That's Fit

I actually screamed out loud when I found this recipe in the Delicious Disney, The Disney Chefs with Pam Brandon book. My husband and I shared SEVERAL of these last time we were at EPCOT Center in the Walt Disney World Resort, and have lusted for it since. It was served at the Sunshine Seasons in The Land. This Roasted Vegetable Cuban Sandwich is perfect for both carnivores and vegetarians alike. It's fairly simple to make and will leave you with a little streak of drool on the side of your face until you have one again! I've posted the recipe in my online Recipe Book at Fitness.com, page 41, for permanent access. Enjoy!

As I've been leading you through the paces of enjoying the best Walt Disney World has to offer, without trashing your health and fitness habits, this is one of the easiest days to master. On our second day of vacation we headed to the holy land of wholesome family fun, The Magic Kingdom. Ahhh yes! This is the place where children squeal, Mommies well up with tears of joy on a regular basis, and Daddies shout like kids themselves on the roller coasters. It's also a place where every last visitor is likely to do a ton of physical work. In fact ... read on and you'll learn exactly how many calories we burned during this day. It's insane!

So! Our day consisted of pushing the kids in the double stroller, then watching the castle show. Did I mention each of my children weigh almost 40 pounds? Then we pushed the kids in the double stroller some more, and rode some rides in Fantasyland. In fact, before we even stopped for lunch, we pushed the double stroller again and rode rides in: Fantasyland, Tommorowland, back to Fantastyland, Mickey's Toontown Fair, Adventureland, back to Tommorowland and finally landed back in Adventureland for lunch. Then we ran circles in the water squirters at both Ariel's Grotto and Pooh's Corner to cool off for about an hour. The latter half of the day resembled the first half, except it seemed even busier.

Gallery: Fitz's Fit Family Disney Vacation Day 2 @ Magic Kingdom

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.

Mmmmmm. Just the mention of Chef Jens Dahlmanns's name puts my mind in ecstasy. His is the name of the man who created what I'd choose as my 'last meal.' He's the premier Chef of Disney's signature restaurant The California Grill, who also oversees a staff of award-winning chefs atop Disney's Contemporary Resort. Chef Jens was classically trained in European kitchens and worked for Le Cirque 2000 in New York City and Cafe 'L Europe in Palm Beach, Florida, before joining Disney in April 2004.

We first spoke on the phone a week before I was to dine at his spectacular grill. From a fitness trainer standpoint, he gave all of the 'right answers.' Not that he was contrived, but his stance on cooking is what I would wish to hear. If you've read my features before, you'll know that I preach the importance of lean fresh foods. Read on to see how dead-on Chef Jens is to that style of eating. From a regular gal's point of view, it was just really exciting and fun to hear Chef Jens talk about food. He described white asparagus the same way most men would describe a beautiful woman. I could imagine what each item tasted like as he described them.

My experience at The California Grill was almost indescribable. Chef Jens and his staff were pampering to say the least. He greeted me with a sample of the white asparagus he gushed about, and I knew I was in for something special. The combinations of flavors and textures were to die for! I relished every bite and cleaned each and every plate that landed in front of me (highly unusual for me). The man knows how to make fresh food taste divine. The advice he gave in this interview is exactly what I, as your online Fitzness Trainer, want you to follow. Chef Jens just knows far better than I, how to make all of the healthy stuff taste heavenly.

Fitz: How much does "healthy" influence the foods you create for your menus?

Chef Jens: Healthy actually has a lot to do with our menu. First of all, Disney has set an initiative for enhancing our menus in a healthy way, so across all of the Disney parks and restaurants you'll find better choices. On my part, I'm always driven by what's fresh in the market. We create meals based on the season. At the California Grill, our menu changes according to what foods are in season. Fresh food equals leaner and "cleaner" food. I never use processed ingredients.

In my expert opinion, yes! Disney World is the healthiest place on earth. I just returned from a five-night, six-day vacation with my husband and two children and was blown away by the amount of physical activity both offered and required of ourselves in order to indulge in the full Disney experience.

We pushed our double-stroller miles through two theme parks, climbed thousands of stairs and jumped an equal amount of waves at two water-parks, danced our tushies off to live bands at various Disney resorts, and played game after game with our children as we giggled, oohed and ahhed at all the Disney magic. As a fitness trainer, one of my biggest obstacles is convincing my clients not to trash their fitness efforts when they head out on vacation. Disney offers the perfect opportunity to not only maintain one's fitness level, but improve it.

The physical adventures are endless, and Disney World has made a deliberate effort to increase the availability of legitimately nutritious, low fat, and lower sugar foods. Fruit stands have popped up all over the theme parks, and children's dining has switched from burgers and fries to grilled chicken with carrots and grapes offered as side dishes. Soda has been dumped for low fat milk! I can't get food that "clean" in my own neighborhood, unless I cook it myself! Of course, the old junkie favorites like popcorn, fries, and ice cream are still available, but if you do care about your health and want to maintain it on vacation ... Disney makes it easy.

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. Fitz, For about a year now, I've been doing exercises for my obliques. I've done them about three or four times each week and have done a variety of different exercises each workout. I'm also a naturally thin person who recently lost 10 pounds (so I'm really thin now) and I still have those awful love handles! How do I get rid of them? Emily

A. Ugh Emily! This is a question I've answered before, but since it's such a tremendous source of frustration for so many...I believe the topic of love handles is worth visiting again. You're actually the perfect example of how annoying they can be. You are a trim person who does a variety of abdominal exercises frequently. Most folks would believe that would be enough. Unfortunately for some people, it is not.

Love handles often have to do less with abdominal muscles and more with body type. For example. I'm a pretty trim chic, but when I have gained weight...it's all gone to my boobs, belly and thighs. In fact, I used to be 40 pounds heavier than I am today, but I've never had love handles. Some people get it all in their hips. Even if they achieve their ideal weight, some of those people are still stuck with dreaded 'saddlebags'. Your issue is the same. Great fitness. Lean body. One or two annoying pockets of fat.

Trying to drop a few pounds? Would losing even 5 pounds make you happy (well, 4.9lbs to be exact)? If so, tell your wife or husband to go on a diet.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut discovered that when one member of a married couple attempted to lose weight by going on a diet, the other member tended to lose weight, too. And we're not talking about a pound of weight loss, we're talking an average weight loss of 5 pounds!!

Was this part of some magical and mysterious reason? Not unless you think consuming less calories should be David Blaine's next big stunt. Otherwise, it's pretty simple, really. Because their partner was taking in fewer calories, the spouse of the dieter tended to do the same, even if they never made the conscious decision to do so.

My little family and I really love Christmas. Ginger, 4 and Parker, 2 are really young and adore all of the excitement that Santa brings. It's just pure fun, so we tend to take advantage of every little moment that we can.

Within the next few days we'll start preparing for Santa and his reindeer's arrival. The gingerbread houses are already decorated, so at the grocery store we'll get cookie mix and broccoli for Santa. Carrots, glitter and something else for the reindeer. Read this, if you're not so sure why Santa will be receiving broccoli.

The medicine ball is a fantastic piece of equipment; it's versatile, compact, and lots of fun. Available in a wide variety of sizes, colors, styles and quite inexpensive...the medicine ball is the perfect tool for anyone with a little bit of space and a lot of desire. I use them all the time for strength and stability training. Here are some ideas on how to train with yours. Look for more medicine ball magic when I begin the That's Fit video podcast "Move of the Week".

• Do push-ups with one hand on the ball.
• Do push-ups with both hands on the ball.
• Do a push-up with one hand on the ball. In the 'up' position, roll the ball to your other hand and do another push-up like that. Repeat.
• Hold the ball in your hands above your head and reach back while doing crunches.
• Put the ball between your knees or under your knees, and lift them up toward the ceiling while doing crunches. (picture shown)