Obsession with youth is not only the plague of modern society. In the 1930s, a retired British army officer stumbled upon a remote monastery in the Himalayas where the monks were rumored to have found the fountain of youth. Amazed by their age-defying health and energy, he attributed their vitality to a series of yoga-like postures they practiced daily – as had generations of monks for thousands of years. These Five Tibetan Rites are believed to work by stimulating and balancing energy centers in our bodies called chakras that correspond to each of our endocrine glands. "They're like electricity transformers, receiving and regulating energy and transmitting it throughout the body," explains Sydney-based Carolinda Witt, who's been teaching the rites for more than seven years.

Witt says practicing The Five Rites is like flicking these energy switches to ON. And they're easy to do. In fact, she's made modifications that focus on breathing and building core strength so you don't have to be a veteran yogini to get yourself, well, turned on. Plus, it's yoga, so you'll create a leaner, stronger body! Start with three repetitions of each posture daily and in order. Add two per week until you're doing 21 in about 10 minutes. When you finish each move, pause and take three energy breaths. The directions are below.

Rite #1: Spinning
Harmonizes chakra spin rates. Improves balance, focus and coordination.

Rite #2: Modified Leg Raise
Strengthens and tones the core, hips, lower back, legs and neck.

CrossFit is a multi-faceted approach to fitness that promotes overall functional physical fitness through variable strength and conditioning exercises. CrossFit workouts are performed in a group setting, can be done in 15 to 20 minutes and involve full-body exercised based largely on functional movements such as lifting, pushing, pulling, swinging, jumping and running. The goal is to create a well-rounded athlete by conditioning a number of physical abilities, including strength, speed, coordination, agility, balance and stamina.

CrossFit was developed by Greg Glassman in the 1980s and has been adopted as the workout of choice for thousands across North America, including police officers, military personnel and professional athletes. CrossFit's legion of dedicated followers pledge allegiance to the the program because of its varied nature, meaning that, unlike some typical gym routines, the workout is never boring. CrossFit workouts can be done by people of all ages and fitness abilities.

Ready for a challenge? Try this Crossfit exercise.

A perfect L-sit Photo: CrossFit Oakland

Think parallel bars are only for extra-lean Olympians and teeny-tiny gymnasts? Think again! Amping up your workout routine with exercises on "parallettes" -- miniature parallel bars that are light, portable and inexpensive -- can dramatically increase your strength and balance.

Some of your favorite old-school exercises, like push-ups and triceps dips, can be made more effective and more fun by moving them from the floor to parallettes.

"A push-up becomes an entirely new movement when your hand is positioned on top of the parallette," says Melissa Byers, owner and trainer at CrossFit 603. "The parallettes demand greater wrist and forearm strength and stability, and your potential range of motion is greatly increased."

Being off balance while exercising isn't always a bad thing -- it works all the bits and pieces of your muscles in all sorts of great ways. But you don't want to completely wobble while you're trying to hang tough on your BOSU.

Are you in a healthy balance zone? Rate yourself with the following Ladies Home Journal test. You want to score a 48.

Stand barefoot on a hard flat surface. Put one foot in front of the other, heel to toe, and cross your hands on your chest. Close your eyes and count slowly. When you lose your balance, write down the number you reached. Repeat this three times, then determine the average of your scores.

Did you make it to 48 without teetering? If so, LHJ says you're in a healthy balance zone. If not, practice these three exercises for six months. Then test yourself again and see how you've improved. To boost the balance in your knees, ankles and hips, Bev has some smart strategies.

• Stand on one leg when you talk on the phone. Start with your eyes open, then try closing them.
• Stand on an unstable surface, like a rolled-up exercise mat or towel, and do squats or arm curls with light-weight dumbbells.
  
• Strength-train your legs twice a week -- stronger muscles will keep you from falling.

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If you've ever enjoyed a Cirque du Soleil performance, you'll no doubt agree that the performers in these shows have some of the best bodies in entertainment. They're strong, lean, flexible and have almost magical powers when it comes to acrobatics. I recently went back stage to work with Olivier Renaud, an über fit acrobat from the cast of Saltimbanco, Cirque's traveling arena show. Here, Olivier shares his three favorite exercises, and they're all moves you can do at home. They target the upper body, abs and lower body and I'll admit that Olivier looks fabulous doing them!

Oliver's exercises offer a range of benefits, including strength, balance and proprioception. Proprioception is something you want to train for -- it's basically your body's ability to respond to its surroundings without you intentionally willing it to. For example, if your foot were to hit the edge of the sidewalk, your ankle would have two choices on how to respond. It could either roll out, causing you to tumble over and injure yourself. Or it could instantly retract and keep you up on your feet. This split-second response comes from your body's natural ability to do what is best for you. With a short response time, you wouldn't be able to think, "Gee, let me pull my foot in this other direction." It either happens or it doesn't. Super proprioception keeps you on your feet!

On another note, I took my family to see Saltimanco. This show offered one breathtaking performance after another. My husband and I gasped, and my children belly laughed. I'd see it 20 more times if I could. I think it inspired every one in the audience to hit the gym a bit more too.

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Slow, rhythmic movements are the trademark of tai chi. But don't let the lack of sweat fool you. Tai chi may not be a great calorie burner, but it provides so many benefits for your body.

The controlled, flowing motions of tai chi develop a mind/body connection, giving you time to relax your mind and relieve stress. What's more, research has shown that tai chi is excellent for physical balance, as well as mental balance.

Research also suggests that tai chi might have a positive effect on blood pressure, circulation and chronic pain. You can look for tai chi classes through your local community centers or community education programs. There are also many tai chi DVDs and books to help you get started. Once you learn the ropes, however, be sure to step away from your living room or the local high school gym (or wherever classes are held). Part of the tai chi experience is location. Find a relaxing place to practice your moves and get the most out of your tai chi routine.

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Name: Lucciana Costa

Age: 20

Occupation: Student and musician.

How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I switch between interval and endurance training on the treadmill (I absurdly love the treadmill), the elliptical, and then weight train every day alternating muscle groups.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? I like to do one crunch or one squat when I'm unmotivated. When I feel how strong my muscles are now, I realize that they only got that way from consistently exercising. These single reps almost always inspire me to go to the gym.

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I'm taking a little of my love and sending it to Kate Winslet this Valentine's Day. I mean, here's a woman who isn't afraid to admit that her body isn't perfect, but asks us all to respect the fact that she loves it anyway. She even refused to let Vanity Fair retouch her during a nude shoot last year.

Looking for a healthy body image role model? She's it.

She's even giving her backside a little love these days. "I don't know a single woman who doesn't stand up and check the tushie before she walks out the door," she told Nightline on Friday. "I've decided I am going to start loving my backside, really just saying, yes. Because I don't know anyone who does that, you know? And for my daughter [Mia, who is 8], I want to be able to say to her, I love this."

Kate's joined a growing club of celebrity women who are saying no to super skinny bodies and yes to healthy curves. They work out and watch what they eat, but when they look back in the mirror on the way out the door ... they like what they see.

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Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

OMG!! I am really freaking out about the economy! Every day you read about staggering layoffs, another company tanking or some index you've-never-heard-of-but-it-seems-really-important hitting a 27-year low. Even those of us who still have jobs are cutting back on spending because we're so twitchy about the future.

As scary as it is out there and as important as it is to save your pennies for the economic monsoon that's probably coming, this is not the time to neglect your workouts. You need to be as fit and resilient as possible to weather the tough times ahead; the last thing you need is to get sick or find yourself without the strength and stamina to go about your day. All well and good, but how do you justify the price of a gym membership when buying bread is now a major investment for many of us?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I've come across a couple articles recently that are dead-set against prolonged cardio multiple times a week. They suggest that High Intensity Interval Training or low intensity activity only a few times a week at most, alongside regular weight training, is the only way to lose fat and stay fit. I don't think I could live without long runs or my favorite aerobics class. What do you think? Thanks, Samantha

A. Hi Samantha! Thanks for the great question. I'm sure it's on the minds of many. Bottom line, the folks who said that are over-opinionated. Think about Lance Armstrong, the guy does massive amounts of cardio each week and is the picture of health. So do I ... and so do most runners, cyclists, boxers, kickboxers, soccer players and more.

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We all want our workouts to be fun, but in order to get a senior citizen without much of a fitness routine interested in fitness, you'd better have something really interesting. And, one group of senior citizens in Miami definitely got an interesting workout from the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus clowns.

The clowns came to the YMCA's Silver Sneakers program and showed the group of grandparents how they could use circus tricks to stay fit. They balanced peacock feathers (for improved alignment) and juggled scarves (to improve hand/eye coordination and balance as well as mental fitness). They also used the hula hoop -- something "kids" of all ages can enjoy.

Smartly, it sounds like the gray-haired group avoided a few tricks, such as the unicycle, but they all went home with some great new views on staying fit as seniors. For other fitness tips (that don't involve creepy clowns), be sure to check out America Takes it Off!

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I love The FIRM workouts. They're not easy, but they're effective. But now I'm jonesing for the newer workout called The Wave.

Fitz told us how being off-balance can add to your workout. Tools like the BOSU are meant to make you wobble so your muscles get an extra workout just by responding to the imbalance. The Wave system uses that same idea. The Wave can sit on the anchored side, and it's essentially like a traditional step, but flip it over to the rocking side and you have a whole new type of workout.

I think some of my Christmas gift money is going toward The Wave. How about you? Any fitness purchases you want to make for the New Year?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. My doctor told me that that I have "hip instability" and I should work on it, but I have not idea what to do. What types of exercises will improve the strength in my hips? Leena

A. Hi Leena, Great question. I'm sorry your doctor didn't recommend a few visits with a physical therapist, though. That probably would have given you the perfect solution for your situation. Having said that, I work on this a lot with many of my clients, and there are some pretty simple exercises you can do to make your hips more stable.

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