I like to Spin, but the bike saddle hurts my tender bits after 15 minutes -- even with padded bike shorts. I love to run, but my knees start complaining after 20 minutes. And I need to work my abs more often, but even a fitness pro like me finds a million excuses to skip my boring crunch routine. Finally, someone put all of these moves together to create the most high-energy, fat-busting workout I've performed in months. And don't even think about blowing off the crunches since former Marine Raphael Verela, founder of Circuit Works, may get in your face for slacking off.

Verela, owner of the über-popular Circuit Works Studio in Venice Beach, Calif., launched this personal training nook especially for folks like me who get bored easily and want to mix it up but need a little extra oomph. "I wanted to create a way to make Spinning more exciting and relevant for people looking to lose weight and tone up their midsection," Verela says. He says he also wanted to construct "the ultimate cardio workout where you firm up your abs, and focus on the areas most susceptible to fat deposits, the butt, hips, and thighs." Mission: Accomplished!

Many of us can't run five days a week. At least not forever, especially after injury creep sets in upon departing our 30s. Not everyone can handle that steady pounding on hips, knees and feet.

If you're training for a longer running race, some experts advise running three days a week (speed, hills, long run) and filling out the other two days with cross-training. Cycling is a good cross-training activity for runners -- it's aerobic, works opposing muscles (hams/quads) differently than the running stride, and 90 rpm on the bike matches the average runner's cadence. A runner who skips cross-training can develop serious muscle imbalances, resulting in injury.

Kristen says yoga for runners is more important than you might think, too. And swimming offers cardio with nearly zero impact. If you're injured, try deep-water pool running to keep you in stride while healing. To runners everywhere: Cross-train now to stay running. Your body will thank you.

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If you're a runner, you should be doing Pilates. If you bike, you should throw in a little swimming. If you strength train, you should try yoga too. Cross training is not just for the elite athlete striving for a marathon finish, according to fitness expert and personal trainer Marilynn Preston. Nope, it's for us everyday folks trying to live healthy, happy and fit lives, and "Dr. Jock," as Preston is called in the column she writes for The Gainesville Sun, says there are four good reasons we all should be mixing it up.

• Injury. Cross training lets your overused muscles rest, and since repetitive stress is a major cause of injuries in all sports, you really ought to give your biking legs a rest by lapping it up in the pool.
• Boredom. Repetition wears on muscles -- and on the mind too. Boredom is one of the main reasons people quit working out, so try to engage in two to three activities to keep your motivation fresh. You want to achieve lifelong fitness, after all, and variety will get you there.
• Self-confidence. We all need to leave our comfort zones now and then, so don't be a star in one sport -- become good at several, and your self-esteem will soar.
• Flexibility. Back-up plans are key in all walks of life. When your legs give out on the running circuit, you'll need a plan B. When you travel and find no fitness center in your hotel, you'll need to find a walking path or some stairs to climb.

Preston isn't only an authority on cross training -- she's got four tips for squeezing fitness into tough economic times, she can tell you how to step up and pep up your walking and here, she's got eight ideas for making your summer a healthy one.

Exercise is one of the greatest gifts you can give your body -- as long as you do it right. Check out these three fitness mistakes, guaranteed to up your risk for strain, soreness, and injury.

• Forgetting to warm up and cool down Warming up reduces the risk of injury, and stretching after a workout prevents soreness. Be sure to stretch right, though -- improper stretching can be just as dangerous as not stretching at all. A basic rule: Don't bounce. It will cause tears in your muscles.
• Not cross-training You've got to mix it up, because doing the same thing over and over again results in overused and strained muscles. Get a well-rounded workout by practicing a variety of cardio and strength training activities.
• Engaging in improper form Don't rush through your workout. Pay attention to quality, not quantity, so you don't strain your muscles. Ever blast through a set of crunches and feel all sorts of pulling on your neck? Bad form, indeed.

Are you committing any of these fitness crimes? I am -- I rarely stretch and I mostly run for my cardio. Time for some behavior modification. And you?

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Maria Sharapova has been incredibly successful in her tennis career, especially considering she's only 21 years old. However, she's currently facing a new challenge -- staying fit while injured.

The tennis star was unable to compete in the Beijing Olympics and will sit out the U.S. Open due to a shoulder injury, and while she's undergoing physical therapy, she's doing plenty of cross-training to ensure she's ready to hit the court as soon as she's able. She told Shape magazine, "I've been walking hills a lot and biking a little outdoors. I don't do heavy weights at all. I go to yoga classes and work on my core."

Sharapova also revealed that she doesn't rely on dieting to keep her 6'2" frame so svelte. The surprisingly low-key looker, whose biggest beauty basic is wearing sunscreen, simply tries to eat healthfully, and indulges in her favorite junk foods in moderation. Obviously, it's working for her! Check out the gallery to see her looking fabulous on and off the court!

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Alanis Morissette seems like the real deal to me. Just listen to one of her songs, and you'll realize the girl is brutally honest about her emotions, which makes me totally believe her when she claims she is enjoying watching her body age. Forget the Fountain of Youth. Morissette, 34, is embracing her body's transformation.

"I'm fascinated by aging and how a woman's body changes," the singer says. "I don't want to spend the next 50 years of my life trying to hide those changes. There's something very relaxing about watching it unfold instead of fighting it the whole way."

This isn't to say Morissette doesn't pay attention to health -- she's recently completed a triathlon and names cross-training, kickboxing, dance, basketball, and volleyball as her favorite fitness activities. She's just not consumed with the natural and inevitable evolution of her aging body. We should all follow her lead, don't you think?

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Earlier this year Jacki wrote about Kate Hudson's exercise habits -- basically, to get that toned physique, the actress works out all the time. However, there's more to it than just that.

In order to stay in top shape, Kate cross-trains. And it's nothing fancy -- she goes for a jog, plays tennis, and does a lot of the same basic exercises you and I can step outside and do ourselves.

I'm sure she has other, more specific workouts in the gym when she's getting ready to film, but personally, I take heart in knowing that she does a lot of regular workouts. Not everyone has to have a fancy routine to look amazing, right?

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Have you ever had shin splints? If so, you know just what a pain they can be. Luckily, there are steps you can take to avoid getting shin splints.

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Outside online offers over two dozen health and fitness tips in their October article The Greatest Fitness Tips. Ever. They established the list through wisdom gained over 30 years in the health and fitness biz. Let's take a look at a few of their suggestions:

• Maintain base fitness: Never get so out of shape that getting back into shape becomes extremely difficult. Continually train for that annual marathon, 10-mile walk, climbing a new peak or whatever goal suits you.
• Cross train with the right sport: Runners should cycle, cyclists should run and row, rockclimbers should perform calisthenics ... you get the picture.
• Flexibility is important: You don't need to fold into a pretzel, but greater flexiblity also boosts muscle endurance.
• Don't blame food: Start exercising and you'll lose weight. It's not all about bad carbohydrates or bad food.

To Outside's credit, they mock poor advice they gave in the past, such as pro-tanning and saying exercising above 85 percent of your maximum heart rate has little or no cardio benefit (not true)! But in 1979, they did ridicule one physician who said a woman's weak abdominal muscles could cause her insides to fall out while jogging, as they're perforated by the vagina. A medical doctor actually said that? Oh yeah, this was 1979.

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