With a growing number of overweight people, you're likely to see at least one pot belly on your morning commute.

A pot belly, or beer belly, is excessive fat in the center of the abdomen which makes the belly round and protruding. While women can get a pot belly, they tend to be more prevalent in men. The biggest causes are overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.

The only way to lose a pot belly is to lose weight. You cannot spot train body parts, but crunches may help tone the stomach muscles. Additionally, you must burn more calories than you consume each day, which is easier if you follow a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet and include at least 30 to 60 minutes of vigorous exercise in your daily routine.

Even if you don't have an excessive amount of fat hanging over your jeans, but still want to slim your stomach, avoiding foods that contribute to bloating can help. Cut back on salt and eliminate gassy foods like broccoli, onions and cauliflower. Carbonated drinks (like soda), alcohol, fried foods and spicy meals can also lead to bloating.

If you don't have a pot belly, but want to tweak another body region try these tips from That's Fit:
Love handles
Arms
Shoulders
Legs
Thighs

You spent all winter working hard on those abs -- counting calories, burning fat through regular cardio and doing planks and other core work to tighten up. So the last thing you want to see when you finally slip on your bikini is belly bloat.

Belly bloat is a combination of extra fluid and/or excess gas caused by eating certain foods. If you want to show off that hard-won belly at the beach, or just want to squeeze into a little something for a night out on the town, avoid the following foods for a few days beforehand:

• processed or salty foods
• gassy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and onions
• carbonated soft drinks
• fried or fatty foods
• spicy dishes
• artificial sweeteners

Since vegetables are good for you, you don't want to avoid even the gassiest for long. Cooking them can make them easier to digest, or simply eat them in small portions.

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If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

Recently discovered: The best weight loss drink in the world! What is it? Jonny will tell you. (Hint: It's free and you can get it from your kitchen faucet.)
use spend in the bedroom. Laura has six tips for better sex. Hey, it can't hurt ... might help, right?

Trying to squeeze into a slinky black dress for that holiday party? Fitz tells you how to banish the bloat from your belly for the big night.

Get fit on a treadmill without using your feet? Yes, really. Let Fitz andWiggle Anthony Field teach you some innovative new moves.

A lifetime of crash dieting may (may) leave you thin, but happy? Not so much. Valerie Frankel speaks out about the 150 diet plans she's tried over the years.

When a character in a Stephen King story gets on a treadmill, weird things are sure to happen. Find out how the king of scary feels about exercise machines.

Don't wait until 2009 to make your New Year's resolutions. Bev has 13 things you can do right now for a fitter 2009.

He's not only President-elect, he's also a great role model for good nutrition. Find out how Barack Obama eats.

Have a great week everyone!

Day 7: Another family who lives in the neighborhood has spotted us walking to school all week and was inspired to start walking too, even though they live several blocks farther from the school than we do. That alone makes the week worth it, I think. I've also asked the principal why they don't have a bike rack. The answer? "Because no one's ever ridden their bike to school before." I find that really sad and am bringing the issue to the PTA.

Other things that make this whole week worth the effort: My new, more shapely calves and the fact that I haven't spent a penny on gas all week.

It's time to decide -- is this a healthy habit that can be realistically worked into day-to-day life?

• Piece of cake! I can definitely work this into my daily routine.
• Not my cup of tea. This is harder than I imagined. Still, I plan to stick with it and do my best.
• Nuts! This seems nearly impossible to keep up. But I'll definitely do it whenever possible.

It's a tie! And here's why: I really enjoyed my week of walking everywhere. I got plenty of fresh air and sunshine, lots of extra exercise, and I saved on fuel and did my share to protect the environment. But I also realize that walking or biking everywhere just isn't practical 100% of the time. We had really great weather all week long, but the cold, rain, and snow are on their way, for one thing.

We also made some sacrifices this week, a few that I'm not willing to make every day. For instance, instead of taking my three-year-old to a tiny tumblers class in a neighboring community, I took her to our neighborhood park instead. Sure, she still had fun and got some exercise, but she also missed out on an opportunity to socialize with other kids her age.

So here's my compromise: WalkScore said our neighborhood was 60% walkable, so 60% of the time (or more), I'm going to do my best to walk or bike. We'll keep walking to school, to neighborhood activities, and to use the nearby business district to fill as many of our needs as possible. That way, when we do climb into our van for something that's a little farther away, I can feel good about the fact we're using it far less than we used to.

I can already imagine the political spin that will come of a new study from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, which links elevated gas prices to a decrease in the national obesity rate.

"You see, these high gas prices are actually a good thing. They get people moving around more, helping them lose weight," is what I'm sure many politicians (and oil company CEOs) will try to suggest at some point or another. Or maybe I'm just being a bit cynical. In either case, and in all fairness, the fact does remain that when gas prices soar, obesity rates decline.

Not only does the boost in gas prices make people less apt to drive, but it limits their ability to dine out -- which, in many cases, involves consuming calorie, carb, and fat-heavy foods. And it doesn't take an advanced degree in economics to figure out that the opposite of this relationship must also hold true: if gas prices go down, obesity rates climb. Women's Health magazine reports that an analysis of fuel cost and obesity rates between 1979 and 2004 reveals that falling prices at the pump may be to blame for the eight percent spike in obesity rates over the same period.

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Paunch, Buddha belly, spare tire, food baby -- whatever you call it, you're sick of the excess belly bloat you're carrying around. Dieting is one way to get rid of it, but what if you need results fast? The experts over at Prevention magazine put together a four-day jumpstart plan for reducing belly bloat, and they claim that if you follow it, you could lose up to seven lbs!

Here are some tips to follow over the four days:

• Avoid salt, meaning don't add any to your food and don't eat really salty foods either
• Avoid excess carbs, especially white breads and pastas
• Avoid gassy foods, like peppers, legumes, broccoli and citrus foods
• Avoid gum. Strange but true -- instead of helping you lose weight, it causes bloating because you're swallowing air.
• Cook your veggies. You get just as many nutrients in a smaller amount of cooked veggies than you do in a large amount of raw veggies, taking up less room in your GI tract.
  

For more info, check out the Flat Belly Diet on Prevention.

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Well this is one of those subjects, that I, even with all of my degrees and such ... I just can't wrap my head around explaining it perfectly to you. I guess that's what links are for!

Let's just put it this way, a combination of: fruit, gas, fermentation, constipation, pelvic rotation and inflammation can be causing your back pain. I don't think this article will provide the answer to everyone's back pain, but for some ... maybe so!

The article even suggests that a "pooping situation" or "lack of pooping situation" might be responsible for weight gain. So! Without further a-doodoo, click here.

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I've mentioned before that I'm a pescetarian (I know it sounds pretentious -- it just means that I eat fish, but not any other form of meat). I have a number of reasons for my personal food choices, and I try not to force my choices on anyone else.

In fact, my husband is a big meat eater (though he's become less of one since marrying me), and until now, I've never tried to persuade him not to have steak -- he's in great health and he enjoys it.

However, this post at Green Daily made me realize that perhaps I should be just a little more outspoken about eating vegetarian meals. From the post: "... driving your car aimlessly for three hours consumes less energy and is responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions than producing 2.2 pounds of beef."

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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