That's Fit

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 29 year old male and I am thinking about starting a workout routine. However, I don't know where to begin. I have a treadmill and that's it. I am 5'11 and about 160lbs. I don't have a lot of muscle, have a low self esteem towards my body shape and would like to change it. Something simple I can do at home with or without the treadmill would be OK. Any suggestions? Jared

A. Sweet Jared. So sorry you're feeling down in the dumps. Hard to know exactly what is causing it all, but getting yourself in shape can certainly be a grand opportunity to increase your physical fitness, confidence and self esteem. It's proven to help people live better and longer. I can help you with your physical goals. If you feel like there may be something else adding to your low self-esteem, please don't feel shy to talk to your medical doctor or a counselor.

Having said that, it sounds like you are long and lean. What a lucky place to start! Let's get you going with a very simple routine which should get you on your way towards the athletic body you so desire. Make that treadmill your home for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. Jog for as long as you can, take a two minute walking break, and then repeat. Continue this jogging/walking training until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. Once you get there....increase your time, distance, speed or all three. Up to you! When you feel like you have bricks in your shoes, just walk! It's OK to have some slower days here and there.

After one last ungodly roar of sub-zero temperatures, it seems as though Old Man Winter may soon be off to bed. Believe you me, there is not a single tear of sorrow being shed from my eyes for his departure. The warm(er) weather will be back very shortly, and besides being able to do just about anything outdoors without the fear of freezing to death, it's also a good time to start road work again. No, not construction -- well, come to think of it, construction actually is appropriate a term to use, because you can now resume construction on your bodies. Only now, it is safe to leave the confines of the gym and start walking, jogging and/or running (or hiking, biking, etc.) outside.

There is more than enough research circulating that stresses the important role that exercise plays in total body health, so to point to any would simply be redundant. That being said, our health should be among the most important parts of our lives, so getting your 'exercise on' should be just as much a part of your day as brushing your teeth. Okay, that's out of the way -- now back to the whole exercising outside bit.

In the gym, the treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes and such all have those handy readout screens. They tell us how much time has elapsed, how many calories have been burned (roughly, anyway), our heart rate, the winning lottery numbers, the meaning of life -- you name it, they tell you. But, when you're outside, you don't really have the information handy (other than time, which can be kept on a wristwatch). Another option is the Nike/iPod combination that pumps your favorite tunes through your earbuds while keeping tabs on how many steps you've taken and how much further you have to go to complete your programmed goal. Again, this is an option, but it of course involves shelling out the dough to buy the special sneakers (and iPod, because it does not support any other .mp3 players).

What risks would you take to inspire your own weight loss? See yourself writing, producing, marketing, and selling skinny songs to help get your butt in gear? Venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, 49, may not have ever predicted she'd do such a thing. But it's exactly what she found herself doing when her weight hit an all-time high and she wanted more than anything to fit into the small clothing tucked away in her closet.

After her hunt for inspirational diet music was met with defeat, Roizen decided to write her own lyrics. Hiring two music producers came next and now her CD Skinny Songs is available for $14.99 on Amazon. Her songs -- I'm a Hottie Now, Skinny Jeans, and Thin are three of them -- can also be downloaded on iTunes.

Roizen, whose goal was to go from a size 14 to a size 8, can now fit into her skinny jeans. And she plans to keep it that way. She hopes to help others reach their own goals too.

"I've made a lifelong commitment to a lifelong change," says the mother of two. "I started writing the music to inspire myself, and now I hope it will inspire others."

Take a look around any gym and at least 9 out of 10 people will have headphones on, either listening to the news/soap operas/sports that the gym TV is tuned into or playing music from an mp3 or CD player. In the gym, the desire to listen to something other than the strangers around you panting for breath is understandable, but do you listen to music outside of the gym as well?

Personally, I have mixed feelings about it. I like background noise, so if I can play music in the area that I am in, I enjoy it. Sometimes I find it to be distracting to have music playing right in my ear, where I can't really tune it out, though. Music is helpful with motivation and consistency when the beat matches your own rhythm, but it can really throw you off your stride when it doesn't.

What do you think? Do you workout with music?