If even one small iota of your body has been feeling a bit stiff, you need to check out this video. Fitness expert Fitz (that's me!) and Anthony Field, the newly-ripped Blue Wiggle, demo some of the most fun and effective stretching and strengthening exercises you've ever seen. This stuff is so much fun, you'll actually look forward to doing it!

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If you're in search of sexy legs and a curvy can, squeeze these three moves into your workouts a few times each week. In fact, even if you aren't going to do a "full workout," just do these moves and your lower body will shine. I do these often myself and often incorporate them into the training sessions of my personal training clients. Each move works a variety of lower body muscles, and all of them will provide results quite quickly!

Squat Jumps: Squat down like a frog and explosively jump up as high as you can. This exercise will also crank up your heart rate, so begin with several sets of five jumps in a row with a short break in between. Increase your reps each workout.

Walking Lunges: Find a stretch of open space like a sidewalk or group fitness room. Alternating legs, take huge steps forward dropping your back knee close to the ground. Keep your back straight and avoid driving your front knee past your front ankle. Begin with 20 lunges and progress by adding steps or distance each time your train.

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The treadmill is a great tool for walking and jogging, but have you ever tried to use it for anything else? (Besides drying clothes on it.) You might be surprised to learn about all of the things you can do on a treadmill to get a tremendous upper body and abdominal workout. Check out this video of my wicked workout partner Anthony Field of The Wiggles and me as we take your training to the next level.

This type of innovative training is so fun and effective, it may just get you past working out because you "have to" and take you to working out because you "want to." Those are two completely different things. For more cool videos, recipes and other fun fit tips ...

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Most women are familiar with body scrubs, even if they don't use them. Scrubs are designed to get rid of dead skin and rough patches, leaving you with skin that's smoother, healthier-looking, and more radiant.

However, certain types of scrubs are great for your body, but not your face -- and vice versa. Additionally, if you're working on a particularly dry, scaly area of skin, like your elbows or your heels, you need a whole other level of scrubby goodness to get the desired effect.

Check out the gallery to get schooled in Body Scrubs 101. There's a little homework involved in the form of DIY scrubs, but don't worry -- a successfully scrubbed post-bath body is all you need to get an A!

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Why is it so hard to change? The exact reasons are different for everybody but one thing is certain: we all spend a lot of time falling into very similar traps.

The best way to avoid them? Face them head on:

• Expecting too much/Not expecting enough People who are good at change can see both the short term and long term accurately -- they know what they can do in the next 30 days and in the next 3 months. Be honest and realistic with yourself when setting goals.
  
• Letting others bring you down Those around you might not mean to drag you into the dumps, but seeing you working so hard and being successful could be reminding them of their own short-comings. Refuse to let the negative energy of others affect your positive momentum.
• Self-sabotage You might not mean to bring yourself down, either, but all too often we do just that to ourselves. Look deep to see if there are reasons, like fear, that you might be wrecking your own plans.

Thanks to Natural Health magazine.

There's been all kinds of stories circulating around lately on what a ridiculously huge amount of calories Olympic athlete Michael Phelps consumes every day while still managing to be totally ripped and toned. Talk about efficient calorie-burning! But you don't have to be on a crazy athletic training schedule and headed for the Olympics to learn how to burn calories better (although that certainly helps, I'm sure!), just try these 5 tips:

• Eat breakfast
• Tune in to your body's hunger cues
• Drink plenty of water
• Encourage healthy bacteria (take probiotics, eat yogurt)
  
• Go heavy on the spices (cayenne pepper, paprika, chili peppers)

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This weekend my son and I are going on a vacation. While we're staying in a cabin, we'll be spending most of our time outdoors -- at the beach, sand dunes, nature trails, and hiking paths. Both my son and I love to explore and check out what nature has to offer. A new web portal, Andy Camper, is all about outdoor adventures for kids.

The site offers dozens of how-to videos for kids; from geocaching to watching the stars. The site aims to get kids excited about the outdoors and to reconnect them with nature through fun, engaging ideas and activities.

My son is really into bugs right now (except spiders... they freak him out). Tonight, we're going to make this cool water viewer to help us look for bugs and other critters in the lake this weekend. Check it out! You're sure to find fun activities for you and your kids whether you're heading out on a special outdoor adventure, or just want to do some exploring in your own backyard.

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When one decides to stop eating meat, it's easy enough to turn to vegetarian recipes. However, many people aren't willing to give up meat in their meals, but would be willing to cut back.

The problem with this is that using half the amount of meat but not changing up the way you look at your meal can leave you feeling hungry -- if meat is still the main dish, but you're eating less, you won't feel satisfied.

Fortunately, The New York Times had a great article on how to eat less meat without feeling like you're missing out. Seven suggestions are made -- for the whole thing, click here, or check out our gallery to get a quick overview. And remember, you don't have to be a vegetarian to give vegetables the starring role in your dish!

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How often have you seen an ad or read about a new makeup trend in a magazine, only to think, "That looks great on her, but I'd never pull that off with my skin tone?" While it's true that some trends look best on women of particular ages or with certain skin tones, if there's a trend that intrigues you, there's probably a way to make it work for you.

Click through the gallery to see how Fitnessmagazine.com tailored five current makeup trends for specific skin tones -- you might find your new favorite look!

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Every season brings with it new trends and styles, and changing up your wardrobe is a great way to welcome in the new season. However, one thing I find myself telling people again and again is that no matter how hot a trend is, if it doesn't work for you, don't spend your money on it.

And so, I'm here to walk you through some of this season's trends but also tell you how women of different shapes and sizes might want to incorporate those into their wardrobes.

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For anyone who's lost a lot of weight and needs motivation to keep it off or for anyone who currently needs to lose a lot of weight but doesn't know where to start, this list of inspirational and rational thoughts might just be what you were looking for. It's not from a doctor, so as the author says ... you should take it with a grain of salt.

But that said, it is from someone who has lost over 100 pounds on their own, someone who's been there, done that. With over 100 personal thoughts listed, I can't share them all ... but I will list a few of my favorites:

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Some people experience it more than others, but I think most of us have gone through it at some point in our lives: that frustrating inability to get a deep breath when you're really nervous or anxious about something. This article I came across was published awhile ago, but it's got a great set of tips (complete with stick man illustrations!) on how to "reboot" your lungs and get over that annoying shallow breathing pattern we sometimes get stuck in.

If nervous breathing happens to you often how do you deal with it?

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I am a life-long night owl. When I was in school, I loved summertime because it meant that I could stay up later without having to drag myself out of bed in the morning, still half-asleep and dreaming of settling back in between my comfortable covers. It's not that I wanted to stay up late partying, it's just that I get a major burst of energy around 10pm and often can't fall asleep until well after midnight. It's like torture on days when I have to get up at 6am to get to work.

Life would definitely be easier if I were a morning person. Recently Rigel Gregg posted some tips on getting up earlier and Francesca Clarke at DIY Life also wrote about an article that offers 24 tips for becoming an early-riser. One of the suggestions that Francesca highlights is heading outside as soon as you get up as it will help you feel more awake. Some of the other tips in the piece include sleeping with the windows open for fresh air and planning events in the morning so that you have to get up.

Are you a reformed night owl? How did you teach yourself to get up earlier?

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Your doctor should be the last person you're embarrassed to talk to about health issues, including advice and help with losing weight, but that doesn't mean it always works that way. Some people actually find their doctor the hardest to approach about their weight, instead of the easiest. Maybe it's something about the guilt -- deep down I think we all want to get a good "grade" at our doctors visits and bringing up the fact that we're overweight feels like we're pointing out a mistake that otherwise might sneak by unnoticed (but believe me, your doctor notices, whether he/she says something or not).

So, if you feel you need to lose weight, make a goal for yourself that you'll ask at least one question of your doctor the next time you go. There are some good tips and pointers here if you need ideas, such as asking if they have any pamphlets or brochures in the office and having the doctor or one of the nurses take your measurements.

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