That's Fit

With there being so many exercises that target the abdominal muscles, it's really tough to pinpoint which are the best. Everyone's body is different, so that doesn't exactly help make it any easier. Still, there are some exercises that seem to stand out from the rest, either for their effectiveness in firming your midsection or simply because they are less commonly practiced. And sometimes, it's a combination of both of these reasons.

This is certainly the case with the barbell roll-out. The move itself may seem slightly familiar; the roll-out movement itself became quite popular about 10 years ago after TV fitness salespeople hawked various brands of exercise wheels. Then, because some gyms didn't have these wheels, some people actually brought their own. But why spend money on something when you don't have to?

The barbell roll-out is a great exercise for your transverse abdominis, which are primary muscles in the functional core of the human body. And, it can be done with the equipment found in just about any fitness center or home gym. Start by loading a barbell with a small weight on either side (five-pound plates are perfect). Next, kneel down on a towel and grasp the bar with a grip that's around shoulder-width apart. Then, roll out in front of you to lower your upper body just above the floor. When you have reached almost full extension of your arms, hold for a second and then pull yourself back to the starting position.

When I was a kid, I took gymnastics at a local ... gymnastics place (for lack of a better term). I eventually quit, deciding that baseball, basketball and football were more my things. Anyway, the one part of gymnastics I always missed was bouncing around on the trampoline. As the years passed, I've always been tempted to buy one, but for one reason or another never got around to actually doing it. This is a shame, really, because not only are trampolines a lot of fun, using them also burns a good amount of calories.

Studies show that 10 minutes on a trampoline burns just about the same amount of calories as a 30-minute run, and it does so with 80 percent less impact on the ol' bones. Moreover, there are actual exercises you can perform on a trampoline, many of which you're probably familiar with already.

Common moves like the push-up, standing squat, lunges, and even jump squats done on a trampoline require greater use of your core muscles than when done on a hard, flat surface. The instability of the trampoline necessitates a certain amount of stabilization, or else you will tip over ... which is no problem, because then you can literally just bounce right back again.

If we continue at the rate we're going, the entire U.S. population will be obese in 50 years. That's what a recent University of Missouri study suggests, anyway. Even if it doesn't turn out to be completely true, it's easy to see how it can still end up being quite close.

What can we do about it? Best I can tell, the only solution is to shape up. Through diet and regular exercise, the obesity epidemic can become a thing of the past, rather than an inevitable part of our future. With that little pep talk over, I feel obliged to now offer up a quick health tip. OK ... here goes.

Random Health Tip of the Day: add water to your cereal. Well, you don't have to add it directly to your cereal; drink a glass of water while you eat it. Men's Health magazine states that doing so will help slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, thereby preventing hunger-causing blood sugar spikes. In addition, the water will help make the fiber in the cereal expand, which will also help you feel fuller longer.

Grocery prices are getting out of hand -- I bypassed a $2.49 box of frozen, multigrain waffles today to buy two boxes of the less healthy/not whole-grain variety because they were a buck a box. I'll sprinkle some flax on top of them before sliding the plates over to the kids, but I'm still having waffle-purchase regret. My kids eat a lot of waffles -- we're missing out on a golden whole-grain opportunity here.

If you're into frozen waffles, a group of five San Francisco-area food aficionados from Taster's Choice have analyzed the whole-grain variety. Here are the Top Three:

• 1st Place: Scoring a 75 out of 100, Van's multi-grain waffles are eggless, dairy-free and the tasters reported a "good crunch." Unfortunately, they are outrageously expensive at $3.29 for six waffles at Whole Foods. How come the good stuff is out of reach for the average middle-class family? Maybe we need to re-prioritize our waffle budget.
• 2nd Place: Scoring a 59 (much lower than Van's), Safeway's Eating Right had a nice texture and a nutty taste. Cost: $2.75 for 10 waffles -- now we're talkin'!
• 3rd Place: Eggo whole-wheat waffles garnered 57 points. Tasters commented it was crispy and even looked homemade. 10 L'Eggo-My-Whole-Wheat-Eggos cost $3.49, a bit pricey.

Lifestream and Kashi also make multi-grain frozen waffles, but they didn't make the Top Three.

After you start your day with a whole-grain frozen waffle, head on over to AOL Body's America Takes It Off!: Summer Quick Fix weight loss program and accept the challenge to drop a few pounds. You'll find a bunch of tips to help you get started, even how to stock your fridge! Focusing on whole-grains is a good start.

Would you steer away from that juicy restaurant burger if next to its menu description came a whopper listing of its calories? New Yorkers are facing this very question now that the city's chain restaurants are legally required to post calorie counts on their menus.

Officials are hoping that publishing calorie facts will inspire healthier dining and minimize out-of-control obesity. It might. Kind of like journaling your every bite might prevent you from over-eating, staring at the number 2,900 while you drool over the Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries just might cause you to pull in the reigns. Gazing at a Starbucks pastry case may become a whole new experience too. Apparently, people were recently seen backing away from the glass at one location as they read labels.

• Try different dressings, but make sure to check the label before buying because certain dressings (like the creamy ones) can be loaded with fat and calories. Better yet -- try making your own!
  
• Add some nuts and seeds. They'll add protein and flavour to your greens.
• Think outside the veggies. Slices of fresh fruit can add a lot of flavour to your salad -- strawberries, grapes and mango are my favourites.
  
• Cheese, please. I love cheese and if adding it to my salad means I look forward to chowing down on my greens, so be it.
  
• Get inspired. I sometimes spend my lunch hours perusing the internet for interesting salad recipes -- I rarely follow a recipe by the book but it's great for ideas and inspiration.