That's Fit: Do you think exercising outdoors is more beneficial than working out at the gym?

Vindum: Absolutely! First, it's a blast in every way -- physically, mentally and emotionally. People find that exercising outdoors feels good to them, they get results and it's easy to stay with it. When you do it repetitively, your brain rewires for it -- and you will literally own that feeling and want to exercise.

This type of training [like the workouts found in my book] pulls in more muscle fiber and burns more calories -- up to 12 percent more calories and 32 percent more fat. It also causes your brain to focus more and pair up with your body in a way the gym can't -- so you stay super present, focused, coordinated.

Compared to machines and a flat gym floor, the outdoors challenges your muscles in every way -- climbing up, down, laterally, and diagonally; moving you forward, backward, squatting, lunging, rotating on every imaginable surface -- grass, dirt, sand, gravel, pavement, snow, etc., and working in all planes of motion.

That's Fit: What precautions should you take when exercising outdoors?

Vindum: I train clients to "feel through their feet" -- most people are connected to their hands, but not their feet. Outdoors you've got to be aware of your steps or you can trip over the lumps and bumps in the terrain. You want your hands "on par" with your feet. You'll walk taller, with better posture.

And a word on shoes. Shoes are your number-one piece of equipment. Think of them as your tires -- your connection to the earth. There's so much technology in shoes today in the form of fit and function. If you work out on dirt trails, you'll need an all terrain shoe to climb, descend and traverse. If you exercise in an urban environment on paved paths or the side walk, you'll want a shoe for that.

That's Fit: What inspired you to write this book?

Vindum: Complete and utter desperation! I got to a place where I simply hated the drudgery of hopping on and off boring, sweat-soaked machines in buildings with canned, stale air, artificial light and pounding, thumping music -- I'd leave the gym more stressed out than when I'd arrived! It made me think, "Why am I shelling out money and time for that?" So, one day I literally stepped off the treadmill, walked out of gym and developed my own program -- doing squats on the hillside, push-ups on a bench, lunges in the sand. My performance dramatically improved. I realized quickly that the gym was unnecessary.

That was more than 15 years ago. Since then, the program has been honed and refined into the only accredited outdoor fitness program in the country.