Wendy Alexander

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Wendy Alexander

Age: 45

Occupation: Occupational Therapist

How often do you exercise? Four times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running and working out at the gym.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? Signing up for 5K races keeps me motivated to stay in shape.

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If you have kids, you know all about the nature versus nurture debate. Some parents are paying to find out if their babies have all the right genetic stuff of an athlete. So what do you think? Were you born to be an athlete? Or did practice and hard work make you skilled at your favorite sports?

There's no doubt that certain body types have advantages in certain activities. Height is practically a requirement for elite basketball players, serious runners tend to be long and lean and would Nastia Liukin have been able to flip so elegantly if she were 5'9'" and heavyset? There are three extremes for body types:

• Endomorphs are pear-shaped with wide hips and shoulders.
  
• Mesomorphs have broad shoulders and narrow hips.
  
• Ectomorphs are tall and thin with a narrow body.
  

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While our neighbors head to church, a friend and I plan to hit Great Falls National Park on Sunday morning and sweat it out on the trails. We're both going through very challenging times and we need to escape and work our bodies and breathe and take in something much bigger than us and our worries. Something tells me God approves. In fact, He will be there.

There's something about waterfalls. The power. The beauty. The refusal to stop going. That's it. They just keep going. So that's what we'll do. We'll take a lesson from the waterfalls. The Stone Roses song comes to mind:

She'll carry on through it all.
She's a waterfall.
She'll carry on through it all.

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This weekend my son and I are going on a vacation. While we're staying in a cabin, we'll be spending most of our time outdoors -- at the beach, sand dunes, nature trails, and hiking paths. Both my son and I love to explore and check out what nature has to offer. A new web portal, Andy Camper, is all about outdoor adventures for kids.

The site offers dozens of how-to videos for kids; from geocaching to watching the stars. The site aims to get kids excited about the outdoors and to reconnect them with nature through fun, engaging ideas and activities.

My son is really into bugs right now (except spiders... they freak him out). Tonight, we're going to make this cool water viewer to help us look for bugs and other critters in the lake this weekend. Check it out! You're sure to find fun activities for you and your kids whether you're heading out on a special outdoor adventure, or just want to do some exploring in your own backyard.

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Is exercising naked all the rage? I don't know about that, but when Fitz posted about doing naked push-ups, readers sure had a lot to say about it!

Naked push-ups in the privacy of your own bathroom are one thing, but what about hiking naked? Yep, out in the woods, where they'll be more of you to see than the nature surrounding you.

Are there advantages? For one, you'd be cooler! I think, though, that the real impetus behind the hiking naked movement is about the state of mind, the freedom, the becoming one with nature as opposed to being a backpacking tourist.

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You've only got a limited time to enjoy the summer, now that we are already into August. If you are like me, many of the fun things on your summer fun to-do list either haven't gotten done yet, or seem so monumental that you don't feel like attempting them anymore... canoeing with a three-year-old comes to mind....

Never fear, you can enjoy summer with some easy activities that keep your body active and your mind serene. Ten healthy ways to enjoy summer include:

• biking
• yard-saling
• enjoying nature
• brewing sun tea
• enjoying a good book
• grilling
• fishing

Visit Monica Resinger's original article for all ten ways and then go out and have a healthy rest of the summer.

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I tend to believe that, if it's good enough for NASA, it's probably good enough for my home. You know, with the exception of the astronaut food -- yuck. And so, hearing that bringing plants indoors is a secret weapon for NASA was all the convincing I needed to start bringing some of my greenery inside.

There are loads of benefits to having plants in your home, beginning with air quality. NASA sponsored research on the removal of chemicals from the air by plants, and found that houseplants helped remove pollutants like benzene, ammonia, and formaldehyde from the air.

Additionally, there's something called the Biophilia Hypothesis, which basically means that our ancestors might have passed on to us a desire to live in green, natural spaces -- a survival advantage for them. What that means for us is that we have a natural inclination toward other living things, and that simply keeping houseplants around could elicit a "feel good" response.

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I didn't go outside once today, and I'm really disappointed about that. How dare I let a beautiful, sunny, summer day go by without at least getting a few minutes of sunshine on my face? It's not something that happens very often, but obligations kept me inside and out of the summertime sun.

Where I live, summer weather is a short-lived and precious thing, so normally we spend every second we can out in it. But in today's modern and comfortable world, it can be way too easy to just stay in, where there are no bugs and no need for sunscreen.

Not only is vitamin D important, but so are the mood lifting benefits of getting outside and enjoying what nature has to offer. If you find yourself hanging around indoors a little too often this summer, take a look at Real Simple's 7 ways to spend more time outside.

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Feeling stressed? One of the best ways to manage stress may be waiting for you just outside your back door.

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While any kind of exercise is good for your health, a hike on a nature trail has added perks. Many people who live in cities or towns are rarely exposed to nature. And even those who live in a more natural setting often spend their days packed into office cubicles like so many sardines. Escaping to a park or nature preserve for your daily dose of exercise not only does your body good, it also soothes your mind.

While there may not be actual medical evidence pointing to the benefits of nature, you can do your own "study" of sorts. Exercise on a treadmill one day and then go for a hike on a wooded trail another. Just see what type of exercise leaves you feeling more energized, more at peace, and more in stress free.

The gym has a place in our lives. It serves its purpose. But there's something to be said for a jaunt through the woods -- so head outside and enjoy!

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Moms: Pat yourselves on the back this Mother's Day for your ability to influence your kids in the healthiest of ways. Did you know you have the power to nurture your kids in a manner that might change their nature? You can also boost your little ones' IQs, conquer their stress, and ensure they get sick less often? You are a force to be reckoned with. Scientifically speaking anyway.

It's the strong mom-and-baby bond science is linking to smarter, healthier, happier children. Consider this: Nurturing mommy mice can actually change their pups' genes for the better with a whole lot of nurturing. Chances are human moms can do the same thing. Dads play a part too, but it's mom who generally has a more lifelong effect on kids, Mice studies also tell us that nurtured babies outsmart babes who are neglected by their moms, and pups who are snuggled by momma grow into less anxious, more self-assured adults.

Studies of moms and babies conclude that kids of very attentive mothers make friends more easily and get sick much less often.

I often ask moms of happy, well-behaved teenagers for advice. I figure if I stock up on strategies for the next few years, by the time my boys tumble in teen-hood, I'll know just what to do. Most moms feed me the same line: They love their kids unconditionally, they say, and they spend as much time with them as possible. Seems like a solid plan to me. I'm glad science agrees.

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I took my boys strawberry picking on Friday. We go every year. Each time, the experience gets better. When my guys were toddlers, it was a pretty daunting excursion -- think wobbly steps, sunscreen, smashed berries, dirty clothing, whining, crying, and more. Still, it was worth the headache. The sight of little fingers manipulating the fruit of the Earth was beautiful. It still is -- the fingers are just bigger and more skilled at their work. The steps are solid and purposeful. Few berries are sacrificed. And whining and crying are non-existent. The sunscreen and dirty clothing are still issues we contend with but are never a deal breaker.

Seven-year-old Joey and four-year-old Danny were in heaven walking the strawberry fields the other day. Armed with their very own buckets, they plucked perfect red berries, one by one, from the ground. "Look at this one," they'd exclaim, comparing their finds with one another. They were amazed by every strawberry they dropped in their buckets and kept picking until they could hold no more. They yielded way too many berries but I just couldn't make them stop. Happy boys, marveling at nature while collecting nutritious food, are just too hard to come by. I let them go overboard. The loved it.

Twenty-four dollars worth of strawberries sit in our kitchen. We've already made a pretty good dent in our supply, and we've delivered a few berry bags to some neighbors. Blueberries will be our next conquest. I can't wait.

Have you ever gone picking? If not and you'd like too -- I highly recommend it -- just visit www.pickyourown.org and you're sure to find some farms in your area.

Wonder Time, a magazine that celebrates the joys of parenting young children, has some pretty wondrous material stashed among its fancy pages. Like this cool piece of advice: When you look at food, you should see nature. Do chocolate eggs pop out of chickens?

I love this, think I'll introduce my kids to the concept, and definitely plan to try some of the nature-like snack ideas I picked up from this doctor's office magazine.

• Hummus.

• Deviled eggs.

• Low-fat yogurt.

• Freeze-dried fruit.

• Apple slices. Try with peanut butter.
  

• Whole grain crackers. Add low-fat cottage cheese.

• Whole grain tortilla chips. Add low-fat cheese for more taste.
  
  
• Trail mix. Make your own. Combine almonds, walnuts, dried fruits, and seeds.

• Edamame. These are soybeans, harvested at the peak of ripening right before "hardening" time. Parboiled, quick-frozen, and protein-packed, this snack comes in pod-form. Just squeeze directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.

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After you kick off those exercise shoes, why not lounge around in something comfy and environmentally friendly? Add a bag, some surf gear, and a hat and you'll be completely decked out in sustainable stuff.

It's a simple concept by a company calling itself yes, Simple. There's nothing over-built or over-hyped about the gazillion products sold by this green group. All items are 100 percent sustainable and are made using a method called Green Toe. It's not a magical formula, or a cure, according the company's website. It's just a compass that points to a bright green future. Using a scale of "good, better, best," each product is rated according to it's contribution to Mother Nature.

It's all very cool, the vision of this company, the trendy eco-sneaks available for men, women, and kids, the fact that these Simple products are made from bamboo, organic cotton, cork, and recycled car tires. Now that's what I call a fashion statement.

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We only have one Earth. And one Life. And one chance. So we might as well do things right, like preserving the gifts bestowed upon each one of us, say the powers that be at A.R.E. Naturals, an on-line shop offering products made from materials drawn purely through the generosity of Mother Nature.

This shop has quite an inventory of green items -- stuff for the kitchen, the bed and bath, the garden, the mind, and of course: The body.

Check out these fitness tools. There's a bamboo yoga block, a hemp yoga mat bag, and a hemp yoga bolster. How about a natural rubber fitness ball? Or natural rubber weight balls? These are just some of the finds you'll discover with one swift click of your mouse.

If you're an earth-loving enthusiast who lives and breathes the green life, this may be just the stop for you. If you've located other great green fitness locations, drop us a comment and let us know how to get there.

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