If you've never tried Pilates, you are missing out, plain and simple. I am not an indoor exerciser, I don't like gyms or classes, but I get very cranky if I miss my weekly Pilates class; now that's saying something.

In fact, I do several Pilates moves every day, The Hundred being one of them. This ab exercise pretty much does your entire core, even your lats (yep, your back is your core too). To share my love for The Hundred, indulge me in this Fitku:

Flapping arms work lats
Rhythmic breathing helps the count
Flat abs are the goal

What are you waiting for? Start counting and feel the burn!

Because they spend most of their time on the floor, exercise mats are rarely cleaned as often as they should be -- when is the last time you gave yours more than just a good shake on the back step? It's probably due for a scrub!

Lightly soiled
Make a solution of four drops of dish soap to two cups of water and wash dirty areas with a spray bottle, cloth, or sponge. Rinse with plain water and air dry.

Heavily soiled
Submerge the mat in warm water with just a touch of mild detergent (using too much could leave the mat slippery and dangerous in the future). Hand wash, rinse in plain water, and hang to air dry. If squeezing doesn't get enough water out of the mat, try rolling it up with a towel and stepping on it before separating the two and hanging the mat to dry.

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A while back, the physician that has been caring for my lower back injury suggested I go do Pilate's to help strengthen and stretch the muscles that are stuck in a chronic spasm. Now, I've been teaching fitness for 18 years and have been exposed to almost every type of training and equipment under the sun. I'm embedded in it. Strangely though, Pilate's and Yoga are things that have never interested me. I understand the benefit to doing those things, and have recommended them to others. I've just never wanted to pursue them myself. I'm a fighter; literally. If you don't believe me click here. I like to move fast, go hard, sweat, grunt, and pant like a lunatic. I like to GO, GO, GO! The one time I took yoga, I wanted to slit my wrists. The few times I used the Pilate's Reformer, I thought it was interesting....but not anything I'd want to pursue.

So last week I show up at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center, and the advanced Pilate's mat class was just about to start. Feeling guilty for not following up on my doctor's advice from months ago, I half-heartedly asked the perky front desk chic if there was any room in the class. Yep. There was. And she handed me a little butterfly thing with a number on it to hold my place.

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Yoga is an activity that is typically done barefoot, but I often see one person in the class wearing socks during the practice. I'm not sure if it's that they're more comfortably with socks, or if they're a beginner and didn't know that it's done with bare feet, of if their scared of potential foot diseases on the communal yoga mats.

But, to be honest, I don't see any reason why not to wear socks. Your feet with stick to a good yoga mat regardless of whether they're socked or not, and the only time when it should pose a problem is when doing a balancing posture. Still, I think I'll stick to barefoot yoga because that's what I'm used to. What do you think?

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

On June 21, hundreds of people celebrated the start of summer on the longest day of the year by commencing yoga class in a city marked by madness. Smack dab in New York City's Times Square, on the island at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, yoga enthusiasts rolled out their mats and set up shop for the annual Mind Over Madness Yoga event. This year's extravaganza was the largest ever.

The purpose of this yoga fest? To face the challenge of finding tranquility and transcendence in the midst of the world's most commercial and frenetic place.

If ever we all have something in common, it must be the desire to find calm in the midst of chaos. Who doesn't want to breathe easy, rid themselves of anxiety, and tackle life with a peaceful energy? It's human nature to seek serenity.

While summer is behind us and the madness of this official event is long over, it's not to late to pull out your own yoga mat. Take it to the center of your own town if this strikes your fancy. Or simply find a quiet place and strengthen your mind, body, and spirit with the 3,000-year-old practice that is good for every bit and piece of your soul.

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