I'm leaving for Seattle in a few hours, prepped and ready to shoot a corporate bit for Pepsi. At any rate, part of the travel arrangements involve sharing a room with a guy that I've been forewarned about: He Snores. Great. There goes the possibility of getting any sleep. But, inasmuch as his snoring may be a single-night sleep disruption for me, it may signal a bigger health problem for him (and, no, I don't mean that it may cause me to kill him in his sleep).

According to an article published in the current issue of Women's Health, snoring may lead to chronic bronchitis for a good number of people. The article references a study featured in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that snoring places a great deal of stress on the airways, thus increasing inflammation. In fact, researchers discovered that people who reported snoring six or seven nights per week were 68-percent more likely to develop chronic bronchitis than silent sleepers.

The article also presents a potential solution: Placing nasal strips on a snorer's nose. This may help widen the nasal passage and reduce the nighttime ruckus. Note to self: Buy a pack of nasal strips at the airport and offer them as a "gift" to my traveling companion.

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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! My 12-year-old daughter has started getting into fitness, all on her own motivation. She's always been on the thin side, and is certainly a healthy weight...and a fairly healthy eater. She said she wants to work out to build muscle and put on a few pounds (certainly not what you usually hear from girls at that age group). I want to support her, but I also want to be sure she is doing things in a healthy age-appropriate way.

She lives with her dad and we live in different states, which certainly makes matters more complicated. If she lived with me we could figure out ways to exercise together. Her dad and his girlfriend are both overweight with unhealthy habits. Any suggestions on how to get started? And is there anything she shouldn't be doing yet or things I should look out for? Thanks, Judy

Hello Miss Judy. You ask a great question and are smart to be both excited and leery of the situation. A child of 12 eager to pursue true fitness is an absolute gift. It is also a perfect point for that child's parent to stop and evaluate the situation, to make sure it's addressed correctly.

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Toss those hot dogs, bacon, and cured meats you're planning to devour -- because they could just take your breath away.

According to an analysis published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, people who munch on these meaty items have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD, the umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is the fourth leading cause of death in America and is primarily caused by smoking. Still, diet plays a role and while studies don't conclusively link eating habits with COPD, there does seem to be an association. Specifically, those who ate 14 or more servings of cured meat per month increased their odds of developing this condition by 80 percent.

I don't know about you, but 80 percent seems pretty significant to me. This, along with the fact that cured meats contain large amounts of nitrates -- linked to lung damage in animals -- is enough for me to steer clear of these iffy meats for the rest of time.

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Last month, Brian wrote about how the Mediterranean diet may prevent childhood asthma. Now another study has found that it may not be too late for adults as well. That news is coming out of France, where researchers followed 43,000 men for over a decade.

What they found was that the more closely men followed a Mediterranean type diet, the lower their risk was of developing lung disease like bronchitis or COPD. COPD is not only debilitating, it also is set to become the third leading cause of death across the globe. The Mediterranean diet, filled with fruits, veggies, fish, and whole grain breads, is rich in anti-oxidants which reduce inflammation in the tissue. On the other hand, a typical Western diet rich in red meats, processed foods, sugar, and nitrate-rich cured meats actually increases the amount of inflammation in the body.

Following a Mediterranean-type diet has also been linked to the prevention of Alzheimer's, heart health, and brain health, in addition to the childhood asthma study. According to the American Heart Association, there isn't one specific Mediterranean diet. Instead, it's a pattern of eating that has similar dietary guidelines to our own, but is rich in fresh, unprocessed foods and monounsaturated fats. Learn more about it here.

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Is your breath reaching people before your words? Has a dear friend or family member politely leaned into you to tell you that you have bad breath? The first thing you do is cup your hand to your mouth and blow in it to check your breath. Instead keep a pack of gum in your pocket or purse and pop it into your mouth. Chewing gum after a meal, when you can't brush your teeth, will freshen your breath and the chewing action of the gum mixed with your saliva will clean your teeth.

Two other helpful hints to keep bad breath at large is to lightly brush your tongue after you are finished cleaning your teeth. Your tongue holds a ton of bacteria that can get rather smelly. Drink your daily requirement of water. Water is a cure for practically everything including bad breath. By keeping yourself well hydrated, your bad breath will surely reduce.

In some cases bad breath may be the sign of a local infection in the respiratory tract, chronic sinusitis, postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailment. If your dentist determines that your mouth is healthy, you may be referred to your family doctor or a specialist to determine the cause of bad breath.

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Coughs happen to everybody, all the time. With colds and viruses being passed around everyday, everywhere we go, how do you know when you might have something serious?

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, there are several symptoms to watch for regarding a suspicious cough: it has lasted for more than three weeks, it includes green or yellow phlegm (or blood of course), or it comes with a fever or night sweats, wheezing when you breathe, or unexpected weight loss. Seek medical help as soon as possible if you're at all unsure -- most of us can tell if it's just a scratchy throat vs something more serious, but you should never take chances with your health.

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