, chewing, and swallowing chocolate is what kept me coming back for more. Not knowing when to call it quits is the very reason I've given up the habit of eating this sweet treat. But that's just me.

For those who still indulge -- and those who don't care for the actual eating of chocolate -- the Lava Bar™ may be in store. It's new. It's unique. It's the world's first liquid chocolate bar.

The Lava Bar™ comes in a flexible film, foil-lined squeezable pouch containing 2.5 oz. (approx. 70 grams) of gourmet, molten Lava Chocolate™. Just tear open the perforation at the top of the pouch and it's as easy as squeezing that chocolate right into your mouth. Each packet comes complete with two servings, each with 140 calories, eight grams of fat, and 13 grams of sugar.

This is no chocolate syrup I'm talking about. Nope. It's a pre-melted chocolate bar, perfect for chocolate lovers everywhere. Well, not for me. If chocolate was still on my menu, I'd want the real deal. How about you?

Also: Craving chocolate? You may be neurotic.

I just can't do it. I can't eat chocolate. If I do, the floodgates will open, and I won't be able to stop. My husband, who is accompanying me on my latest health kick, is able to have just one bite and be happy. In fact, his doctor just recently congratulated him on his recent weight loss and then told him as he headed out the door, "Don't forget to eat some chocolate now and then." He was thrilled.

What, an invitation to eat chocolate? Yes, indeed. And this doctor isn't the only one touting the merits of chocolate. Now we're talking mostly dark chocolate here -- it happens to be my hubby's favorite -- and the talk goes something like this: Eating a small, 1.6-ounce bar of dark chocolate every day is good for you.

Clinical trials have shown dark chocolate and its healthy flavonoids improve blood vessel functioning. Better blood flow is good for your heart. Thus, chocolate is good for you. And guess what? Dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than any other food, including green tea, black tea, red wine, and blueberries. It's plant-derived after all, just like fruits and veggies. Here's the catch, though -- while more is better with fruits and vegetables, only a small amount of chocolate is healthy. Which is why I can't indulge. A 1.6-ounce bar just wouldn't be enough.

If you're reading this with a hangover right now, it might just mean that you went a little overboard last night. But if you find you're spending most of your Sundays, and Saturdays for that matter, popping pain killers and avoiding the harsh daylight, you might be partying too much. If you suspect you are, read what this article has to say.

Here are some things heavy drinkers need to keep in mind:

• Drunk isn't sexy. I know you might feel on top of the world, but others might see you as a slurring, wasted mess
• You can control how much you drink. Just let common sense rule the day and stick to a pre-allotted number of drinks
• You can have fun without drinking. Find other activities that suit your life -- maybe a sport, a play, an art show, a concert. They don't have to revolve around the bar.
  

What do you do to keep from going overboard with the booze?

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. Hi Fitz, I'd like to do some muscle building exercises for my lower body, but am having a hard time adding resistance/weight. I can't use the bands that I've found, because I'm allergic to latex (and all the products I've seen so far warn of the natural rubber/latex found in them). Do you have any suggestions for products and/or exercises that'll help me build up and tone those muscles? I already run, but that doesn't get all the areas that I'd like to work...and I don't want to go to a gym just for this. Thanks!

A. You are going to be so happy with my answer, because there are so many options available to you. A latex allergy must be frustrating, so first of all......I'm sorry you have to deal with that. No fun. But! With our without latex, there are infinite options for your lower body training.

When training people, my first priority is to get them to understand how each muscle group works. Once they understand this, they can work out in the fanciest gym in the world with tons of equipment or in the desert with none. Equipment is nice, but rarely necessary. For the most part, most of us will never lift anything heavier than our own body weight .So for starters, think about that. Squats, lunges, leg lifts, butt-blasters, calf raises. The list goes on. You can do those things anywhere at any time, and if you have some extra weight to add resistance such as dumbbells or the Body Bar you get bonus points.

Next thing that comes to mind are Gliding Disks. These little purple plastic Frisbee look-a-likes are inexpensive, easy to use, highly effective and fun. Visit GlidingDisks.com to check them out and definitely grab a video too. You'll need some guidance on how to use them.

Also use things around your house. Have steps? Climb them by twos. Have a trunk? Do step-ups on it. Strap a paper-weight or can of soup on to your foot and do those leg-lifts. Be creative. Latex is a popular product in many fitness tools, but it is certainly not a make-or-break your workout' type material. If you're in need of some training ideas grab a book, magazine, or video with lower body strength training How-tos. Or stay tuned to That's Fit for our soon to launch Move of the Week video podcast. Let me know how things go! Fitz

Q. Hey Fitz. Quick question: I am not a "morning workout" person like a lot of people. As you know, physiology teaches us that we should have more energy in the mornings for workouts and such; I am the exact opposite. I could not feel much more rotten when I wake up early for a run.

I want to try to change this problem if I can. Aside from powering through a couple of weeks of morning workouts so my body is acclimated to it, are there any power bars or something I can munch on just before my workouts to energize me? I usually don't eat or drink anything except maybe a glass of OJ or water before I dive into a morning workout. Thanks for any tips! Dean....

Possibly the most famous of all diet foods: the salad. Popular restaurant order of dieters worldwide? The salad bar. The salad, and the salad bar, came by these stereo-types because they can be very low-calorie and full of nutrients. But like anything, they can easily go the other way if you're not careful.

I came across this article that covers pretty much everything you usually see on a salad bar, and has the pros and cons of each and whether you should be tossing some in your bowl or not. Some surprises for me included radishes and alfalfa sprouts being on the "don't bother" list while cottage cheese gets the green light -- I totally would have thought that was the other way around!