That's Fit

Summer is the perfect time for hot dogs at the family BBQ, big pretzels at the county fair, and cold treats straight from the ice cream truck. Although these foods can be less-than-perfect options for our kids who love them so -- think lots of salt, sugar, and fat -- WedMD says they can be not so bad, really. Check them out.

• Nachos & Quesadillas
• Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
• Ice Cream
• Frozen Yogurt
• Waffles and pancakes
• Marshmallows
• Popcorn
• Watermelon
  
  

Hot dogs? Healthy? I never thought so. Try light and reduced-fat dogs and you'll be OK, says Sarah Krieger, an American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman.

Instead of spending the summer lying like a frying fish next to the pool ... jump in! Cool off, get moving, and earn yourself a body worthy of that hot bathing suit you've been dreaming of. If you're a parent, get your butt in pool and get your kids involved as well. Family fitness should be fun and Women's Health has a great series of exercises you can do alone or all together. Don't forget your sunblock!

When Matthew McConaughey trains, he doesn't need a watch and he doesn't need any sort of mile marker to tell him when he's done exercising. The boy just goes and goes and goes ... until he's drenched and exhausted. He simply just tries to run as far away from his starting point as he can.

This is his argument for doing so: "The return trip is always easier. Think about it. One, you can anticipate the road you've already traveled. Two, when it's time to eat the hay, the horses get home no matter how tired they are. Third, you're past the hump. You're in. Each step gets you closer to sitting down and relaxing." He says the beauty of all this is that the path can be different every single time.

Are hot dogs on your menu this Memorial Day? If so, you'll be joined by billions of others who will begin scarfing down dogs beginning this weekend.

About seven billion hot dogs will be consumed between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. This means that roughly 818 hot dogs will be eaten every second during the summer. That's a lot, considering the average annual consumption is 20 billion.

I'm not a big fan of the hot dog, myself. For one, I'm never really sure from what the things are made. Second, I don't love all the fat that comes packed into each modest serving -- one Ballpark beef frank contains 16 grams of fat, six grams of it from the saturated fat family. Hot dogs just are not my food of choice. Many people love them, though. Check out these gallery stats.

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."

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

This week I went back to talk with one of my favorite past guests, Mr. Colin Egglesfield. (To view Colin's in-depth interview click here.) Spring is here, summer is coming and this All My Children star has the most perfectly fit body one could wish for. We all want to know how celebrities earn their great bodies, and Colin was sweet enough to share his tips for preparing for swimsuit season. These tips are exactly as our favorite Calvin Klein underwear model gave them to me. So play close attention, follow his advice, and prepare to strut your stuff this summer!

• Run! You can do all the weight training in the world, but nothing burns off that winter weight better than a good 30-45 run at least three times a week. I like to start out doing about 30min and then gradually work up to an hour over the course of a few weeks as I start to get my stamina back. I love to run outside by myself with my headphones and some great music on my iPod and just go! It's my time to be alone with my thoughts, and anything that might be on my mind always seems to be a lot clearer after a good run.

The fitness equipment, apparel and boxing giant Everlast was so impressed with our That's Fit Fitzness Fiends that they're ready to start rewarding people. Not only am I, your loving online fitness trainer, proud of you all, but Everlast is proud of you too!

Everlast is rewarding an Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week with one of their hot new tank tops from their Spring collection. They're absolutely gorgeous, totally comfy, and of ridiculously high quality.

I'm thrilled with the grand response from those of you who've already participated as a Fiend, and even more excited to meet the rest of you!Presents aside, the Fitzness Fiend feature is a great way to share much that you've learned on your way to becoming more fit. We've all ventured down so many paths to better health, it'd be a sin not to share our secrets and successes with others!

A few weeks ago I interviewed the TLC Trading Spaces host Paige Davis for my Celebrity Fitzness Report. Paige was open, honest, and hysterical. We blabbed for an hour and Oh Boy! did she fill it all up! One of the standard questions I ask my Celeb Fitzness guests is what their favorite vacation spot is, and whether or not they work out while on vacation. Paige gave me the best response I'd ever had to that question. Read on to find out what it is. Maybe you too, can incorporate her training into your other holiday activities?

**Actual excerpt from Celebrity Fitzness Report.interview with Paige Davis.

Fitz: Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Paige: Vegas. And, I know it's totally gag-me, but I love Disney World too!

Congratulations to our Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week, Carolyn Kachinsky. Carolyn has literally transformed herself in to one hot mother (of five) in just 24 months! This 45 year old masterpiece of lean muscle gives new meaning to the term "it's never too late". Hopefully she'll send us a photo in her new Everlast tank top. I'm so impressed and inspired by Carolyn. Doesn't she make you want to do better too?

Maybe you'd like to win a smokin' tank from the Big E as well? Wouldn't it be nice to be rewarded for your efforts every now and then? I think you should be. I think you should be my next Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week! ....

I just overheard some women chatting at lunch today about the "hotness" of Governor Mitt Romney. Will that help him in this election? All of the polls and newscasters are predicting Senator John McCain to win the most delegates today, Super Tuesday. Hmmm. Maybe Mitt's sexiness will help him pull ahead.

I just bring up the question, because the chatty ladies put it in my head. I do agree though, that Romney is a looker. If I were a single lady and he were a single man.......I'd let him take me to lunch. But, that doesn't really sway me. I'm not that type of voter. I actually think extremely highly of both candidates. I do find it funny in fact, that Mitt's looks haven't been a topic.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Nick Ferrara

Age: 32

Occupation: Police Detective

How often do you exercise? 5 times a week, Monday thru Friday. Weekends off...I need this to keep my sanity.

What type of exercise do you do? Strength training using free weights and cardio (usually 20-25 minutes).

Walk, walk, walk. There's so much good news about walking. It's good for the heart, good for the soul, good for fatigue, good for preventing illness and disease, good for muscles, joints, and bones. The list goes on and even includes easing the stress and psychological symptoms associated with menopause.

Walking may not knock out those annoying hot flashes, according to one study, but participants did report that walking briskly for 40 to 90 minutes five days per week helped minimize the overwhelming anxiety and depression that come with hot flashes. Another conclusion: The more women walk, the better they feel.

Score another point for walking.

Minor burns are a common occurrence, but do you know what to do when one happens? Let's put aside the old wives tales and talk facts about minor burns and how to treat them. Everyday Health recommends the following:

• Immediately soak the burnt area in lukewarm water. Don't use ice.
• Don't use any oils or butters either -- they can further damage the skin.
  
• Treat the burn with Aloe Vera to moisturize, and use an antibiotic cream to prevent infection.
  
• Cover the area with a dry gauze bandage.
  
• Use an over-the-counter pain killer if necessary.
  

Of course, if it's a more serious burn, or even if it's not, it couldn't hurt to see your doctor.

2007 was a crazy year, and with the health of our world and its people starting to take a top priority throughout, it's no surprise that this was a year of much controversy. MSN Health recently did an article on the top trends of 2007.

What was hot this year:

• Sleep medication. Too many people suffer from insomnia, so the search for a cure was on.
  
• Tricking your kids into eating their veggies. Hey--whatever works!
  
• Going Green. And thank goodness for that -- we need to make major changes to save our earth.
  
• Medical Tourism. Travelling abroad for medical procedures is on the rise, both to avoid the high and the long waits in our home countries.
  
• Kids' Mental Health. The prevalence of autism, bipolar disorder and ADHD in kids has raised more than a few eyebrows.

What was not:

All My Children soap star and Calvin Klein model Colin Egglesfield and I have been talking lots of fitness lately, so I thought I'd get his advice for stay completely gorgeous for the holidays, and making it to the new year without an ounce of regret. This is what Colin has to say:

"My tips for the holiday season revolve around the theme of "CALORIE CONTROL!" You can enjoy most of the same treats you traditionally desire if you simply use the lowest calorie ingredients available. And of course, I'm never too conscious of exact calorie amounts, that would drive anyone crazy, I just try to be sensible about what I order and try to eat small portions when possible. "

Here are a few tips that I try to heed:

1. Latte, cappuccino, and hot chocolate lovers be sure to use non-fat milk! I love cappuccinos, so when I do order one... I order it with skim milk. I try to limit my intake of coffee to only two or three a week. The rest of the time I drink herbal teas.