When I found out I was getting to try the AlterG "anti-gravity" treadmill developed by NASA -- I think I told everyone I knew. Several times. The AlterG works by pumping air into a chamber that surrounds your body from the waist down. This increases the air pressure and that, in turn, lifts you up so that your feet feel less of your weight as you walk or run. Bring the pressure up enough and it's almost like walking in space. Pretty cool, right?

If you're in decent shape, and are just looking for a standard cardio, muscle-building session, there's not a ton of payoff to this contraption. The more body weight you carry when you exercise, the more burn and benefit you get, so removing weight without some purpose actually makes your workout less effective. However, if you've had a back or leg injury -- reducing your body's impact on the ground can alleviate that hurt. This means you can keep yourself in shape and slowly build back strength in a safe and non-painful way. (Indeed, the AlterG is being used in hospitals to help spinal cord injury patients retrain their bodies for movement.)

Additionally, if you're an athlete training for an endurance race like a marathon or triathlon, not only does the machine reduce the likelihood of stress-related injury, you can also use it to increase your speed and build up your non-dominant muscles. I found the reason for this fascinating: When we're responsible for less body weight, it's easier to loosen up and extend our stride, which increases the range and distribution of muscles we use. This, in turn, will translate to better performance back in the "real world." (Interestingly, the product's press materials say that overweight people can also benefit; it protects joints from weight-related stress, they may be able to work out for longer intervals.)

I know not everyone who's interested in fitness likes sports, but I'm willing to wager that, even if you don't follow basketball, you have an appreciation for what those guys do -- I mean, a professional basketball player's skills on the court are nothing short of amazing, if you ask me.

Well, this past weekend was the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix, and while the festivities were definitely fun to watch, I have to admit that I was also pretty interested in what the players were wearing -- they looked sharp! It was all courtesy of Adidas, and it's all available to you!

You might not be in need of baggy shorts and a jersey, but everyone loves track jackets (seriously -- I've never met a single person who didn't appreciate a good track jacket. Ever.). If you're a fan of the West, you'll find red and gold designs, or, if you cheered for the East, you'll have your choice of apparel in silver and blue.

Many of us are often inspired by how fit professional athletes are -- I know that I rarely watch a beach volleyball game without wanting to hit the gym hard. Hard-bodied R&B singer Ciara also admires athletes, but for more than their bodies.

She told Men's Health, "I take my motivation from athletes -- basketball players in particular." She cites LeBron James as a favorite "because he's my age and full of ambition and drive," and also mentions Michael Jordan's ability to pull through in clutch moments, saying, "That energy motivates me."

As a former track star, Ciara appreciates the effort it takes to achieve success on the field, and compares what she does to what elite athletes do: "[W]hen it comes to my career, there's nothing more exciting than being successful at the highest possible level."

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Whether you agree with Sarah Palin's beliefs or not, you have to admire her commitment to fitness -- she relies on running to stay sane, and fitness can't be easy during an Alaskan winter!

Gwyneth Paltrow not only eats healthfully and exercises -- she even does her own cooking! She might not be making the lightest, most low-fat foods, but it sounds like she really enjoys it.

Comedienne Margaret Cho has finally found the right diet for her, but it's not really a diet! She's sharing her slim-down secrets, and you might be surprised at how simple it sounds.

Jenny Craig is not just for women. And guys, while you might get some flack from your buddies when they see your diet food in the fridge, it'll all be OK in the end. Just ask NBA star Baron Davis, who is dropping weight and looking great, thanks to the Jenny Craig endeavors he started in August.

Davis, the 6'3" L.A. Clipper guard (effective July 1), was inspired by current Jenny Craig spokeswomen Queen Latifah and decided to jump on board and get ready for basketball season. He'd been letting his diet and fitness plan go by the wayside, you see, and it was time he made a change.

"In the off-season, it's kind of hard to maintain day-to-day," he says. "I don't want to get up and cook. And when I pig out, I'm the type of person where there's no limit to what I can do."

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Although much of my sports attention is zeroed in on the NBA finals at the moment, I still try to keep up with what's going on in baseball. It's been a somewhat unusual year in MLB, but there are some things that are refreshingly unchanged. You can still expect to see sports fans (young and old) smiling through nine full innings of play, there are still plenty of great diving catches being made and old school hustling around the bases going on, and players and coaches are still littering dugouts with the shells of discarded sunflower seeds.

Good thing, too, since sunflower seeds are far more than just something to chomp on during tense moments in a game. Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois found that these magnesium-rich seeds can help regulate blood sugar, thus reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome by as much as 31 percent.

Pumpkin seeds -- a sometimes alternative for sunflower seeds in some dugouts -- also offer similar protection against metabolic syndrome, as do flax and sesame seeds. Chewing tobacco, as you might expect, offers nothing in that regard, and instead offers the increased risk of mouth cancer. Stick to the seeds, kids.

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I just returned from a place I've decided to be Man Heaven. Man Heaven is a place where loads and loads of men dressed in various colored athletic jerseys giddily board trams with feverish excitement to spend time with their favorite sports heroes. These men were squirming in their seats, beaming bright smiles and high-fiving their way all the way to the entrance gates of Disney World's Hollywood Studios. ESPN the Weekend is Man Heaven.

The weekend was filled with endless opportunities to meet, train with, question and listen to America's favorite ESPN stars: Donovan McNabb, Tony Gonzalez, Hershel Walker, John Stockton, Cal Ripken Jr., Chris Carter and more. Oodles of ESPN Sportscasters took stages across the park hosting their own scheduled and aired ESPN shows, and also hosted other fun question and answer sessions with the stars of Man Heaven.

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