That's Fit

One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "how do I get in shape quickly?" Well ... I'm sure as you read that question you might have thought ... impossible! Yeah, kinda. But, there are some things that will get you in shape quicker than others. The key is to challenge yourself, work most areas of your body, and make sure you do both cardiovascular and strength training. These are my favorite five moves that I believe will have the greatest impact on your fitness level, and help you see results sooner rather than later.

Check out the Summer Slimdown Guide -- it's loaded with tips to help you make the best of this summer and that fine body you're living in!

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Mother Nature's temperatures are rising fast, and it's time for you to turn up a little heat too. What better accessory to a hot summer outfit than sleek, sexy, strong arms?

Check out The Fit List for "The 21," an exercise sure to give you some beautiful biceps fast. MizFit will help you tone up your triceps with this how-to video. And Crabby discusses the classics -- push-ups and pull-ups -- especially for women.

Add a little arm work to your strength training routine today and show off all of your hard work at the beach, pool, or backyard BBQ this summer!

Got a blog you'd like to see featured in Fit Links? Leave us a link in comments!

Hey guys, are you wondering what muscles you should work at the gym on your next workout? Fitbuff has posted a list of the male body parts that women love best. Not surprisingly, abs took the top spot, followed by strong arms, a nice set of glutes (butt), a strong back and toned calves to round out the top 5 (to see the full list, click here.)

I think between these, I like the strong set of arms the best. Ladies, what about you?

Depending on where you live and your weather preferences, kayaking season may just be getting started or it may be finishing up. And if you have no idea which then maybe you should consider finding out, because kayaking can be great exercise for both your mind and your spirit. Rowing and paddling are great upper body workouts that can also help you improve flexibility, circulation, and joint health. Plus getting out on the water, away from the stresses of your everyday life, can really boost and rejuvenate your spirit.

If you're interested in trying it consider taking a class, and research what's available in your area because there may even be a paddling club that can help you meet others in the hobby.

Off all the women's magazines out there, I've always thought that Glamour was one of the more reputable ones. They seem to tackle issues of global importance and, at least in most of the issues I've read, were quick to emphasize healthy lifestyles over looking good at any cost.

But regardless of where they stand on such issues, they're still joining countless other magazines who crop images of their cover models to make them look impossibly thin. The latest victim is Ugly Betty star America Ferrera. I think there's no question that they cropped the image of her -- just look at those arms. They are certainly not proportional to the rest of the body.

I understand that thin sells more magazines than frumpy, but Ferrera is the furthest thing from frumpy -- she's gorgeous and talented and fully deserving of a spot on the cover as is. Don't you agree?

Summer may be coming to a close but now is as good a time as every to work on getting beautifully toned and sexy arms. With the weather getting cooler and routines starting to take shape again after all the summer craziness it just might be the perfect time to start a new goal. And since you can get buff arms in just 4 moves it can't be too hard to work it into your existing workout, right?

I know I need to work on this area because I always end up working my legs during cardio while my arms get almost completely neglected. Not any more!

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I am 61 years old and would LOVE to have better looking arms and legs. I will do what ever is recommended if someone who knows what they are talking about would tell me that exercising WILL bring back muscle tone! I just don't want to do it if it is a waste of time. I don't have flabby arms and I do play tennis for fun, but I don't want to end up with flabby arms either! They are softer than they used to be. I want to have muscular arms. Is that possible at my age - or a waste of time?? I do walk about 1 1/2 miles three times a week and I have lost 20 lbs. in the last three months. I am now 153 lbs. Is there real hope for us senior women? Carol

Carol. Thanks so much for writing, and I'm so glad you did. As I read your email, I was thinking that it probably represented what about a billion other senior women were wondering as well. Truly glad you wrote. First. Congrats on losing the 20 pounds. That's not easy, and I'm proud you've done it. You actually just accomplished something that most of the 60+ crowd thinks has become impossible. Weight loss. Lots of people think they can't lose weight after the age of 25. Apparently not true, right?

As for concern about your arms and legs. Get to work sister, cause you can definitely make progress! Strength training will absolutely help you gain the muscle tone you're longing for and keep you strong and sturdy. In fact, I've trained many women in their sixties and early seventies who have done push-ups, kickboxing, weight training, tubes, and more. They've all seen significant improvement in their muscle tone and have loved the new feeling of comfort wearing sleeveless shirts and shorts in the hot sun again. The only thing I find truly working against us as we age is skin elasticity. From arms to boobs and butts. Skin just gets looser. Argh! I hate it, but it's true.

Pursue a safe strength training program that is challenging for you. Strength train at least three times a week and the results will come quickly. Let me know how it goes! Fitz.

P.S. Check out this story about this 86 year old body-building great grandmother. You'll love it!

Q. Fitz. I stepped on the scale yesterday and weighed 168 pounds. Today I got on and weighed 174! What gives? How could I have gained six pounds in one day? Alan

Just because summer is pretty much over doesn't mean that you have to go into workout hibernation for the next 6 months. The best way to be swimsuit ready for next summer is to stay, or get into, shape over the winter months. If running or all of the fancy equipment at the gym isn't for you, or if you're simply looking for a change, why not try out this water workout that promises you can lose a size in as little as two weeks if you devote yourself to it.

In-pool exercises include the Egg beater, which works arms, legs and abs, the Surf's Up for abs legs and butt and the Toe touch for shoulders, back and abs. There are 8 exercises in all, which will work pretty much every body part that you could possibly want to tone. Plus water workouts are low impact on joints and since you're in the pool, you can stay cool while working up a sweat.

Physically interactive games are all the rage lately, with the most common examples belonging to the Nintendo Wii game system. But pretending to swing a golf club and play the guitar are one thing while arm wrestling in a Japanese arcade with the "Arm Spirit" game is something else altogether -- you could end up with a broken arm.

Game makers insist that the mechanical arm players "wrestle" with quote "isn't that strong," but they still can't explain how 3 different players ended up with broken arms. They're recalling the 150 "Arm Spirits" from arcades around Japan to check them for malfunctions, although a rep says "We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way."

Yikes. Did they get their quarters back?

Worried about getting loose saggy skin if you lose weight? Or maybe you're already dealing with a little extra around the arms, abs, or thighs because you've slimmed down in those areas.

The good news is that in all but the most extreme of cases your body can be trained and helped to tighten that loose skin up so your new beautiful figure can shine through without interference. eDiets has come up with a couple of moves you can do that can help if you do them consistently -- there's one targeted to arms and one targeted to thighs, so get to it!

It's lovely out where I live today and to celebrate I've taken the afternoon off to enjoy the heat, but stay cool on a float with friends. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is putting on my bathing suit. I know that there is flab in places where I don't want flab, and it's only going to look more pronounced in a bikini top. Despite all the talk, I am guilty of waiting too long to tone up.

Since there's still loads of hot weather to come (at least I hope), I know that it's not too late to improve on the paunch at least a little before the last float of the season. I was pretty excited to come across this piece with exercises to tone your abs, arms and legs in a mere 20 minutes a day. I'm working two jobs right now, so it's tough to find time to fit in a really long work-out.

If you've found yourself in the same situation and are still determined to get into better shape sooner rather than later, give the work out a try. The exercises are fairly easy to do and require very little equipment, so it's not going to cost a fortune. Most importantly, the article reminds us all that the best way to get the most out of the work-out is to remember the basics like stretching beforehand, breathing throughout, having good posture and cooling down afterward.

Your arms are one of your most noticeable body parts -- especially in summer, when sweaters are replaced with cute dresses and sleeveless tops. So why not get your pipes in great shape? It only takes 10 minutes a day, according to the fitness dude at eDiets. In addition to a healthy diet of proper proportions, there are some simple exercises you can do to get a great looking set of arms, such as:

-Biceps curls
-Tricep Extensions
-Triceps push down

For more info, check out the article.

For the record, I think I have a nice set of arms, and I got them through yoga. How about you?

In my world, right after 'tight abs' comes 'sculpted arms' on the list of the most "impossible to attain," and the most "impossible to maintain," fitness goals. But maybe I've just been missing out on some secrets? Hm.

This article has 5 tips to getting beautifully sexy arms, including things like using antagonist workouts, perfecting the timing between sets, perfecting your form when you're doing toning moves, and making room for "specialization days" in your workout. Of course you'll also have to lower your overall body fat, but I think we all knew that one already.

Some of these do sound like helpful tips, and I'll definitely give them a try. But I still think my main problem is something else: discipline discipline discipline!

The medicine ball is a fantastic piece of equipment; it's versatile, compact, and lots of fun. Available in a wide variety of sizes, colors, styles and quite inexpensive...the medicine ball is the perfect tool for anyone with a little bit of space and a lot of desire. I use them all the time for strength and stability training. Here are some ideas on how to train with yours. Look for more medicine ball magic when I begin the That's Fit video podcast "Move of the Week".

• Do push-ups with one hand on the ball.
• Do push-ups with both hands on the ball.
• Do a push-up with one hand on the ball. In the 'up' position, roll the ball to your other hand and do another push-up like that. Repeat.
• Hold the ball in your hands above your head and reach back while doing crunches.
• Put the ball between your knees or under your knees, and lift them up toward the ceiling while doing crunches. (picture shown)

One of my personal training clients showed up today, and shot a fitness tip in my direction for a change. She's a super fit girl with very muscular legs and as a result experiences chafing during long runs. Randomly she decided to tell me about Body Glide, which looks likes deodorant and glides on the same way.

Body Glide contains one percent zinc oxide and claims to be the "anti-friction skin formula" that will prevent blisters, chafing, dry cracked skin, saddle sores and rash. It's made with Vitamin E and aloe and is a no mess, non greasy, oil free product.