That's Fit

Our family is saving on gas costs by driving less. There are the unavoidable excursions -- trips to school, work, the grocery store -- but when we can manage it, we stay home. We just can't afford to drive all over town. I know you can relate.

I must say the best slim-down we've made on the driving front has been cutting down on eating out. Once an almost twice-weekly habit, we rarely dine out anymore. It all started when we realized the following:

• The four of us can never agree on a place to eat.

• Two kids with short attention spans rarely make for a relaxing restaurant experience.

• Our seven-year-old who begs to eat out typically complains of a belly ache once his tummy is full.
  

• We hardly ever exit a restaurant without spending $50 on food and drinks.

• Eating out can be a terribly unhealthy endeavor and we aren't even sure opting for the healthiest fare guarantees a nutritious meal.
  

I, like many fitness professionals around the world, am a huge proponent of drinking lots of water. The benefits are tremendous and should even be considered necessary. What I am not a huge proponent of though, is the need to buy bottled water consistently. Of course some times it is perfectly appropriate to do, and the best choice for the moment. But bottled water shouldn't need to be a staple in your day.

A better choice would be to get yourself a couple of reusable bottles, containers, jugs etc...., and refill them when they're empty. This habit would not only be better for the environment, but better for your wallet! The January/February 2008 issue of Women's Health Magazine reports the savings you could create based on your consumption if you choose to make the switch.

If you buy........you'll save:

• Five bottles a week............$391 a year
• Seven bottles a week........$548 a year
• 10 bottles a week...............$782 a year

One way to cut down on the stress in your life: Stop worrying so much. Easier said than done, right? Some things we simply must worry about -- the safety of our kids in this scary world, for example. But here are nine things we can strike from our worry lists, starting today.

Toilets
Yes, it's possible to contract an infection from potty seats -- see this previous post -- but it's not as likely as you might think. In fact, as long as you wash your hands after a trip to the bathroom, you'll likely never get one. You see, bacteria can't pass through intact skin so in order to catch something, you'd have to not wash your hands and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes. As for STDs -- they are acquired only by having sex.

Doorknobs
Wash your hands in public restrooms, open doors with your elbows or use a paper towel to turn the knob and you'll fare just fine in the germ department.

I don't know what the prices of gas and food are looking like in your neck of the woods, but I'm paying $3.91 a gallon at the pump and close to four bucks for a loaf of whole wheat bread. Whether the feds care to officially label what we're facing a recession or not, a decision on semantics will do nothing to help keep our necessary living expenses under control. With that being the case, and with there being no end to the rising prices in sight, spending money on nutritional supplements may seem a bit wasteful. Maybe it is maybe it isn't. That's for you and your accountant to decide. However, in a time when saving a little here and there really makes a difference, it's good to know that you can also use this approach should you still opt to purchase supplements.

The post-workout meal is among the most important you'll eat all day. It's long been known that upon completion of a strenuous workout -- particularly, a resistance training workout -- it's vital that you replenish your body with a good amount of protein. The good news is that we may not need as much protein at that point as we previously thought we did.

According to Canadian researchers, half a scoop of whey protein powder (o about 10 grams of protein) is enough to replenish and help build muscle. So, if you're used to drinking 20 or more grams of protein in your post-workout shake, make that bucket o' protein go a little further by only using half as much. It may only seem like placing a Band-Aid on a bazooka wound, but over time the savings will add up. And best of all, as the study suggests, it won't come at the expense of your fitness.

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. Dear Fitz, My husband makes a big stink when I give our kids any type of 'sugar candy' like gummy bears or bubblegum. The kids are totally skinny and I don't see what the big deal is. They are kids! What do you think? Christy

A. Hey Christy. Your husband is a freaking genius. That's what I think! He has the insight and thoughtfulness to know that as parents, you should be teaching your children the best habits possible. He knows that your children are less likely to eat nutritious things when they've had a dose of candy. They're more likely to deal with the pain and terror that comes along with having their cavities filled if you give them candy. They're more likely to struggle with their weight and other less than lovely issues later on in life if you don't instill high standards in them today.

What do you do when you're running with a group of people, say, in a race, and you realize you have a wedgie? Pull that thing out and keep on truckin', says Runner's World magazine's "Ask Miles" columnist.

Miles deals with embarrassing issues all the time and offers each month his best advice for avoiding all sorts of fitness-related humiliation. In the December 2007 issue of Runner's World, Miles responds to reader Megan J. of Lake City, Florida, who wants to better handle her own embarrassing running moments.

Using the Miles Embarrassing Situation Scale (MESS for short), Miles says the wedgie is a no-threat scenario. Deal with it and be done, he says. He ranks below-the-belt sweat as low threat and recommends black shorts because they camouflage the sweat. He assigns passing gas while running the label of high threat and suggests runners just pass the gas and move on. If you must do it again, drop back and tie a shoe, says Miles.

Do you have a touchy topic you'd like to run by Miles? Take a trot over here and ask away.

Unless you like passing gas in public loudly and proudly, my guess is that many of you like to enjoy foods without having the nasty repercussions of that smell and noise coming out of your rear-end later.

What to do? Why, try to minimize or completely avoid foods that promote gas in the GI tract an hour or more later, that's what. Based on data from the National Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse, here are your 'gas' producers:

• Sugars found in milk, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products, fruits, some vegetables, and sodas
• Starchy foods -- such as pasta, potatoes, corn and wheat
• Fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, beans and peas
• Cabbage, broccoli, onions, artichokes and asparagus
  

Now, many of those selections are indeed pretty darn healthy -- but they do produce gas. So, be prepared for a little fun if you eat them.

Need a staple in your diet that's low in fat and loaded with protein, fiber, and slow-burning carbohydrates? Then this article is for you. It's all about beans.

It seems canned beans work in a pinch but if time permits, beans prepared from scratch are the best. Here's how to get the most bang for your beans:

• Wash and pick over beans to remove small stones and other foreign matter.

• Soak beans for eight hours, or overnight, in cold water. This makes them less likely to cause gas.

• If you're short on time, cover beans with cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and allow them to sit, covered, for one hour.

• Discard soaking water. This gets rid of the starches that cause gas.

• Store dried beans in a tightly-sealed container in a cool, dry area. Beans kept longer than 12 months lose moisture and may require longer cooking. Age never diminishes nutrient value.

• Refrigerate cooked beans for up to five days. Freeze them for up to six months.

• One cup of dried beans equals three cups of cooked beans.

Sometimes I over-shop. I buy too many bananas, a loaf of bread my family never finishes, even ground turkey meat that sits in the fridge beyond it's expiration date. Sadly, these foods end up tossed in the trash. What a waste.

As first reported by Kristin Darguzas on ParentDish, American families trash, on average, 14% of the food they buy, mostly because it spoils. Never fear, though. According to this article, there are six measures we can take for storing our food for lasting freshness. Now these are some tips I can use. How about you?

• Refrigerate fruits and vegetables separately. Some fruits emit a gas that speeds the ripening of veggies.

Making the switch from meat-eater to vegetarian means some healthy changes to your diet, but there's a downside: All those veggies, legumes and tofu may lead you have have a bit of a problem with ... um ... flatulence. Is there any way to avoid this without cutting too much out of your diet?

Here's some advice from Fitsugar:

• If you're just starting out as a veggie, slowly introduce beans and tofu into you diet -- don't eat a whole bunch right from the start
• Mix beans with other foods to tone down the gassiness
• Don't eat or cook with the water that beans are soaked in
• Try a supplement like Beano if all else fails.
  

Veggies, how do you avoid gas?

Ahh, flatulence. Such a basic but embarrassing part of life. I'll admit that I've been know to let a few slip, and my doctor assures me that it's due to my healthy diet full of fruits and veggies -- so I guess I'll have to live with the consequences. Are you wondering just what causes gas and how to avoid it? I have bad news ... many foods are responsible for gas, so it's not as simple as cutting out one of two according to this article from eDiets. Legumes, veggies, fruits, dairy products, cereals, breads, fried foods, cream sauces and carbonated beverages can all contribute to gas; for a full list click here.

If gasiness is becoming a serious problem for you, consider seeing a gastroenterologist, who can recommend certain foods to cut out or treatments to consider. Or try eliminating soy, dairy, gluten and processed foods from your diet, then introducing them back in one at a time to see what your worst offender is. For me, it's a surprising one: Rice! What's about you?

For those who love the open road and exploring the best (and often the weirdest) that North America has to offer, road trips are often one of the best possible ways to spend a holiday. The problem is, gas costs continue to rise making things much more expensive for road warriors, and long auto excursions are definitely not great when it comes to aiding our damaged environment.

For those who are concerned about the planet (as well as their cash flow), but for whom a road trip is still the only way to travel, this article lists a few ways to help make your time in the car both more Eco-and wallet-friendly. Suggestions include renting a hybrid or, if that's not possible, a vehicle that is very fuel-efficient. Road-trekkers should try to ensure their own car is as fuel-efficient as possible by making sure the air filter is clean and that the tires are properly inflated.

Other ideas include shortening the amount of overall miles covered in order to focus on the most impressive and interesting parts of a journey, or ditching the vehicle altogether in favor of a more-unique cross-country trip by train.

In the wake of all of the Live Earth concerts that took place over the weekend, I thought it would be interesting to chat about the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet. Unveiled on Sunday, the airplane has definitely got people talking (just google 'Boeing Dreamliner' and you'll see what I mean).

It's a fact that normal airplanes use up tonnes of fuel and cause a huge amount of pollution. This new green machine seats up to 330 passengers, but on a long-haul flight uses 20% less fuel than a regular, similarly-sized airplane. In addition, it releases far fewer greenhouse emissions than other planes.

Not only is this good news for everyone because it's better for the environment, it will also hopefully be good for our wallets. Flights keep getting more expensive, in part because of the rising cost of gasoline. In theory, if the Dreamliner uses less fuel, airlines that utilize the jet will spend less on gas, making it possible for them to charge less for tickets. Whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen, but since it's an Eco-friendly option either way, I'm definitely on board.

Okie doke. So I think we all know the awesome effects a lifestyle full of fruits and veggies can provide. A lighter leaner body, higher brain function, resilience to an infinite amount of illnesses and diseases, etc. But, what about the ill side effects? Well there are a few...and what brings them up is a conversation one of my new personal training clients and I had today.

Her first appointment was three days ago, and as a result of our initial session she has given the old heave ho to all the floury and sugary snack foods in her cabinets, and splurged on fruits and veggies. I'm thrilled she took my advice and have major confidence she's going to reach her fitness goals. But she paid a minor price this weekend for her zealousness and I thought it would be fun to discuss. I would have chosen for her to be more gradual in her approach to adding fruits and veggies, but she was so gung-ho, it would have been strange to tell her to revert back to her crackers for a while.

Fiber isn't called 'roughage' for no reason. It's found in dark leafy greens, green beans, fruit skins, and root vegetable skins. Fiber can't be digested so it literally just passes right through your digestive tract, and the kind found in fruits and veggies passes largely intact. This can lead to gas, tummy discomfort and bloating. Not delightful. Right?

For as long as I can remember, I've struggled with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and while I try not to let it control my life, I find myself avoiding foods I know are hard for me to digest because, even though I love them, it's not worth spending the day in pain for. But even if you don't have a digestive system condition, there are just some foods that are harder for your body to break down than others, leading to an array of problems from heartburn to bloating and everything in between. MSN has come up with this list of things that are hard on your digestive track. Things to avoid include beans, ice cream, chocolate, broccoli, citrus fruits and spicy foods, plus some surprising things like chicken nuggets and--who would've thunk it--mashed potatoes.

What do you think? Do these things leave you running for the bathroom?