To sip or not to sip? When you're talking tea, the consensus among health experts seems to be: sip up! Tea is nutritious, delicious and virtually calorie-free. Over at Mark's Daily Apple, they're talking tea. Here are 10 reasons to start brewing:

• Tea is full of antioxidants.
• It also has anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, among others.
• It can lower the body's absorption of carbohydrates.
• It can protect you against ovarian cancer.
• If you have it sans milk, it counts as a glass of water against your eight glasses a day.
• It can curb hunger and help satisfy cravings.
• it's lower in caffeine than coffee
• To get the most positive impact from tea, drink two to three cups a day. If you can't? One cup should be fine.
• Loose, fresh tea offers more benefits than bags of tea.
• Worried about staining your teeth? Drink white or green tea instead of traditional black tea.

What do you love about tea?

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While at Canyon Ranch -- a health, healing, and fitness resort in Tucson, Arizona -- a nutritionist told me to take a breather from hard-core healthy eating once in a while. "Order a pizza once a week," she told me. "Everyone needs a break." At the time, before I embarked on my strict diet overhaul, this seemed like sound advice. It was an invitation to let loose. I liked it. But now, five months and 15 pounds later, I can't seem to let go of my nutrition reins and give in to that cheesy, greasy pizza.

Is my diet behavior too extreme? Should I loosen up? Perhaps. But what about those who go to the other extreme? The one where letting loose is practiced a bit too often.

While every health nut should lighten up now and then and a short hiatus from the gym is certainly OK, it's not wise to go overboard. Practicing a healthy diet all week long only to guzzle beer on the weekends, shovel in the junk food, and party until the wee hours of the morning is simply counterproductive.

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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 need some advice on how to best use my treadmill. I have a seven month old baby, and have lost a bunch of weight....but I've hit a plateau. I'm nursing, and am constantly hungry. Please don't suggest a gym, because I can't afford one. I'd just like to make the best of my treadmill. I'm desperate. Help! Melanie.

A. Plateaus suck, Melanie. Very frustrating. Fortunately though, it sounds like we can get you moving in the right direction. I nursed both of my children as well, and remember the feeling of constant thirst and hunger. In fact, the second I sat down to nurse, my husband went running to get me a drink. The urges are wild, aren't they?

You don't need a gym. Gyms are fantastic tools if you choose them, but they are no means the end-all when it comes to fitness. You can work wonders in the comforts of your own home, while junior can comfortably sleep or play as well. You didn't tell me what you're doing on the treadmill now, but I can give you this advice. Do more! Go further, faster or walk at an incline. Cranking up the intensity of your workout is a sure way to burn extra calories and develop the muscles in your legs as well. If you don't have specific health issues that prevent you from jogging.......do it! Many of my personal training clients shied away from jogging pre-me, because it seemed too hard. Now they're all running several miles a day.

Increase the level of your training gradually. Don't expect to double your efforts right away. Jog for two minutes, walk for two minutes. Jog for three minutes, walk for two. Jog for four, walk for two. Increase that way. Soon a complete jog will be possible. If you can't jog for some reason, use the incline. Increase the level by one percent each day you train.......and soon you'll be climbing mountains. Not only does that burn mega calories, but you'll earn the firmest fanny for miles. And if you can't jog or walk at an incline....walk further. Increasing mileage decreases you!

Add strength training daily as well. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn throughout the day. Push-ups, squats, lunges, dips, crunches, leg lifts, planks. All of those things are free, and will provide you with a great total body workout. You can use your baby as resistance. Do all of your strength training exercises while holding him. You'll both have fun!

Lastly, eat wisely. Since you're hungry quite often, be particular about what you put in your mouth. Look for low calorie, highly nutritious options. Fruit, veggies, lean meat and lean dairy in small portions will keep you satisfied and on the way to your fitter figure. Let me know how it goes Mommy! Fitz

Q. Hello! I have recently started working out again and have gradually worked my way up to using the elliptical machine for an hour. I do 30 minutes of elliptical, then ten minutes of walking, followed by another 30 minutes of elliptical. Unfortunately 20 minutes into my workout, my feet begin to go numb. It's like the tingling sensation you get when you're feet go to sleep. At first I thought it was the shoes I was wearing, but I changed them and it made no difference. Have you ever heard of this before? Do you know what causes it or what I can do to alleviate it? Thanks. Anna

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Maybe it's a bad day at work, combined with a frustrating commute home, followed by a burnt dinner, all resulting in a guilty binge on take-out and a couch potato session in front of the TV (or maybe it's something else altogether), but all-too-often tension and stress build up one small way at a time all throughout the day. You may not even realize just how tight and uncomfortable you are until you take the time to do some stretches and relax.

So if this sounds like you take a look at these stretching exercises, some with fun names like "paint the ceiling" and "shoulder blade slide," and see if you don't feel happier and looser in minutes.

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Lots of you fail to stretch on a regular basis, because you have limited time right? I know it's hard. I'm a Mommy and a professional and I only get so much time to spend at the gym before I simply have to get somewhere else. It's like that for everyone. Given 60 minutes to train, most folks will choose cardio and strength cause those are the things that get us trimmer and harder.

Don't feel guilty about neglecting to stretch at the gym. It's OK. Just don't neglect to stretch all together. If I were to have my way 100% of the time, we'd all have time to do complete cardio, strength training, and stretching at each workout. It's simply not reality though. So......what do you do? Stretch throughout the day!

• When you wake up, stretch like a cat in your bed.
• Stretch out your triceps in the shower.
• Reach down and stretch your hamstrings while tying your shoes.
• While walking through a doorway, grab the door frames at shoulder height, continue to walk through and hold as you stretch your chest.
• While sitting at your desk, twist at the waist and stretch your low back.

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.Hey Fitz, I just don't like veggies. Do I really need to eat them, or can I take a multivitamin instead. Aaron.

A. Wow Aaron! Out of the hundreds of veggies out there, you don't like any? That seems odd. It's funny. Even though I started teaching fitness at age 18,I too refused to eat any sort of vegetables except for those found in a house salads until I turned 21. I had a mental block against them and considered them gross I guess. Funny thing happened to change my mind. I met the most gorgeous guy in the planet and he cooked me chicken and broccoli one night. I was totally grossed out, but wanting to impress this man.....I gave em a try. Turns out I actually did like broccoli. I also ended up loving the onions and peppers he grilled and put on top of pizza the next week.

I didn't like veggies because I hadn't tried them. I predict you're in the same boat. Veggies are vital to a well balanced diet. They're huge on vitamins, high on fiber and low in calories. Why wouldn't you want to make an effort to love these things? They'll keep your skin pretty, nails strong, vision clearer and digestive system moving at a super pace. Nonetheless! I now love veggies and crave them in large quantities. I also married that hot guy who introduced me to the. So I say, "Try them, try them Sam I AM! You will like cauliflower and yams!"

Q. I had my daughter three years ago and although I have lost a lot of the pregnancy weight, I have been left with a deflated belly. Just a saggy, loose flabby belly. I have been told there is nothing I can do to tighten loose skin. Can I re-tighten my stomach? Or is liposuction/tummy tuck the only solution? Not that I would go that route. Brenda

The first thing you should do if you've lost a significant amount of weight is toss your old clothes. Sure, it's fun to flaunt your new bod around the office with obviously saggy slacks, but you need to get rid of them and fast!

Why the urgency? You need to remove the ability to grow back into them. Shrinking out of your clothes is an awesome accomplishment and the best way to celebrate is to say adios to all of the things you never want to be able to wear again. I hound my personal training clients about this all the time. Keeping your too-big sizes around is literally a way of giving yourself permission to regain the weight you've lost.

Clothes are costly and you're far better off spending that cash on smaller clothes you are proud to wear. And, they'll keep you in check. If you should slide and start putting a a few pounds back on........pain in the waistband is certain to prove as a sturdy reality check. So run, don't walk to your closet and make a grand donation to your favorite cause. In fact. Run to lots of different closets and burn a bunch more calories. Maybe your new pants will be your old pants soon!