That's Fit

Running short on time? Try your best not to let a full schedule interfere with your workout. You should schedule your exercise time and give it high priority on your to-do list. Don't look at your workout as something you can take or leave at your convenience. The fact is that staying fit and healthy will help you manage the rest of your chores more effectively -- you'll have more energy to be on the go, go, go.

But we all have those days where we just can't squeeze in a long workout routine. When there's just no way a real workout will work, try a quick 15-minute routine. AOL Health has a great 15-minute strength training routine. Or, if you'd rather, you can design your own workout.

• 10 minutes of cardio. Pick a convenient cardio activity that you can do almost anywhere and with minimal equipment. Walking, running, and jumping rope are all good options.
  

Sometimes it's hard being a member of the fairer sex. We're busy. Really busy. In fact, a recent study found that women work a 15-hour day, no matter how many hours they actually put in at their jobs. So it's understandable that we may make a few mistakes throughout the day -- forget to pick up milk, send a child to school without her lunch money, leave the cat out all night. It's just going to happen.

But according to Prevention, women are also making big mistakes when it comes to health. But unlike forgetting to wash your daughter's soccer uniform, making mistakes about diet, fitness, and lifestyle can cost you more than inconvenience in the long run. If you're guilty of some of the following mistakes, take a closer look at where healthy habits rank on your list of priorities and see if you can't make a difference in your own personal health.

I'm forever leaving my house unprepared for the snack demands my little boys make when we're on the road. My intention is to always have a healthy snack and water in the car when we head out on errands, but more often than not, I forget to plan ahead. Not anymore. I'm borrowing some of these ideas from Family Circle magazine and from now on, I'm going to be the mom who can whip out a nutritious snack with a moment's notice. Here's some of what I plan to prepare.

Soy Crisps: We don't do potato chips in our household but we might try soy chips. A huge 140-calorie portion contains only two grams of fat and nearly 10 grams of healthy soy protein.

String Cheese: We are fans of string cheese and really like the Sargento Lite brand. To keep this calcium-filled snack chilled on road trips longer than a few hours, I'll pack it in a mini cooler bag with a mini ice block.

Ever feel like you're running on empty as you power through your hectic days? Likely, you do. And it's likely you find it difficult on your busy days to sit down and enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Parade magazine wants to help and offers these handy tips for eating on the run.

About 75 percent of office workers eat at their desks two to three times per week. If you fit this profile, try these tricks: Stock the office fridge with low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese and whole-grain crackers, hummus, natural peanut butter, and raw veggies. Take sandwiches to work or salads with canned tuna, salmon, lean meats, and skinless turkey. Microwave oatmeal, carry along some apples, and fill your desk candy jar with the soybean snack edamame.

While driving in the car, take along peanut butter sandwiches -- especially for the kids -- and fruit and veggies such as apples, oranges, bananas, and baby carrots.. Control your portions by using small plastic bags, and if you must swing through the drive through, opt for grilled over fried foods, chicken over burgers, salad over fries, and milk or water over soda. Other good-to-go snacks include: Energy bars high in fiber and low in fat and sugar, nuts, and dried fruit.

For more guidance on how to stick to your diet in the face of stress and chaos -- AOL Body calls this "regrouping" -- jump on aboard the America Takes It Off train.

For those of you who'd prefer to lose weight without having to partake in the pesky thing called fitness, here's a bit of news that might disappoint you: recent studies show that people who are successful at taking off--and keeping off--weight are those who do a fair amount of exercise. 60 to 90 minutes a day, to be exact. Or, to put it another way, those who walked the equivalent of a marathon a week.

I'm into fitness and even this number surprised me a bit -- really, who has 60 to 90 spare minutes every day of the week? I can manage to work in a hour a day three times a week and 30 minutes a day the rest of the week. I can't do any more than that and still keep my job and family happy, but I try to work in small bits of exercise where I can--by taking the stairs, walking to work and so on.

My point? 60 to 90 minutes is a lot, so try to find a compromise. But do know that fitness is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

The holidays are a wonderful, magical time, but they're also chalk-full of stress, hurrying and general business. With everything going on, it can seem impossible to get some time to yourself, and your workout routine tends to go to the dogs. But with all the goodies you're probably eating, it's more important than ever to maintain a healthy routine. Courtesy of Glee Magazine, here are some tips for keeping fit during the festive season:

• When you shop, plan to walk a lot. Park as far away form the entrance as you can, and park on the opposite end from the store you plan on going too. And a walk around the outside couldn't hurt either.
  
• Write gym visits and fitness classes into you schedules and to-do-lists.
  
• Forget cookie exchange -- why not exchange fitness DVDs? Then you're motivated to try some new workouts, and it doesn't matter how bad the weather is.
  
• Cut down your own Christmas tree. A spend some quality family time together doing activities like sledding, skating and skiing.
  

How do you keep fit during the holidays?

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. Hey Fitz, I have heard a lot lately about pre-workout and workout pills. What is your opinion of these types of supplements? Jake

A. Thanks for asking Jake. My answer is this. THOSE PILLS ARE CRAP! GARBAGE! TRASH! SNAKE OIL! People don't need pills to work out. Pre-workout. Post-workout. Whatever. People need to eat a well balanced diet full of fruits, veggies, lean proteins, calcium and water. For the general population, I think a daily multi-vitamin is a nice insurance policy. Just in case for example, one doesn't consume a full dose of vitamin C for the day.

"Pre-workout pill" sounds like a useless product for the consumer and a great way for greedy jerks to take the money of the hopeful and desperate. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS NONSENSE! Fitz

Q. Fitz I've been trying to gain just a better overall toned body for this upcoming school year. But you know how crazy days can get with classes, homework, and work. Do you have a workout for my whole body that can help give me the great body I ? I have a tight schedule like mine, but still want maximum results! Thanks Jessica

Fast food restaurants and snacks like chips and cheese puffs are popular for a reason. In part because -- and let's face it -- most of us think they taste fantastic. But these fatty foods with very little nutritional value are also favored by millions because they're quick, easy and satisfying for people who have too much going on in their lives to sit down to three square meals a day.

Just because you're busy though, doesn't give you an excuse to eat garbage. If you're in a hurry, why not try some of the following snacks that are full of nutrients we all need.

• Nuts, seeds, dried fruit and cereal provide your body with iron, which is essential for supplying oxygen to red blood cells .
• Grab a handful of peanuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds (or use avocado as a sandwich spread) to increase your consumption of heart-healthy folate.
  
• A lot of people think they should stay away from cheese, but the truth is the tasty, quick and simple snack is full of calcium, which is great for strong bones and teeth.
• We all know why fiber is important -- it prevents the risk of some cancers as well as the risk of constipation -- so up your fiber intake by snacking on fruits and veggies or by eating a high-fiber cereal for breakfast (some fiber cereals also taste good when added to a cup of yogurt).

For more information on tasty, low-calorie and-fat alternatives to typical snacks, as well as suggestions for eating healthier at a fast food restaurants, take a look here.

People of the new millennium are masters of multi-tasking, but this stressful, hectic, frantic lifestyle can take a toll on our health. A lack of sleep, a lack of physical activity and lack of proper, sit-down meals leaves us ... well ... lacking in health. So for the sake of your body, slow down every now and then.

The folks at eDiets concur -- it's important to do nothing every now and then. According to a study by Harvard University found that 60 to 90 percent of visits to the doctor are stress-related. Yikes! Relaxation can do wonders for you -- it helps calm your mind, and it helps your body recover from stress too.

So here's a challenge. For just a few hours a week -- an afternoon, an evening, you pick -- make a plan to do nothing ... and stick to it.

Do you suffer from Superwoman Syndrome? More of us do than we'd like to admit I think, balancing work with home and kids, and trying to stay (or get) healthy on top of it all. It's an era of 'want it all and gotta have it all right now,' which although may be fun at times generally isn't good for our health.

Are you trying to balance too much? Stretching yourself too thin? Take this quiz to find out if you're acting like Superwoman -- and more importantly whether you're doing it successfully or not.

One hundred years ago, only 3 million people in this country were aged 65 or older. Today, more than 36 million Americans are in this age group, and that number is expected to grow during the next 25 years to over 70 million as baby boomers age.

Regular physical activity, keeping the mind busy, and a healthy diet are key to healthy aging and physical independence. Not only does it keep the body strong, but keeping the body moving protects and improves your emotional and cognitive health and people who mentally challenge themselves, and stay connected with loved ones are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, short-term memory loss, and illness in general. Maintaining a healthy diet keeps the body and mind sharper. Avoid high sodium, sugar, and high fat diets. Stay away from smoking or heavy alcohol use.

Regular walking and aerobic exercise is proven to help manage depression, anxiety, and stress and maintains balance, strength, and flexibility, which are key to preventing injuries and falls. Challenging your intellect on a daily basis by reading, learning a new musical instrument or language, doing crossword puzzles, or playing games of strategy or cards with others will keep the brain active and developing and less likely to lose its power and memory. Eating healthy will maintain your weight, as well as keep a handle on developing diabetic, heart, or colon problems.

Like most people, I often find myself unable to find time to take a bathroom break, let alone cook a big dinner. But I also know that eating right is ultimately one of the most important things a person can do, and it's something you need to find time for. It's simply unacceptable to use a busy schedule as a reason to not pay proper attention to your health.

There are, however, a number of quick and healthy eating tips for people on the go, including purchasing pre-packed, pre-washed and pre-sliced fruits and veggies for a healthy, handy snack. Another good tip? Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables and add them into your quick meals to 'healthify' them in a pinch -- for example, add veggies to a can of marinara pasta sauce, add to whole wheat pasta and voila -- you have an easy and healthy dinner.

Here's what I do: whenever I have some time to spare, I make mass quantities of something healthy like veggie lasagna, and I freeze it for days when I know I won't have the time to eat right. What do you do?

I started working in offices when I was about 20 years old and boy, did it make a difference. Before that, I worked for a busy courier company and when I began sitting at a desk all day, those pounds creeped up on me slowly but surely. The lack of walking, lifting and general movement is one of the reasons, but another reason is that sitting at a desk is conducive to eating. It's easy to much away while you read reports, type emails and screen phone calls, and this kind of 'mindless eating' can lead to serious over-eating. And if the possibility of over-eating isn't enough to deter you from eating at you desk, remember this: You desk is covered in bacteria.

If you're a desk diner, Web MD has these suggestions for breaking the habit. As for me, I try to take a few minutes out of my day to eat outside instead instead ... the break from my computer is much needed, but I don't even realize it until I am out in the fresh air.

Are you a desk diner?

Surprisingly, even though new parents may feel that they're always on the go and never have a moment to themselves, it seems becoming a parent actually means becoming less active overall. Even when compared to newlywed couples, new parents still lost more time spent doing physical activities each week, on average.

Obviously the biggest obstacle for parents is dealing with the sudden new demands on their time, which doesn't leave room for exercise or anything else for themselves. Suggestions? Try working out at midday (when you probably have more control), in several shorter 10 minutes sessions, or simply take your kid(s) with you. And of course check out our "Working in the Workouts" feature for many more 'real life' help and ideas on fitting in fitness as a busy parent. But whatever you do one thing is pretty clear: it's going to have to be very much on purpose!