Chances are you have a few mini candy bars hanging around your house -- maybe from your little ghosts and goblins who raided the neighborhood Friday night or maybe they're just left over from the gobs of goods you distributed to those who came knocking on your front door. Regardless, you've got them. Might as well eat them, right? I mean, they're mini. How dangerous can they be?

They're tricky, those mini-packs, says RealAge, and you'd be wise to get rid of them -- and fast. You're far better off taking a handful of candy from a big bag instead. Why? Because it's easier to overindulge on those Halloween-sized packages. In one recent study, people concerned about their waistlines ate more high-calorie snacks when given small bags than when given big ones.

Seems weight-conscious people view smaller portions of candy as healthier, which leads to overeating. But big bags -- well, people watching their weight are less likely to even open them. This is interesting, though: Those not concerned about gaining weight don't necessarily go overboard with small sweets. It's only the weight-concerned folks who fall into this trap. But don't think the not-concerned ones are eating any healthier -- they're just grabbing from the big bags.

And you? Are you a small snack person? Or do you go for the big bag?

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When I think of the mini-trampoline, my mind jumps back to the early 80s when my sisters and I would take turns using the trampoline and later we'd all work out with the Jane Fonda record. (Wow. I really dated myself there. But I was young in the early 80s. Really young.)

Now those mini-trampolines are called rebounders. While the equipment itself doesn't seem to have changed too much (though some have added features for folding and storage), the workout has improved with time. Take the Urban Rebounder system, for example. You don't simply bounce around aimlessly. The rebounder comes with a fitness DVD that will guide you through a 30-minute set of twists, squats and other moves.

The Urban Rebounder system isn't the only one available. Check out your local sporting goods store for more options, or do a quick search on the Internet for "rebounder." Want more fun fitness ideas? Check out AOL Health.

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We're almost set for soccer to start in September. The Sweetie Pie is signed up, birth certificate faxed, volunteer coach appointed (my husband) and the hunt for tiny shin guards is about to commence. Shin guards. For a 3-year-old.

But, hey, it's a chance to get out in the back yard, run around and practice kicking goals into a mini goal sent by Gramma and Grampa as a Father's Day gift. It made for a great goal-kicking contest at her birthday party. Great way to wear down nine kids.

We also watch the bigger kids on the field down the street, and attempt to mimic their moves at the park. For my husband and I, it's more of a mental workout than anything. Getting into a toddler's head in an attempt to figure out the best way to convey the rules of a sport and work as a team. My husband's definitely got his work cut out for him as coach. I figure it's also a chance to start building the habit of exercise in our child. Every Saturday morning, we'll have soccer. Every Saturday morning, we'll have soccer.

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 12-year-old daughter has started getting into fitness, all on her own motivation. She's always been on the thin side, and is certainly a healthy weight...and a fairly healthy eater. She said she wants to work out to build muscle and put on a few pounds (certainly not what you usually hear from girls at that age group). I want to support her, but I also want to be sure she is doing things in a healthy age-appropriate way.

She lives with her dad and we live in different states, which certainly makes matters more complicated. If she lived with me we could figure out ways to exercise together. Her dad and his girlfriend are both overweight with unhealthy habits. Any suggestions on how to get started? And is there anything she shouldn't be doing yet or things I should look out for? Thanks, Judy

Hello Miss Judy. You ask a great question and are smart to be both excited and leery of the situation. A child of 12 eager to pursue true fitness is an absolute gift. It is also a perfect point for that child's parent to stop and evaluate the situation, to make sure it's addressed correctly.

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Elizabeth Lienhart

Age: 23

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

How often do you exercise? Five to seven days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Spinning, running, kickboxing, weight training, dancing around the house.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Two piece swim suits and skinny jeans!

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New moms have it rough. No doubt about it. Everything from the physical recovery of giving birth to sleepless nights and zombie-like days can drain the best of us. It's hard to imagine good nutrition and exercise ever fitting into the hectic days with wee ones. The experts at parenting.com say it's possible, though. Here are some of their ideas for sneaking in some good-for-you nutrition and fitness.

• Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast, a quick workout, and some tunes. Breakfast quick picks include whole-grain cereal with skim milk, low-fat cottage cheese with fresh fruit, or two hard-boiled eggs with wheat toast or crackers. Workouts can be as short as 15 minutes. Try some squats, lunges, push-ups, and crunches to get the day started. Then belt out some of your favorite lyrics -- singing burns 59 calories per hour.
  
  
• Drink water throughout the day to keep your body properly hydrated.
  

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I want my sister's car. It's a brand new Ford Edge. It's small, sporty, sleek, and nothing like my seven-year-old, dented and scratched Honda Odyssey mini-van. That's why I want it.

The Ford Edge is not in my future, at least not until my little boys are grown and nearly out of my care. My mini-van is just too practical. For one, we own it. Second, the seats are positioned perfectly and my guys can't touch each other. That's a biggie. Third, it's dented and scratched, and I don't worry at all about what else may happen to my jalopy. Fourth, and most important: My mode of transportation at this very moment contains two bikes, one skateboard, one Big Wheel, one portable potty, hats, sunglasses, and a few tubes of sunscreen (it's still sizzling hot here in Florida). In a nutshell, we are on the road to fitness every time we embark on a road trip. All we need is a location, and we're set.

After school the other day, we headed to a local community college track and logged more than a mile of activity -- my boys on their bikes, me on my own two feet. All summer, stocked with swimsuits, tubes, boogie boards, squirty guns, and more, we were set for a jaunt to the pool at a moment's notice. When we go to the beach, we jam-pack with chairs, umbrellas, coolers, buckets, shovels, and fishing gear galore. Does it get any better than that?

Looking for a way to spice up your gym routine? How about getting some serious cross-training benefits and variety at the same time, while maximizing the resources at the gym? This mini-triathalon plan not only sounds fun, but I bet if you try it the time will fly by so fast that before you know it your workout will be over.

It involves 15 minutes of lap swimming in the pool (or on the rowing machine if you prefer), 15 minutes of cycling on a stationary bike, and 15 minutes of running on the treadmill. And the best part? It's completely adjustable, with the times easily shortened or lengthened to fit your personal fitness level!

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Whenever I've realized that I've let a few too many extra pounds creep up on me and decided that it's time to up the exercise and decrease the calorie intake, the one thing that I find I crave the most is gooey, sugary desserts. I know that cravings work differently for everyone, but for me it's not salty snacks I dream about, it's sweets.

While I realize that cutting out high-calorie foods with low nutritional value is what's necessary when trying to lose a few pounds, sometimes I just can't talk myself out of dessert. If you often find yourself feeling the same way, you may be interested to hear that "mini desserts", or desserts that are still full of calories but which are served in very small portions, were named by the National Food Association as the top food trend for 2007. This article about the delicious, bite-sized treats, lists some of the tastiest and where they're being served at restaurants across the country.

The great thing about mini-desserts is, if you don't live in any of the cities listed and can't visit the restaurants to try desserts recommended, you can still go out to your favorite eatery and order something delectable off the menu. You just have to remember to share with a friend or make sure to only eat a small portion on your own. The trick is having the will-power to stop at just a few bites and still feel satisfied.

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A couple of scientists from Israel have achieved what until now has only been possible in the movies -- a miniature robot capable of traveling through human blood vessels. Measuring only 1 millimeter, it's a small hub with legs designed to grip and crawl through blood vessels without getting swept away. Doctors can control the little robot indefinitely from the outside for different medical procedures, although they have yet to figure out what exactly they'll use them for. As of now, they're thinking small armies of bots sent in to battle internal cancers.

Would you be up for it? What if one of the little buggers gets stuck?

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