Snowboarding is an extreme sport that's been on the rise in popularity over the past few years. The sport's origin was inspired by combining the concepts of skateboarding, surfing and skiing. It officially became a winter sport at the Olympics in 1998. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), snowboarding first became to the United States in 1965 when Sherman Poppen bolted two skis together, and it became popular when commercial snowboards became available in the late 1970s and now snowboarding is the fastest growing winter sport in the United States.

Snowboarding for Beginners
Your legs should be in relatively good shape before you attempt this sport. A workout consisting of leg presses, lunges, calf raises and squats will isolate and build the leg muscles and hamstrings to prep you before you get on your snowboard. Plus, a snowboarder's body should be flexible in order to twist and turn without getting injuries. Stretching is key and practicing yoga is also helpful to limber up that body. Of course, walking, swimming and running will strengthen one's cardio abilities and endurance.

How Many Calories Does a Snowboarder Burn?
Approximately 10 minutes of snowboarding burns 88.9 calories for a 140-pound person. That's compared to 77.79 calories burned during a ski-machine workout.

What's My Risk of Injury in Snowboarding Versus Skiing?
Although people are susceptible to injuries in both skiing and snowboarding, knee injuries are most common with skiing as are broken bones, while snowboarding injuries are most common in the ankles, wrists and upper body, according to the AAFP. Ski helmets are commonly worn by skiers, while snowboarders shouldn't be without wrist guards in addition to helmets.

What Equipment Will I Need for Snowboarding? How Expensive Is it?
In addition to protective gear, (wrist guards for $8 and a snowboarding helmet for $50 to $60) a snowboarder should have boots (approximately $175 - $250), snowboards with bindings (approximately $300 - $400) and proper clothing such as a base layer, warm insulation, and waterproof outer layer. Plus, goggles (approximately $60 - $100) are essential on bright days to prevent snow blindness. Another option? Most snowboarding resorts offer rentals.

Are you worried that you'll get out of shape this winter? Don't be. Instead, follow these tips to avoid winter weight gain.

By now you've probably heard about belly-flattening foods, but have you seen what kind of results they can have on your waist and overall health? Check out AOL Health's "Flat-Belly Diet" success stories to see why this weight-loss program worked for these dieters. Plus, they've got 25 flat-belly recipes to get you started.

Is your pain all in your head? To find out, we asked Dr. James Gordon, founder and director of the Washington, DC-based Center for Mind-Body Medicine and author of "Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression," whether some common physical complaints are actually more mental than physical.

And now for something scary... Did you know you're probably decked out in 515 chemicals from cosmetics right now? Head to AOL Health to find out why, what you can do about it and which have the worst side effects.

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

Medicine balls, also known as "med balls," are weighted balls about 14 inches in diameter and available in weights ranging from two to 25 pounds. They can be used for strength and agility training, physical therapy and injury rehabilitation, and fat-burning interval exercises. Medicine balls are also particularly valuable for training the core, as well as the shoulders and lower body.

Medicine ball training is an "old school" form of exercise that's making a big comeback. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates stuffed animal skins with sand so his patients could toss them back and forth. Today, medicine balls are generally covered in leather, vinyl or polyester. Firm medicine balls are ideal for resistance training, while the softer, polyester-covered models are great for throwing, catching, bouncing and partner exercises.

Medicine ball training is ideal for both beginners and advanced exercisers because the weight of the ball can be scaled to participants' fitness levels. Lighter medicine balls -- four, six and eight pounds -- are the best option for partner exercises like one-arm throws, chest passes, overhead throws and rotations. A 10- or 12-pound ball can be used for sit-ups, squats and lunges in place of dumbbells, and may even be more effective in getting toned than using dumbbells or weight machines.

Check out these 10 cool exercises with medicine balls for easy ways to incorporate medicine ball training into your workout routine.

Exercise is essential, but so is taking a break from your workout.

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Even if you don't consider yourself competitive in daily life, breaking out the Wii can turn the most mild-mannered person into a grunting, remote-slinging, living room version of Monica Seles (known for her guttural on-court outbursts). These random bursts of faux-athleticism spawned by the Wii (and also Wii Fit) have led to injuries that run the gamut from the not-so-serious (sore elbows and shoulders) to the serious (torn rotator-cuffs and dislocated knees).

With Wii Sports Resort coming down the pike on July 26, a host of new games lies in wait to stretch, injure and strain legions of former couch-dwellers, providing fodder for blogs, such as Wii Have A Problem, that track Wii-related injuries. Can't you just imagine throwing your arm out in a high-spirited game of table tennis? And who knows what kind of injuries are lurking around the corner for those who attempt swordfighting, wakeboarding or power cruising. The injuries people incur with Wii don't necessarily lie within the games -- some even tell users to take a break -- it's the competitive nature of the beast that generates a balls-to-the-wall, 0 to 60 attitude with people who may otherwise not exercise.

That's Fit had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Laurence Laudicina, sports medicine spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, to find out which injuries are most common and what you can do to prevent them.

Photo: cooper-martin.com

So, you blew out your ACL, and suddenly, you're faced with wearing shorts, skirts or sweats for the next few weeks. Or even worse, you're dealing with a more serious or permanent injury. When you're hurting, it just adds insult to injury to have to wear clothing that you hate, right?

Fortunately, Cooper Martin has created a line of clothing that doesn't make you choose between fashion and function. Their pants, as you can see in the picture to the right, are easy to put on and take off with the integrated zipper system, even if you can't bend your knee or move your hip.

The brand is in the process of offering more styles for both men and women, including shorts, lounge wear, undergarments and active wear. The trousers that are currently available just come in black for now and cost $120. It might be a hefty price to pay if you're making a speedy recovery, but it's nice to know you have options until you're back in the game.

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 wife and I had been doing a fantastic job of getting into shape, but then I sprained my foot and she got pregnant. Our daughter is nine months old now, and it's still really hard for us to find time to go the gym in the evenings. I've got a gut but and my wife thinks I'm smokin', so I'm not really concerned about weight loss. I do worry about my cardiovascular fitness, though. It's not unusual for my heart rate to top 100 BPM while I'm just sitting working at my desk, and that's pretty much all I do all day.

Because of my sprained foot (it's healed, but prone to re-injury), the treadmill is not recommended but the rowing machine is fine. I've recently started going to the gym on my lunch hour a couple of times a week, but I only end up getting about 20 minutes actually working out. If I plan well, I could probably stretch that to 30 minutes. What should I be doing to get maximum bang for my buck in terms of cardiovascular fitness? I want to have the endurance to keep up with my daughter as she grows up, and I want to be around a long time after that as well. Mike

A. Thanks for the super question, Mike! I broke my foot and tore soft tissues in a very bad way a couple of years ago, so I can completely identify with your situation. (Photo of me with my sexy cast on right.) I got stuck on a kayaking machine for months, which was mental torture for me, but like you, I was dedicated to my cardiovascular health. Since you've told me your foot has healed and if you've been given a doctor's release to exercise, I have some great ideas for you!

This is one of those stories I thought I'd never write. I'm writing about my tush and the big boo-boo on it. My dignity missing, I tell this tale as a warning to save the rest of you from similar pain. I promise to keep it short.

Last week I was a guest at a lovely gym while traveling and chose to participate in a pilates mat class. Just like everyone else in the room, I grabbed one of the little blue mats rolled up in the corner and unraveled it on to the wood floor. The instructor was terrific and everything was going really well, until we started rocking.

If you're not familiar with me, I'm a pretty lean little lady with a fairly flat booty. This lack of curvaceousness did not jibe well with the scrawny yoga mat and the wooden floor. I swear to you, my tailbone carved the alphabet into that studio floor after just a few minutes of V sits.

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Sarah Chalke is on the cover of the March issue of Fitness magazine, wearing a bikini (which actually covers more than some of the get-ups the put her in on Scrubs), and she looks thin, but toned. Still, the actress swears she eats pie, ice cream, and "hot-chocolate soup, which is basically a thick bar of chocolate melted and topped with whipped cream." Oh, and she doesn't own a scale. So, wait -- how does that work?

For starters, she doesn't do those foods all the time -- she's a healthy eater, but doesn't deny herself dessert. And she stays active in a million different ways, including hiking with her chocolate lab, Lola, or hitting the treadmill while she learns her lines. Her current favorite way to work out is Xflowsion, "a combination of martial arts, yoga and power dance." She demonstrates a few of the moves in the magazine, and I can definitely see where it would burn a ton of calories.

My question is, how does she do it and not get hurt? This is a girl who's torn the ligaments in her left ankle seven times, once while in a college lecture hall (her leg fell asleep, and when she tried to stand to ask a question, she toppled right over), and another time when she stepped on a pinecone when she was out for a walk. But you know, we've all had those moments, right? If so, show your Scrubs love and leave a comment about your most embarrassing fitness injury!

If you're training for a race, chances are you have some sort of game plan. Unless you're like me, of course -- I read the game plan, take it into account, and then do something that suits me better. Perhaps that's why I'm not competing for top spots in most races.

Still, whether you follow a training plan closely or do your own thing, it's important that you find a way to train that allows you to improve, yet avoid injuries. And who better to learn from than a man who is still running some of his best times at the age of 52?

Tom Ryan, 52, completed a 5K in just over 16 minutes last year. By running smarter, not longer, he's remained injury free, and he shared his tips with Active.com. Check out the gallery for a few tips on how to have a perfect week of training, and see the full article for specifics on training for your chosen distance.

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Safety helmets have become standard gear for biking. So much so that people don't think twice about putting them on. But many still go zooming down the side of a slippery mountain without the protection of a helmet. It's ridiculous if you think about it. Even more ridiculous when you consider that there were more than 26,000 head injuries from winter sports in 2007, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Keep safe while sporting in the snow by following these tips:

• Wear a helmet approved for your specific sport.
• Protect your eyes with goggles.
• Wear appropriate clothing.
• Use additional safety gear when it is available (e.g. hockey pads).
  
• Don't drink before skiing or snowboarding, and don't participate when you're not feeling well.
  
• Avoid hazardous conditions such as ice-coated sledding hills.
• Use approved areas for ice skating, skiing, snowmobiling and sledding.

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Professional and elite athletes rely on sports-med doctors to stay in the game. They don't wait for an injury to become so bad that they can't play -- they can't. Their jobs depend on it.

The rest of us might not be so quick to see a doctor when we feel a little pain -- we tend to rely on RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), often focusing on the "rest" part more than anything else. And that might be totally fine, but some injuries require attention from someone whose medical credentials don't rely solely on their love of Grey's Anatomy.

Shape magazine has some great tips on how to treat some injuries at home as well as information on what kinds of injuries might require further medical attention. There's even a list of some of the most commonly treated injuries as well as suggestions for avoiding these injuries in the first place.

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Do you happen to have any Lean Cuisine meals in your freezer? If so, you better take stock of what you have -- nearly 900,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine frozen chicken meals are being recalled.

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company in Springville, Utah issued the recall after receiving customer complaints regarding bits of hard, blue plastic in certain meals. So far, one injury has been reported. The products being recalled include:

• Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow-Tie Pasta.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan.

Only certain production codes of these meals are being recalled. If you have questions, you can contact Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 227-6188.

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My son plays soccer and during last Saturday's game, he was shooting a goal and took a hard kick from the goalie right in the thigh. He was rolling on the ground in pain for a little while but managed to walk off the field. (And I managed to keep myself firmly planted in my chair. I'm sure other moms can understand how hard it is to do that!)

It wasn't long before my son was back on the field, though. He was visibly limping and just forcing himself through the pain, so I was a bit worried. While I was proud of the sportsmanship he was showing, pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong -- and he was clearly ignoring that. Later that day, my son developed a nasty bruise -- but that was the full extent of the injury. So, other than being a bit sore and using an ice pack for a while, he was fine.

Whether you play sports, run, bike, or even just walk around your neighborhood, injuries can happen when you least expect it. While mild muscle discomfort is expected with exercise, it's usually not a good idea to keep working out while experiencing pain. Swollen muscles, joint irritation, numbness ... these are all signs that your body has had a bit too much. So, what do you do if pain puts you on the sidelines?

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Who wants to sit on the sidelines? Exercise is for the actively-minded, not for wallflowers. So protect your workout routing and stay injury-free with these five moves.

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