That's Fit

I always get a kick out of watching people at the gym, especially in the free weight and stretching areas. Everyone has their own way of doing crunches, or lunges, or squats, probably because they're trying to target their trouble spot.

However, the cardio machine you choose can have a lot to do with the area you target. Women's Health magazine listed the best cardio machines for your bum, and you can check them out in our gallery. After all, if you're putting in the time at the gym, you want to make sure you're getting the most out of it you can, right?

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I blew it! I am going on vacation with a bunch of my college buddies and some hot girls in four weeks. I've totally slacked off on my workouts since school ended and now I'd like to get ripped again before we head to Mexico. What can I do at my gym to shred a bit of fat and get buff quick before the trip? I know I'm a dork for slacking, but I also know you can help me improve. I'm willing to do the work! Jason

A. Familiar story Jason! You're not the only one who's taken some time off from their fitness training only to have it blow up in your face. You're also not the first person to try and undo the damage quickly. Four weeks is a pretty decent amount of time, so if you are really clean with your eating habits and start training intensely ... I think it would be safe to take off at least 10 pounds before you see Mexico, and all of those hot girls see you!

My home treadmill has a strategic location -- right smack dab in my kids' playroom so I can work out and watch my boys play at the same time. ER actress Linda Cardellini has a strategic spot for her exercise equipment too.

"I have an elliptical machine at my house that I placed between the kitchen and the couch," Cardellini tells Good Housekeeping in the June 2008 magazine. "So I can't sit there and eat bonbons on the couch -- I've got to get up and work out."

Got a strategy for your workout routine? Feel free to tell all.

Have you ever been at the gym, kicking butt on the elliptical, only to look outside and see a perfect, gorgeous day that you're missing because you're in a gym? Or, do you like the idea of biking for fun, fitness, or transportation, but have less love for some of the things that come with biking (seat pain, hunched over position, catching on chain, etc.)? If so, you might want to get on the wait list for the elliptiGO Glide Bike.

The elliptiGO is a cross between a bike and an elliptical trainer, "combining the best aspects of running and cycling to create a fun and effective means of exercising outdoors." Since you're in a standing position while riding it, you have increased visibility and a distinct lack of pain in the genitals (because, be honest -- how many of you have opted out of a long bike ride because you knew how bad your privates would hurt afterward? I'm always amazed that true cyclists can ever have sex!).

It's easily modifiable, so you can go at your own pace using your own stride. There are eight gears, allowing you to work really hard and go as fast as 25 mph, or cruise along at closer to 6mph.

I was running on a new treadmill at my local gym yesterday, and I had really exerted myself and my breathing started getting a little out of control (I'm asthmatic, so I'm careful not to overdo). I slowed to a walk, and as I did so, I put my hands on the heart rate monitors, and ... according to the display, my heart rate was at only 112, but I know from monitoring it at other times, at a similar intensity, it has shown 180+. Huh?

I've noticed before that my heart rate fluctuates considerably depending on the day, but never looked into it. Yesterday, though, it made me realize that I really have no idea what heart rate I reach at my peak, and what I maintain.

Today is the first day of spring, yet it's still a little too cold out in some parts of the country to fully embrace an outdoor workout. Fortunately, you can always go on fitness journey right in your gym!!

As far as suggestions go, my only one is to try to get to the gym during some of its least busy times. That's because the workout -- er, I mean, fitness journey -- you're about to embark on requires the use of several different machines. So, going on the assumption that you took my advice, let's start the workout.

Run the Roads. Start by walking two or three minutes on a treadmill to warm up. Then, once your body feels like the blood is pumping, ramp up the intensity. At the same time, increase the incline. Blast out five minutes of running, doing your best to pretend you're pounding the actual pavement (just don't wave at any invisible friends that may drive by in their make believe cars).

Bike Up the Hill. Without taking a break, go right from the treadmill to a stationary bike. Set the resistance to a higher level than what you are accustomed to. Picture yourself steadily biking your way up a steep hillside as you pedal for five minutes.

Climb the Mountain. Jump on the stepper and get those legs moving. It may not be as scenic as hiking up the side of a good sized rock, but it will feel about the same on your legs and lungs. Go for a hard five minutes.

Ski the Summit. Now that you've hiked up the mountain, you can cross-country ski your way across the top of it. While it doesn't exactly mimic the motion of cross-country skiing, an elliptical machine is a reasonable facsimile. Finish your workout with five hard minutes.

This intense twenty-minute workout is enough to get your heart pumping good and hard. Even if you can't get into the whole imagination part of it, the constant jumping from work station to work station will certainly keep you from getting bored.

When it comes to working out, I definitely prefer cardio to weights. Don't get me wrong, I do the weights, they're just not my favourite. I prefer to pop in my headphone, blare the tunes on my iPod and run my worries away on the treadmill. Yes, weights are important, but cardio is also important, so don't feel bad if you're a fellow cardio junky -- it's definitely one of the better habits to have.

There are plenty of ways to get your cardio in, but the most popular cardio exercises at the gym seem to revolve around the treadmill, the elliptical trainer, the stationary bike, the recumbent bike and the Stairmaster. Which one do you love the most? Or at least tolerate the most?

Even though spring is less than a month away, winter is still very much here. Between the blustery cold temperatures and the solid foot of snow I'm currently staring at, it will clearly be at least a few more weeks before an outdoor workout of any kind can safely be done. Looks like it's going to be a gym workout until then.

Ahhhh....the warmth, the comfort ... the wait? Easily one of the worst parts of any gym workout is waiting for machines, equipment, and -- depending upon how crowded your gym may be -- a mere 3 x 3 space to call your own. This is something I refer to as the "Gym Stall," and it's more than enough to drive you a little nuts when you're trying to squeeze in a workout.

So, what do you do when you've mustered up the determination to get dressed, tie your sneakers tightly, and then drive all the way to the gym, only to find that you won't be able to get on a single piece of equipment for at least a half an hour? Do you reverse-slap the air as you let out an audible "forget about it?" Do you hop back in your car and drive home? Or do you wait out the half an hour, passing the time reading eight-month-old gym copies of National Geographic? Between the three, the third option is probably the best. At least you do eventually get your workout done (and maybe even learn a thing or two about the aboriginal people of Papua New Guinea). But who has that kind of time? Most people don't, which is why your cardio and/or resistance training workout needs to get done in the time that's been allotted. Here's just a few workout alternatives that may help you do just that:

All the treadmills taken? Look for a reasonable alternative; the elliptical machine, the stair stepper, the recumbent bike, the rowing machine, etc. The important thing is to make sure that you will at least burn the same amount of calories that you would during your time on the treadmill. You'd be surprised at the variance that exists with regard to calorie burning from one machine to the next. A quick way to find out how many calories you will burn in, say, a half an hour on a particular machine is to pay close attention to the Calories per Hour readout. Obviously, since for this example we are trying to figure out how many calories will be used in a half an hour, simply divide this number by two. Is it more or less than how many calories you typically use while on the treadmill? If it is more, than you are fine. If it is exactly the same, that's also cool. But, if it's less, you may want to continue for as long as you need to on that machine to at least match the amount of calories you would normally burn while on the treadmill.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Justin

Age: 23

Occupation: IT Specialist

How often do you exercise? Usually 5 times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Walking outside, elliptical, weight lifting, and the treadmill when it's too cold to walk outside.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Picturing the foods I ate sitting in my stomach.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Elanor

Age: 26

Occupation: Server

How often do you exercise? Six or seven times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running, elliptical, treadmill, biking, and weight lifting.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing my heart will be better because of it.

Do you hold on to the rails on the treadmill or the elliptical trainer when you're working out? Don't. There are several reasons. First, holding on to the handles is bad for your posture -- when you're gripping them, you tend to slouch. Second, it makes your workout less effective -- you'll actually burn more calories when you swing your arms, according to this article. Third, it helps improve your balance and strengthen your core. I could go on and on but you get the point.

So feel free to hold on long enough to get your heart rate reading, but afterward, make sure you let go.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Atul Patel

Age: 36

Occupation: Marketing Professional, Blogger (www.thingsivenoticed.com )

How often do you exercise? Two to four times a week

What type of exercise do you do? Soccer, volleyball, road and mountain bicycling, weights, elliptical machine, and occasional running.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Seeing pictures of myself in which I look like I've gained weight.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: George O'Neal

Age: 54

Occupation: Retired USAF; and am now a full-time grandparent.

How often do you exercise? Seven days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Seven days: One hour of cardio on an elliptical machine. Six days: Weights (no weights on Sundays).

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? I've exercised daily since October 1, 1973. It's simply part of my day.

Each week, Debbie will share her goals, challenges, successes and tips on how to fit in fitness when caring for a rambunctious toddler.

I have loved every second of my outdoor workouts this season. I wouldn't trade my spring and summer hikes for the world.

As autumn approaches and I sense the chill in the air, I also fear impending doom.

I know that I can continue exercising outside for months to come, and there was a time I even hiked through the single digits and the feet of snow. But I find myself thinking ahead, knowing that I will likely not get outside as often as I do now.

The thought of inside exercise raises my heart rate, and not in a good way. I loath my treadmill, I flee from my elliptical and the gym gives me the heebie-jeebies. Sure, I love my strength training that I do all year round, but fifteen minutes a day is not enough.

So, in planning ahead for my inevitable indoor exercise incarceration of sorts, it occurred to me that I will finally be able to get in the yoga that I have been meaning to do more often. I'll get out those DVDs and maybe even look for a Kundalini class in my area.

What type of exercise do you look forward to in the colder weather?