Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit 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. Quick question: I'm 37 and trying to get in better shape. I've already started eating better and exercising, but I don't know exactly how much I should do. I'm busy, but I can make a decent amount happen based on your recommendations. Thanks for the help, Angel

A. Hi Angel. Great question. I was just talking about this today at a speaking engagement, so I'll tell you what I told that large group I held captive. I believe when you hear my answer you'll be shocked at how little you're actually being asked to do.

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Content with getting just 30 minutes of exercise a day? Yeah, I bet you are -- half an hour is not a lot of time to set aside for a workout. And you could get away with it and still call your lifestyle healthy -- until now, that is. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has decided that 30 minutes usually just isn't enough anymore -- you should be thinking more like 50 minutes a session now.

In 2001, it was recommended that everyone get 150 minutes of exercise a week -- so, 30 minutes a day for five days -- to maintain a healthy weight. Nowadays, that number is more like 300 minutes a week, and if you're working out five days a week, that's 40 to 60 minutes a session.

Additionally, the ACSM also recommends a healthy diet and regular resistance training. "Resistance training does not enhance weight loss but may increase fat-free mass and increase loss of fat mass and is associated with reductions in health risk," the writing committee notes.

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Today I chatted with Donny Osmond. That almost feels silly to say. Not that he's silly, but because he's been a part of my life for about as long as Santa Claus has. Fortunately, I like him even more now than I did a few hours ago. Donny has spent his entire career in the spotlight, and at 51 years of age, he looks just about as great as he ever has.

He's performing in Vegas right now and hosting a new show on ABC called Rediscovered, airing December 22 at 9 PM ET, which sounds pretty fun. Rediscovered gives adults who unsuccessfully auditioned to be a Mouseketeer 20 years ago a second chance at stardom and a $50,000 prize. Donny and Marie were sold on the concept and are enjoying the opportunity to see these "regular people" shine on stage. Read on to learn more about the show, how Donny stays fit, and whether or not he's going to take his shot at Dancing With the Stars!

Fitz: So you're back on prime-time television. What drew you to Rediscovered?

Donny: Marie and I just loved the concept. It's been amazing to see these regular people dragged out of their normal lives and put back on the stage. The show is fun, the audiences have been really receptive and the contestants have proven to be terrific.

Fitz: Since the contestants haven't been performing for a living, are any of them disastrously horrible?

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My mother has gone for a long walk almost every day for the past 23 years (she lost over 50 pounds back in 1985 and has kept it off ever since). She says that she feels cheated and like her day is off-kilter when she doesn't go for her walk. Quite a few Christmases ago, my siblings and I chipped in to buy her a treadmill, thinking she'd be grateful for it on icy, snowy or rainy days. My mom reluctantly uses the treadmill on days of inclement weather, but in all honesty, she detests the thing. She finds it boring.

My guess is a lot of people find treadmills boring. They're one of those machines that have stuck around simply because they get the job done. But your workout shouldn't be boring. While you should certainly escape to the outdoors whenever weather allows, when you're stuck inside you can follow these tips to make your treadmill walk or run more enjoyable:

• Break it up. Plan on working out in segments -- warm up, run and cool down. Viewing your workout in segments of time rather than one, long chunk makes it more bearable.
• Focus on form. Don't slouch or rest on the handlebars. When you know you're getting the most out of your workout, it's more satisfying.
• Try hills and intervals. Change the speed or incline every few minutes to vary the routine.
• Workout with a friend. If you're at the gym, chat with a friend while walking on the treadmills. Remember to be respectful, though -- others at the gym don't want to hear your conversation.
• Listen to tunes. Load up your iPod with great workout tunes.

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Exercise and routine -- those are two words you frequently see paired together. It's a good thing to make a habit of exercise and to schedule time in your day for your workout. But you shouldn't make your routine too, well ... routine.

Think of it like this. If you knew how to play the piano, you might find a particularly challenging piece of music. At first, playing it would be difficult but as you practiced, it would become easier and easier and eventually you'd be able to play it by memory. Your muscles are no different -- a workout that was once very challenging can become easy after time; muscles have a memory of sorts.

But if you vary your routine, you can keep your body guessing and working as hard as you want it to. Divine Caroline has some great suggestions for varying your workout. Variety in your exercise program will prevent your body from hitting a plateau and, as an added bonus, variety also prevents you from getting bored.

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Are you having trouble sticking to your exercise routine? Don't feel bad -- seriously. It might just be the reason you can't follow through.

A relationship between exercise and self-confidence has been proven -- Diet Blog cites a recent study, which "showed self-efficacy alone boosted exercise adherence by 139 percent over the course of a year." That's a major increase!

So, if you're looking to boost your fitness level, maybe you should work on boosting your confidence, too. Check out the gallery for seven tips to boost your self-esteem.

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The switch from daylight savings time back to standard time in the Fall means an extra hour of sleep for us -- and an extra hour of light in the morning. The drawback? It gets dark much earlier in the evenings. I tend to work out in the mornings, so the extra hour of sunlight usually motivates me to get my butt to the gym but for those of you who head to the gym in the early evening, the darkness might be another reason to skip the workout.

So last week, I asked you if the time change had an effect on your healthy habits. Here's what you said:

• 43% of you said no, it didn't have any effect on your fitness routine.
  
• 31% of you said yes, it helped motivate you to work out.
  
• 17% of you said you didn't notice a difference ... yet.
  

We've all been guilty of it. You get a great workout schedule started, and you're feeling good. In fact, you're loving it! You've found exercises you enjoy, the timing is right, but then ... what happened? All of sudden, you're missing workouts, or cutting them short, and you have no good excuse. And then, it's even harder to get back in the swing of things. Trust me, I understand.

The Mayo Clinic has three rock-solid tips for helping you stick to your workout. Of course, first it's important that you find something you enjoy doing (for example, if you hate running, don't plan on running five miles every day -- that makes it too hard), but once you've done that, try incorporating these simple steps to make sure you don't slack:

• Set goals. Know what you want to get out of your workouts. A weight loss goal is fine, as is a goal of hitting the gym four times a week. Or, maybe you just want to have more energy. Either way, have that goal set in advance.
• Get a workout buddy. Whether it's someone with whom you're competitive or just someone who'll hold you accountable for logging the hours, a friend will help you get more out of your workout. Unless, of course, said friend is more likely to talk you into getting ice cream instead of hitting the gym. Then you need to find a new friend.
  
• Try something new. Are you always going hard, trying to beat your fastest time, or lift more weight than you did last week? Change it up and try a yoga class, or something less competitive. You might get a whole new perspective on exercise!

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What does your skin care routine consist of? I have to admit, I go through phases (often depending on my bank account) -- sometimes I use a basic facial cleanser and moisturizer, while, at other times, I have 10 different types of smoothing, anti-aging, wrinkle-fighting, clarifying, toning, and moisturizing products on my bathroom counter.

This month is a good time to take stock of how you're treating your skin -- it's National Skin Care Awareness Month, which was founded by skin care expert Renée Rouleau. What's interesting about it being in September is the fact that so many people think of skin care more as a summer issue, or, perhaps as a winter issue when all of a sudden your skin is dry and cracked. The truth is, sunscreen should be used year round, and to keep your skin looking its best for as long as possible, you need to care for it properly every day.

Renée Rouleau's products are based on nine distinct skin types -- she believes that, "with the proper tools, effective products, and a disciplined approach, anyone can have great skin." Skin care is multifaceted -- it includes dealing with wrinkles and acne, skin cancer and sun protection, rosacea and sensitivity, and more. She has products for all of these issues.

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Going for your first run or lifting your first set of weights can be an exciting point in your fitness existence. You're hopeful, eager, and perhaps even thrilled to be taking the first step to building a healthier you. However, it seems it's a natural part of human nature to become bored with things -- even things we at one time enjoyed so very much. Remember buying that new car? Felt cool tooling around town in it, didn't you? Couldn't think of enough excuses to take it for a spin, right? But how do you feel about that car now? Chances are, you're tired of the way it looks, the way it drives, and the way it no longer gets you excited to be behind the wheel. And, there's also a good chance that you're contemplating buying another new car to replace it. Well, our penchant for growing bored with cars and other material goods is not all that dissimilar from how we are also prone to becoming bored with our workouts.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent your workout from becoming boring and stale. So, if you've been dreading your workout lately, try some of these tips on for size. You may find they are exactly what you need to eliminate your feelings of workout "buyer's remorse."

Workout at a Different Time of Day. Are you typically a morning exerciser? If so, you probably see Charlie, Dave, Lisa, and Mrs. Tuttle at the gym every time you're there. Pleasant folks, all of them, but seeing those same faces every day only serves to further create a phenomenally boring, Groundhog Day-like experience. Try exercising at night instead, or vice-versa if you already workout at that time of the day. Being around different people may not be much of a change, but it may be enough mental stimulation to keep things interesting. And, who knows -- maybe the guy or girl of your dreams works out at 6pm.

I'm friends with a lot of fit couples, and I've noticed that, while they all enjoy working out and have memberships to the same gym, they rarely follow the same fitness routines. They might jump on the elliptical together, or spot each other on weights occasionally, but more often than not, they do their own thing.

As long as they're both happy with their individual routines, generally, it works. However, what if your sweetie is far more dedicated than you are, or vice versa? For example, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has recently been kicking butt in the fitness department, and she's looking fantastic. However, her dancer boyfriend, Ivan Velez, is reportedly getting fed up with the amount of time she spends working out, and isn't a fan of being roped into her early morning fitness routines.

It's not easy -- if he's naturally thin and you put on weight easily, you might feel compelled to hit the gym hard every day, and he might be perfectly happy going two or three times a week. If you really want to work out together, That's Fit posted some suggestions last year for involving your sweetie, but one thing I would suggest is that you be flexible and figure out whether it's more important to you to have a long, hard workout, or to work out with your partner. If you're willing to take a brisk, two-mile walk instead of a four-mile run, he or she might be more likely to join you. Or, if there's something your sweetie enjoys, give it a shot -- there are plenty of ways to burn calories, after all!

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For most of us, one of the main reasons we start up at the gym is because we want to burn off fat (and if that's not a reason? I might hate you.) Getting in shape a good motivator, but fitting into those skinny jeans is a little bit more attractive, at least until you start to get really into fitness.

Burning fat can be a bit of a slow process, though, especially when you have high expectations for quick weight loss. What gives? Think about it this way: How long did it take you to put on the extra pounds? Chances are they're an accumulation of years worth of occasional over-indulgences. So if it took you years to put it on, why should it take less to take it off? Still, there are some things you can do to speed-up your fat loss:

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If your workout routine involves a treadmill, consider this: is your routine a bit stale? Are you finding that what once was a challenging workout is now a bit, well, easy? That'll happen as you adjust to your new fitness level. There's only one solution: Make it harder.

When you're working out on the treadmill, there are a number of ways to make it more difficult. You can up your speed, work out for longer periods of time or add some ankle weights. But one of the most effective ways to amp up your workout is to increase the incline. Start small; add just one level of incline, and keep it at that level until you find it easy, then increase again by one level.

Remember: A workout that's easy to do probably isn't doing too much to improve your fitness or your body.

Today, the temperature in my hometown dropped to a breathtakingly shocking -31 ° c (that's -23 in farenheit -- but really, who's counting once it drops that low ... ) Motivation to work out is not usually a problem for me, but when it's that cold out, I can't handle the thought of leaving my house for any reason.

I went, but only because I had some pent-up energy and was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't. But the voice in my head was telling me to stay inside -- at all costs. Truth be told, it wasn't that bad (I did manage to score the parking spot next to the gym door ... ) but I'm eternally grateful that my mad dashes to the cold car are over. However, with no end in sight to the cold snap, I'm worried about my fitness routine this week.

Am I alone in this? Is it as hard for you to get up the energy to leave your warm home, even if you're just heading to a heated gym?

When you're known for little else than being Paris Hilton's former sidekick, you've got to distinguish yourself from the socialite somehow, right? Kim Kardashian has done that a few ways -- with a sex tape, a reality show and now a nude spread in Playboy.

How did she buff up for the shoot? The Fit List recently revealed her workout secrets. Kim looked pretty good before -- she walks lots and uses her Elliptical trainer every day -- but in addition, she toned up with these exercises:

• Lunges
• Sit-down squats
• Arm and leg opposition
• Push-ups
• Tricep dips

Yep, if you do enough of those, they'll get you toned up enough for a nude shoot.

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