There's this nifty little chart in "Redbook" magazine that instructs readers on how to burn calories doing everyday chores and tasks. Now, I believe firmly that exercise should be fairly taxing. Like, you should sweat and huff and puff and feel as if you can't possibly run one more lap or lift one more weight. But I realize this NEAT philosophy (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is hot right now and clearly, burning calories while you go about your daily routines is not a bad idea. And while I wouldn't rely solely on these activities for achieving fitness, I can add them to my already somewhat-strenuous exercise line-up. How about you?

The following figures reflect a five-day time range and are based on an average 35-year-old woman who weighs 150 pounds.

• Drive to your office and take the elevator to your floor and you'll burn 280 calories. Park five blocks away and take three flights of stairs to your floor and you'll burn 700.

• Open the back door and let your dog out and crush 43 calories. Walk your dog for 30 minutes and make that number 357.

• Call a cleaning service and burn 20 calories. Clean a room a day for 15 minutes and score 150.
  
  

Visit "Redbook" here for more calorie-burning inspiration.

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So you went a little overboard with dinner. How long will it take to walk it off?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I've come across a couple articles recently that are dead-set against prolonged cardio multiple times a week. They suggest that High Intensity Interval Training or low intensity activity only a few times a week at most, alongside regular weight training, is the only way to lose fat and stay fit. I don't think I could live without long runs or my favorite aerobics class. What do you think? Thanks, Samantha

A. Hi Samantha! Thanks for the great question. I'm sure it's on the minds of many. Bottom line, the folks who said that are over-opinionated. Think about Lance Armstrong, the guy does massive amounts of cardio each week and is the picture of health. So do I ... and so do most runners, cyclists, boxers, kickboxers, soccer players and more.

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Ever wonder how much exercise you should really be doing and why? This Fit Kick has your answers.

For more quick and fun fit tips by degreed experts in the field of health and fitness ...

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! You always say that drinking calories causes weight gain, so I'm willing to try kicking my habit. I'm completely addicted to Coke. There are all sorts of programs to help people stop smoking, but none for cutting back on soda. Help! Brian

A. Thanks for the terrific question, Brian. I'm so glad you've been paying attention! Yes ... caloric beverages such as soda, juice, milk and alcohol are definitely responsible for much of the extra fat folks are carrying around. As an example of this, I once did a series of lectures for a large fire department in my area. I referenced the huge fountain drinks I always saw the firefighters driving around with and showed them how much sugar was in each cup. As their jaws dropped, I challenged each of them to, at minimum, switch to diet soda and, at best, switch to water.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, We're half way through December and I've already gained four pounds. How do I stop this? Colin

A. Happy Holidays, Colin! Thanks for writing. I've got some pretty clear advice for you, which is the same advice I'd give if you showed up for a personal training session with me. Get a grip! Put a moratorium on the indulgences and focus on fighting that new fat.

There's no debating that walking is a great form of exercise. It's relatively simple, doesn't require much in the way of equipment (the necessity of an iPod is negotiable), and you can do it almost anywhere. But, what can you do to turn your standard walking workout into a fat-burning fitness regime?

Health.com has a couple of suggestions. For one, shorter, faster walks will do more for you. According to the article, a 150-pound woman walking briskly for 30 minutes will burn 170 calories. Burning as many calories at a moderate pace would take over 45 minutes, while a slow walk will take at least an hour. So, if you're out there anyway, work up a sweat -- it'll help you out in the cardiovascular fitness department, too.

Additionally, stop worrying about what time of day is best for working out and figure out what time of day is best for you. You know your schedule -- if mornings are hard for you, and you can't drag yourself out of bed, maybe you shouldn't try to fit in a 60-minute workout. If you can walk immediately after work, before you get distracted, or if the gym is on your way home, bring your gear and schedule yourself time to do it. Regardless of when you do it, aim for 40 to 45 minutes of moderate to intense exercise four times a week or more.

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Hopefully, most of you made great choices for your health yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day. You exercised in the morning, avoided too many appetizers and stuck to only one piece of pie. If you did that, congratulations -- I'm proud of you!

If you went a little nut-so on the nuts and gobbled up several different desserts, though ... it's time to get to work. Weight gain comes as a direct result of consuming more calories than you burn. It's quite possible that you actually gained anywhere from a half a pound to three in just one day. Yeesh!

Your second priority is to force vigorous exercise into each day during the next week as well. Vigorous exercise leaves you huffing, puffing and sweating profusely. Do lots of it.

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A 135-pound woman running a 10-minute mile for 40 minutes will burn 409 calories. FitSugar gave me these numbers with a handy, dandy Calorie Burner Counter Calculator tool they've got on their site.

Just enter your weight, your activity, and your duration of workout and in seconds you, too, can learn your burn.

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How great would it be to eat whatever you want while not gaining a pound and fighting your risk of diabetes at the same time? There's no two ways about it -- that would be pretty freaking fantastic. And that's just what a recently-developed man-made drug is promising.

SRT1720, as it is currently known, harnesses the powerful nutrient resveratrol (yes, the so-called 'wonder ingredient' in red wine), which tricks the body into burning fat reserves. It could also increase stamina and protect against potentially fatal diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease. In trials on mice, rodents given the drug didn't gain any weight, even though they were fed fatty food and were able to run twice as fast, though they needed to be forced into exercise.

What do you think? Is this truly the wonder drug we've been waiting for? Or does it sound like just a lot of hot air from the pharmaceutical industry?

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I see it all the time -- walkers at my local gym hoofing it on an incline while clutching their treadmill rails. Maybe they do it to stay balanced; maybe they're literally pulling themselves uphill. Regardless, the experts at LIfeTips have a suggestion for these folks: Stop it.

Holding the side rails of a treadmill reduces your workout intensity, which ultimately means you're burning fewer calories. Despite what your treadmill display tells you, you are burning fewer calories. Really, you are.

Here's what's permitted: Hold the rails lightly for balance until you get accustomed to the machine. Then, let go and let your arms swing naturally. You'll increase the value of your workout and decrease your day's final calorie tally.

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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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I am a fit and healthy forty-one year old woman. I generally eat a well balanced diet, but once in a while I like to splurge on a high calorie snack. Can you burn calorie for calorie? If a snack is worth 250 calories, and I burn the same 250 calories ... does this counteract the intake? Jamie

A. Yes, Jamie. You can! The simple formula for weight management is to burn the same amount of calories that you consume. You're in compete control of that. Just make sure you count calories accurately. Studies show most people tend to dramatically underestimate the amount of calories they consume each day. This is what leads to both weight gain and frustration during attempts at weight loss.

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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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm a lady who is happily turning 51 next week and am finally ready to get into shape. It seems like I went from a skinny-as-a-rail teen to a weighty 180 pound middle-ager. There are so many weight-loss programs, tips, recipes out there, and it gets quite confusing. I don't like to exercise per se, but I love to garden, wash the car, play kickball, and dance. For both weight-loss and aging concerns, I know there are some diet changes I need to make as well. For instance, I've had to cut out 2% milk and switch to 1% because the higher-fat just didn't agree with me anymore. But what's the next step? High fiber, low-fat, no carbs, or carbs for daylight hours only? I missed the point when my body was supposed to be racked, stacked and packed! I'm now hoping it's not too late to achieve that at this stage in my life. Can you help? Atia

A. Hello Atia! I love your question. Glad to hear that after 50 years you're ready to make a grand effort towards a fitter, stronger, and with no shyness ... a hotter looking body! Of course it's not too late; it never is. I also agree with you that the information put out about fitness is far too confusing. Being an "expert" in the field, it's nice that people give me credit for being somewhat brilliant about it. I'll let you in on a little secret though (promise not to tell a soul?): All my years of education and experience have taught me this: Fitness is ridiculously simple.

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Burning 100 calories isn't overly challenging -- a 15-minute run here, a couple hours of vacuuming there. But burning 500 calories requires quite a bit more effort -- and anyone who pays attention to the 'calories burned' sign on the elliptical or treadmill knows that.

Shape magazine recently revealed some ways to burn 500 calories:

• Play golf for an hour and 45 minutes
• Row for 55 minutes
• Box for 45 minutes
• Take an hour-long aerobics class
• Do this yoga routine that Bev told us about a while ago.

That doesn't sound too hard, right? And remember, burning an extra 500 calories a day will help you lose one pound a week.

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Can certain foods burn calories? I mean, can food itself actually burn calories? Nope. Just a myth.

There's this thing called the negative calorie effect, which refers to the act of chewing and digesting certain foods to burn more calories than the food itself contains. Cucumbers, celery, and grapefruit are three foods rumored to have negative calories. But they don't. The truth is, chewing only eats up about 11 calories per hour.

Low-calorie, high-nutrient foods -- like cucumbers, celery, and grapefruit -- can surely help you lose weight, but not because they create negative calories. It's because you're consuming them and not crackers, chips, and candy.

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