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. Hey Fitz, My name is Sarah and I'm almost 16. I have always been involved with sports including: hockey, basketball, soccer and you name it! Now that I am older, I have slowed down a bit and only play basketball for high school and travel. This is what is bothering me: I can't seem to run as long as I used to. I get tired easily and run out of breath. I'm not fat or anything, and I am even really fast. But by the time I run one length of the court I'm pretty much dead. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to do to change this? It seems like I get more out of breathe each season. Thanks, Sarah

A. Hi Sarah, Thanks for writing. I have two thoughts on what may be happening with you, the first being more probable than the last. Most likely, you've just become out of shape. That doesn't mean you're obese or in horrible shape, it just may mean you're not capable of doing as much as you were two years ago when you were involved in three sports! You take pride in the fact that you run fast. That's great! But, the fact that you like to go all out probably makes you more likely to suck wind at the end of one lap.

Source

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. Hey Fitz. I blew it! I am going on vacation with a bunch of my college buddies and some hot girls in four weeks. I've totally slacked off on my workouts since school ended and now I'd like to get ripped again before we head to Mexico. What can I do at my gym to shred a bit of fat and get buff quick before the trip? I know I'm a dork for slacking, but I also know you can help me improve. I'm willing to do the work! Jason

A. Familiar story Jason! You're not the only one who's taken some time off from their fitness training only to have it blow up in your face. You're also not the first person to try and undo the damage quickly. Four weeks is a pretty decent amount of time, so if you are really clean with your eating habits and start training intensely ... I think it would be safe to take off at least 10 pounds before you see Mexico, and all of those hot girls see you!

Source

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, I am a person with T-12 incomplete Paraplegia. I'm interested in learning about some decent ab workouts (including obliques) that I could do at the gym or at home. Just to provide you with a little more information, my T-12 vertebrae are connected by rods. I'd really appreciate some guidance. Thanks! Jon

A. Hello Jon, What a wonderful question! I really feel there's a gaping hole in the fitness industry which needs to address fitness training for people dealing with injuries and/or disabilities. You are the perfect example of that. A guy who's had a spinal injury, but still strives for better fitness beyond rehab facilities. I love it. I also love the spinal cord, and appreciate the sensitivity of it. Long ago, while I was earning my Master's Degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences at the University of Florida, I took a magnificent course on the spine from a brilliant woman, Dr. Christine Stopka, Professor of Adapted Physical Activity & Medical Terminology. She taught me to respect the spine first, and then went on from there. A major aspect of the course focused on educating her students about the things people with disabilities could do. She spent far more time on the could dos than the can't dos. That's one of the most important things I took away with me. I thought your question deserved the most expert advice, so I passed it on to her.

Source

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 question for you is: how can I lose weight when I'm no longer able to exercise due to a life time injury. I'm even stuck relying on the government for my income and food. Lisa

A. Hey Lisa. As if staying in shape isn't hard enough! Dealing with a disability truly makes weight management a challenge. It's not an impossible accomplishment though. It's just going to take a decent amount of education about nutrition for you, and an even greater amount of discipline.

Source

This just in: Kirstie Alley is headed for a new weight loss gig now that she's parted ways with Jenny Craig after a three-year relationship.

Alley, 57, hopes to pilot her own weight loss brand to launch in 2009. No hard feelings about Jenny Craig, she says, as she heads down her new hopeful path.

"I want to create something new that will help millions of people end the seemingly never ending fatty-roller coaster ride," reports Alley who acknowledges she and the Jenny Craig company did not come to an agreement about her continuing as their spokesperson.

Says Alley in a statement about her weight loss venture: There was a time when America was not fat, and that was in our not-so-distant past. I'm confident that I can create something exciting and innovative: something that if all goes well, will help change a fat America back into a fit America and will offer this country the healthiest, yummiest, easiest and most effective weight-loss program on the market.

Source

Think you've got the physical stamina to make it in the British army? You can find out. Just check out this 16-week fitness program, developed by the Army Physical Training Corps, and follow it faithfully. Make it to the end and you will have passed the same test recruits must pass to graduate from basic training.

For those of you serious enough to jump on this fitness challenge, instructional wall charts are available here. And for some inspiration, you might want to check in on Rachel Dixon as she journals her own 16-week endeavor.

At the beginning of her journey, Dixon writes: "I tackle day one's exercises after work. I manage to jog for the prescribed 20 minutes, albeit quite slowly. I'm slightly stiff from yesterday's exertions, so have to stop to stretch once or twice. This minor discomfort is nothing compared to the excruciating agony of performing another 44 press-ups and 66 sit-ups when I get home, though."

Ready to join Dixon and the other trainees out there? If so, please drop us a line and let us know how you fare under soldier-like conditions, won't you?

Source

Diabetes can be prevented. Do you know how? Surprise: Diet and exercise.

According to the website HealthyUpdates.com, about 54 million American adults have pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes. These people can prevent their conditions from evolving into type 2 diabetes by employing these three strategies.

1. Eating right. Studies show an increase in fiber, whole grains, and cereal can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

2. Moving. Exercise can reduce insulin resistance.

3. Losing Weight. Exercise plus weight loss cuts the risk of developing diabetes, says data from the National Institutes of Health's Diabetes Prevention Program. It only takes a loss of four to six percent of body weight to make a difference.

Source

It's always heartening to hear of new programs designed to get kids off their collective duffs and exercise, whether it be normal play or regimented exercise.

Some New Your schoolchildren are participating in a program called "Might Milers" which encourages kids to get up and get running. Not walking or playing, but running.

The program is found in 100 NYC-area schools and in other states. Although childhood obesity is at a high rate now, it's never too late to fix the problem. Along with regular exercise, of course, is a much-needed diet change for millions of U.S. kids.

Source

Yeah, I know -- recycling may not appear to be related to the topic of fitness. But in reality, it is! Maintaining a healthy, fit lifestyle not only includes the physical being, but the emotional and mental one as well. Doing small parts to help the planet definitely falls into this venue.

Where I live, some of the smaller communities have no curbside recycling. In an age of many adults being overworked and having less time that ever before, trying to mount a recycling project that requires effort by those needing to recycle can fall flat on its face.

Enter a hybrid trash collection/recycling program. Talk to your local wasts disposal authorities and find out if adding a separate recycling program onto trash trucks would make sense. Then, the only effort to get consumers to recycle is to have a bin where plastic, paper and glass products can be collected. Encourage this and get involved with the city council if necessary. One by one and little by little, the difference can be made.

Source

In another triumph of computer programs helping with age-old problems, a newer game called "Fearfighter" is starting to help British citizens who suffer from panic attacks, phobias or even mild depression.

The computer program gives out psychiatric advice gleaned from a huge library of information gleaned from real-world psychiatrists. Instead of waiting to see a real psychiatrist, "repetitive" parts of real therapeutic techniques are performed by the computer, with the meaty material being covered by a human (as well as a prescription, if needed).

Patients can log on at home, work or anywhere there is an internet connection to access the Fearfighter system. For those not wanting to spill their guts to a real person just yet and feel that a computer can fill that void, this system looks to be quite useful. Well, up to a point.

Source

Need another reason to stay out of the sun? Here' s one: it might prevent you from exercising. This may be good news for those looking for any reason to avoid physical activity (note: this is an extremely unhealthy reason). But for those committed to huffing and puffing, sun bathing should be stricken from your to-do list.

My sister is about to have a second basal cell skin cancer surgically removed from her chest. The first came off a few weeks ago. The whole process was painful, uncomfortable, and a little scary too. The discomfort went away, though, and she is feeling fine. What troubles her now is the fact that she can't exercise. It would cause too much trauma to the surgery site and could compromise the effectiveness of her stitches. Sweat is not such a good thing for healing wounds either.

It's been a few weeks since the first surgery, and now my sister is headed for more. Had her cancer appeared in only one spot, she'd be just about set to hit the treadmill and pump some iron. But skin cancer doesn't allow for such tidy plans. It's unpredictable and unforgiving. And it's a sure exercise stopper. Need I say more?

I had great legs until I was about 10 and then I quit my regular swimming lessons and hit puberty, and they've been kind of chubby ever since. It's one of my personal goals to get great legs again before I turn 30 -- I'm running out of time.

For any of you out there who, like me, want sexy pins and want them sooner rather than later, you might want to give the excruciating-sounding routine laid-out here a try (or maybe not, it really does sound painful -- maybe I'll never reach my goal). Apparently the trick is a combination of cardio that includes lots of focus on the legs (swimming and running repeatedly up and down hills, for example) and resistance exercises -- with lots of reps -- that target hamstrings, calves, thighs and buttocks.

The article says that if you do each 60 to 75 minute work-out 3 times a week, you'll see results in 4 weeks. But you've got to stick to it and not skip sessions. If I haven't scared you off, take a look here for the entire routine as well as tips on how to make your newly-tones gams look extra-great with exfoliation, moisturizer and a fake bronze glow.

Source

While television usually proves to be a detriment to our kids health, watching The Wiggles does the opposite. Tuning in to watch this colorful quad offers an opportunity for your kids to jump, run, dance and learn about proper nutrition. Unlike most kiddie shows, The Wiggles have never sung the praises of candy, cookies or cake. Instead they've turned 'Fruit Salad' into the coolest treat in the world.

While Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob regard the obtaining of sugary treats in the same light as most would winning the lottery... The Wiggles constantly take the high road. My children are more easily convinced to enjoy fresh fruit when I sing the "Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy" song, and we all have a blast participating in their funny dance routines.

If the television must be on in your home, choosing The Wiggles is the health conscious parents best choice.

Source

Source

Exercising while you are pregnant has proven to help reduce fatigue, build endurance, and can help women have a shorter labor. This is particularly true if you use movement in labor by changing positions. Despite the differences in your body, exercise is still important. One of the things you need to determine before you jump right into an exercise program is how fit you are and if you have not previously been on any exercise routine. There are several exercises that you can do while pregnant, even if you were previously a couch potato or sedentary.

Here are four exercises that are safe while pregnant.

Yoga combines exercise and relaxation.
Walking is a great workout for muscles and aerobic fitness.
Pilates emphasizes balance, strength, and flexibility.
Swimming helps relieve stress and strain on muscles and builds endurance.

Source

Weight loss programs have traditionally targeted mostly women, and understandably so as women make up most of the market. But the tides are beginning to change and more and more companies are realizing that men are interested in weight loss, too. Weight Watchers and NutriSystem are both changing their approaches to make things more "man friendly." Nutrisystem launched its Silver program designed for older men last year, and just a few months ago Weight Watchers also launched a website specifically geared toward men. As a result, both companies are seeing record numbers of men signing up.

Is this another sign of the increasing obesity problem, or are weight loss companies just finally wising up?

Source