So you know which fork is for salad and which is for your main meal. Guys, you know to open doors for women. And you never let a thank you card sit unwritten. But do you know proper gym etiquette?

Even if you're a gym etiquette dummy, never fear. Dummies.com has tips for mastering gym etiquette. For example:

• Don't rest on weight equipment between sets. The equipment is for everyone, and your little break could be holding someone else up.
  
• Manage your own sweat. Bring a towel with you and wipe off equipment when you're done. It's just plain nasty to go to a machine and find someone's sweat waiting for you.
  
• Use the lockers. So great, you have a gym bag. But please don't tote it around from machine to machine. Stow it in a locker ... that's what they're for.
  

For more tips on gym etiquette, see the full article on Dummies.com.

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Gyms are designed to help you get the best workout possible. There are dozens of machines, group classes, and pieces of equipment from which to choose, placing fitness at your fingertips. But, gyms can also be places where people want to talk your ear off instead of letting you work out, home to a number of infection-causing germs, and sometimes too overcrowded to serve their primary purpose of convenience. Thankfully, you can always take your workout outside.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, all that's required is 30 minutes of activity per day -- whether it be jogging, walking, shooting hoops, gardening, dancing, etc. And, to keep muscles and bones strong, doctors suggest also incorporating 20 minutes of resistance training exercise two or three times a week.

With summer still here, there's no better time to break free of the confines of your gym walls and take your workout into the great outdoors. No longer will you have to wait for equipment, wipe sweat off a weight bench, or even have to worry about making it there before they close. Now that sounds pretty convenient to me.

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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.

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Are you thinking of starting a resistance training workout? If so, you're probably wondering what exercises you should be performing and, perhaps more specifically, how you should be doing them. A big part of figuring this all out is to determine where your resistance will actually come from.

If you're not really the gym type, it doesn't mean you can't still follow a resistance training workout. Your body weight alone is usually more than enough resistance to provide you with a rock-solid routine. But if you have ventured off to the gym and are wondering whether you should use free weights or machines, there are a few things to first take into consideration.

The greatest benefit of resistance machines (such as Nautilus, Cybex, etc.) is that the movement is controlled and safe. You will never have to worry about dropping a weight on yourself or getting stuck under a weight you are suddenly unable to lift. The downside of machines, however, is paradoxically related to their benefits. Being so controlled, machines do not require you to use as many stabilizing muscles that free weights (dumbbells, barbells, body bars,etc.) do. As a result, you are denying yourself maximum results from the effort being put forth.

Ahhh, the gym. It can be a place to unwind and de-stress, all while doing something for your body by getting fit. But it can also be a source of stress in itself if the other patrons are less than pleasant. Most of us don't have the luxury of setting up fancy home gyms, so finding a way to get along with the crowds is essential. And the best way to establish good habits in your fellow gym-goers? Practice good etiquette yourself.

There are a number of rules to follow when going to the gym, both written and unwritten, and they are especially essential during peak hours. So next time you're headed for a workout, don't be that person. Here are some important rules you need to follow in order to be a good workout neighbour:

I read an article once that said that if you can read a magazine while you're working out, you're not working hard enough. Ironically, I read this at the gym while on the elliptical trainer. That's my workout MO -- when I'm not doing weights, I work my butt off on one of the cardio machines with either s fitness or gossip magazine to keep me company. It makes it bearable -- otherwise, I suspect I would be bored while doing cardio.

And I don't know if I trust the idea that you can't work out hard and read at the same time. Myself, I can read an article while running on the treadmill, and I know I'm working hard because I'm sweating buckets. Granted, it's not an in-depth, serious article on poverty or famine; It will probably be something on Angelina's speculative baby bump or Lindsay's latest loverboy. But I can read, and I do because it keeps me going and keeps me from checking my watch every 10 seconds.

I'm curious ...

School cafeterias are getting healthier and healthier. They may not be perfect just yet, but progress is certainly apparent.

According to a blurb in the November 5, 2007 issue of TIME magazine, about 19 percent of schools noted in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report offered French fries in 2006, compared with 40 percent in 2000. Vegetable sales increased from 51 percent in 2000 to 71 percent in 2006. And junk food in vending machines was prohibited by four percent of school districts in 2000. In 2006, 30 percent nixed the junk.

Fitness pursuits are also on the rise. The percentage of districts requiring elementary schools to teach physical eduction increased from 83 percent in 2000 to 93 percent in 2006. And fewer schools are allowed to punish kids with push-ups, which associates exercise with pain. How about recess? There's improvement here too. In 2000, 46 percent of elementary schools required recess, compared with 57 percent in 2006. Sadly, though, the percentage offering intramural sports has not changed since 2000.

A lot has happened in six years. But is it enough?

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The baby weight's gone and now Jennifer Garner is buffing up for a new movie by using the weight machines at the gym, according to these photos on Fitsugar. As the Fitsugar people point out, it's nice to see a celebrity that actually tried to tone their body rather than letting themselves shrink to skeletal proportions.

Jen's got the right idea -- the best way to get a hot bod is through resistance training. Sure, cardio will melt the fat, but using weights will increase your metabolism and will make those problem areas look great. If you're still hesitant to use the weights, check out these great tips that Tanya posted a few weeks ago.

What's keeping you from the weights at your gym?

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As the large population of Baby Boomers grows older, and as all ages of Americans become more interested in exercise and activity, a new challenge is being created for fitness companies to create equipment that will not only work for the previously common "average" customer, but for newly growing "aging" group as well.

Recently companies from all over convened in Las Vegas to show off what they've done to make fitness machines not only challenging and effective, but also sensitive to older users and adjustable for things like achy joints. There are all kinds of new ideas out there, click here to see a few examples of what the Vegas trade show had to offer.

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