If you push yourself in your workouts, you know what sore muscles feel like. And you know that there's a difference between being satisfyingly sore (so you know you worked hard) and being so sore you can't sit down on the toilet without a loud groan and a thud. And forget getting up -- if you don't have a counter or something handy to help you rise, you're in trouble.

I'm not shy about using a muscle rub -- Ben Gay, Nuprin, whatever's available. Even though it stinks -- sometimes, a girl just needs relief.

There's a new product available from Sweet Grass Farm called Spring Chicken Muscle Rub. It smells like cinnamon and is made with pure cassia, peppermint essential oils, and heat expressed calendula oil. Basically, all kinds of good stuff to help you soothe your poor, overworked muscles. And, you can get a 2 oz. jar for just $7.95.

Do you have a favorite muscle rub that provides relief? Or are you going to give this a try?

Tomorrow is the deadline for my book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook. I'm thrilled with Adams Media for hiring me to write it but on occasion, my body has been very angry at them for giving me such a tight deadline. This uber short deadline has caused little Miss Fitzness Trainer to sit for 12 hours at a time with my head buried in my laptop quite often. My brain is thrilled, but my back has been bummed.

The only reason I've survived is because I'm already really good at taking care of my body. I've never had to sit down for such long periods of time as a requirement of my job, but when the side effects of doing so set in ... I knew how to respond.

I imagine a lot of you are stuck at a desk for hours on a daily basis. I feel for you. I also have some ideas to help you survive it without all of the stiff, achy and strained body parts.

I have been sleeping in ecstasy for the past few weeks. Yes. I have a Sleep Number Bed. Not only do I have a Sleep Number Bed, but I have the new kind with Memory Foam on top. Mmmmmm. It's amazing. In fact, I didn't realize how poorly I was sleeping until I got this bed.

I value sleep. I'm a fitness trainer, fitness enthusiast, mother of two and writer of far too many things. I need to sleep, and I need to sleep well in order to accomplish the ridiculous amount of tasks that fill my days. Are you familiar with this insane style of living? I bet many of you are.

Sleep is such a powerful tool. In fact, it's a requirement for professionals and parents and growing children too. Think of it this way. Exhausted people don't work out. Those running on fumes struggle to achieve the bare minimums of each day and then toss and turn at night, unable to get to sleep quickly. Sleepless people tend to eat poorly and gain weight as a result as well. The bottom line? Quality sleep is a crucial component for vitality, fitness and success.

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Your last workout left you with sore muscles. What do you do: Sit still? Or keep moving?

When it comes to exercise, a little bit of what ails you will make you better, says Andrew Pruitt, director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Colorado. Yep, the quickest way to heal sore muscles is to work them some more. It increases blood flow and delivers nutrients where you need them, Pruitt tells The Oprah Magazine (November 2008).

Don't be discouraged by soreness. It simply means your body is adapting to your fitness routine. And don't worry that you need to go all out as you repair your body. Gentle movement works wonders. Try walking -- you'll heal faster and burn calories at the same time.

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Well this is one of those subjects, that I, even with all of my degrees and such ... I just can't wrap my head around explaining it perfectly to you. I guess that's what links are for!

Let's just put it this way, a combination of: fruit, gas, fermentation, constipation, pelvic rotation and inflammation can be causing your back pain. I don't think this article will provide the answer to everyone's back pain, but for some ... maybe so!

The article even suggests that a "pooping situation" or "lack of pooping situation" might be responsible for weight gain. So! Without further a-doodoo, click here.

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OK, I may have been a bit hasty in my zeal to run on the beach during my vacation last week. I was so enthusiastic that I even wrote a Fitku about beach running. But the results weren't pretty.

Actually, I slightly exaggerate, because I wasn't all that sore, but I could tell my ankles and calves weren't used to the workout that they got from running on the sand. So I began wondering: Is there a way to prepare your calves and ankles for running in the sand?

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'm trying to lose weight, but exercising is a problem for me since I am almost 300 pounds. I have a bad knee and my hip hurts, so I am looking for an exercise tape that is low impact but helps me burn as many calories as possible during the work out. Thank you, Paula

A. Hello Miss Paula, I'm glad to hear from you. I've trained many people who weigh between 300 and 500 pounds, and the pain you're feeling in your knees and hip is not unusual. The more weight we carry, the more strain our joints endure. You're wise to look for low impact exercises.

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For many people--myself included--sore throats are a common occurrence when the snow flies. But instead of reaching for over-the-counter cold medicine and pain relievers, why not try a natural remedy first? Fitsugar recently came up with a long list of things to try:

• Gargle several times a day with warm salt water
• Or, try warm water with a pinch of cayenne pepper. It sounds painful but apparently it will numb the pain
• For the ultimate home remedy, try combining a teaspoon of apple-cider vinegar with a teaspoon of honey, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a few squeezes of lemon. Drink four times a day.
  
• Drinking tea with honey can help a scratchy throat and a cough.
  
• Cold food helps too. Try a Popsicle.
  
• A humidifier will help keep a dry throat moist.
  

Want more tips? Click here, or feel free to share your own.

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I am sore. I train hard, I play hard, and I am sore. But, I just treated myself to something I think will allow me to be less sore in the future. An iNeed shiatsu massager pillow from Brookstone. Mmmmm. It makes me so happy. If you're unfamiliar with this thing, it's a pillow you attach to a chair and lean back on. Then these thumb-like knobby things move around and massage the sore parts on your back and neck.

In fact, right now as I'm writing this I have that weird look of ecstasy on my face. I'm using my shiatsu pillow. Usually folks come to me on advice on how to become more sore. Training equipment, strategies, etc. Today you get the opposite. My $59 pillow of pleasure from Brookstone will satisfy my aching back for much longer than any single massage at a spa. (Although I love those too).

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Do you have a lawn guy who mows your yard, pulls your weeds, and rakes your leaves? If so, fire him! Barring an injury or illness that keeps you safe from these chores, there's no reason you can't put a little effort into your own outdoor maintenance. Consider it a two-for-one -- you get to accomplish household duties while logging some precious exercise time.

I raked a few leaves in my front yard today. Now, I mean a few. Still, when I was done, my arms ached like I'd just finished a strenuous workout. Wait, I had just finished a strenuous workout. It just wasn't the traditional in-the-gym activity that usually leaves our muscles sore. Add on some cardio (my front yard in on an incline so my body was working double-time) and I had myself a pretty good exercise session. Did I mention I'd already run 2.5 miles, cranked out my 10 push-ups -- impressive, I know -- and logged two one-minute planks before my lawn tasks began? Right now, I'm spent.

I urge you to consider spending some time working around your house. I mean really working around your house, inside and out. Exercise doesn't always have to come in the form of weight training, jogging, yoga, and the other fitness standards. It can be as simple as exerting yourself consistently while tackling everyday responsibilities. Combine it with other workout forms, and you'll be one fit cookie.

As far as minor inflictions of the body go, I find few things more annoying that canker sores (itchy mosquito bites are probably the only thing that I find as irritating). The painful sores make eating less enjoyable -- it's hard to get excited about a tasty meal when every mouthful brushes against the spot and sends a minor jolt through your face, and make brushing teeth a chore.

According to this, the good news is that cankers are not caused by a virus or bacterial infection but result from an injury to a part of the mouth (in my case, too much sour candies or a bite to the tongue tend to be the culprits). While painful, most cankers go away on their own within a few days. Cold sores are a slightly different story.

I've been lucky enough so far to not catch the herpes simplex virus 1 that causes the nasty lesions (according to the piece cold sores can also be contracted via oral sex from the herpes simples virus 2. Yikes!) but I've heard others complain about what a pain they are. Like cankers, these sores, which consist of a group of small blisters that eventually burst, will go away on their own after approximately 2 weeks.

They certainly don't sound like fun, so to learn more about prevention and treatment read more about cold sores here. And keep in mind, that any unidentifiable sore in your mouth could be the sign of something more serious so if you've got something in there that seems funny and doesn't go away on its own, make sure to see your doctor about it.

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Pretty much everybody has experienced a muscle strain at some point, and if you're physically active you've probably had several over the years. When dealing with pulled muscles the best thing you can do, obviously, is to prevent them from happening in the first place by stretching and warming up before doing anything strenuous. But once a strain has happened, it's happened, and easing back into your routine can be tricky. Rest the muscle until you feel ready to start working out again, and begin slowly in a low-impact activity like swimming, walking, or bicycling. Always stretch and warm up before getting started, and talk to your doctor about possibly using support bandages.

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Cold sores are painful and ugly, and if you get one you can't get rid of it fast enough. There are all kinds of over-the-counter and prescription treatment options, but if you're interested in more natural remedies there are several worth trying -- many of which you probably already have around the house.

Aloe, zinc oxide ointment, lemon-balm ointment, Super Lysine Plus, and sage & rhubarb cream have all been shown to speed healing, relieve pain, or both. Any of these work for you?

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When it comes to fitness one of the hardest things about getting started with something new is the inevitable sore and achy muscles the day after. Beginning fitness habits are delicate enough in terms of keeping them going without being unable to get back out there no matter how much you want to because you hurt too much. But there are things you can do to make sure you don't overdo it and inadvertently throw a kink in your own plans: try these simple tips to help you bounce back better than ever after a strenuous workout:

• Drink plenty of water and other fluids
• Stretch!
• Don't skip the cool down
• Refuel with carbs and protein within 30 minutes of finishing exercising

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Exercise feels great while you're doing it, but what about afterwards? For some that's when the sore muscles, stiff joints, and fatigue set in. It really shouldn't be like that, but thankfully if it is there are some things you can do to overcome negative post-workout after-effects. For example, caffeine can help reduce muscle soreness, wearing bright colors can give you more energy, and drinking cherry juice can cut back inflammation. Interested in more details? There's three pages of suggestions in the article, with something for every fitness ailment.

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