That's Fit

Of course going jogging on a trail is a super form of exercise. I specifically like what trails have to offer hips and ankles over a flatter surface. The inconsistency of the trails' surface causes the joints in our lower body to constantly adjust which makes them uniquely beneficial for strengthening hips, knees, and ankles.

Trails are also great for other types of training as well. I think Women's' Health magazine did a super job of taking a few simple items we'd all eventually stumble across while trail running, and turning them into fitness equipment. As your fancy online Fitzness Trainer, these are the types of skills I want you to learn.

I packed my 38-pound five-year-old into a jog stroller this morning and pushed him up and down six hills in my neighborhood. It felt good -- the early-morning workout, the time with Danny, the extra effort it took to heave him up incline after incline. It was peaceful too. We were the only ones braving the hills at the time so no one was in our way. We didn't bother anyone either. Jog strollers can be problematic, though. There's a certain etiquette, actually, for these exercise contraptions.

As long as you're walking, jogging, or strolling through parks and on sidewalks, you have nothing to worry about. But head into a race event with your jog stroller and beware. You may be shunned as you crowd out fellow participants and shout "on your left" declarations as you pass your opponents by. Runners just don't want to be beaten by strollers and worse yet, tripped by them. USA Track & Field race directors don't even allow them.

The message here is this: Think before you stroll. Make sure your kid and your apparatus are appropriate for the setting you seek. And before you register for your next race event, check to make sure it's a stroller-friendly event.

If you run for exercise or sport or both, do you prefer to be called a runner or a jogger? One Runner's World reader asks expert columnist Miles what word is most appropriate. Definitely "runner," he says.

"Jogging implies that you lack passion and commitment, that you're out there on the road in $130 running shoes simply for show, that you could take the sport or leave it (and often do leave it)," says Miles.

Ask any runner and you'll hear the same sentiment, Miles reports. You'll hear that those who "run," not "jog," do so to push their limits and live healthier lives. Run a six-minute mile or a 12-minute one -- it doesn't matter. It's still called running. Not jogging.

I don't really care what I'm called. Although I guess when I talk about myself and what I do for exercise, I rarely say the words "jog" or "jogger." How about you? Are you offended by "jogging"?

I'm so happy to be back to incorporating outdoor workouts into my routine, sporadic as it may be. It's been almost three years since I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and I still don't have winter workout gear in my wardrobe. So I tend to wait around for April to go for any lengthy walks or jogs outside.

But that would be so normal.

The other day, I actually did sprints, played hide and seek and pretended to be Dora the Explorer in a field of tall grass down the street from our house. Of course, I wasn't alone. This was my daughter's idea of a grand time. And it turned out to be a pretty darn good workout, too.

No trails, stroller, trails, or special gear needed. Just an empty meadow and our imaginations.

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: David Anthony Espeut

Age: 34

Heroic Occupation: Lieutenant (US Navy) Resigned- CG-52 (USS Bunker Hill); FFG-43 (USS THACH); Naval Special Warfare Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)

If you're in the military...where are you? N/A Resigned from Navy as of September 2002, Suspended Special Agent Application to FBI in favor of Starting/Raising Family in Australia

How often do you exercise? Every day: 30 to 60 minutes.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging (10-20 minutes), walking the dog (10-20 minutes),bench, pull ups, dips, push-ups, abdominals, shoulder exercises, and curls with dumbells. I also freestyle swim at least once per month. Chasing My Kids= Never-ending

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Fitness is just part of my lifestyle. I feel bad, guilty, and weak if I don't. Getting ones blood pumping is a great way to start the day.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

I just got done chatting with myself....I think. No, it probably wasn't me. The person on the other end of my conversation is world famous and has a couple of of Olympic medals. Nope...it couldn't have been me. But! The other person sounded like me. I asked her questions about health and fitness, and she spat out the same stuff I've spent my professional life teaching. This person raved about the benefits of produce, lean meats and frequent challenging exercise. Yes. It could've been a brilliant fitness expert I was conversing with, but it wasn't. It was champion ice skater and Olympic Sliver Medalist, Sasha Cohen.

I chose Sasha to interview, because of her elite success in athletics. She's also touring with Smucker's Stars on Ice and puts on one heck of a show. She's one of the strongest, most flexible and entertaining athletes on earth. Beyond that...she turned out to be one of the best people I've ever talked fitness with. The girl gets it. I mean, she really gets it! She's a chic who seeks out highly nutritious, low fat, high fiber foods whenever she picks up a fork. She also pursues a well-rounded workout routine outside of skating. I loved what she had to say. I want you to pay close attention as well. She's physically small, but not just because of good genes. She works at it, and I believe she'll always be fit. It's a lifestyle for her, and that's what it should be for you.

Fitz: You're a brilliant skater and make a tremendously difficult sport look effortless. Do you remember when skating was hard?

Sasha: Oh Gosh! Skating is always hard. Sometimes it's a challenge to simply put one foot in front of the other. Every day requires effort just to get through it.

I'm jealous. I just talked to a mommy friend who told me her boys like to get to school early so they can run. "Run?" I asked. Yep, they run. The "Morning Mile" it's called and kids at this elementary school can choose to get a jump on the day by running laps.

Jogging around a quarter-mile track as many times as they like, these kiddos get straws at key intervals. When done, they cash in their straws and log their miles. Say a straw designates one lap. Then four straws would equal one mile. One of my friend's boys has already logged 90 miles. Very cool.

My friend tells me only three schools in our district offer this fitness program, coordinated by individual PE teachers and staffed by parent volunteers. My seven-year-old is not the lucky recipient of such a program, but I bet he'd love the personal challenge, the competition, the adrenalin rush at the beginning of the day. I'd love the exercise he'd get.

I'd love to know if the Morning Mile is anywhere on my school's agenda. I think I'll ask. If it's not, I'll just run the idea by those who make key decisions regarding the health and fitness of kids.

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: Emma

Age: 17

Occupation: Administrator

How often do you exercise? Around 60 minutes a day.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging, walking and sit ups.

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.

Name: Aditi Carman

Age: 26

Occupation: Recruiting Manager

How often do you exercise? Daily

What type of exercise do you do? Walk, Run, Roller-blade, Swim

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Maximus; he's my black lab. He's my running buddy, and he needs exercise just as much as I do!

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: Steve Bradford

Age: 38

Occupation: Police Sergeant

How often do you exercise? Three times a week

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? I tell myself I will feel better and look better if I do it.

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: Vishaal Gor

Age: 23

Occupation: Documentation Specialist

How often do you exercise? Something EVERY day.

What type of exercise do you do? Interval jogging, elliptical, step mill, stair master, bike, dance, yoga, Pilates, weights, and Disneyland walking every week.

If you are a regular walker (at home or at the office) you probably know how invigorating moving is. Just getting off that duff and getting your heart pumping blood to your body by taking a brisk walk every day is excellent for health - and it's the limit of what many of us get in the 24-hour day.

Why not pack some running shoes into that closet or trunk and turning that walk into a little jogging jaunt as well?

As long as you keep that jogging to a low-impact activity (which can be done with the right shoes and walking surface), you'll get more of a workout and a higher heart rate -- both being good for regular exercise without really trying (in a sense).

Women runners out there, this article is for you! Men may have the edge with aging when it comes to sex appeal (why can't wrinkles make women look sexier?) but women seem to have the edge in athletics, specifically running. In this article in the New York Times one woman shares her observations about how men in races seem to consistently run longer times as they age, versus women who are "all over the place" and are often faster in their 30s and 40s than they were in their 20s.

Experts surmise it's not so much about physiology but more mental instead. Women don't often learn to assert themselves and really set challenges until they get older and more confident -- suddenly they realize what they're really capable of.

Watch out guys, here we come.

Rookies and old pros alike often make serious mistakes when it comes to preparing and training for a marathon, and surprisingly they're often the same mistakes. Rookies make them because they don't know any better, and the pros make them because they're competitive spirit gets in the way and clouds their judgment. So no matter where you fall on the experience scale, if you're getting ready to run a marathon this summer make sure you're not making these common mistakes:

• Not allowing enough time to train/having a bad plan
• Overtraining
• Dehydration
• Bad shoes
• Forgetting to prepare mentally
• Not researching the cousre
• Disrespecting the race
• Eating too much at once
• Trying something new
• Letting the adrenaline rush take over
• Lack of experience