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. Hey Fitz, Long time reader here. We've got a problem in our family, and it's that my dad is incredibly obese. He has a fairly athletic build, but in recent years became "potbellied." He's the only obese person in his family, and his health is REALLY starting to suffer.

He's having problems with his knees, joints, back, and worst of all -- his attitude. He cannot exercise because he's already so inactive, and every diet he's been on (reluctantly) he's just put the weight back on afterward. Sometimes he does it intentionally, for fun (a la Dunkin Donuts trips ... how awful!)

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Weight loss. At this time of year, those two words are a gold-medal-like goal for many people. But sometimes, weight loss isn't necessarily a good thing.

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, has lost massive amounts of weight recently ... and not because he wanted to. In recent months, he's been so thin, many people were afraid for his health. Jobs recently sent out an open letter to the Apple community that explains his dramatic weight loss. Jobs is suffering from a hormone imbalance. Jobs said, "The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment."

Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of many medical issues, such as Jobs' hormone imbalance. If you're experiencing unexplained weight loss, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor ASAP. If, on the other hand, you're on the flip side of the coin and struggling to lose unwanted pounds, check out the America Takes It Off: Shrink a Size program.

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In her most recent GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth Paltrow talks detox. And ... it's a little bit scary. She talks about doing the Master Cleanse last year, which she describes as "hallucinogenic (in a bad way)" and says she wants to do a different sort of cleanse or detox to drop the holiday pounds.

She talked to her doctor, who actually said the Master Cleanse "can be dangerous because the liver is not supported by the nutrients it needs." He explained to her that it's possible to detox while eating as long as you're not eating the wrong stuff.

Gwyneth created a menu plan for a "seven-day elimination diet," saying "I will be suffering along with you to kickstart my year a bit lighter." So, does that mean being rich and famous doesn't make a nasty detox any easier? Who knew?

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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. My doctor told me that that I have "hip instability" and I should work on it, but I have not idea what to do. What types of exercises will improve the strength in my hips? Leena

A. Hi Leena, Great question. I'm sorry your doctor didn't recommend a few visits with a physical therapist, though. That probably would have given you the perfect solution for your situation. Having said that, I work on this a lot with many of my clients, and there are some pretty simple exercises you can do to make your hips more stable.

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In a limited UK survey, only 21 percent of the doctors surveyed got a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Doctors cite a lack of time, motivation and resources as excuses for not following the advice they dispense to patients. That's Fit asked readers what they thought -- does the physical fitness of a doctor matter?

• 52.2 percent of you feel that doctors should practice what they preach.
• 23.9 percent of you feel that a doctor's lifestyle doesn't change what they know, and their knowledge is more important when practicing medicine. One reader commented that doctors who have struggled with weight themselves tend to be more helpful and empathic with patients.
  
• 23.9 percent feel that it depends on what kind of doctors they are and what type of advice they're dispensing.

Organic foods seem to be everywhere these days -- from the corner store to the grocery store, there are pesticide-free, unprocessed, free-range foods on every shelf. But could you live on nothing but organic foods? Think about it -- you'd only have a handful or restaurants to choose from, and you might have to give up on some of your favourite dishes altogether. Could you do it?

One doctor in California did, and he recently spoke to the New York Times about his experiences on the all-organic diet. "This isn't a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it's so far off the beaten food grid," said Dr. Alan Greene. "It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic." Still, he thinks it has improved his health. Read the full story here.

Your thoughts?

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Several years ago, I felt a numbness in my arm and ended up in the emergency room. Though every test came back crystal clear, I was admitted to the cardiac unit as a precaution. The next morning, it was determined that I was in fine health and could go home. (The numbness was attributed to a pinched nerve.) Before leaving, the cardiologist spoke to me about exercising and eating right. Unfortunately, he must have weighed well over 300 pounds and was sweating profusely as his gave me his healthy lifestyle recommendations. Though I knew everything he said was spot on, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't take his own advice.

A limited UK survey (only 61 physicians were surveyed) found that many doctors don't practice what they preach. Only 21 percent of those surveyed get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. In surveys of the general population, 44 percent claim to meet the minimum activity recommendations. The doctors claimed a lack of time, motivation, and workout facilities for their lack of physical activity.

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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.

Scottish actor Kevin McKidd, known best as Dr. Owen Hunt on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, has had his health and fitness habits completely uprooted as a result of his career. Besides starring on a hit prime time TV show, Kevin starred in Rome and has an athletic role in the upcoming action movie Bunraku. He used to be a carb addict and now he's passionate about the fighting arts and fitness. Pay close attention to the lessons he's learned to stay hot in Hollywood and see if they can change your life as well.

Fitz: The characters you play are usually pretty fit. What type of training do you do?

Kevin: Fitness has always been a part of my life, but it's become a much bigger part because of my job. I just finished an action movie called Bunraku (with Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson), which I did a lot of martial arts training for.

Fitz: My sport is kickboxing; it's the best exercise ever! How did you like it?

Kevin: It was great fun. I had a boxing trainer, and I did a lot of rounds hitting the bag and his mitts. During the week, I trained with the stunt team.

Fitz: What's your favorite strike?

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Professional and elite athletes rely on sports-med doctors to stay in the game. They don't wait for an injury to become so bad that they can't play -- they can't. Their jobs depend on it.

The rest of us might not be so quick to see a doctor when we feel a little pain -- we tend to rely on RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), often focusing on the "rest" part more than anything else. And that might be totally fine, but some injuries require attention from someone whose medical credentials don't rely solely on their love of Grey's Anatomy.

Shape magazine has some great tips on how to treat some injuries at home as well as information on what kinds of injuries might require further medical attention. There's even a list of some of the most commonly treated injuries as well as suggestions for avoiding these injuries in the first place.

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In Mexico, a country-wide initiative called Oportunidades encourages healthy habits in citizens and has been heralded as a model for the rest of the world. Under it, impoverished families were given cash rewards for attending medical check-ups and nutritional counseling -- the aim being, of course, to help the country slim down and get healthy. But recent reports are showing that this is not happening. In fact, it's quite the opposite -- residents are gaining weight.

What gives? It's not clear, but one hypothesis is that the cash rewards given to citizens weren't used to buy fresh fruits and veggies like they were intended. If that's the case, what's the solution? Providing vouchers that are only good for healthy fare? Would the promise of free fruits and veg be enough to entice low-income families to visit health professionals? What do you think?

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My son plays soccer and during last Saturday's game, he was shooting a goal and took a hard kick from the goalie right in the thigh. He was rolling on the ground in pain for a little while but managed to walk off the field. (And I managed to keep myself firmly planted in my chair. I'm sure other moms can understand how hard it is to do that!)

It wasn't long before my son was back on the field, though. He was visibly limping and just forcing himself through the pain, so I was a bit worried. While I was proud of the sportsmanship he was showing, pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong -- and he was clearly ignoring that. Later that day, my son developed a nasty bruise -- but that was the full extent of the injury. So, other than being a bit sore and using an ice pack for a while, he was fine.

Whether you play sports, run, bike, or even just walk around your neighborhood, injuries can happen when you least expect it. While mild muscle discomfort is expected with exercise, it's usually not a good idea to keep working out while experiencing pain. Swollen muscles, joint irritation, numbness ... these are all signs that your body has had a bit too much. So, what do you do if pain puts you on the sidelines?

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The That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind. Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Evelyn R. Wells, MD

Age: 37

Occupation: Physician

How often do you exercise? Four to five times per week.

What type of exercise do you do? Everything, including jogging, running, lifting weights, boxing, kickboxing, yoga, etc.

To see Evelyn's "before" photo, as in "before she lost 70 pounds in one year" read on!

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A sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits can lead to a host of health problems. This comes as no surprise to anyone, particularly doctors and other medical professionals. But knowing that patients should lead a healthy lifestyle and knowing exactly what entails a healthy lifestyle are two different things.

A friend of mine is an OB/GYN and she recently attended the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. The conference is interactive -- the medical professionals who attend have a hands-on experience of tasting and preparing nutritious meals. The conference had a great impact on my friend. She learned so much about nutrition, eating healthfully, and preparing healthful and delicious meals. Not only are the things she learned going to benefit her own family, her new knowledge is going to benefit her patients as well.

My friend is already health-conscious. She's a runner and she pays attention to what she eats. But this conference fired something new in her ... passion for healthful cooking. When she talks to expectant mothers and other patients about eating healthfully, that new-found passion will come out. And while a dry recommendation to a patient to live a healthier lifestyle may not have much effect, a passionate sharing of information and knowledge will.

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What are you supposed to do if your kid won't eat his or her veggies? Over at Well, The New York Times' health blog, they're talking nutrition with two leading experts, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Dr. Joshua Sparrow. Their recommendation? If your child won't eat vegetables, don't worry about it.

I know what you're thinking ... WHAT?!?!

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Jennifer over at ParentDish has a really interesting post about how women are perceived by their health care providers. It stemmed from a discussion over at the NYT's Well Blog, about all women of childbearing age being viewed as "pre-pregnant" or as "walking uteruses" when being treated for medical conditions. Do doctors assume that all women are pregnant until proved otherwise? And does it have an impact on their ability to treat us as whole patients?

This trend, say experts, started in the 1960s when doctors realized that drugs -- thalidomide was the drug in question -- taken by the mother could harm the fetus. Since the, when treating conditions or precribing medication, doctors have to consider the theorhetical fetus any time they treat a woman. At Well Blog, they're asking the question: Is this appropriate?

I'm used to being asked "Are you/could you be pregnant?" But for the most part, my doctors believe me when I assure them that no, I'm not. They respect that I'm in charge of my body and my fertility. Then again, on one very important occasion, I was wrong, adamantly wrong until proved otherwise through a pregnancy test. So it's easy for me to see both sides of this issue.

What do you think? Do doctors worry too much about a woman's reproductive status when making medical decision? Or is it appropriate to assume that any woman of child-bearing age could be pregnant?

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