A couple Sundays ago I skipped the gym and powerwashed the garage, deck and siding instead. I squatted, bent over, lifted, hauled and scrubbed winter's grime away for four hours. Super sore on Monday, I knew my muscles had a solid workout. Our bodies are designed to be in motion all day, but unless you're a laborer, most of us compartmentalize our motion by working out in chunks, not fluidly throughout the day.

Check out these creative suggestions from "Julie's Health Club" and your very own "That's Fit" to you keep you in natural motion all day long -- your body is made for it:

• Wake Up -- Try these morning stretches I talked about last month.
• Shower Bends -- Forward bends under a pulsating shower releases the hamstrings/calves/hips and alleviates fatigue, anxiety, even headaches.
• Commute Fitness -- See stairs? Take two steps at a time, no escalators. 'Look mom, no hands' -- engage your core by balancing on a train/bus without holding onto a strap or pole (just be safe). Choose public transit instead of your car.
  
• Stop Sitting -- Purposely stand more, do squats during a conference call, quietly tense your abs and leg muscles during a meeting or at the mall. Schedule a 'walking' meeting to a local green space, and if available, hang from the monkey bars before heading back to the office.

Now that you've slipped fitness into your day, you can skip the gym, head home and lift up your loved ones for some more hug squats. Then take a walk after dinner or do some push-ups and lunges during commercial breaks.

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What do you mean herbal tea isn't tea? I absolutely love herbal tea. Just yesterday I sipped a giant mug of chamomile mint, which paired nicely with Jacki's better breakfast to start your day -- eggs and toast.

"Julie's Health Club" reports 9 Tea Myths, here are a few I found interesting:

• Black, Green and Oolong are Different Varieties of Tea -- Nope. The Camellia sinensis is the only plant that provides tea leaves. The difference is in the processing. Black tea leaves are exposed to air/allowed to oxidize; green tea is less processed to preserve the green color and delicate flavor; oolong tea is in between. Herbal teas come from different plants called "tisanes." That's not to say herbal tea doesn't count, but the research has primarily focused on tea, not tisanes.
  
• Green Tea = Skinny -- Study results are mixed on whether caffeine and EGCG (a catechin in tea) increases fat oxidation. Even if they do, one tea expert says the effect is small, like half an Oreo's worth. The way my mind works -- if I drink two cups of green tea, can I have an Oreo? Still, tea is a no-calorie beverage if you steer clear of dairy and sweeteners.
• Restaurants are Tea Experts -- Only if your restaurant offers a small tea pot, an empty mug and the tea bag on the side. Ideally, you should put the tea bag in the empty cup first, then pour the hot water. The Tea Association says use boiling water for black tea and nearly-boiling water for green tea.

If herbal tea isn't tea, do I just call it herbal? More than one commenter contested some of the myths in the article, check those out for a wider perspective.

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Monkey see, monkey do -- this often applies when one spouse starts making healthy lifestyle changes. Joining a Pilates class, choosing turkey burgers over ground beef or tossing out the nic sticks can prove mutually beneficial to the other spouse as they join in the behavior.

Case in point, my husband always pours himself an ice water with dinner in the biggest glass we own. That tall, cold glass looks so inviting, I request the same. We lean toward dates nights that kick off with a killer workout or a long hike. That shared love for healthy eating and fitness is a steady Pilates core workout for our marriage.

Julie's Health Club highlights three couples who epitomize the beneficial effects exercise can have on a relationship. From motivation and re-motivation, boosted self-esteem, higher energy levels, and even treating the kids better, partnering up for fitness shouldn't end after the wedding day pics.

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I can't stand working out early in the morning, mid-day is my strongest hour. But for nine-to-fivers in a recession economy, a productive, one-hour lunch workout may not be work-PC.

For 10 years in the advertising biz, I had no problem, the corporate gym was across the street. Better yet, I worked in an industry that was distancing itself from a shadier past -- the three-hour martini lunch. You felt like a star pushing that hour to 90 minutes at the gym -- not only did you return in half the time, you were sober, too.

But for those with stricter lunch schedules, Julie's Health Club offers 10 ways to fit in a lunchtime workout -- here are my favorites:

• Pack your gym bag the night before -- a simple, effective strategy.
• Skip the shower -- take a quickie sponge bath, slap on deodorant and mist a little Evian on your face. This might work for an easier workout.
• No reading on cardio machines -- you'll work out harder and burn more calories in less time.
• Supersets -- No rests between sets, just switch to an exercise that works opposing muscles (e.g., biceps with triceps).

Start fitting in that sweat-filled lunch, just watch the cubicle crumbs -- you have to eat at some point.

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