What’s the best way to get started with an exercise program?
Are there any programs geared toward children in the Metro Parks?
Can I eat pizza without sabotaging my diet?
I am nursing a foot injury. What types of exercise would you recommend?

The questions continued for an hour. They involved Central Ohioans carrying on a conversation in cyberspace, bound by a common cause: a quest to get fit.

Welcome to the Commit to Be Fit Community, an interactive arm of the “Commit to Be Fit” program, where people can find answers and encouragement from virtual strangers.

The opportunity for live chats with experts on everything from nutrition and exercise to quitting smoking and getting a good night’s sleep is just one of the benefits for those who join the Commit to Be Fit Community.

Those who log on can also set goals and track their progress online. There are calorie counters and training tips. Users can even ask personal trainers questions and get a personal response. And it doesn’t take an Internet savant to navigate the site.

“We wanted it to be extremely user-friendly, packed full of useful information to help people live healthier lives,” says Jill Cullinan, whose team at Integrated Marketing Services created the Web site.

“I use the Body Mass Index calculator. And the recipes are great,” says 15-year-old Kierra Dye, of Centerburg. This high school cheerleader has been working since December to lose 50 pounds before the start of school this fall.

She dropped the first 40 pounds with a challenging regimen of cardiovascular exercises and weight training, but found the last 10 tough to lose. Kierra says she turned to the Commit to Be Fit community hoping to find encouragement, as well as suggestions from others who’ve battled the bulge and won.

“I found a lot of support,” she says, adding that it contributed to her success. Kierra was well on her way to reaching her weight loss goal in time for the start of school. But that wasn’t the end of her involvement in the Commit to be Fit Community. During the last live chat, Kierra logged on not to ask questions of a nutrition expert, but to offer advice on her experiences and eating right.

“I gave up soda pop altogether and started drinking a lot of water,” she says. “At first it was tough, but after you get used to it, the fizziness tastes horrible.”

Since the Commit to Be Fit Community Web site debuted in May, more than 1,000 people have signed on as members, and an additional 30,000 have signed up for a weekly E-Newsletter. “That exceeds all of our expectations,” Cullinan says.

While Kierra is a teen, Cullinan says the community consists of people of all sizes, shapes and ages, with all kinds of goals and challenges. All of the programs and services are free.

If misery loves company, those who find it difficult to commit to getting and staying fit will find comraderie in this virtual neighborhood. Not to mention the tools, links, expertise and encouragement that can mean the difference between another failed fad diet and a lifestyle change that lasts a lifetime.

Check it out and sign up today. Visit www.c2bfcommunity.com for more information.

Watch Andrea Cambern on WBNS-10TV Eyewitness News weekdays at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on WWHO-TV.