I just posted a list of my favorite fitness tools of the year in my Holiday Hottie column over at Holidash, and since you are all fitness fans ... I'd feel silly not to share it with you.

The bottom line is: I'm privy to the best tools and clothes on the market. I aggressively seek out hot new items, and sometimes the makers of those items seek out me. At the end of the day, I drop the crap and keep the stuff I truly love.

My short list of Gifts to Get Greedy Over is comprised of some of the most innovative tools for training at all levels of fitness. Oh! And the apparel is to die for. So scoot on over to Holidash and give the gift of fitness. Or ... get something fancy for yourself. You deserve it!

I wish you happy and healthy holidays!

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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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm a lady who is happily turning 51 next week and am finally ready to get into shape. It seems like I went from a skinny-as-a-rail teen to a weighty 180 pound middle-ager. There are so many weight-loss programs, tips, recipes out there, and it gets quite confusing. I don't like to exercise per se, but I love to garden, wash the car, play kickball, and dance. For both weight-loss and aging concerns, I know there are some diet changes I need to make as well. For instance, I've had to cut out 2% milk and switch to 1% because the higher-fat just didn't agree with me anymore. But what's the next step? High fiber, low-fat, no carbs, or carbs for daylight hours only? I missed the point when my body was supposed to be racked, stacked and packed! I'm now hoping it's not too late to achieve that at this stage in my life. Can you help? Atia

A. Hello Atia! I love your question. Glad to hear that after 50 years you're ready to make a grand effort towards a fitter, stronger, and with no shyness ... a hotter looking body! Of course it's not too late; it never is. I also agree with you that the information put out about fitness is far too confusing. Being an "expert" in the field, it's nice that people give me credit for being somewhat brilliant about it. I'll let you in on a little secret though (promise not to tell a soul?): All my years of education and experience have taught me this: Fitness is ridiculously simple.

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After almost 7,000 responses, a poll is closed that asked women: Would you rather have the body of Jennifer Aniston or $1 million? The results are quite intriguing. Nearly 80 percent said they would take the million dollars, but 22 percent said want that perfect physique.

Perhaps this is signaling a change in the perception of what is considered "perfect?" While Aniston is one of the more healthy-looking celebrities out there, this poll shows that women are more interested in the cash. Of course, you could always afford to tweak a few things when you're a millionaire, so maybe women voted for the efficient option!

Thirty percent of respondents admitted to feeling ashamed of their body at the same time though. Does that mean they're uncomfortable with themselves and they'd rather take the money anyway? Keep in mind these results are anything but conclusive, and definitely not scientific. Women have their own reasons for choosing whatever option they voted for. Which would you take?

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In case you needed an extra boost today to help you resist that trip to the vending machine or that jelly donut with your coffee, maybe a little reminder on why it's so important to lose weight will help? I personally prefer positive means of motivation, but unfortunately sometimes the cold hard truth is the most effective! The following are just a few of the ways being overweight kills you, slowly but surely:

• Fat strains your heart in more ways than one. Blood pressure rises, cholesterol starts to clog arteries, and blood loses some of its ability to clot which increases the risk for stroke.
• Fat increases male hormones, which for women can have many adverse side effects -- namely increased risk for heart disease.
  
• Fat also increases the hormone insulin, which increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, which in turn damages and stresses your heart (among other things!).
• Fat makes it harder to get a good night's sleep. The most common sleep disorder for overweight adults is sleep apnea, which strains many systems including your cardiovascular system (your heart again!) and your risk for diabetes.
• Fat strains and damages joints and bones. The simple fact that your body is carrying around more weight than it was designed for will make it "wear out" faster, plus being overweight is linked with thinner and more brittle bones.

It may not be easy to lose weight, but it's definitely worth the effort for both yourself and those who love you!

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When out getting exercise, some people will say that you can never drink enough water. Even when you're not that active and the weather is boiling, we are encouraged to stay properly hydrated. But "properly" is the key word here. Especially when you're engaged in physical activity like running or biking, keeping your body watered enough -- but not too much! -- is very important.

Drinking too much can put you in a dangerous situation. Hyponatremia is the condition when sodium in your blood takes a dip in concentration. The symptoms start with nausea and headache, and can worsen if the condition becomes more serious.

To combat this condition, experts suggest using an accurate scale. By weighing yourself before and after exercise, you can see exactly how much water weight you've lost. If it's more than 2%, you didn't hydrate properly. Balancing hydration is not an exact science, but it is very important if you want to get the most out of your workouts.

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Many of us have had our excuses at one point or another. It could have been the morning donuts. Or perhaps it was those summer trips -- honestly, who diets on a vacation anyway? But nix those eating and exercise reasons because a small army of scientists have come up with 10 other excuses that could help explain why people are fat.

"Creative" was what one doctor used to describe the report, adding, "At this point, there are no silly ideas." Obviously they're not suggesting you turn off your air conditioning (that one is #3 on the list). These are just potential factors for obesity.

Though some of these are just downright laughable (like the smoking one), you can hardly point a finger at them as being anything more than "excuses." Like any doctor will tell you, the most effective way to combat obesity is (surprise!) dieting and exercise.

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