That's Fit

These days, we have access to an overwhelming amount of fitness gadgets and gizmos, not to mention snazzy programs and classes that incorporate everything from martial arts to hula hoops to modern dances and the like. But, like many things in life, we are often exposed to so many flashy and new ways of doing things that we eventually come back to the inevitable truth: that the old way of doing things is sometimes the best way. Another way of putting it? Simple is best.

Don't mistake me for old fashioned--I've tried the super cardio hip hop dance kickboxing classes, and some of them really do work at whipping you into shape (and they're fun too!) But at the end of the day, some of the best exercises are the ones that we, and our parents, and our parents' parents all learned in school: Things like running, jump-rope, calinsthetics and so on.I know--sounds boring, huh? But if you want to see mega results, consider re-visiting these oldie-but-goodie exercises:

• Push Ups. Push ups are making a major comeback in the world of fitness (as you can see by all the recent coverage it's gotten, both in the media and on That's Fit,) and it's for one very good reason: They work. They're also a great indication of how strong you are. Remember the push-up test we challenged you to a while back? Could you do it? I consider myself pretty fit and I must say, I was struggling. Make it new: If you've mastered the push-up (kudos to you, by the way,) there are a few ways to spice it up. First, if you're doing them from your knees, try them from your feet. Then, try taking them super slow. It's really hard to defy gravity! If that still doesn't challenge you (wow, you're strong!), try them on .... gulp ... one arm.
  
• Crunches. There are plenty of abs exercises out there, but crunches are one of the most effective ones ever invented. They're even more effective than sit-ups because they target ab muscles specifically. Make it new: First, make sure you're doing your crunches properly -- a proper crunch should always be challenging, no matter how fit you are. If you want to take your crunches to the next level, consider doing some bicycle crunches to target your obliques.
  
• Running. It's like I told you last week: running is the best cardio for your body. Why? It burns the most calories, works the most muscles and really gets your heart pumping. Make it new: try running uphill as fast as you can for 10 seconds. Pretty soon, you'll notice a dramatic increase in your strength and speed.
  
• Jumping Jacks. Done any jumping jacks lately? Most of you probably left jumping jacks back in the 8th grade along with mandatory fitness testing. But I challenge you to try jumping jacks again, even just as a warm-up for your regular work out. Do them for five minutes straight. Sounds easy enough, right? You won't think so once you give it a shot -- jumping jacks are tough. Make it new. You know what? I can't think of a single thing to make this more challenging than it already is, except maybe adding some ankle weights, but dude. Good luck.
  
• Chin-ups. Can you do a chin-up? Even one? Um, yeah, me neither. I'm working on it, though, and you should too.
  

My point? Give the classic exercises a try -- they're legendary for a reason/