See more training videos at SportsHealthExercise.org on the Active Health Network!

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Before basketball there was James Naismith and a peach basket. Before volleyball, there was YMCA director William Morgan who had the idea of combining elements of some other sports. Every sport has its history and its inventor... you could be next!

The folks at Horny Toad Activewear and Instructables have paired up to create the Invent a Sport contest. You can put a new twist on an existing sport or start from scratch, but your ideas must be original. After all, Horny Toad has introduced such sports as trampoline dodgeball; they're obviously not thrilled by run-of-the-mill creations.

To enter you just need a description of how the game is played as well as a description of any necessary equipment. A video of people playing the game is helpful, but not required. Give it a shot. You'll have a great time and you may just win a $350 gift card.

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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. I am a 37 year old female with a back problem. I found out last year that I have a thyroid problem as well. I am at the point where I need to lose weight really bad. My son graduates in June and I would like to be at least 40 pounds lighter. After that, I still would like to lose about another 100 pounds. I have been thinking about the Lap Band surgery. What do you think? Rachel

A. Hello Rachel. Sounds like you do have a bunch of weight to lose, but I'm not the person you should be consulting with on surgery. That's absolutely a talk you should be having with your doctor. I am a great person to talk to about weight loss in general though. You failed to mention in your letter what lengths you've been taking to lose weight the old fashioned way.

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I've got these three amazing men whom I train: Jody, Jeff and Steve (shown in order at right.) All three men are around 60. All three men have been kickboxing with me (real kickboxing) for months. And all three are excellent at it! Who would ever imagine these three highly esteemed business men to show up at my door looking to get in shape, and becoming skilled fighters? Not only do they kickbox, they BOSU, jump rope, run, Rebound, use Gliding Disks, Ballast Balls and more.

The point I'm trying to relay to you is that when it comes to your fitness activities.....there are no rules! Don't pigeon-hole yourself. Ever think the tango was cool? Go take some lessons. Beach volleyball sound fun? Find some sand and give it a go. Age shouldn't hold you back from training out side the box. Physical limitations may, but age should not.

If something looks fun, sounds fun, sounds silly, whatever! Give something new a try. As for my crazy men....they literally brighten up may days. I couldn't think of a more fun way to start my mornings, than training these brilliant, energetic, bright, ridiculous men. They give me a hard time, but they're truly this fitness trainers dream come true.

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Love broccoli? You'll love cauliflower! Love blueberries? Ras-blueberries are equally awesome.....except they're pink! That's the logic I used to get my kids to try new fruits and veggies. Ginger loved broccoli, but wouldn't look at cauliflower. Until that is, I called it "cauli-broccoli". Then she gobbled up a whole bowl of it. Rasberries were scary, until I made them sound like her favorite blue fruit.

Parenting requires creativity out the ying-yang. Making new foods sound like something my kids already liked has really help me get them to try different things and expand their tastes. Of course after a while, I'd let them know "Oh, most people usually just call the white stuff cauliflower cause it looks so pretty like a flower". Change made, easy as that.

Isn't it a challenge to get our children to try new things? Especially the healthy stuff we really wished they would try? I think it is. We have to sing about food, tell stories about it, and play games with it in order to make strides in increasing nutrition. Sometimes we go shopping and I let my kids pick out one new fruit or veggie they'd like to try. Having that power of choice seems to get them more excited about trying new things.

My kids are on a mission to try to out-do Mommy in the neat recipe contest, and I think they're winning. Almost every time I put a meal down on the table, they ask to change it up in some way or add something else to it. Often, my first thought is Eww!, but I never say that. As long as their requests are healthy I say "sure, let's give it a try!" Then...after they've done the taste test first and have given their approval I give a try myself. I've loved it all.

I think it's cool that they're not slaves to social pressure or traditional meal planning. They like what they like and they have oodles of new ideas. Maybe they'll spawn their own recipe book with this stuff, but for now....here are a few of their innovative and healthful treats. Enjoy!

Nutty Nana: Peel one entire banana and smear reduced fat peanut butter on it. Sometimes we put cherries on top of the peanut butter.

Yodelaheehoo Yogurt: Open a cup of your favorite yogurt and add any of the following ingredients: grapes, yogurt raisins, raisins, broken pretzels.

OK! I....I mean the Easter Bunny just finished hiding eggs around the house for my two little tots. At the last minute, the Easter Bunny had to come up with healthy alternatives to stuffing these dear little people full of teeth-rotting sugar tomorrow morning. Mission accomplished! If the big furry one shows up to your house last minute, here are some great alternatives to candy in eggs.

• Goldfish
• Cheerios
• yogurt raisins
• stamps
• stickers
• raisins
• deflated balloons
• coins
• dollars
• erasers
• teeny nail polish bottles
• barrettes
• ribbons
• bows
• key chains
• put a five dollar bill in a surprise egg

Good luck! Happy Easter! Don't let the bunny hide the eggs where they can't be found again!

Easter is just a few days away, and I'm encouraging you to encourage your Easter bunny to consider each child's health while creating a basket. Baskets are a blast and so much fun. They don't have to be filled with sugar, fat, and junk like traditional baskets of the past though.

My kids have never even heard of a Peep and they've always been thrilled with Easter. We fill their baskets with tons of fun, and usually just one small hollow chocolate bunny. They love it and your kids will too. Here are some ideas for both healthy theme baskets and Easter morning fun. Have fun with it, and enjoy the fact that you're putting personal effort into their day. Don't cower to the advertisers pressure to shove junk into the little ones you love the most. Have a day that's exciting, fun, and happy in every way.

Choose a theme such as:

Sports: Balls, mini bats, shin guards, a sports team t-shirt or hat, new sneakers, jump rope, Sports Illustrated for Kids, water bottles, whistle, cones, sweat bands, sports watch, game tickets

Arts & Crafts: Paint, pencil, crayons, brushes, stamps, glue, pom-poms, googly eyes, construction paper, kid scissors, glitter, coloring books, paper bags for puppets

Beach fun: swimsuit, colorful kid sun-block, visor, shovel, pail, mini umbrella, summer Barbie, books, a personalized voucher for a trip to the beach, water park or pool, slip and slide, make a kiddie pool the basket, water bottles

This article on eDiets is a bit controversial, and I don't agree with everything it says. What's wrong with being a little domestic? I happen to like the idea of having a nice house and 2.5 kids and all that. But I will say that part of what the author says makes some sense to me: the idea that many women think "growing up" and "being mature" means giving up big parts of themselves -- giving up many of the things that make them happy and help them express who they are.

I also believe the article's point that a balance can be found between growing up and having responsibilities, and still being yourself. I don't know if you have to go so far as comparing yourself to a domesticated house pet, but paying a little attention to yourself and what you need to be happy is always a good thing -- for you and for those around you.

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