I'm a big fan of Mexican food, but not a fan of all the fat that usually goes along with it. That doesn't hold me back from enjoying it whenever I want, though. I just order or make each dish in a much smarter and healthier way.

Homemade Tortilla Chips are a staple item and the great news is, they're painfully easy to make. I whip up a batch quickly and serve them with salsa (which is naturally nonfat) or my Fat Free Mexican O-Layered Dip.

Both recipes are available in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com, and I hope you'll give them a try. Other fun toppings to add to your chips are lean grilled meat, veggies, low fat or nonfat cheeses and sour cream.

Just like any other style of cooking, whenever you ditch the oil, butter and fatty sauces ... you'll end up with a much healthier meal. Ole!

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Whether you're trying to lose weight, training for a marathon, or just want to see how many calories were in your packed lunch, somewhere on the world wide web there is a calculator for you.

These calculators are quick, handy tools for measuring your health and fitness. But if you're searching for a specific calculator, you can sometimes get a little lost in the Googling. Never fear! The people over at Nursing Colleges and Training Schools have taken the work out of the search. They've compiled a list of 50 online health calculators and broken them into categories: Nutrition, Health and Fitness, Weight Loss, Complete Fitness Programs, Running, and Other Sports Calculators.

AOL Health also has a list of helpful resources. Check them out!

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One of the beautiful things about online shopping is that there are some phenomenal deals to be had. However, unless you spend a portion of most days checking out your favorite online stores, sometimes it's hard to catch the best deals. And, if you're anything like me, you know there's no reason to pay full price for workout clothes -- if you can afford to be patient, the items you need will always go on sale.

Shop It To Me Running is a fast, easy, and commitment-free way to score great deals on the workout clothes you need. From shoes to sports bras, you can select the brands and sizes you'd like to receive updates on, and when those items go on sale, Shop It To Me Running will email you. You can opt to receive notifications daily, twice weekly, or once a week.

While I'm excited to receive my next update, the thing I'm most thrilled about is how much money I could save on shoes. I was able to enter my exact shoe preference (Mizuno Wave Elixir, Size 8). I know it can be scary to order running shoes without trying them on, but if you have a specific brand and model that you've worn (I'm on my third pair), there's really no risk.

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Turn your social network (and what many people consider a bad habit or even an addiction) into something positive and motivational: Twitter your way to weight loss!

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Blame your supermarket for leading you into temptation -- all those bakery goods, chips, dips, and beverages galore are bound to cause the best of us to cave on our best diet intentions. That's why we should order our groceries online, says a new multi-university study.

Researchers assigned 28 people to either a standard weight-loss program or a program with grocery delivery and found after eight weeks that online buyers had fewer fattening products and less total food in their cupboards.

The bottom line for your bottom line: Virtual shopping carts make it easier to stick to your list. They eliminate last-minute grocery store grabs too. So ditch the traditional cart and go online for for your food -- and for your body too.

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I'm telling my story -- my breast cancer story -- on Trusera.com. You might want to tell yours too. Or read the stories others are writing. Or pass on the mission of this site to someone who might benefit.

Trusera is a free online health community based on the power of storytelling. It's a safe and comfortable environment that connects people who've "been there" to people seeking credible, relevant health information. It's a perfect place for those embarking on a medical journey, those who want a real-life glimpse into real-life health and medical issues, those who wish to share their own healthy tips and tricks.

Want information on nutrition? The community at Trusera has got it. How about diet? Exercise? Aging? Autism? It's all there, at Trusera's one-stop shop. Don't need any information at the moment? Then share what you've got stored in that head of yours. Someone will surely gain from your wisdom. Tell your story. Submit a journal entry. Share a video. Just don't keep what you know to yourself. Get it out there. That's what I'm doing.

By the way, if you have a breast cancer story to tell and you share it before March 30, Trusera will donate $10 to Gilda's Club for the first 500 people. Click here to sign up-and be sure to note "Gilda's Club" on the registration form.

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When you're done checking in on this blog, head on over to these three for a dose of insight and advice all about allergies. The bloggers who author these sites are allergy-affected themselves. You might find their words helpful as you battle the allergens in your life.

allergicgirl.blogspot.com
This allergic girl lives a wheat/gluten-free, processed sugar-free, lactose-free, low processed food-free lifestyle because she's allergic to tree-nuts, salmon, some veggies, melons, tropical fruits, and lemongrass. She also has asthma and GI distress and clearly, has some educating to do. Check her out.

gluten-free-blog.blogspot.com
This writer, a gluten-free/Celiac person, says the best way to overcome the trauma of no longer eating your favorite foods is to find replacements that are just as good. And maybe even better. Check out this February 17 post about a gluten-free pancake diet.

mykidshavefoodallergies.blogspot.com
With two kids and combined allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, pistachios, cashews, and sunflower seeds, this one has some wisdom worth reading. Find out how she handled a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party here.

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What exactly is VirtualGym TV? It's an online gym with a huge variety of top quality instructors, and when you subscribe, you have access to all those instructors and all of their "classes" at your convenience. Oh, and all of this is available at a fraction of the cost of a gym membership. Sound good?

Well, I think it has some good possibilities, but as to their claim of being the future of personal fitness ... I'm not entirely convinced. This is a great option for companies that want to provide fitness opportunities for their employees who are scattered across various locations, making the provision of gym memberships difficult. And, for the motivated but busy individual, it could probably work.

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Does blogging help you lose weight? That's the question at hand on this recent segment on CBS. Dietitian Kerri Glassman shares her thoughts on blogging for weight loss. The verdict? It helps.

Why? There are a couple of key reasons -- firstly, blogging creates a support network. You know how we're always telling you how you'll be more successful at weight loss if you do it with support from a friend or family member? The blogging community offers hundreds of friends who are rooting for you. Secondly, keeping a blog is like keeping a food journal -- you're documenting what you're eating and how much you're exercising, so it helps you take an honest looks at your habits and indulgences.

The best part of the segment for me was the screen shots of some of my favourite weight loss blogs, namely:

• Sister Skinny
• Cranky Fitness
• Back in the Skinny Jeans
• Lose the Buddha

If you haven't checked out these awesome blogs, do it -- they are truly fabulous.

Thanks to reader Aaron for the tip!

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I have a bunch of fun, lower in fat, less bad for you dessert options in the recipe section of my web site Fitzness.com. This Low fat Blueberry Napoleon with pistachio cream is a favorite of mine that is hugely popular at holiday parties. I like sweet treats too, but I'm not willing to stuff myself or my friends with butter or oil. Some of the recipes are real deal healthy, and some of them just offer better versions of the really bad stuff.

I love to bake and my treats are rarely pretty, but they're incredibly low in fat and absolutely delicious. Enjoy! Healthy Holidays from your online trainer Fitz!

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For many, Thanksgiving this week doesn't just mean a day of giving thanks, eating turkey, watching football, spending time with family and enjoying a day off of work. I'm sure that for a lot of you out there, one of the best things about Turkey Day is that it also signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. I'm Canadian and we celebrate Thanksgiving at least a month before our neighbors to the south, but I know enough about American traditions to know that the day after the big event is traditionally one of the biggest and busiest shopping days of the year.

Unfortunately, not all of us deal well with malls that are packed to capacity with bargain hunters. I'm not a good shopper and admit that I'd rather pay more for just about anything, if it means that I can avoid a tugging match with a frenzied shopaholic over the last cute hoodie or pair of yoga pants on the sale table.

So what are we non-shoppers to do at this time of year? Most of us can't just ignore the craziness altogether and show up at a family gathering empty-handed. While it really is better to give than to receive, I'd still like to see the looks on all of our mothers' faces when, after gratefully accepting some lovely new slippers and an expensive set of sheets, we announce that this year we're just giving the gift of love and good cheer. However, I still don't want to have to spend hours of my precious holiday time duking it out for the best deal at Linens-n-Things.

I've discovered that the answer, at least as far as I'm concerned, exists online. While a mere few years ago I was skeptical of anything I could buy on the web, online shopping has become my savior. So in the interest of the spirit of the holidays, I'd like to share with those who may not yet be in the know, two of my favorite companies to find the gift of beauty, online.

The first is the fabulous H20+, a company that has several freestanding stores across the US and Canada, but which isn't as widely available as a brand like the Body Shop or Bath and Body Works. I've had the chance to visit H20 stores in Las Vegas, Vancouver and even Sydney, Australia, and every time I walk through the doors, I feel completely relaxed. The company specializes in 'sea-derived skincare', offering products for hands, feet, face, body, hair and more. They've got a pretty fantastic men's line for those looking to find something nice for a special guy in their life, and also carry a few nice, light fragrances that smell great but don't overwhelm. I've loved pretty much every product of theirs that I've ever tried and one of the best things about H20 is that, while some of their stuff gets a bit pricey, they also offer fantastic, reasonably-priced gift sets, give away 'gift-with-purchase' items and shipping is free for any order over $100.

My second favorite place to find great beauty items online is at the site for Vancouver-based spa company Skoah. The relatively new company only has three physical locations (2 in Vancouver and 1 in Calgary, Alberta) but will ship their products all over the United States and Canada. Like H20+, their stuff doesn't always come cheap, but as far as skincare products are concerned, they're pretty reasonable -- plus in my opinion, everything they sell smells great. I've tried a number of their products and a few of the best include the luxurious dewlux face kream, the eye kandy moisturizer and the lip dip, which at $15CDN for .5oz (15g), is an awesome deal --seriously, it will last you for years.

I'm sure that there are loads more excellent online sites where you can find some great beauty products without having to leave the comfort of your home or office, but these are just two of my personal favs. If anyone else out there has an excellent site that they've frequented, those of us hoping to avoid the mall rush this season would love to hear about it!

Right now you can find almost anybody in the world using the internet, whether it's through paying a high-tech online service or simply "Googling" names and seeing what pops up. But what if, in searching for long lost relatives in particular, there was an enormous online DNA database you could check? Now that would be cool. Creepy, sure. But cool.

Well we're one step closer (practically there, actually) to that possibility with Ancestry.com. You can order a DNA kit, swab yourself, and send it in to their system where they'll check you against all the other DNA in their system. If a match is found they'll notify both parties and if everyone agrees, contact information is exchanged.

Interesting idea, and it's all supposedly private and anonymous, but I'm skeptical to say the least.


Via Book of Joe

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Eating out can be a dangerous proposition for those trying to maintain healthy eating habits. It's just so hard to tell how restaurant chefs prepare their menu items. Ordering a piece of fish may seem like a safe choice but what if it's been doused in butter, cooked in oil, and sprinkled with salt? Not so healthy anymore, right? Right.

Before heading out for your next out-to-eat experience, find out just what's in store by giving this tool at try. I just gave it whirl by typing in my city, state, and zip code and a desired price range. Up popped three dining locations with links to nutritional information for various dishes. Not everything I found met my healthy criteria, but that's the point -- to determine what's good and what's not so good for us.

This online option -- healthydiningfinder.com -- does operate according to some nutritional criteria. Everything you find when you visit must fit these guidelines:

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For any parent out there who has seen any of those To Catch a Predator shows about adults posing as teenagers online in order to make friends and more with unsuspecting kids, this news may be a bit unsettling. Apparently, teens contacted online by total strangers aren't overly concerned about the people attempting to chat with them, and don't question their motives.

According to the report, 44% of teenagers who have posted a profile or pictures of themselves online at social networking sites like facebook and myspace have been contacted by someone they don't know, compared with only 6% of those who do not have profiles. Furthermore, most of those kids aren't worried about why they're being contacted.

I know that when I was a teenager there was no way I would have been allowed to post any information about myself online, and I also think that I would have been freaked out if a total stranger stopped by to say hello. I suppose times do change though and now that these networking sites are the norm, kids are probably more used to making contacts with strangers online. Hopefully, they're being savy about it as well.

What do you parents out there think about your kids making 'friends' with strangers online?

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It's always nice when readers send in interesting health and wellness-related websites for everyone at That's Fit to check out. One of the most recent ones that caught my eye was the website for Dr. Gourmet. According to the site, Dr. Gourmet is both a physician and a chef, making him an expert on healthy but tasty food.

The site includes links to a wealth of resources including a Q&A section, a newsletter, columns and resources for things like body mass index and hip-waist ratio. The highlight of the site though, is Dr. Gourmet's My eatTHIS diet. The free, interactive menu software can be accessed online and gives advice on how to eat healthier, how to eat to lose weight and even how to plan healthy but delicious menus for the whole family.

The diet can also cater to those with dietary restrictions such as lactose intolerance and food allergies. Sounds like something worth giving a try. If you check out the site and decide to try the planned menus, make sure to come back and let us know what you think.

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