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Working out at home is a great way to get fit -- no gym memberships or expensive trainers necessary, just the great outdoors, your garage, even your living room floor. And don't think you need to shell out a load of cash on DVDs to whip your body into shape. CafeMom says there are free exercise videos all over the Internet.

CafeMom names Exercise TV as a favorite for videos featuring quality moves taught by certified fitness professionals. Whether you want rock-hard abs or a strong and sexy shape, you'll find plenty of inspirational tutorials here.

That's Fit blogger and certified Pilates instructor Lisa Johnson made the CafeMom cut, too, for this core-strengthening Pilates video. "She makes it look so easy and has such good form," says Cafe Cynthia.

You'll want to be careful when shopping for exercise videos online, though, because there's no way to tell for sure if "instructors" are certified or not, and you may end up with unsafe advice. Check with a fitness professional or your doctor if you have any doubts about the information streaming across your computer screen.

This treadmill workout is one you might want to avoid.

Given the current economic climate, you're probably trying to pinch your pennies a bit more than usual. But that doesn't mean your healthy habits should suffer -- you can still find great workout inspiration without having to spend tons of money. How? With all the thousands of free fitness videos available on the internet. As the "LA Times" points out, there's no reason why you should be paying for advice when there's so much of it available for nothing. Some recommendations?

• Our friends at "Fitsguar" recommend BeYOU.tv, which offers free full-length DVDs covering activities like yoga and Tai Chi.
• Exercise.tv is always a handy, comprehensive source.
• "Fitness" magazine's website offers lots of great tips for the fitness enthusiast.
• Spark People not only has ton of fitness videos, but they have great calorie counting resources too.
• And, of course, our in-house fitness expert Fitz offers tons of great advice in her Fit Kicks Videos.

There -- your lack of money excuse is busted, so get moving!

Ice cream ... goooood. Free ice cream ... even better.

Baskin Robbins has come up with a new line of products called BRight Choices. If, like me, you're watching your calories, the BRight Choices line -- ranging from 80 calories to 140 calories -- is a good option for an occasional treat. This Thursday (January 15th) between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., participating Baskin Robbins will give away free single scoops of the BRight Choices line-up to anyone who shows proof of a health club or gym membership. How's that for a good deal? Not only do all those hours of sweat at the gym pay off with a fit, healthy body -- you also get a free treat to enjoy.

Don't have a gym membership? Hop over to Hungry Girl's site for a $1 off coupon.

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I'm a big fan of Mexican food, but not a fan of all the fat that usually goes along with it. That doesn't hold me back from enjoying it whenever I want, though. I just order or make each dish in a much smarter and healthier way.

Homemade Tortilla Chips are a staple item and the great news is, they're painfully easy to make. I whip up a batch quickly and serve them with salsa (which is naturally nonfat) or my Fat Free Mexican O-Layered Dip.

Both recipes are available in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com, and I hope you'll give them a try. Other fun toppings to add to your chips are lean grilled meat, veggies, low fat or nonfat cheeses and sour cream.

Just like any other style of cooking, whenever you ditch the oil, butter and fatty sauces ... you'll end up with a much healthier meal. Ole!

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Ultimate Pilates Workouts is a helpful -- and free -- resource with a full library of Pilates videos for your use. The creators are twins Katherine and Kimberly Corp. Not only are they certified fitness instructors, they also happen to be former Rockettes. (Think perfect legs that go for miles.) The twins got into Pilates after leaving desk jobs to return to the world of dance. They credit Pilates for regaining their flexibility and pre-desk job bodies.

There are premium options available on the website because, hey, people have to make a living, right? But the Basic option (read: FREE) has seven different Pilates workouts to choose from. I wimped out and chose the 45-minute video dubbed "My First Pilates Workout."

It's quite slow in the beginning and I have to admit that I spent the first 10 minutes or so alternately talking myself out of fast-forwarding the video and laughing at the serene music and the twins' calm demeanor as sirens wailed past their studio window. But at the end of the workout I felt great, as if I had slowly and steadily worked every muscle in my body. Moreover, I felt thoroughly relaxed -- and considering the stressful day I had, that's really saying something. If you want more information on Pilates, check out AOL Health.

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KEEN Footwear offers some of the coolest most comfortable fashions for everything from long hikes to date nights. KEEN shoes are fun, sporty, and versatile and you may just be able to score yourself a free pair! In fact, if you win the giveaway, you could win anything on the KEEN website. Socks, shoes, purses, laptop bags and backpacks are up for grabs.

Oh ... and entering is ridiculously easy. All you have to do is visit KEENFootwear.com and decide which pair of shoes you like best and then write in this comment section which style you love and what you would want to go do in them.

And just so nobody walks away feeling like a loser, KEEN has offered That's Fit readers a special promo code to get free shipping on anything you purchase. That code is FITFREE and you deserve every penny that you save!

Keep reading for official Giveaway Guidelines ...

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Times are tough, and money is tight. But that doesn't mean you should slack on your fitness. Forget forking over your cash for a gym membership or saving for that trendy home treadmill. A hot body doesn't need to cost anything at all. FitSugar says you've got the one and only tool you need to get in shape -- yourself.

Check out these six moves that will shape and slim you in no time.

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If you're a fan of smoothies and happen to have a Smoothie King location nearby (check here to find out), you might be happy to know that a new treat has been added to the smoothie line-up: The Berry Stimulating Maté.

Made up of a combination of blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, Guayaki organic yerba maté, turbinado (save on calories and carbs and make your smoothie skinny by leaving this ingredient out) and nonfat milk, this smoothie is sure to please. Yerba maté (pronounced YER-ba MA-tay) boasts a host of health attributes -- it aids in weight control and digestion, increases metabolism, induces mental clarity, sustains energy, and lessens the effects of allergies and diabetes.

Gotta try one? Leave a comment below telling us why you love smoothies, and we'll randomly choose five of you as winners. Each winner will receive five Smoothie King gift cards, each one good for one free 20 oz. smoothie, valued at $5 each. Giveaway details follow.

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us why you love smoothies.
  
• The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, November 7, 2008.
  
• You may enter only once.
• Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  
• Five winners will receive five gift cards each. Each gift card is good for one free 20 oz. smoothie (each gift card valued at $5; total five-pack of gift cards valued at $25).
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older.
• Winners are notified by e-mail and will be announced via a post.
  
  

Click here for complete Official Rules.

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Does the economy have you working extra hours? Two jobs? Has it left you unable to pay for your gym membership? There's no doubt the whole country is struggling right now. But in times of stress, it's as important as ever not to give up on exercise.

Forbes has several great tips for getting the most from your workout. Whether you have to shorten your workout due to lack of time or just can't exercise as many days as you'd like, there are still steps you can take to keep reaching toward your goals.

Interval training, for one, has been determined an excellent fat burner, and you only need to do it for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Other strategies include shortening rest time between reps, or even replacing rep time with cardio (such as jumping rope). And, of course, if you find yourself sacrificing time with your partner or family for exercise, you could always combine the two with a long bike ride or hike.

These tough financial times may find you tweaking your workout schedule but if you're creative, you can still keep building your fitness every day.

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Of course, in a perfect world, candy would have never been invented. We'd all have perfect teeth and couldn't imagine consuming anything but fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains. But really. That world does not exist. So, my job as your online fitness trainer is to get you to make better choices.

I just found a good one. Tic Tac Chill is the new deal from Tic Tac. These new Tic Tacs are small, tasty, sugar-free, and come in a cool box. One flavor can save you in a pinch too. The Paradise Mint acts as a ridiculously strong breath mint. I promise that whatever stinky thing you consume before this product will be left undetectable. It's odd how strong these little things are.

The flavor I like best is Exotic Cherry, but I'd definitely use the Paradise Mint before a meeting of some sort. Hey. It's still candy, but the Tic Tac brand has been well known for providing low calorie candies for a long time.

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Madonna's people are talking. And what they have to say gives a visual of one high-energy 50-year-old woman whose 51-date Sticky and Sweet tour has her working hard and feeling great.

"The harder Madonna works the happier she is," says a longtime friend. "Because she was a dancer, that's why. It's practice, practice, practice."

Besides ensuring her shows are perfect and her family is happy, Madonna is all about taking care of herself. A massage helps prep her for performing. So does a facial. And of course: Free weights, to maintain that rock-hard and strong body.

I like how Madonna operates. Work, family, a little pampering, and a nearly-perfect physique -- not to mention truckloads of money. Seems to me it doesn't get much better than that.

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When it comes to fitness opportunities China is doing something right. I recently read a blog post that discusses the public fitness centers that are available there and how many of the people that frequent the sites are older. In some cases -- like for one 82-year-old woman -- they spend hours each day taking advantage of the free community fitness equipment.

When I think of the public parks in my community, they're very kid-oriented. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but what about the adults that live in this community? There are basketball hoops which are obviously appropriate for any age, and there is a sidewalk running around the perimeter of the park for running or walking. Other than that, the equipment is of the playground variety.

This makes me wonder, if fitness equipment geared toward adults was provided in local parks, would you take advantage of the opportunity? I know I would. When my son and I visit our favorite park in the area, I often circle around the park to try to squeeze in a little fitness while he's playing.

[via SmarterFitter]

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In the market for a tasty, healthy treat? Try blueberries. Why? Read on and you'll find a handful of reasons.

Blueberries are quite low in calories -- there are only 83 calories in one cup, says CalorieKing.com. If for some reason, this is too much for you, you can burn these calories off with any one of the following: 11 minutes of walking, four minutes of jogging, three minutes of swimming, or six minutes of cycling (based on a 35-year-old female standing 5.74 feet tall and weighing 144 pounds). Or you could just pick some berries yourself -- I did the other day and spent about 45 minutes walking up and down rows of bushes, sweating my butt off. I surely burned off a serving or two of these blue berries. Really, though, it doesn't matter to me whether or not I burn them off because they are so darn good for me, the health trade-off is worth the caloric intake.

According to the The World's Healthiest Foods, blueberries are superbly healthy for these reasons.

• They are good for the heart, the brain, and the eyes.
• They protect against colon and ovarian cancers.
• They promote gastrointestinal health.
• They help relieve diarrhea and constipation.
• Their antioxidants neutralize free radical damage to cells and tissues.
  
  

Clearly, blueberries are bursting with health benefits. So buy some, pick some, eat some. They'll do your body good. So will the following antioxidant-rich foods.

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Hooray! Fellow blogger,Jacki Donaldson just brought up a great subject. Using your phone to help you stay motivated works! I use text messages to harass my personal training clients, and I always receive feedback that they've inspired and kept the recipients in line when tempted to go to the dark (not-so-healthy) side.

Having said that, my brilliant colleague, Tracy Benham, is the mastermind behind TxtVox's Get Fit text messages. The girl is a sharp exercise physiologist and fitness trainer (we met getting our Master's Degrees in Exercise and Sports Sciences). Let her in your mind a couple of times a week ... and sooner rather than later ... your body will rockin'! The texts come twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, and are really just there to motivate, educate, and harass you like a personal trainer would.

Go to TxtVox.com. Find the All About Me section, and then check off the box Get Fit! And did I mention that it's free? Oh yes! It is. If you're someone who could use a bit of consistent motivation from a REAL-DEAL professional ... TxtVox.com Get Fit messages are the way to go.

Imagine a sliced apple, say the health experts at Canyon Ranch. Leave those slices sitting for a bit and before long, they'll turn brown. Oxidation is the cause. And harmful free radicals are the result. Free radicals pull apart molecules in healthy living tissue and eventually cause the apple to dry and shrivel. They can cause human skin to wrinkle and can cause cancer too.

Now don't forgo apples in your diet -- just don't slice and let them brown. But do let the visual of those brown pieces motivate you to choose a rainbow of colorful, antioxidant-rich plant foods to enrich your diet each day. Here's what you need.

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