There's no need to buy expensive equipment or sign up for fancy gym memberships -- one of the most effective pieces of fitness equipment is already part of your home and office, and it's absolutely free. We're talking about the stairs, of course, and they might be just the thing to get you fit. After all, they're how Beyonce shapes up, so why shouldn't you use them as well?

The thing is, you know all this already, but I'm willing to guess that most of us are still loitering around the lobby waiting for the elevator to take you to the third floor. Do you take the stairs when you can? Or, when it comes to decision time, do you take the easy way up?

Last week, I asked you if your family is competitive or not. Here's what you had to say:

• 42 percent said absolutely -- you play to win.
• 24 percent said the only 'game' you played as a family was a race to the last pizza slice.
• 17 percent are occasionally competitive.
• 17 percent said you like getting active together, but you don't really compete.

Need a fitness plan that's less hectic? Click here to find out why yoga is good for weight loss.

Looking to burn some fat before summer? If your current workout seems to be getting stale, torching calories with an intense resistance/cardio circuit training workout will have you ready to hit the beach in no time.

First, follow a healthy diet. I'm not going to get into specifics about diet, as I'd rather focus on the workout (but, feel free to visit our sister site, AOL Body, for great diet advice and tips). I'm also not going to lie, this workout is tough. You're going to be out of breath, you're going to sweat like an animal, and you're going to hate me for ever telling you about it. But, it will produce results. Check with your doctor first to see if you're good to start a rigorous workout program. If you get the OK, it's time for some action!

Start first with a five-minute warm-up on a treadmill or stationary bike (or just walk around your neighborhood). Once that five minutes is up, it's time to kick things into high gear.

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Call them what you want -- Stability Balls, Swiss Balls, Exercise Balls, Physio Ball, etc. -- these orbs are a great compliment to an exercise routine, especially when it comes to ab work.

There are dozens of abdominal/core exercises you can perform using a Swiss Ball (I'll stick to this name, since it's what I regularly refer to it as). Among the more popular moves is the crunch, which is a good thing since this exercise, when done on the ball, works both the rectus abdominis (front abs) and the obliques (side ab muscles). However, to really take advantage of this movement, it's best to do two things: 1) Keep your feet somewhat close together, and 2) Place the ball under the lower portion of your back.

The first suggestion, keeping your feet close together (but not touching. Shoulder width is fine), will force you to really push your core muscles, otherwise you'll tip over. As for the second suggestion, Japanese researchers found that placing the ball under your lower back (as opposed to being under the upper portion of your back) causes greater stimulation to your abdominal muscles.

Just a few tips I thought I'd pass along. If you have any of your own that you feel are worth sharing, please be my guest in the comments section.