While being overweight can be detrimental to your health, having a little junk in the trunk might actually be helpful.

Researchers have long known that belly fat can raise your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. New research from Harvard Medical School suggests that subcutaneous fat -- the kind that tends to gather on hips and butts -- may actually help prevent type 2 diabetes.

This is great news if you've got a little extra bulk in your booty, but I wouldn't take this research as a green light to let yourself go. Eating healthful foods and maintaining a healthy weight is still your best defense against health issues like type 2 diabetes. AOL Health has some great exercises to help get your butt in shape. And remember, you can be fit and still keep your curves -- just check out the sexy stars below for proof.

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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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Hips are one of those weird body areas where you want a little curve, but not too much. With the right exercises, you can keep your hips toned and dead sexy. Shape magazine has three moves that target your hips. The moves all use some special equipment, so you might not be able to do them at home. But keep them in mind for your next visit to the gym.

• Side-lying leg lift. This move that works your outer hips uses an ankle cuff and a low-cable pulley.
• Machine squat. This variation on a squat, using a hip abductor machine, works your outer thighs.
• Standing side leg lift. A cuff and a low cable pulley are also used in this move that works your inner thighs and outer hips.

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For a lot of women, hips are a bit of a sore spot. Particularly after we reach a certain age, or after having children, our hips can become pack rats of sorts -- holding on to little stores of fat we really don't need. Alive Magazine has a great routine to work the outer hip muscles (hip abductors). Toning your outer hips will help you look awesome in your jeans, but that's not all! Keeping these muscles strong helps maintain balance and reduces your risk of some injuries.

• Clamshells with leg lift. Lie on your side against a wall with your knees bent so they're at a right angle to the rest of your body. Tighten your tummy and, without shifting your pelvis, raise your top leg. After 20 repetitions on each side, you can repeat the same exercise with your legs straightened.
• X walks with tubing. Step on a length of exercise tubing with handles (or a resistance band) with both feet and criss-cross the handles (holding one handle in each hand). Stand tall, with tummy muscles tightened, then take 15 to 20 steps to one side. Repeat in the other direction.

Check out AOL Health for an all-over leg workout.

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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.

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Not in the mood for exercise? How about sexercise? Redbook magazine offers tips on how to get sexually fit with a handful of easy moves that take only a few minutes each day and can (1) increase your lovemaking stamina and (2) burn off a few calories. Think you can work these sexercises into your routine, ladies?

• Kegels. Get the lowdown here.

• Fire breathing. Read all about it.

• Pelvic exercises. More on The Sexual Lotus, The Cat, The Pelvic Rock, The Hip Swivel right here.

• The Butterfly Quiver. The secret is here.
  

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Has a lower-leg injury kept you out of the race lately? Well, there's a good chance the cause of this injury is actually related to your hips.

Researchers from the University of Calgary found that weak hip muscles are to blame for 92 percent of lower-leg running injuries. Try exercises such as squats and step-ups to target-harden yourself against these sidelining injuries.

For more great running tips like this one, visit the Runner's World magazine website by clicking here. Here, you'll find a surfeit of information on topics ranging from new shoes and gear to races taking place in and around your hometown.

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Cat Cora, star of the Food Network's Iron Chef America and author of Cooking From the Hip writes in Parade magazine about her love for desserts and her lack of love for what desserts do to her hips.

So that she can have the best of both worlds -- decadent desserts and happy hips -- Cora has learned to create healthy dishes that still taste like the original sin. Her secret? Substituting lighter ingredients like yogurts, light puddings, soy, or light ice creams. Less fat and calories are the end result, with taste and flavor still intact.

Check out these four delights -- Kiwi Parfait, Affogato, Baked Apples, and Clafouti -- by clicking here. Read the recipes word for word or watch video clips of Cora as she prepares each one.

Want to have your cake and eat it too? Cora says it's possible. Just follow her lead.

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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, I want to take one of the BOSU classes at my gym, but I've never done it before and I'll feel like a total dork if I bust my butt on one of those things. Plus I'm a guy. Mostly girls take those classes. Should I bother? Eric.

A. Ahhh! Eric, you are too cute. First of all. The BOSU is a balance tool and is designed to make people wobbly. Until that is, they earn the strength and control to not only stand on top of it, but do some tricks too. Second. You can stand in the back of the classroom if you don't want to be a spectacle. Third. Most people in a BOSU class are too concerned with their own balance to have the time and ability to look at what anyone else is doing.

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It's difficult sometimes to be savvy in the supermarket. Deceptive food labels are mostly to blame for this, particularly when you're trying to shop healthy. Just because the packaging is splashed a green or brown earth-tone color, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you. And, don't always believe it when the big, shiny, bubble letters on a bag of chips or box of cookies tells you that it's low-calorie. For the most accurate information about how healthy a food really is, always check the most boring-looking part of the packaging: the nutritional label.

There are plenty of ways that food manufacturers can trick you if you're not hip to their game. Here are a few supermarket scams to watch out for.

When it comes to Whole Grains, the first ingredient you see on the nutritional label list should be "whole grains" or "whole wheat flour" (and not "enriched"), and there should be at least 2 grams or more of fiber per serving. Also, the outside packaging should say 100% Whole Wheat or 100% Whole Grains. Otherwise, you're probably looking at nothing more than a loaf of white bread that has trace amounts of whole grains in it with caramel added to give it that healthy, brown color.

If a product is supposedly Low-Fat, be sure that means that it is low in trans fat and saturated fat. Remember, some fat -- i.e. monosaturated fat -- is good for you and can aid in weight loss.

When you see the High in Antioxidants claim, know that this usually means that the food simply contains some plant foods. A better option would be to just eat some fruits and vegetables.

There's a big, snazzy-looking label that reads Low-Calorie. Because this claim can only be made if a food has less than 40 calories per serving, be sure to check the serving size. You may find that low-calorie means that you have to eat two bites!!

What does All Natural mean? Nothing, really -- at least not officially. Without an actual definition of All Natural (of which there currently isn't), you may be better off going for something that is Certified Organic, meaning that they are free of pesticides or, in the case of beef and poultry, are hormone and antibiotic-free.

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. Hi Fitz, I'm trying to lose weight, but exercising is a problem for me since I am almost 300 pounds. I have a bad knee and my hip hurts, so I am looking for an exercise tape that is low impact but helps me burn as many calories as possible during the work out. Thank you, Paula

A. Hello Miss Paula, I'm glad to hear from you. I've trained many people who weigh between 300 and 500 pounds, and the pain you're feeling in your knees and hip is not unusual. The more weight we carry, the more strain our joints endure. You're wise to look for low impact exercises.

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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. Hi Fitz, I am really happy to have found your website and I am really looking forward to you help. Now to try and keep my story short...I have two kids and a third arriving soon. I have been working out for a long time now and I really enjoy it. Usually I can go on my treadmill in the basement while the kids come down a play. But now with a new baby arriving that will make things more of a challenge. I need to be able to workout upstairs where the baby will be, so I can't really have something big like a treadmill or elliptical taking up the whole room. The two items I was debating between are a mini stepper or a set of three DVDs called Hip Hop Abs which is basically fast passed dancing. I am looking for some advice and help as to which option would be more beneficial to me. The stepper or dancing? I really do appreciate you taking the time to listen and help me with my problem. Many thanks, Aimee

A. Congratulations on your third child. Aimee. Wow! As if raising three kids wasn't a workout enough. Right? I only have two, and it requires tons of energy. Having said that, I don't think I'd survive Mommy-hood if I weren't exercising regularly. Not only to keep up my strength and stamina, but for the mental stress relief it provides.

I think you've got two great options with both the stepper and the videos, and they each offer unique benefits. The stepper offers a super challenging cardiovascular workout combined with a decent amount of leg work. The stepper would be great if you're the type of person who likes to watch your favorite show or zone out to some funky music while you train. I would recommend you incorporate some total body strength training if you choose the stepper though. The Hip Hop Abs video will provide you with a more well-rounded workout. Dancing requires lots of different body parts to engage, and the title leads me to believe that the series offers some sort of ab training along with the dancing. Not a bad idea for a postpartum woman. Not having seen these videos though, I don't know how intense this workout really is.

So, my question is......do you like to zone out while training? Or do you like to be totally involved? Want to burn a bazillion calories quickly? Go for the stepper. Want a well rounded moderately paced workout? Go with the dance videos. Sorry not to make the specific decision for you, but I believe that fitness training should be customized to the person doing it. Maybe you could pursue both? I wish you a painless labor, a healthy child, and fit future for you and your entire family! Fitz

Dear Fitz, I am a 24 year old female. I was recently in a car accident on February 28th of 2007 in which I broke my ankle. It will never be the same. I can only stand for short periods of time without having to sit back down. My current weight is 164lbs and I am 5' 8". I am 18 pounds heavier than I should be. I can't really do much working out because of my ankle. What do you suggest I do? I drink water all through out the day and don't consume much food high in calories or carbs. My weight doesn't go up, but it doesn't come down either. Please give me some advice. Thanks, Ashley

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So the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be the best indicator of obesity. It only accounts for height and weight and gives a whole host of other factors (muscle mass, for one) no attention at all. There's also the skin fold test, or pinch test. I called my local health and fitness center to inquire about this option -- I'd really like to see where I fall on the body fat spectrum after losing some weight -- and I was told it's not all that accurate either. Since the skin is pinched and measured using calipers, it's difficult to grab the same fat each time it's done. Obviously, this can skew results. So where do I go now for a precise evaluation of my fat?

I could go for a waist-hip ratio -- a tape measure is used around the waist and hips -- but this won't tell me exactly how much fat I'm carrying around. That leaves one method -- hydrostatic weighing. It happens to be the only route recommended by the fitness trainer I spoke with on the phone, and it involves a whole lot of water and a whole lot of exhaling.

Hydrostatic weighing works like this: After expelling all of the air from the lungs, a person is repeatedly submerged in water for five to 10 seconds. It's a very reliable measure, the gold standard really for assessment of body composition. It can be scary for those who fear the underwater world, but it works and is available at various health and fitness centers.

What do you think -- would you get dunked to capture the essence of your own body fat?

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One of the most popular questions I'm asked as a fitness trainer is "how do I get abs like Usher's? You know.....I want the grooves inside his hip bones!" Ahhhhhhh yes. I know exactly what they're talking about, and yes.....I too love those abs. In fact, the particular body parts folks are truly desperate for are his hip flexors and psoas. Mmmmm yummy psoas.

Usher is the role model for a sexy midsection, and if you're eager to have yours look like his......you're going to have to earn it. Truly earn it. Just being skinny isn't enough. Just doing crunches isn't enough. You're going to have to work! This is a two factor type accomplishment. First of all, you'll have to be pretty lean. If you're not lean, we probably won't be able to see any of your muscles with such great definition. So dropping pounds and body fat may be in your future.

The second component to earning abs like Usher's is working the proper muscles. Crunches will never ever give you such provocative hips. You're going to have to do more. Those interior hip muscles are responsible for lifting your legs, so that's what you are going to have to do. But, simple leg lifts are not enough. You are going to have to strain the hip flexors and psoas severely. Not in a dangerous way, just in a "ahhhh! this is tough" way. I recommend doing double leg lifts on the roman chair or while hanging from a pull-up bar. To do this, hang from a bar and lift both legs to at least a 90 degree angle at the same time. Hold that lift as long as possible and lift. If this is too difficult at first (which it probably will be) do a double knee lift instead.

Fall can be an expensive time of year as far as clothing is concerned. Kids are heading back to school and need the newest, hippest pieces if they don't want to become social outcasts (please, note the sarcasm), and the rest of us need to find new outfits to replace the stuff that got worn-out or donated to charity last year.

Unfortunately, we can't all afford to be fashionistas so if you're looking for Todd Oldham style on a Old Navy budget, consider some of these suggestions to find cool clothes at a decent price. Tips include using different accessories to transform an outfit from boring to bold and digging through the racks at consignment stores for designer clothing that has been cast-off before its time (granted this kind of treasure may be rare but with some patience you could be duly rewarded with a fantastic, unused or rarely-worn piece),

Also, consider throwing a clothes swapping party. You may have grown (hopefully) too small for a great pair of jeans that you've hardly broken in, while a friend could have been gifted an incredible top that isn't her style, but which she neglected to return. Remember, one woman's throwaway is another's hottest new outfit. For more tips, take a look at the entire article here.

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