As your fancy online fitness trainer, the ability to teach through video is an invaluable tool. The written word is wonderful for so many things but actually showing you and communicating eye-to-eye via the amazing graces of THE PODCAST has allowed me to truly show you how and why you should try some of my favorite training techniques. Let's take a look back at a reminder of all the cool ways you can take your fitness training to a higher level.

#1 Innovative Push-ups with Emphasis on Your Abs

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Now I've officially heard it all. If you wish you had a perfect butt, look no further. All you need is the Biniki to wrap it, strap it and tie it up. The Biniki promises to lift and define the curve of your butt as well as smoothe out your thighs.

I've got nothing against undergarments that are designed to hide flaws and maximize body shape. If control top hose are good enough for Eva Longoria, they're good enough for me. But something about the butt bra just strikes me as really strange ... not to mention uncomfortable.

Of course, you could just go the tried and true route (and avoid wearing straps around your rear) and work your butt into perfect shape.

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If you're in search of sexy legs and a curvy can, squeeze these three moves into your workouts a few times each week. In fact, even if you aren't going to do a "full workout," just do these moves and your lower body will shine. I do these often myself and often incorporate them into the training sessions of my personal training clients. Each move works a variety of lower body muscles, and all of them will provide results quite quickly!

Squat Jumps: Squat down like a frog and explosively jump up as high as you can. This exercise will also crank up your heart rate, so begin with several sets of five jumps in a row with a short break in between. Increase your reps each workout.

Walking Lunges: Find a stretch of open space like a sidewalk or group fitness room. Alternating legs, take huge steps forward dropping your back knee close to the ground. Keep your back straight and avoid driving your front knee past your front ankle. Begin with 20 lunges and progress by adding steps or distance each time your train.

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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, I'm a woman in my early 40s and have really let myself go over the past decade. I used to have a nice figure, but now I'm stuck with a 'lumpy bumpy butt' that is far too big. The rest of my body needs work too. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago, cause I saw that you wrote it was a great program. I'm down three pounds already. So, what do you advise I do to improve my backside. It's awful! Marlene

A. Hello Miss Marlene. I'm glad you sent me your question, and I'm confident I can help. There are a lot of things you can do to tighten up that tush. You've already taken the first step with Weight Watchers -- losing weight will be most important for getting rid of bulging pockets of fat.

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Did you know your muscles have a memory? If you keep doing the same old, same old workout day after day the results are likely to slow down, if not stall out.

Women's Health has some subtle variations to traditional strength training moves. The changes are as simple as switching your hand or arm position when lifting weights or raising your feet up a few inches for push ups.

The changes may be minor, but they can give you big results in the long run. For best results, do the traditional moves for one week and then try the variations the next. Alternating the moves will your body guessing and guarantee good results.

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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.

Nutrition expert, Elizabeth Somer, and I recently sat down in New York City at the Prilosec OTC round table event to chat about aging without feeling or looking OLD! She tosses out tons of great advice about living well, living long and looking hot while doing it. The interview was fun and her books are great!

View Elizabeth's books below:

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There are certainly a million plus reasons to quit smoking: the smell, the cancer risks, the heart disease, etc ... But now there is a new one! If you want to have plastic surgery on your face (and if you've smoked for a long time ... you probably want to), your doctor may insist that you quit before she'll do the procedure. Smoking interferes with the healing process.

This article tells the tale of a woman who repeatedly tried to quit smoking with no success. Until! That is ... her purpose for quitting was vanity. Hooray for that! I don't honestly care what she does with her face, I'm just grateful to have one less smoker in the world. I'm also thrilled that doctors have found a legitimately convincing way to get people to stop.

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Weight training is a great way to strengthen, tone, and shape your body. In addition, building up your muscles helps you burn fat and improves your bone density. But it's important to keep safety and proper technique in mind when lifting weights. When starting a new weight lifting routine, consider consulting with a personal trainer -- a trainer can give you ideas on a routine that works well for you and can instruct you on proper form. Here are some tips from Revolution Health to get you started:

• Do lift an appropriate amount of weight. For most purposes, a weight that you can lift 12 to 15 times is right.
  
• Do learn to do each exercise correctly. When you use proper form, you get the most benefit and you minimize your risk of injury.
• Do remember to breathe. Don't hold your breath while lifting.
  
• Do balance your routine. For the best results, remember to work all of your muscle groups.
  
• Do give your muscles a break. Alternate days that you work on muscle groups so your muscles have time to recover.

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Weight lifting is great for your body. But if you don't follow proper technique you're not only wasting some of your effort, you're putting yourself at risk of injury. Incorrect technique can cause you to sprain or strain your muscles. You may even encounter more serious injuries like fractures or muscle tears. Revolution Health gives you some things to keep in mind:

• Don't skip your warm up. 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity will warm up your muscles and reduce your risk of injury.
• Don't hurry. Control your movements. A slow rhythm helps isolate the muscles so you know you're getting the most impact for your efforts.
• Don't overdo it. Pushing yourself way past the point of fatigue may cause injury.
• Don't work through the pain. While some soreness and mild discomfort is expected when you're working muscles, pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Listen to your body's signals.
• Don't forget your shoes. Shoes will give you proper traction while lifting weights.

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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 have a small kidney-shaped pool in my back yard. My preteen kids will be in it all summer and I'd like to kill two birds with one stone by spending time with them and getting in some exercise. What things do you recommend I do for a workout in a small pool? Andrea

A. Hello Miss Andrea. Thanks for the fantastic question. I love questions that pertain to a lot of people, and this one certainly does. I imagine there will be tons of moms and dads in pools over the next few months, trying to make the most out of their outdoor time. Here's the best news. Playing with your children and doing all of the things they do will prove to be a tremendous workout in itself. Kids are cuckoo in the water, and that requires lots of energy. So, at minimum, you could just play copycat.

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I'll spare you the entire bra story -- you can read all about it here if you wish -- but suffice it to say that something as little as a bra, a measly $20 bra, can lift a whole lot more than the flesh found right there on your chest. It can lift your mood and your overall spirit. And it can do quite a job at inflating both your body image and your self-esteem. I know because I just got my very own new bra.

I not only got a new bra this weekend. I got a brand new model of bra. I traded in my minimizing bra -- the kind I've worn for years -- for a barely-there-light-push-up bra that has transformed each of my breasts from pancake to perky. It's amazing, the difference, and it makes me want to spread the word: If you're feeling down about your body and need a change, a simple little change, while you whittle away at your weight or firm up your flab, then consider a new bra.

Or forget the bra. Make it a new pair of pants that flatter your behind. Or a shirt that trims and slims. It can be anything really -- a hip new jacket, a sporty haircut, a fresh manicure, anything that puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face. Let's be real here: Big sweeping changes take time. So why not try reinventing yourself before long stretches pass you by? It's easy, I tell you. As easy as my new bra.

I just finished reading a feature on Kelly Ripa in Fitness magazine. The focus of the article is on Kelly's new fit body and her favorite workouts. But of course, when it comes to Ripa, we can always expect the unexpected.

Kelly says she wears jeans that are very tight in the butt, because they give her some extra lift. She wants her jeans to smoosh her cheeks together and raise em up. I've never actually thought about jeans that way, but the idea has the capacity to make sense.

Just be careful when you're trying on denim that the jeans squish you up, and don't smoosh you down. Flat fannies are not so hot!

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Each week, Debbie will share her goals, challenges, successes and tips on how to fit in fitness when caring for a rambunctious toddler.

Yeah, I know this whole feature is about sneaking in fitness around caring for your little person, but I think I have stumbled upon the sneakiest exercise of all.

In fact, I have been doing this exercise, unbeknownst to both me and my child, since the day he was born.

What is this exercise, you ask? Well, it is probably no newsflash, but carrying your child is building muscle every moment you envelop your sweet love in your arms while standing or walking.

Why am I having this dawning of knowledge now, when Owen is approaching his third birthday? Because that little dumplin' is heavy! Owen is going through a super-clingy phase right now, so I have been carrying him more than ever. I feel it mostly in my forearms and mid-back muscles, but my body knows I have been carrying an extra thirty pounds much more often than I should have to!

Will I wean Owen from my embrace? Not a chance. There will come a day when he won't want to be carried, and that will come too soon for me, so I am going to soak in every cuddle I can get between now and that fateful day. And don't forget about the fringe benefits of muscle-building!

OK, so I didn't feel much of a burn during my baby workout this morning. But I did practice a few exercises, and I surely spent a few calories all the same.

Now when I say "baby," I don't mean anything small, mini, or itty-bitty. I mean "a baby." A real baby. A beautiful baby girl with chubby cheeks and chunky thighs and a crooked little grin that warms my heart. At 15 weeks of age, my niece Tori is the perfect 14-pound bundle. Perfect for snuggling, squeezing -- and weight lifting.

We're a great pair, Tori and me. I need a little weight-bearing exercise and she needs a lot of attention. Together, we make quite a team. I get to lift, squat, lunge, and balance with her. And she gets to move, groove, and kick-start a lifetime of physical fitness with me.

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If you're wanting to look younger and are considering some of the more invasive and drastic procedures like injections or cosmetic surgery, have you thought about acupuncture instead? Although acupuncture has existed for thousands of years, it's only really been in use here in the U.S. for face lifts for about 20 years or so. And the technique may not be what you expect -- an acupuncture face lift isn't what I pictured at first, which was needles sticking all over a person's face. It's much more complicated and often the needles are put other places on the body based on where the acupuncturist determines the problems (the wrinkles) are originating from.

Have you tried it? Would you try it? Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and Cher apparently have. What do you think?

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