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. I'm getting married in late June, and I still have about 10 more pounds to lose. I feel good, but not great! You always say to avoid diets, so what can I do? Can't wait to hear it. Emily

A. You've been paying good attention, Emily, and I'm honored to be able to help you look and feel your best on one of the most special days of your life. I normally poo-poo attempts at quick weight loss -- reunions, holiday parties and cruises just don't qualify for "diet-like" behavior for me. Weddings are different though, and fortunately, I can help you lose the weight without hunger, stress or frustration before you walk down the aisle.

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It's definitely wedding season, and I'm going to bet you know someone who's getting married in the coming months. And more than likely, the bride you know is watching her weight. Did you know that 70 percent of brides want to lose 20 pounds or more before their weddings, and 20 percent resort to "extreme" dieting behaviors like skipping meals and taking laxatives?

It's a disturbing trend for sure, but there's at least one bride-to-be who isn't worried about dropping weight for her wedding day. Funny girl Anna Faris told People magazine, "I am fattening it up!"

Faris has made no bones about the fact that she's not a huge fan of keeping a strict diet and exercise routine, and it sounds like her fiance, Chris Pratt, isn't looking to change her. "Now that I have a man, I'm like, 'Oh, I don't have to try anymore!' Now I can eat. We love to splurge at home. We love to cook. My fiance is an incredible eater, and so he's really fun to feed, and it's great to share some wine and watch a movie," explains the "House Bunny" star, who adds, "He's always like, 'Baby, don't lose that butt!"

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Kate Marshall

Age: 27

Occupation: Public Relations Consultant

How often do you exercise? Usually two or three times a week, although lately I've been slacking off. I need to get back into my routine!

What type of exercise do you do? Everything -- I lift weights, go to cycling classes, do yoga, use the elliptical machine, etc...

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kristy Swanson, got back into fighting shape in time for her wedding to ice-skating legend Lloyd Eisler.

Swanson lost the weight by following the Medifast plan. On the Medifast website, Swanson says, "After the birth of my son, I was tired and not feeling good about myself. I knew that I had to make a change to drop the baby weight. I was so happy with my success, that my mother decided to try Medifast and she lost 20 pounds."

Exercise was also an important component in Swanson's weight loss success. She worked out on the treadmill, took martial arts classes and jumped rope.

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Fergie is going to be a gorgeous bride, and ain't nothin' gonna get in her way. She and her fine fiance, Josh Duhamel, have finally set a wedding date (January 10!) and to get in shape, she's been working out Every. Single. Day.

Remember, Fergie had to gain 13 pounds for a movie role toward the end of last year, and then, just as it was time to start working off the weight, Thanksgiving reared it's calorie-laden head. Still, she stayed focused, and showed off her hard work at a New Year's Eve concert in Vegas.

So how'd she take off the extra padding? Says the star: "A lot of hiking and doing a bunch of sit-ups, working my butt off and just, you know, try to maintain and stay healthy." This time of year a lot of us will probably be trying to follow her Fergalicious example, whether we have a wedding to get all sexy for or not. If you need a little help, keep checking in with us here at That's Fit, and be sure to get involved with America Takes It Off!

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The resident athlete of the The Girls Next Door trio, Kendra Wilkinson, is engaged to Hank Baskett, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. And guess who's going to give her away? None other than Hugh Hefner, of course. And the ceremony will be held at the Playboy Mansion.

Hank Baskett may be the pro athlete of the pair, but Kendra's no wimpy bunny. She's a fan of nearly every sport and is a solid soccer player. While Kendra has been seen running and working out on her TV show, she has a somewhat unusual choice for a favorite exercise. On her MySpace page she claims "You know I can shake what I got and I think it's the best exercise."

If shaking your (ahem) assets isn't quite your thing, you could take some more mainstream fitness tips from the The Girls Next Door workout video, which features Kendra as well as the other Girls Next Door, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. Jake Steinfeld of Body by Jake and other professional trainers served as consultants on the DVD so the ideas and techniques are effective and sound.

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In June, Chris told us that married people are generally healthier than their single counterparts. A new study confirms that the statistic is still true, but single men's health is on the rise.

Researchers from Michigan State University wanted to see if the changing trends in marriage and lifestyle -- such as waiting to get married until older -- have had an effect on the long-reported statistic about married couples being healthier.

The researchers reviewed 32 years of data from the National Health Interview Survey. Over time, the health information reported by never-married singles improved dramatically. The self-reported data by married women also indicate an improvement in health. Married men, however, remained relatively the same which narrows the gap between the health of never-married men and married men.

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Most of the time, when we think of a boot camp, we imagine a really tough fitness routine run by someone with a face only a mother can love and a voice that causes nightmares. However, if you (or a friend) are getting married, there's a different kind of boot camp for you.

The Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, Florida, offers a gentle bridal/bachelorette boot camp, where the bride and her friends can spend a weekend relieving stress by working out and getting pampered.

Sure, you could just do a crazy girls' night out, and while the tequila shots and appletinis will probably make you forget about your stress while you're there, they won't do much for you in the long run. Check out the gallery to see what kinds of cool things the Gaylord Palms Boot Camp for Brides offers.

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Why do so many brides stomp tiny villages full of overpriced caterers, poorly organized photographers, and implacable future in-laws? What is it that causes these so-called bridezilla moments? Well, I'm sure stress plays a major role. But a good point is made in the most recent issue of Women's Health, pointing to hunger as the possible cause of all this pre-wedding rage.

In preparation for their big day, many brides go to great lengths to look their best. In doing so, they try a myriad of methods to drop some pounds. The journal Appetite recently published a survey study on the weight-loss behaviors of brides-to-be, which basically breaks down like this ...

The following percentage reflects the amount of survey respondents who have tried the weight-loss methods to look their best in their wedding dress:

• Drinking water: 89%
• Aerobic exercise: 85%
• Switching to lower-calorie foods: 80%
• Exercising with weights: 70%
• Eating diet foods: 43%
• Switching to diet drinks: 39%
• Skipping meals: 23%
• Taking unprescribed diet pills: 22%
• Buying a dress smaller than their current size: 14%
• Joining a weight-loss program: 13%
• Fasting for a day or more: 4%

On average, how much weight do most women hope to lose by their wedding day? 21 pounds.

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Are wedding bells in your future? June is the most popular month for weddings, so this year's June brides are probably scrambling to make sure they're as fit as possible for their big day. After all, who doesn't want to look absolutely gorgeous on their wedding day?

Just because your goals are hinged on one big day, there's no call to diet unhealthily. Exercise and eat healthfully, aiming to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Crash diets don't work in the the long-term and they can rob you of energy. You want to be energized and ready to dance the night away on your wedding day so don't make unhealthy choices. In addition, regular exercise and good nutrition can help you deal with the stress of planning your wedding. While you can't lose weight in any certain area, you can focus on toning and strengthening. For example, if you're wearing a strapless gown you may want to add extra exercises for shoulders and upper arms.

As you gear up for the big day, ask your fiance or a bridesmaid to join you in your new fitness routine. It can be just one more fun pre-wedding event.

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Everyone has been to at least one wedding or social gathering where someone had too much to drink and pretended to have sex with a porcelain statue that resembled Napoleon. Okay, well maybe I'm the only one whose been to a wedding where that's happened, but I know I can't be alone in having been at a social function where someone had waaaaaay too much to drink. As evidenced by these people's behavior, getting trashed really isn't the healthiest choice you can make. However, based on research from Stirling University in Scottland, being a moderate drinker may have several benefits.

Apart from the cardiovascular benefits of drinking a daily glass of wine, it seems as though having a cocktail or two can also increase your status in the workplace. Based on the U.K. study, moderate drinkers tend to earn 17 percent more money than their non-drinking colleagues. Why? Because they tend to network more often and more freely, helping them get a leg up on their competition on the corporate ladder. Does this mean that boozing is the key to being successful? Not at all. Not only can excessive drinking do a number on your health, but it has also been shown in separate studies to have an opposite effect on salary earnings.

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Those of you who have been in a wedding--in any part--know that there is a lot of pressure associated with 'the big day.' With the astounding amount of time and money that goes into a wedding, it's not surprising that brides-to-be are going to another extreme to have their perfect wedding--namely, they're starving themselves to look their best.

It's called Brideorexia, and according to this article from Newsweek, it affects an alarming number of women. Consider these statistics from a recent study of engaged women:

• 20% were closely monitoring their weight to make sure they didn't gain an ounce (which is understandable because when you spend that much on a dress, you want it to fit. But;)
• 70% were trying to lose 20 pounds or more before the wedding
• 20% engaged in 'extreme' dieting behaviour, such as skipping meals, going on liquid diets and using laxatives.
  

That's not all--A small percentage of the women started smoking to lose weight, and some went as far as to purge after meals. Want to know more? Click here.

The bottom line? It's one day, and it's not worth jeopardizing your health for.

(Via Aisledash)

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Think it's women who are dying to get married? Not exactly. It turns out that men who don't get married tend to die sooner than married men, according to research by the Center for the Study on Aging.

Statistically speaking, taking that walk down the aisle can be a major contributor to better health and a longer life expectancy. Married men are less likely to have drinking problems, commit suicide, and develop mental problems. They also tend to eat healthier and exercise more frequently, all of which increases their chances of living a longer life.

A separate study published in the American Journal of Sociology found that 88% of married men live to the age of 65, while only 63% of never-married men, 65% of divorced men, and 69% of widowed men live to that age.

So, for all you ladies out there who are waiting for your man to pop the question, maybe you can tell him that he better ask you soon -- his life depends on it.

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Some brides are saying "no thanks" to wedding cakes these days. It's not because of the calories, the sugar, or the fat dripping from these decadent displays. It's the expense that has them ditching tradition.

As the costs of weddings soar, some couples are cutting corners by ditching the real cake and using a replica made of foam. With cakes costing an average of $543, the $100 foam knock-off becomes quite a steal.

Trade the real deal for a fake cake, and no one will even know a switch has been made. The fake cake looks completely authentic and even has a special compartment tucked in the back for hiding that special first piece. After the bride and groom take their tastes, the cake gets whisked away and guests are served something less pricey.

What's your take on the fake cake?

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Marriage has a bit of a bad rap these days, with lots of people complaining and saying how life and fun are essentially over the minute you take the plunge. But millions of people are still getting married every day, and thankfully research shows that they don't have the wrong idea -- it's not a bad thing! Research has found that married people have the following health advantages over people who aren't married:

• Better general health, and less sicknesses
  
• Less alcoholism
• Fewer suicides
• Less time spent in hospitals, and faster recovery rates
• Stronger immune systems
• Lower risks for depression, along with reduced stress and anxiety

Of course I'm thinking if you marry the wrong person and end up stressed and unhappy then these benefits probably don't apply, but for the average person your spouse may be doing more for you than you think!

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