Just wanted to wish all of my fellow Americans a very happy Fourth of July, and to remind everyone why we celebrate. Of course politics can be rough, and the economy sometimes varies, but those things pale in comparison to all that this country has to offer. As I was explaining to my three and five year old children this week, we celebrate our freedom this Friday. As Americans we are able to choose our jobs, choose our religion, choose our spouse, choose our homes, and have as many or as little children as we'd like to have.

Nothing is perfect of course, but America is perfect for me. I rarely walk by a man or woman in uniform without thanking them for their service, nor an elderly man proudly wearing his baseball cap describing which branch of the military he served. I value the local and state law enforcement officers for placing their lives on the line each day to protect ours. I'm even grateful for the sometimes messy brood of politicians we elect to run this beautiful country of ours.

Lastly, I'm grateful for the nation of Americans. Thank goodness the majority of us are really good hardworking people. The good certainly outweigh the bad. I thank you for voting, working, educating your children, volunteering, helping strangers, and just making this country what it is today. I love it here. I'm proud to be here, and I'm grateful to those who laid their lives on the line to provide my family and I the simple yet irreplaceable luxury of freedom.

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Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: Frank Kinsey

Age: 29

Heroic Occupation: Deputy Sheriff

How often do you exercise? Two to three times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I lift weights, run and play basketball.

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Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name:

Age:

Heroic occupation:

If you're in the military...where are you?

How often do you exercise?

What type of exercise do you do?

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: David Anthony Espeut

Age: 34

Heroic Occupation: Lieutenant (US Navy) Resigned- CG-52 (USS Bunker Hill); FFG-43 (USS THACH); Naval Special Warfare Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)

If you're in the military...where are you? N/A Resigned from Navy as of September 2002, Suspended Special Agent Application to FBI in favor of Starting/Raising Family in Australia

How often do you exercise? Every day: 30 to 60 minutes.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging (10-20 minutes), walking the dog (10-20 minutes),bench, pull ups, dips, push-ups, abdominals, shoulder exercises, and curls with dumbells. I also freestyle swim at least once per month. Chasing My Kids= Never-ending

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Fitness is just part of my lifestyle. I feel bad, guilty, and weak if I don't. Getting ones blood pumping is a great way to start the day.

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Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name:

Age:

Heroic Occupation:

If you're in the military...where are you?

Source

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: Erik J. Fritz

Age: 19

Occupation: Bulk Fuel Specialist at the Marine Corps and Navy Reserves Unit

If you're in the military...where are you? Green Bay, WI,

How often do you exercise? Almost every day

What type of exercise do you do? Running outside and on the treadmill, lifting weights, and a lot of push-ups.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing that I have to stay in good shape to pass my PT.

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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. Brrrr Fitz! I live in the waaaaaay cold and am already starting to feel the flab. It's too cold outside to go for runs like I normally do. I can't afford the gym and don't want to look like the snowman on my lawn. What do you suggest? Rick

A. Eeeek Rick! I can't imagine. Literally. I can't imagine, because I've lived in Florida all of my life. It's about 80 degrees outside right now. I have been in the cold and snow though, Norway seems to have a lot, and I do have some recommendations. First, there are a ton of things you can do at home. Sometimes it is just too hot to train outside where I am, so I end up in the same situation you're in now (but opposite).

A treadmill would suit your running needs, but if that investment is too much...here are some ideas. Move the furniture and--jump rope, run in place, do jumping jacks, jump on a mini-trampoline, hit a heavy-bag, dance, do step aerobics, squat jumps, video training, gliding disks, free weights, pull-ups, push-ups, squats, or crunches.

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Fall can be an expensive time of year as far as clothing is concerned. Kids are heading back to school and need the newest, hippest pieces if they don't want to become social outcasts (please, note the sarcasm), and the rest of us need to find new outfits to replace the stuff that got worn-out or donated to charity last year.

Unfortunately, we can't all afford to be fashionistas so if you're looking for Todd Oldham style on a Old Navy budget, consider some of these suggestions to find cool clothes at a decent price. Tips include using different accessories to transform an outfit from boring to bold and digging through the racks at consignment stores for designer clothing that has been cast-off before its time (granted this kind of treasure may be rare but with some patience you could be duly rewarded with a fantastic, unused or rarely-worn piece),

Also, consider throwing a clothes swapping party. You may have grown (hopefully) too small for a great pair of jeans that you've hardly broken in, while a friend could have been gifted an incredible top that isn't her style, but which she neglected to return. Remember, one woman's throwaway is another's hottest new outfit. For more tips, take a look at the entire article here.

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Here's an interesting thought -- maybe the colour of your tablecloth can affect your eating habits. According to this post on Fitsugar, tablecloths in bright shades of red, orange and yellow are conducive to overeating, while tablecloths that are navy, coffee-brown or forest-green help curb your appetite, supposedly because they are unappetizing colours (I don't know if I agree with that, however. Brown reminds me of chocolate.)

I've hear that colours can affect your mood and behaviour but honestly, I think this is going a bit far. What do you think?

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The Navy has been pushing, for awhile now, to begin testing a new blood substitute on trauma victims in emergencies where they might not otherwise survive. The FDA's advisory panel has voted against allowing the use of Hemopure, derived from cow's blood, in these situations because the critically injured patients tested on would not be able to give consent in most cases.

The Navy argues that they desperately need a way of immediately treating injured soldiers in the field who suffer from severe bleeding. Hemopure, because it doesn't require refrigeration and is universally compatible, offers that solution and could save many of the 68% of the soldiers injured in combat that die before reaching a hospital setting. The Navy currently proposes trial testing in the civilian setting, most likely on young male trauma victims under the influence of alcohol, because the battlefield is too unpredictable and uncontrollable an environment.

Although I see the Navy's argument, I have to agree with the FDA panel on this one. Testing on people without their consent is risky business, and animal testing is bad enough -- let's not start on each other.

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