How is it that the military is able to whip people into shape in such short time, even though they don't have special gyms and fancy fitness equipment for new enlistees? A - Enlistees are pushed to their physical limits; and B - All that's required to transform the body are the fitness basics.

Civilians can learn from this approach and apply it to their own workouts. Rather than spending an hour on an elliptical, leisurely gliding through a cardio workout, try ditching the equipment (and the gym) and go run an outdoor trail instead. Sprint up hills, jump on top of boulders, and leap over small creeks. Push yourself to limits you know you're capable of reaching, but for reasons probably related to a digital readout on a piece of cardio equipment, you never have. As for resistance training, try ditching the bands for a bodyweight workout. Get down and give yourself ten push-ups. Twenty, if you can. Then, find a sturdy bar to hang from and bang out some pull-ups. If you're unable to do so, perform horizontal pull-ups instead. Work your legs with some prisoner squats. Hit your core with sets of the plank and side plank. Push, push, push!!

Don't let these gyms salespeople fool you; it is possible to get a good workout anywhere. Does having an entire gym at your disposal make that task any easier? Of course it does. But, having too many options can also be a distraction, not to mention a forceful attraction to an easier workout. Remember, workouts are supposed to be hard. If yours isn't, it's probably the reason your body's not, too. It's time to change that, but to do that, you must not give in to the temptation of fancy fitness. Stick to the basics, soldier.