Keep track of the latest in diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Not only will AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit ask fitness-related questions and share the best responses with you, we'll scour the Twittersphere for the latest buzz on everything from good eats to exercise routines gone bad.

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Does the brisk weather keep you sticking to your fitness DVDs and gym equipment, or do you head outside to work out? We liked what advice these Twitterers had to offer on the subject:

Bocce: Not just for aging Italian men anymore. Photo: Eric Perrone, Flickr

Even those of us with the healthiest habits can get thrown off course on a holiday weekend. Too much eating and drinking paired with a lot of sitting and chatting can totally derail your diet. However, with the slightest amount of planning, you can mitigate the damage (at least a little bit).

Take bocce, for example. The D.C. Bocce League (whose motto is "Our balls are harder") allows people of all ages (yes, young folks play bocce, too) to get together and be, well, somewhat active. Definitely more active than, say sitting in a lawn chair. Or a bar stool. Or the couch.

The game, for those of you who are unfortunate enough to be unfamiliar, is an ancestor of bowling that initially became popular when soldiers in ancient Rome tossed stones to stave off boredom between battles. It now consists of tossing a two-pound ball toward a small white ball across a lawn. No, you're not going to work up a sweat, but it'll burn more calories than the 12-ounce curls you'd planned on.

That's Fit: Do you think exercising outdoors is more beneficial than working out at the gym?

Vindum: Absolutely! First, it's a blast in every way -- physically, mentally and emotionally. People find that exercising outdoors feels good to them, they get results and it's easy to stay with it. When you do it repetitively, your brain rewires for it -- and you will literally own that feeling and want to exercise.

This type of training [like the workouts found in my book] pulls in more muscle fiber and burns more calories -- up to 12 percent more calories and 32 percent more fat. It also causes your brain to focus more and pair up with your body in a way the gym can't -- so you stay super present, focused, coordinated.

Compared to machines and a flat gym floor, the outdoors challenges your muscles in every way -- climbing up, down, laterally, and diagonally; moving you forward, backward, squatting, lunging, rotating on every imaginable surface -- grass, dirt, sand, gravel, pavement, snow, etc., and working in all planes of motion.

Now that spring has officially sprung, maybe it's time you spring yourself free from air-conditioned gyms. The best gym on Earth -- also known as the great outdoors -- awaits with lots of fresh air and fresh terrain -- the stuff working out on the treadmill can't give you.

But if you're thinking about taking your runs outdoors, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Running outside is more difficult than running on the treadmill -- it's not just in your head! So take it slow and work up your pace gradually.
• Please your knees. Running on pavement is not great for your joints, so consider heading to an outdoor track or on a grassy area. If possible, head out of the city and take on some trails.
  
• Don't wear yourself out -- you'll be more prone to injury.
  
• Be wary of the elements -- always wear sunscreen and bring something breathable but waterproof -- you never know what kind of weather could pop up!
• Stretch. Before and after. And as always, drink lots of water!
  

Want more great tips? Head over to "Fitsugar".

Given the current economic crisis, having to pay a few hundred dollars a year for a gym membership might be an expense you can do without. That's why experts in Britain are encouraging cash-strapped citizens to ditch the gym in favour of the great outdoors.

Free outdoor conservation sessions are being held across the country, aimed at getting people to do something good for themselves by exercising in the outdoors -- all while doing something good for the environment by volunteering some time to help maintain these 'green gyms.' Think about it -- you're not only burning calories by helping out, you're creating a sustainable workout space for yourself and your neighbours, and you're doing something you can feel good about too.

So far these conservation sessions are a real hit in the UK -- let's hope they come to North America too!

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Bev tells me it was in the 50s in Chicago the other day. A friend of mine in Ohio shared recently that it hit 68 degrees in Cincinnati. Are your snowmen melting too? If so, get yourself outdoors for a warm(er) winter workout.

We get some cool temps here in Florida now and then and as crazy as it might sound to you below-freezing folks, those 40-degree cold mornings definitely drive me indoors, where I often sluff off on the whole exercise thing. But when we registered at 80 the other day, I laced up my sneaks and ran -- and ran, and ran. It was refreshing (well, it was hot, actually, but I like to run in the hot), and by golly, it may help jolt me out of my recent fitness slump.

My friends: Take advantage of any unseasonably warm day you get this winter. Get outside and walk, run, bike, hike -- just get your heart pumping. Go ahead and hibernate on the really cold days if you must. But when winter gives you a break, take it. Take the opportunity to visit AOL Health's America Takes It Off program too -- lots of great diet and fitness tips here.

How often have you been walking somewhere and thought, "Boy, I could really get a workout if only I were on a treadmill, but a treadmill just won't get me where I need to go!"? Never? Yeah, me too. Which is why I'm having a hard time understanding who's going to be interested in this Fit Gadget -- the SpeedFit.

Basically, it's a treadmill that can be used for outdoor transportation, so you get your treadmill workout, but with the benefit of fresh air. Because, you know, who wants to just run on the pavement, right? The founders of SpeedFit want to take the emphasis off of distance running and put the focus on running a shorter distance, but faster.

In fact, the brains behind SpeedFit actually aim to change the way fitness is defined, using only speed, time, and distance rather than things like age, weight, height, calories burned, BMI, heart rate, or anything else. By doing this, they hope to gauge fitness based on personal potential rather than on how well someone else can run.

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Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

When it's cold outside, there are plenty of ways to get fit -- You can go ice skating, skiing, even shoveling your snow burns a ton of calories and provides enough physical exertion to exhaust you for days -- depending on how much sidewalk space you have at your house, of course.

But not everyone likes the cold weather. Do you?

The days are getting shorter -- just one of the depressing signs of winter's impending doom. Runners, lack of light is no reason to stay home, but stay safe while you pound the pavement.

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Need inspiration to get those feet moving? Don't feel bad -- we've all been there. Whether we're suffering from a severe lack of energy, a lull in our motivation or we're just turned off by the crappy weather, walking sometimes takes the back burner to more important activities, like, say, relaxing.

So for those of you who need a reason to get moving, here are 30 reasons to walk--one for each day in September--courtesy of MBT Shoes. Here's a small sample of the reasons:

• It's free
• It's good for you
• You get much-needed fresh air
• It's good for the environment
• More here.

What are your reasons for walking?

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I adopted my son a little over a year ago. When he first moved home, he was 10-years-old and had spent quite a few years bouncing between family to family in foster care. Subsequently, he didn't have a very good grasp on a lot of basic principles, such as manners and appropriate boundaries. He honestly didn't know why it would be OK to ask for a drink of water, but why it isn't polite just to start rifling through a neighbor's kitchen cabinets.

While we worked on manners and boundaries at home, I decided it was best to set an outdoor-only rule when playing with neighborhood friends. I figured there were a lot fewer manner-glitches he could run into while playing outdoors. Besides, it was summer. Why should he be inside when there are bikes to be ridden and games of tag to be played?

A few of the other parents talked to me about the rule. They understood that he was learning new rules and needed stricter boundaries, but they didn't want him to feel different from the other kids in the neighborhood. In the end, they all supported my decision. And by the time winter's cold arrived, my son had a much better grasp on manners and could play inside friend's houses without unintentionally being rude.

Next week, from September 24th to 30th, parents in cities across North America are encouraged to get their kids out into the great outdoors. It's called 'Take a Child Outside' week, and it's happening with 250 organizations across the nation.

To be honest, at first I thought this was a joke -- because, really, do you need a special event to encourage parents to get their kids outdoors? But it is legit, and given the obesity epidemic, it's really not all that surprising. After all, we are living in a time where kids use treadmills.

If you ask me, every week should be 'Take a Child Outside' week. The only exception should be in cases of really extreme weather, and even then, your kids should be getting some sort of indoor physical activity. Your thoughts?

(via Calorie Lab)

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I don't have a Garmin or other GPS device for running. One of these days, maybe, but for the moment, I don't. And so, when I run outdoors, unless I've already mapped out the the route, I don't generally know exactly how far I've gone. However, I do know how long I've run, which gives me an idea of distance.

This is a big difference from the way I run on a treadmill. When I have the numbers in front of me, I set a goal to reach a certain distance in a set amount of time. You'd think, then, that these indoor runs would be much harder, and more intense, but that's not necessarily the case.

It's typical to take considerably longer to run outdoors than indoors, especially if you run trails or other rough ground. And so, on your next outdoor run, try a new trail and just go by time. See what kind of workout you get. I find that I'm wiped after a long outdoor run, whether I've gone two miles or six. And unless you're training for an event of a certain distance, I think that's okay -- it allows you to run for the sheer joy of running. What do you think?

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The average adult living in the U.S. spent a total of two months watching TV in 2007. So, if there's a goal for this year, let's make it to keep that number down and at the same time increase our outdoor activity time. Here are five reasons why Weight Watchers magazine feels fresh air is a wellness must.

1. Lower Blood Pressure. In a recent New York University study, patients who gardened for just 45 minutes experienced a drop in heart rate and blood pressure.

2. Sunnier Disposition. The American Journal of Psychiatry reports that light therapy works as well at treating depression in some cases as prescribed medication.

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Want to add a little green to your workout? Try turning off the treadmill and that fan that keeps you cool and head outdoors for some natural terrain and a nice breeze. Why not pick up a pair of these cool sneaks while you're at it?

The Hi-Tec Women's Auckland WP Hiking Shoe retails for between $44.97 and $59.95 and comes recommended by RealAge. Toss the street shoes and try these lightweight kickers on for size. They're durable, weatherproof, and promise to keep you sure-footed on the hills, trails, bumps, and clumps that cross your path. You won't only feel good in your new shoes, though. You'll look mighty sporty too.

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