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 love to exercise, but may only have about 15 minutes to do anything on Christmas Day. Can you give me a quick circuit to do at home before we take off for the family party? Thanks and Merry Christmas, Johnny

A. Sure, Johhny! I'd love to. Before I do that, though, I want to tell you how impressive it is that fitness is such a priority for you. Lots of folks are going to use the holiday as an excuse to do nothing. You and I both know that a brief workout will probably make us feel more energetic and happy on the big day and give us a little more wiggle room to enjoy an extra indulgence without paying the price. High five to you!

Source

Thanksgiving - 'tis the time for over indulgence, stretchy pants and naps after dinner. Oh, and friends and family, giving thanks, yadda yadda yadda. I know I always eat too much at Thanksgiving -- what about you? I asked you last week if you overdid it -- here's what you said:

• 17 percent of you said yes -- your belt is still tight.
  
• 20 percent of you said you did, but it could have been worse -- you stopped after seconds, not thirds.
  
• 40 percent of you said you were full but not stuffed.
  
• 21 percent of you stopped when you had satisfied your hunger.
  

So the majority of you didn't indulge in some rampant gluttonous feast -- good for you! Keep up the good work come Christmas.

Gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie ... as delicious as it all is, the calories can really add up. Martha told us that a typical Thanksgiving feast can add up to 4,000 calories. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a bit more forgiving and estimates that most of us consume about 3,000 calories. But that's no less shocking. ACE also estimates that we take in about 229 grams of fat. Or, to look at it another way, it's the caloric equivalent of 5.5 Big Macs. Wow.

Don't let those scary numbers stop you from enjoying the feast, though. Fitz has some great ideas on how you can enjoy Thanksgiving and not regret it later. To help you decide what foods you want to splurge on, consider this list:

• Egg nog -- two cups have 684 calories and 36 grams of fat
• Dark turkey meat -- a 3.5-ounce serving has 187 calories and 7.2 grams of fat
• Candied sweet potatoes -- one cup has 286 calories and 7.8 grams of fat

Source

My family, although crazy at times, has the best holiday habits ever. We get together for holiday feasts and gifts etc..... but what makes all these loony Irish people I'm related to great is the way we celebrate things.

Every year we rent massive bounce houses for Thanksgiving, in which everyone from age one to sixty-seven seems to spend a ridiculous amount of time jumping in. The children spend the entire day bouncing. The only actual break any of them take from bouncing is when we all walk one block down to the neighborhood park and play soccer and football for a couple of hours before dinner.

Christmas involves games like hide and seek, ghosts in the graveyard (how contradictory) and S.P.U.D. Of course, I, as the little family fitness trainer look around and think how cool it is that we exercise all day. Everyone else just thinks about all of the fun we are having. And, not only do the fun activities keep us laughing and moving all day...they keep our mouths free of too much snacking. It almost completely removes the opportunity for family drama as well.

Source

Have a little bit of everything you like, but not too much of anything.

Enjoy your family, friends and some of the food that you like. Be moderate, exercise Thursday morning, and give thanks for your earned health! This has been a reminder from your friendly online fitness trainer!