That's Fit

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. Fitzy. I work out a few times a week and eat pretty well, but "six-pack" abs have always escaped me. I do plenty of crunches, but nothing seems to bring me even close to the abs I see on the cover of Men's Health magazine. What is the secret to it? Chase

A. Ahhhh Chase. The elusive six pack. Doesn't every body wish for that? Yes ... almost everybody does. Very few actually achieve it, though. This is the deal Chase, the "secret," if you will. If you want to look like an athlete, you're going to have to behave like an athlete. Train ridiculously hard and eat ridiculously well. Six-pack abs are a sign of elite fitness for sure, and you're probably not going to earn them working out a "few times a week and eating pretty well."

Your Total Health correspondent Hoda Kotb sat down with actor Kevin Bacon this past week and learned a thing or two about the man who has starred in more than 60 movies and can be linked to almost every actor in six easy steps.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is the name of this game, a popular sport played across college campuses in the 1990s, and now it's not only celebrities you might link to Bacon. You can also link yourself -- in just one easy step.

Besides acting -- and singing with his brother in the band The Bacon Brothers -- Bacon is busy making a difference with his newly launched website SixDegrees.org. He wants you to check it out. The purpose of his site is to raise money for various charities -- donations can be made online -- by linking celebrities with causes. Jennifer Love Hewitt and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are a pair, for example. So are Eva LaRue and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and Natasha Richardson and the Foundation for AIDS Research. The list of causes and celebrities go on. But more notable are the regular people who are linking themselves to causes -- and to Kevin Bacon too.

More than 4,000 profiles of everyday folks populate this site. It's more than celebrities now, says Bacon. It's thousands of people, like you and me, championing their own causes.

It's about giving back, Bacon told Kotb about his desire to raise money and social consciousness at the same time. And then he revealed some of his health secrets. Here are a few: Kevin Bacon takes a nap every day. He puts his feet up, his hands across his chest, and he sleeps. He's addicted to this healthy practice, he says, and feels quite cranky if he misses his daily siesta. He also practices a hated exercise called Super Slow which involves lifting very heavy weights in a super slow manner. It's enough to make you puke, remarks Bacon who says some days, his least favorite body part is his face. I say that face is a quite an asset. Without it, this whole six degrees thing never would have been.

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. Hello Fitz. I am currently working on getting six-pack abs. I was surfing the web and found this new device called EZ-ups gravity shoes. They basically make you hang upside-down and let you do sit-ups. Is it worth buying or not? Jonathan

A. Hey Jonathan, I know what you're talking about and I really feel neither here nor there on the product. The Teeter Hang-ups EZ-Ups Inversion System Gravity Boots, selling for $149. I have never used them, but being in this field for almost two decades has allowed me to try similar types of exercises and equipment.

Honestly. I wouldn't have any desire to purchase something so expensive and one dimensional like this. I'd prefer to have a regular pull-up bar for pull-ups and then train my abs by lifting my legs while hanging upright. Hanging upside down doesn't hold any appeal to me, since I've previously fallen from and inversion table and conked my head pretty hard. Ouch! In my opinion, there are a lot better ways to skin that cat of six pack abs. Ways that are less dangerous and expensive as well. Fitz

It doesn't have to be only your husband you help with issues of the prostate. It can be any guy you know who might use a little assistance. And the only guidance you need to offer the men in your life is this: eat six servings of vegetables every day and you'll be less likely to develop an enlarged prostate.

Accomplishing six servings is not as big an undertaking as you might imagine. A serving can be as small as a half cup of cooked vegetables, six baby carrots, or half a cup of spaghetti sauce. Sound simple? Good. Now spread the word.

For more on what constitutes a serving, take a look at this site.

Looking sexy throughout the summer is about more than just finding the trendiest new swimsuit, wearing it with confidence and looking great (not that there's anything wrong with that either!). According to this, looking good this summer isn't just about showing off your body, but rather it's all about following 6 trends that include everything from looking after your skin to finding the right accessories. Here are 6 picks for heading out in style:

• Don't forget the SPF. Even if you're not worried about skin cancer (and you should be!) sun damage ages your skin, fast. Slather on the sunscreen and keep your skin looking younger for years to come.
• Invest in some cute espadrilles (those sandals with the big, chunky, wedge heels). They look good with a range of outfits and make your legs look longer without being impossible to walk in.
• Find some sunglasses that not only look good on you (those giant, bug-glasses that are in right now don't suit every face shape) but that also protect your peepers against harmful UV rays.
• Forget about wintry brown, blacks and creams when you buy summer clothes. Go bright and you'll get noticed.
• Rather than haul all of your necessities around in a boring purse, throw everything into a big and fun beach bag. Just because you're not lazing on the sand, doesn't mean you can't find ways to pretend you are.
• Buy Bohemian. OK, I've never really gotten into this but what the article says makes sense. Boho clothes are not only chic right now, they're also flowy and comfortable, so they'll keep you cool on a hot summer day.

I think that I could get into pretty much every one of those, except for the Boho clothes (as I mentioned). But next time I go shopping, I may even give that a try. Do you have any different ideas for looking hot this summer?

Yes, we all do crunches. Crunches, crunches and more crunches. I do them myself, and think very highly of them. But! If you'd like to change things up and work on sculpting your fancy torso in new way, give these skills a try.

• Prone pikes. Place your feet on a stability ball or on some Gliding Disks, with your hands on the floor in push-up position. Back flat. Lift your hips straight up to the sky while keeping your legs straight. Once you've elevated your hips as high as they'll go ... lower back to push-up position. Repeat at least eight times. Add one rep each day you do these. Very advanced!

• Front kicks. Stand with one foot in front of the other with feet shoulder width apart. Lift the front leg by the knee first, and follow to extend your foot up high. You'll engage your hip-flexors and rectus abdominus as you raise that leg up high. Kick within your comfortable range at first, but challenge yourself to kick higher along the way. The higher you lift your knee, the more you'll work your abs. Switch your stance and repeat on the other leg. Kick at least 20 times per leg. Beginner to advanced level exercise, depending on how high you kick.