This morning was a special day for the mommies in my playgroup and I. Today we donated over 150 stuffed monkeys to the children being cared for at North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) in honor of our Angel Odessa. Odessa Virginia Webster was born at NFRMC on February 24, 2003, and landed back at the same hospital on March 25, 2004 for care after a fatal head injury. At thirteen months old, Odessa was stolen from her parents Matt and Anita, her loving family, and our already tight playgroup family. It was devastating for all of us, and out of our grief came an intense drive to honor our "Angel O".

To back up a bit, our playgroup began when our infants met at a "new mommy" luncheon hosted at NFRMC when they were two weeks old. Well, the infants didn't exactly meet each other, but us moms did ... and we decided then and there that we wanted to stick together. That made ten families dealing with the insanity of newborns and leaning on each other for friendship, advice, stress relief, and fun. We literally have been getting together for "playgroup" every Tuesday since, and our children are all addicted to each other; the best of friends. At the start, we would have never imagined what would come for us, for her, the following year. I just remember checking my email one day and opening one from Anita with "Odessa Virginia Webster" as the title. I expected to see a new photo from a portrait studio. A portrait was included, but it went along with a letter written by Anita informing us that her daughter was gone. "Please don't call now. I'm not ready to talk" she wrote. I simply can't describe the agony that followed for all of us.

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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, My question for you is: how can I lose weight when I'm no longer able to exercise due to a life time injury. I'm even stuck relying on the government for my income and food. Lisa

A. Hey Lisa. As if staying in shape isn't hard enough! Dealing with a disability truly makes weight management a challenge. It's not an impossible accomplishment though. It's just going to take a decent amount of education about nutrition for you, and an even greater amount of discipline.

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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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I hate to sound like a broken record and reiterate what you've already heard so many times already, but when it comes to exercising, there are rules that apply and it's all too easy to let some things slide when it comes to doing it right and being safe. Working out seems simple enough, and in truth it really can be, but you'd be surprised at how many people make simple errors that end up putting them at risk for decreased results, frustration, and even serious injuries.

Honestly I've been known to commit some of these no-no's, namely skipping my warm-up and back in my gym-going days I used to hop into the hot tub right after my workout. Whoops.

So here they are, the 7 deadly sins workout sins to avoid:

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When it comes to our joints, knees are strangely strong and weak at the same time, but they are absolutely vital to our mobility and general fitness. Without healthy knees physical activity becomes a next to impossible challenge.

So protecting the knee joints and preventing injury is a top priority, especially if you're just getting started with new fitness goals. There's nothing worse than getting hurt and having to stop right when you're starting to get the hang of things and are developing new healthy habits -- we all know how hard it is to get that energy and motivation back again!

There are two components, according to this article, when it comes to protecting your knees against injury: losing weight (to decrease their workload) and building strength in the muscles that surround and support the knee joint. The losing weight part is more complicated (but you're on the right track by visiting That's Fit!) than strengthening the joint, which is as simple as doing some regular exercises. Try these 4 knee-safe moves: knee squat, lying double leg curl, lying leg adduction, and standing calf raise.

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Individualized "yoga therapy" is becoming more and more popular across the country as a means of treating injuries and different types of pain. Although traditional yoga classes are an excellent form of physical activity, people with specific issues often find the group setting doesn't meet their individual needs. Meeting one on one with a yoga instructor who can tailor a series of moves just for you can work wonders. Yoga therapy is just starting to become popular in the U.S., although it's fairly commonplace over in India.

Be cautious, however, and consult with your doctor on an ongoing basis. There is no national credentialing system for yoga therapy, which leaves the door open for real weirdos to call themselves experts. A good rule of thumb is that most reputable yoga therapists will have other credentials, perhaps in physical therapy or another aspect of the medical field like nursing.

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This time of year inspiration runs high and the outdoors call to us, but you have to be careful not to go flying out the door in a hurry -- you'll have a good shot at losing all that perfectly good health and fitness mojo and wasting your efforts.

Of course there's always the risk that if you're not careful you might hurt yourself, but thinking things through and making a plan is about more than just safety: it's also about success. If you start something new on a whim, and then don't see immediate results, you run the risk of burnout, boredom, and disappointment. That's not to say whims aren't good for anything, just make a point to turn it in to something deliberate. After all, it's really about changing your way of life, right? Not just working out a couple times here and there.

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Besides looking better, many people start health and fitness programs to feel better also. And nothing will hamper your "feeling better" goals faster than an injury because you jumped in too hard too fast and hurt yourself. Common beginning mistakes and other things to be careful of:

• Before you start, get a physical. Everybody hears this, but for some reason few people actually do it.
  
• Don't do too much too fast. Jumping into a workout plan too fast is like going on a crash diet -- it's bad for you in so many ways. Your body needs time to adjust and 'get into the swing of things.'
• Learn the proper form, and stick to it. This applies to all areas of fitness really, but it is most commonly seen in gym and strength training environments. Injuries can happen all at once, or build-up over time from chronic use of improper form.
• Breathe when you exercise! No breath holding, please. Your body needs oxygen.
  
• Add variety. Keep things switched up to prevent your body from adjusting to your workout.
  
• And perhaps most importantly, stop immediately if you feel pain or discomfort. Paying attention to your body and taking care of yourself is one of your best tools for getting healthier and fitter.

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Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection that has been most often associated with the use of super absorbent tampons and occasionally with the use of contraceptive sponges. While the infection often occurs in menstruating women, it can also affect men, children and post menopausal women. Other risk factors for toxic shock syndrome include skin wounds and surgery. Signs and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome develop suddenly, and the disease can be fatal.

Can your child develop Toxic Shock Syndrome? Yes they can. A related infection, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, or STSS, is caused by streptococcus bacteria. Most often STSS appears after streptococcus bacteria have invaded areas of injured skin, such as cuts and scrapes, surgical wounds, and even chickenpox blisters.

Sign of Toxic Shock Syndrome are signs of shock, cold hands and feet, a pulse that is fast and weak, confusion or other mental changes, their skin is pale and moist, shortness of breath or abnormally fast breathing, a fever, a rash that looks like sunburn, nausea and vomiting and watery diarrhea, decreased urination, and confusion or other mental changes.

Call your child's doctor or get them to an emergency quickly if they have these symptoms because the sooner they get attention the quicker they recover. Men can develop this infection also. Keeping your child's hands washed is a good way to fight the bacteria that can cause and spread this illness.

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Winter is a great time for skiing and snowboarding, but unfortunately along with winter sports come winter sports injuries. Twisted and sprained joints, usually the knees and wrists, can range from mild to severe. If you get hurt on the slopes, remember this acronym: RICE. R= Rest the injured area, I= Apply ice, C= Use compression, and E= Elevate the affected area. When the injury is still fresh you want to avoid inflammation, so stay out of the hot tub and take an anti-inflammatory, like ibuprofen.

How do you know if you need to see a doctor? If the injured joint swells and/or you don't have full motion you should seek professional help, or if it isn't getting better after a couple of days. But what's the best thing for winter injuries? Do what you can to minimize the damage, or even avoid getting hurt altogether by taking what precautions you can -- like doing certain exercises well before you head outdoors and scoping out the slopes so you know the terrain.

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