The new issue of "Women's Health" magazine just hit stands and it's full of simple ways to help you lose weight. Calories can sneak up on you when you're not looking, so it's best to make wise choices whenever you can. The magazine lists 78 ways to cut 100 calories by making small changes, and I'm going to list my favorite eight here.

• Swap OJ for the real deal -- one fresh orange.
• Take your iced tea unsweetened.
• Use south-of-the-border savvy: Have a quesadilla made with two 6-inch corn, not flour, tortillas.
• Drizzle extra hot sauce, not blue cheese or ranch dressing, on your wings.

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Isn't it amazing how chefs make the cutting and chopping process seem so pretty and perfect? I have often wished I had those skills, but now I do ... cause I watched this video. Tune in and let Wellness Chef Laurie Erickson show you how to do it right. Amazing how simple she makes it seem.

SportsHealthExercise.org is jam packed with tons of amazing fit tips, videos and recipes.

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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! 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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Save time, money and body parts by learning the basics on how to use the right knives properly. Excellent technique ... without chopping your fingers off! Who could ask for more? Chef Laurie dishes on the dos and don'ts of cutting, chopping, dicing and slicing.

For more fun, quick health and fitness tips from degreed experts ...

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I'm thinking back to the dinner I had last night. I'm visualizing it: Spinach lettuce, red grapes, shredded carrots, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, topped with salmon. No dressing. Just a bowl full of healthy stuff, all mixed together, simply scrumptious.

This visualization exercise is intended to cause me to eat fewer calories today. Not sure it's working. I think it's making me hungry instead.

According to the August issue of The Oprah Magazine, the findings of a study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior (2008) reveal that women who wrote a detailed description of their last meal (it happened to be lunch for this study) ate fewer cookies than those who didn't. OK, so maybe I should have written down my dinner items. No. I don't think that would have worked any better. Obviously, for some, journaling past meals does work. Might want to try it and see if it works for you.

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Gas prices are skyrocketing. So are food prices. With no relief in sight, it's time we take matters into our own hands by trying to save on food bills -- but without sacrificing nutrition. Here's what TODAY food editor Phil Lempert says we can do to cut costs.

Make lists. Shopping with a list can save 10 percent on unnecessary items, like junk food.

Buy in bulk. Don't buy more than you need -- waste is costly too -- but often, bulk items are priced better.

Go simple. Usually, the more processed the food, the more it costs. It's less healthy too.

Don't buy on impulse. Focus on staples, like milk, eggs, bread, and canned and frozen fruits and veggies. Avoid the tempting goods, like cakes and cookies strategically placed so you can't miss them and those yummy candy bars calling your name in the check-out lines.

Use coupons. Be flexible and plan meals around what's on sale, and you can definitely lower your grocery bill. This may mean switching brands and types of food.

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It's always a good idea to mix up your workout routine every so often; ideally, changing it every 4 to 6 weeks. If you don't, your body will become so accustomed to the workload that it will no longer show results. Day after day, week after week, month after month of working out, and you'll have the same body to show for your effort then as you do now. That is, as I said, unless you change your workout every so often.

Never one to not practice what I preach, I realized yesterday that I have been following the same workout for just over a month. Purposely using the past five weeks as a bit of bulking-up phase (upping my caloric intake, training with heavier weights for fewer reps, cutting back on cardio a bit, and supplementing with creatine), I've now adjusted my training and diet to help show better definition in the little bit of extra size I threw on.

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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.....

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While visiting family over the holidays, I was treated to a piping hot bowl of oatmeal made with steel cut oats -- perfect for the freezing temps that kept us holed up inside, swarming around the warm fireplace. I kept hearing about how healthy the "steel cut" part of this oatmeal was.

Isn't oatmeal just oatmeal? Does the type of oats used to make this tasty treat really matter?

Yes, it does matter.

Steel cut oats, also known as Irish or Scotch oats, are less processed than their rolled counterparts. These longer-to-cook oats are heartier, healthier, and come with a chewier texture. Steel cut oats are a definite oatmeal upgrade and come with these stats: 150 calories, 4 g fiber, 2.5 g fat, and 1 g sugar.

Grains, like steel cut oats, are the way to go. Here are some others you might add to your menu.

Wheat Germ
It contains more nutrients than any other vegetable and more protein than most meats. Sprinkle on a smoothie or add to your favorite (healthy) cookie batter and you'll fill yourself with 102 calories, 3 g fiber, 3 g fat, and no sugar.

Bulgar
Often used in tabouli, this one is has a low glycemic index and is far healthier than rice or couscous. It's quick to cook and can be added to almost any recipe. The basics: 151 calories, 8 g fiber, no fat, and no sugar.

Quinoa
Pronounced keen-wah, this protein-packed grain is complete -- this means it supplies the body with the amino acids it can't make on its own. Considered a rice substitute, this go-to grain is gluten-free, easy to digest, and high in all sorts of good stuff. Eat it like oatmeal or add it to stew for starters. The lowdown: 159 calories, 3.5 g fiber, 2 g fat, and 1 g sugar.

Flax Seed
Check out the fiber packed into this omega-3 gem: 11 g. And check this out: Flax might fight certain cancers and can be added to just about any food or snack you can dream up. Anyone aiming for weight loss or a boost in energy ought to try this grain with its 190 calories, 13 g fat, and .4 g sugar. Did I mention the fiber? 11 g. Wow.

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It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat...

This week we'll focus the various ways people tend to describe the various ways a fit body can be built. Here are just a few to help you along with your gym vocab.

Cut. Generally speaking, this means that a person has a very low body fat percentage and a great deal of muscle definition. (synonyms include: shredded, sliced, diced, ripped, carved)

Jacked. When a person is both large in overall muscle mass and still maintains a good deal of definition, suffice to say that this term certainly applies. (synonyms include: diesel, stacked)

Soft. Not really directed at unseasoned lifters, but more so at veteran exercisers who have lost some muscular definition due to an increase in body fat.

Pumped. Not so much a body type as it is a state of swelling the body experiences from the rush of blood brought on by resistance training. Still, you may frequently hear use this term to describe how someone looks or how they feel.

There are several other ways you may one day hear someone describe a fit body, but these are certainly among the most common. If you have any others that you'd like to add, please be my guest and add them in the comments section below.

Hopefully this helps you the next (or first) time you go to the gym.

Class dismissed.

Buy a bike with a price tag of $1,000 or less in Ontario and you won't pay any tax. No tax on accompanying safety equipment either.

"I trust this will encourage people to take the opportunity to become more active and to lead healthier lives," said Margarett Best, the province's minister of health promotion.

It seems biking incentives are nothing new in Canada. British Columbia has had a program in place since the early 1980s that cuts the tax from purchases of bikes, parts, and accessories. Alberta residents get $300 toward a bike when they retire an old car. And the federal government offers a fitness tax break to parents who enroll their kids in athletic programs.

While tax breaks don't even compare to parental and peer encouragement when it comes to healthy living and while fitness doesn't have to cost a cent -- consider the good old-fashioned walk -- this is certainly an option that may prove inspiring to some.

How about you?

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Yesterday, I published a post citing the fact that 95 percent of those who successfully lose weight somehow go on to regain the unwanted pounds within a few years. Now I've happened upon this statistic: 50 percent of people who start an exercise program quit within the first three to six months.

Hey, it happens. I know. In my combined 37 years on this planet, I've cycled in and out of exercise programs more times than I care to count. And while I seem to be doing OK right now -- I do something fitness-related every day -- there's just no telling what might throw me off my course. That's why I always try to remember why I exercise.

I exercise for energy -- even when I'm tired, I force myself to do something. Inevitably, I feel recharged when I'm done. I exercise for strength -- I want strong bones, strong muscles, arms powerful enough to hoist my littlest growing boy into the air on occasion. I exercise for a lean body -- I've seen results, and I don't want to lose them. I exercise for a healthier heart -- my low resting heart rate always tips off my doctors that I'm challenging myself aerobically. I exercise for peace of mind -- I need to escape the madness of my family unit now and then, and I always feel invigorated when I return home. I exercise to boost my mood, ease my worries, diminish my stress, refocus my thoughts, recharge my spirit, and perhaps most important: To keep breast cancer from paying me a return visit. Recent research links five weekly hours of strenuous exercise to a pretty significant cut in breast cancer risk. That's reason enough for me to keep huffing and puffing.

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Tired of working out and not seeing results right away? Waiting for your body to show off your hard work at the gym can be frustrating, but there are steps you can take to look your best in a hurry. Here are a few tips from Oxygen Magazine:

• Cut down on sodium
• Up your cardio to 30 minutes 5 days a week
• Cut down on sugar
• Cut out alcohol
• Up the intensity of your workouts, including weights
• Think positive and believe that you will see results
• Be realistic about how quickly you can expect to see results.
  

So if you've got a big event coming up (high school reunion?), follow these tips and chances are, you'll see some changes in your body. What do you think?

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Most of us know to take care of our hands and faces in order to keep a youthful look but do you ever think about how your hair may make you look older? It's not something that I had really considered until I saw this piece that gives advice on how to keep your hair looking as young as the rest of you.

After age 30, women's hair begins to get thinner so help keep your mane strong and think by eating plenty of protein and limiting the amount of time it's braided or in a ponytail, as these styles can cause breakage and damage hair roots. Always use conditioner when you wet your hair in order to prevent dryness and only use dryers, curling irons and straighteners a few times a week, as the high heat can cook your hair.

Finally, be willing to take the time to find a cut that looks good on you (just because a style is current and looks hot on a model in a magazine doesn't mean it will suit your face), and make sure to cover gray with an appropriate color. If you're not sure what will work for you, pay a professional to help you pick a color and style -- it'll be worth the cash.

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Eating healthy, low-calorie foods all the time isn't much fun, nor is it very realistic. Who wants to eat salad without dressing or pizza without cheese? Not me, that's for sure. Unfortunately, it's also not a good idea to always go overboard on tasty but fatty items. I think that a balance of the two is a reasonable compromise so was excited about this piece that recommends mixing your favorite high-calorie, fatty or sugary foods with healthier alternatives.

The five half-and-half suggestions are:

• Mix fruit juice like pomegranate or blueberry with sparkling water to cut calories while still getting nutrients from the juice.
• Combine grated, full-fat cheese with the no-fat variety to keep the calcium while getting rid of 50% of the fat and calories
• Add half a cup of All-Bran, or another high-fiber cereal, to your favorite sweet one and decrease sugar while increasing daily fiber intake.
• Enjoy a creamy salad dressing but lower the fat by mixing Ranch or Blue Cheese with vinegar.
• Keep the protein but get rid of fat and calories by mixing ground beef with soy "veggie meat" when making lasagna or burgers.

Can you think of any food combinations that would keep the flavor while cutting fat, sugar and calories?

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