That's Fit

My friend, former trainer, and blogger pal Fitz always says push-ups are tops. If you commit to only one exercise in your life, in fact, Fitz says make it the push-up. Why? Because It's whole-body great. Other fitness experts agree.

Push-ups work multiple muscle groups, say the health folks at Woman's Day magazine, which makes this exercise a good indication of overall strength. I'm not feeling too strong right now. How about you?

Currently, I can't do the 16 push-ups a 40-year-old woman should be able to crank out. But, I'm on it. I'm not going traditional, though. I'm doing my push-ups like Cindy Whitmarsh of exercisetv.tv says wimpy ones like me should do them.

I'm going to kneel, then walk my hands forward so that they are slightly wider apart than my shoulders. I'm going to contract my abs and keep my neck in a neutral position, in line with my spine. I'm going to bend my elbows, lower my body for a count of three, hold for a count of three, then slowly come up (these counts are good for my metabolism, says Laura). I'm shooting for two sets of eight. You should try them too.