That's Fit

Time to fix your form, guys, because you are not sitting on the stationary bike seat correctly, say the experts at Men's Health. You either sit too low or too high. And this is just not right. Here's why.

Too low adds stress on the knees. Too high rocks your hips from side to side. Both are uncomfortable and inefficient. You look funny too. Here's what you should do: sit on the seat and place your heel in the middle of the pedal -- where the ball of your foot would normally rest. Make sure your leg is fully extended, straight down, at the lowest point of the pedal rotation.

If you're already practicing perfect form on the bike, congrats to you. If you're not, get to work, my friends.

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. Fitzy. I work out a few times a week and eat pretty well, but "six-pack" abs have always escaped me. I do plenty of crunches, but nothing seems to bring me even close to the abs I see on the cover of Men's Health magazine. What is the secret to it? Chase

A. Ahhhh Chase. The elusive six pack. Doesn't every body wish for that? Yes ... almost everybody does. Very few actually achieve it, though. This is the deal Chase, the "secret," if you will. If you want to look like an athlete, you're going to have to behave like an athlete. Train ridiculously hard and eat ridiculously well. Six-pack abs are a sign of elite fitness for sure, and you're probably not going to earn them working out a "few times a week and eating pretty well."

Generally speaking, if I go to the gym, I try not to plan anything immediately afterward. Ideally, I like to go home for a shower and get ready in my own bathroom, or at the very least, I'll take a full shower at the gym and get ready there. Either way, it takes some time for me to go from hot, sweaty mess to looking hot (or at least not scary).

But then again, there are those times when you get out of work at 5:00, have plans to meet a friend around 6:00 or 6:30 for a bite to eat, and while your house is on the other side of town, your gym is between work and the restaurant. It would be a shame to miss out on a quick workout just because you don't have time to wash your hair and get all dolled up, right?

In that case, check out the suggestions below for overcoming common post-workout beauty complaints (courtesy of FitnessMagazine.com, with a few of my own suggestions added in for good measure).

At some point, most people have tried, or at least considered, a cure they thought unorthodox. I have a friend who swears you can stop hiccupping if you say, "One!" after the first hiccup. Go ahead, try it -- it doesn't work for me, but you never know.

Men's Health has come up with six seemingly crazy cures that they swear are effective. Suffer from sleep apnea? Trying to quit smoking? Click through the gallery and see if there's a cure for your ailment -- what do you have to lose?

I'm confused. Do the editors of women's magazines want us to lose 10 pounds instantly or stuff our faces with the sugary, fatty treats they advertise? The magazine sitting in front of me right now -- I won't mention any names -- features a full-page ad for Hostess 100-calorie packs of cupcakes. One hundred calories -- great, if you don't care about the fat and sugar in these sweet little treats.

In the same magazine, there's a recipe for chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and a lollipop too. There's more -- macaroni & cheese; sweet, salty, and crunchy granola bars; waffles; Rice Krispies Treats; and creamy salad dressings. Then, readers learn how to lose a quick five pounds. Hey, I have an idea -- how about not eating anything splashed all over the ads?

Maybe it's how magazines stay in business -- by fattening up the audience and then enticing them into setting hard-to-reach diet and exercise goals. And so readers never make progress and keep coming back for more, sure one day to find the magic fix for looking and feeling good. The funny thing is, there is a fix. It's just not magical. Eat less than you burn. Or burn more than you eat. Either way, it's simple. So I say, enjoy your women's magazines. Just ignore the food ads and heed most of the diet and fitness advice. Then, you'll be on the right track.

Everywhere we look society is trying to tackle the problem of stress and hypertension. It's deadly, after all (and it can make your hair fall out!). Some people will try anything to take the edge off. Vacations are good, but even then some people are still pressured about work. When focusing on the big picture, it becomes obvious that lifestyle choices need to be made in order to reduce stress.

This simple website has 8 things that could help curb your anxiety. For starters, get out of consumer debt. If you're having to work more and work harder just to afford your credit card bill every month, consider some changes. One of the best pieces of advice on the list is immediately gratifying: finish your unfinished business! Procrastination can be one of the worst causes of stress, and it builds up over time. I'm especially guilty of this one. If something isn't breathing down my neck, I can put it off indefinitely. However, the more little things we keep putting off, the bigger they collectively become over time.

Another way to reduce stress is learn to say no. It's not unfriendly to know your limits of responsibility and have to tell someone you can't help with every little issue that comes along. If you said 'yes' to everything and everyone, eventually there would be no free time! Some people do this, hence the source of stress. These are just a few ways to help your body out, but read the full article for even more.

Mark Woodman has a seven-year-old son named Caleb who exhibits a unique issue involving the brain. Caleb has SPD, or sensory processing disorder, and has been going through an extensive program intended to "hack" his neurological interpretations. So what does that mean? Well, his son's brain does not interpret what he hears, sees or feels like other people's. In fact, some senses are ignored altogether.

SPD can also be seen in some individuals who are in the autistic spectrum. Since we know that autism is a lot more prevalent than we thought, this type of "brain hacking" treatment could become a routine means of therapy in the future. The author confides, however, that his desire to help his son in this way has not gone uncriticized by some readers. Opponents of this method say he is trying to "fix" his son's brain when nothing is really wrong with it in the first place. They think he is just unique.

In today's fast paced world, getting hurt or injured can put a serious kink in your plans. Whether it's something major like a broken bone, or minor like a paper cut, I'm sure most of us would agree that the faster it heals the better.

So, what if you do break your arm? Believe it or not, there is something you can do to help that cast or sling come off faster than it would with usual methods: ask your doctor about ultrasound therapy. Ultrasonic waves stimulate cell growth in the broken bone, and can save you as much as one third the time, or 2 months, of invalid status.

Other remedies for speedy recovery? Put antiperspirant on a nick from shaving, have steak and cranberry juice for dinner to cure a urinary tract infection, and moisturize moisturize moisturize a skin scrape. Click here for other creative healing ideas for things like headaches, blisters, and side stitches.

I'm seriously curious now if any of these really work?