That's Fit

How is it that the military is able to whip people into shape in such short time, even though they don't have special gyms and fancy fitness equipment for new enlistees? A - Enlistees are pushed to their physical limits; and B - All that's required to transform the body are the fitness basics.

Civilians can learn from this approach and apply it to their own workouts. Rather than spending an hour on an elliptical, leisurely gliding through a cardio workout, try ditching the equipment (and the gym) and go run an outdoor trail instead. Sprint up hills, jump on top of boulders, and leap over small creeks. Push yourself to limits you know you're capable of reaching, but for reasons probably related to a digital readout on a piece of cardio equipment, you never have. As for resistance training, try ditching the bands for a bodyweight workout. Get down and give yourself ten push-ups. Twenty, if you can. Then, find a sturdy bar to hang from and bang out some pull-ups. If you're unable to do so, perform horizontal pull-ups instead. Work your legs with some prisoner squats. Hit your core with sets of the plank and side plank. Push, push, push!!

Don't let these gyms salespeople fool you; it is possible to get a good workout anywhere. Does having an entire gym at your disposal make that task any easier? Of course it does. But, having too many options can also be a distraction, not to mention a forceful attraction to an easier workout. Remember, workouts are supposed to be hard. If yours isn't, it's probably the reason your body's not, too. It's time to change that, but to do that, you must not give in to the temptation of fancy fitness. Stick to the basics, soldier.

As of tomorrow, my son will be 11-years-old. Ack! (Why does 11 sound so much older than 10?) In any case, he's old enough that when we visit the playground, he doesn't need my assistance. In fact, he'd much rather I sit quietly by -- there if he wants to show me some cool new stunt, but not in his way as he's making new friends.

Typically, I just bring a book and use playground time to unwind a bit. But maybe I'll use the time to be a bit more active now. Women's Health Magazine has four great exercises you can do at the playground:

• Use the swings to work your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
  
• Monkey-ups work your biceps, core, and back.
• The Bench Jump is a great cardio move that works your core, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
• A swing makes this modified push-up an effective shoulder, bicep, back, core, and chest workout.

Tapping the opposite hand between push-ups is not only a great variation on a traditional core exercise, it's an effective accommodation for those who have cardiovascular difficulty pounding out one push-up after another. Here's how to do a tap push-up:

• From a push-up start position -- hands shoulder-width apart and feet together (spread your feet shoulder-width apart to make it easier) -- keep abs tight, head/neck neutral, lower chest to the floor and push back up.
• Now, with the right hand supporting your start position, reach over with the left hand and tap the opposite hand. Return the left hand to its original position and follow with a complete push-up.
• Do seven more alternating taps/push-ups with the left hand, then repeat the series with right hand tapping the left.

I just dropped down to the carpet and churned out a few. I really liked the engagement of my obliques during the tapping motion. If you're tired of regular push-ups, mix it up with a few taps!

The push-up is one of those exercises that's enjoying a boom in popularity these days for one simple reason: it works. And it's for this reason that I do push-ups regularly. Or at least I try to--sometimes it's harder than it looks. But I recently discovered something about my push-ups that's helped me get a handle on them.

For months, out of fear of hurting my wrists, I insisted on spreading my hands only as wide as the short end of my fitness mat was in order to cushion them properly. But my fitness teacher recently alerted me to the fact that my hands were too close together -- they should be as wide as your elbows, and I had mine at shoulder width. Since I figured this out, push-ups have been much easier on me.

Yeah, I know. You probably already know that your hands should be wide. My point is this: We all get used to doing certain exercises a certain way, and sometimes we forget to check what the proper way to do them is. So if you're struggling with the push-up, I would recommend checking out eHow's instructions on the proper push-up technique.

Plyometrics are very popular among trainers of college and professional athletes, though they are just now starting to catch on with everyday exercisers. Designed to add explosive power while burning fat, this system of simple, but highly effective exercises, may be exactly what you've been looking for.

One of the best parts of plyometrics is that you don't really need any equipment to perform them, save for the occasional use of a Swiss ball and medicine ball. But, if you don't have either of those right now, there are still plenty of other exercises you can do to get you started. Chief among them are:

• Lateral jumps
• Box jumps
• Bunny hops
• Push-ups
• Vertical jumps
• Clap push-ups
• Standing long jumps

To find out how to perform these and other plyometeric exercises, you can visit this website for a video demonstration.

Like a classic suit, a silk scarf and a good bottle of wine, a push-up is one exercise that should never go out of style. No matter your age.

Fitness experts and the American College of Sports Medicine have recommended we don't forget upper-body fitness in our cardio-crazed world. The ability to knock off a bunch of push-ups in good form is compromised further by our steady rise in obesity rates. Kids are even failing push-up tests -- a 2001 study of students aged 10 to 13 revealed nearly half the boys and three-quarters of the girls did not pass.

We lose significant muscle mass as we age, but if you keep up those push-ups and other strength exercises you bulk up what muscle you do have and slow the loss of strength. Do not let your first Social Security check or Medicare payment put a stop to a regular push-up routine. Aging biomechanics researchers say push-ups will help your wrists and upper body break a fall without breaking your head in the process.

If you need a goal to shoot for, take a look at the national averages -- a 40-year-old woman should nail 16 push-ups and a 40-year-old man should do 27. Sixty year olds are averaging six push-ups for women and 17 for men -- no kidding strength declines as you age. Read more in this NY Times article on push-ups. Right after I read it I dropped to the floor like G.I. Jane and completed 21 traditional push-ups. Those planks I've been doing are paying off. This 40-year-old's new goal is 40. Set a realistic goal for yourself. Do push-ups every day. You will see real progress.

I'm sure you've heard plenty of times that push-ups are one of the best exercises you can do (if you didn't already know that, you can read about it here, here, and here). But, according to The Earth Times, push-ups are also "The New Fitness Nirvana."

According to Ted Skup, the new Dalai Lama of fitness (the article's words, not mine), push-ups are fast becoming the workout of choice for those looking to harmonize mind, body, and spirit. He calls his push-up routine "Horizontal Jogging" and wrote his book, Death, Taxes, and Push-ups after officially completing ten million push-ups himself. As a new Dalai and spiritual leader, he has decided to take on the fitness industry by showing people that they can achieve enlightenment (and a hot body) without paying a yogi $2500.

Personally, I think push-ups are a great exercise, but I think yoga has it's place too -- I'm having a hard time understanding how the two forms of exercise compete. I suppose I'll have to watch for the book and find out for myself.

Looking to start resistance training but not ready to join a gym? No problem. An easy solution is to purchase some basic home fitness equipment, such as a set of dumbbells, a weight bench, and a Swiss ball. But, if you're also trying to tighten your financial belt, you may not have the disposable income for these purchases right now. Again, no problem.

One option is to create a no-budget home gym. I outlined some easy ways to do this in a previous article. But, if cutting PVC pipes to size and filling buckets with sand isn't really your speed, don't fret; you're still not at an impasse. That's because, whether you realize it or not, your own body weight is usually more than enough resistance to provide you with a killer workout.

Here are three exercises you can do without joining a gym, buying fitness equipment, or even pulling a Macgyver and makeshifting it:

1. Push-ups. Quite frankly, push-ups are one of the best upper-body exercises you can do, even if an entire gym full of weights are available. Use proper form and technique, which includes keeping you hands just slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. If standard push-ups are too difficult for you at this point, try modified push-ups (knees on the ground).

2. Squats. You don't need a barbell, stacked with 45-pound plates, bending across your back to benefit from this great lower-body exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and with your hands either on your hips or stretched out directly in front of you. Lower yourself slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor, hold in that position for a second, and then rise quickly back to the starting position.

I just took a spin through Fitzness.com, the website belonging to my friend and fellow That's Fit blogger, Fitz. While there, touring all the hot spots, a scrolling news listing caught my eye. Today's featured news includes a notice from Fitz that she has one training vacancy available, a reminder to a check out her low-fat desserts and for those seeking quick and easy exercise tricks, a fitness tip for the day.

"Do 50 push-ups throughout the day," writes Fitz. "All at once, or ten at a time. It will tone your entire upper body!"

Simple, isn't it? If you want a fit upper body, drop and do 50. Every day. I'm game. Are you?

More and more people are turning to resistance training as a way to tone-up and slim down. Whereas ten or more years ago many people were hesitant to lift weights (especially women), fearing that it would cause them to become too bulky, fortunately this myth, and others like it, have been dispelled, and people are getting the bodies they always wanted.

But, what about when you do not have access to weights? What do you then? Simple - you call yourself a liar! That's right, because for you to say that you don't have weights, in ANY situation, is an outright lie. Okay, so it's more like an oversight, but I'm just trying to build the drama a bit. Back to my point - you have weights with you at all times, because you always have your own body weight to provide you with resistance. How much do you weigh? Well, that's exactly how much weight can be found in your very personal gym.

Here are just a few great resistance exercises that need no other weight than that of your own body.

Push-Up. A classic upper-body muscle builder. Keep your hands just slightly further than shoulder width apart and your body in a rigid line. Slowly lower your upper body, by bending at the elbows, until your chest is about to come into contact with the floor. From there, explode upward by pressing against the floor. Plus, there are dozens of ways to modify this exercise, making it far more difficult and effective than it already is. My personal favorite is the spider-man push-up.

Pull-Up. This one requires that you at least have a safe and sturdy bar, pole, or whatever to hang from. It can be a jungle gym, pull-up bar, or anything else that you can maintain a firm grasp on. Start with your hands wider than shoulder width apart. Next, slowly lift your head toward the bar until your chin is higher. Once there, slowly lower your body until your arms are almost completely extend, repeating the movement from there. Again, there are many variations of the pull-up, including the horizontal pull-up.

Double Leg Tuck Jump. Basically, all you are really doing with this exercise is jumping in the air as high as you can and then tucking your knees against your chin. You complete the movement by letting go of your knees and landing safely to the ground. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It is ... for the first eight or so. After that, your heart feels like it is going to burst out of your chest and your legs feel like their on fire. Good stuff.

For those of you out there who are not working out regularly, you may want to consider starting with the following five exercises. And, for those of you who have been working out for quite some time, you too may want to consider using the following five exercises.

Some are lesser-known, some are pretty common, but all are dynamic muscle-toners. Just don't hate me if you're sore in the morning.

5 - Pull-Up. A sure-fire method to get that famous V-taper is to do this exercise. Try any number of variations on this classic muscle-builder, and you'll soon see the definition in your back, shoulders and arms that you were hoping for.

4 - Box Jumps. Think of this exercise as a squat without a bar but somehow still as difficult. Not only will your quads be screaming by the time you're done with your set, but your heart will feel like you just ran wind sprints, making this a fantastic resistance/cardio exercise.

3 - Spider-Man Push-Ups. Traditional push-ups are one of the best upper-body exercises you can do, but this modified version makes them that much more effective (and difficult). Perhaps the greatest benefit of this version is that you will also utilize your core muscles.

2 - Plank With Rotating Knee Raises - I'm not sure I can even explain this one with words, but I'm going to try. Here goes: Start in a standard plank position, holding it for quite some time. Then, in a circular motion, raise your right knee toward your left elbow. Once it has gone as far as it can, circle it back to its original position. Next, follow a similar pattern with your left knee, only this time raise it toward your right elbow. If you feel like you're going to die, you're probably doing it right ;)

1 - Deadlift - Arguably one of the best total-body exercises, the deadlift can either be the hero of your workout or the bane of your existence, depending on your form. Performed incorrectly, you'll be nursing an aching back. Performed correctly, however, and you'll see results almost immediately. Use this exercise as a strength and muscle builder by going heavy (once you have the proper form down), or use it as a great fat-burning cardio blast by using light weights and doing several repetitions.

A reader commented on my post The Core: All it's cracked up to be with a question about the specific exercises I mentioned -- push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, lunges, touch-downs, and planks. He wanted to know how to do some of these since the names themselves are not so self-explanatory. Since I neglected to include the how-to details, I'm back, this time to clue you in on how exactly to strengthen that core of yours. Here goes.

Most of you probably know how to do push-ups, but click here for a refresher. As for the rest, you can find them by clicking on the name of each exercise. The only one I've omitted is the touch down. When I find a good tutorial link, I'll pass it on. For now, though, the following line-up will keep you plenty busy -- and plenty fit too.

Pull-ups
Dips
Squats
Lunges
Planks

For more how-to tips for almost every exercise imaginable, visit this site.

Many people are fairly confident in their physical fitness -- whether or not that confidence is justified is another question. Just because you're thin, you could run 2 miles a couple of years ago, or you can run half a block to catch the bus without feeling winded, doesn't mean you're in shape. How do you tell if you're in shape? Well, you could take this quiz, but frankly, I think it's a bit sparse -- I scored 'Fit and a Fiddle', even though I definitely have strides to make in the physical fitness department.

If you want to know how fit you are, I suggest seeing a personal trainer. But if you ask me, if you can't do the following things, you're not in shape:

• Run a mile without stopping
• Pass Dr. Oz's Push-up Test
• Do 50 sit-ups or crunches

What do you think? Are there certain other fitness markers that divide the in-shape from the rest of us?

Do you have a lawn guy who mows your yard, pulls your weeds, and rakes your leaves? If so, fire him! Barring an injury or illness that keeps you safe from these chores, there's no reason you can't put a little effort into your own outdoor maintenance. Consider it a two-for-one -- you get to accomplish household duties while logging some precious exercise time.

I raked a few leaves in my front yard today. Now, I mean a few. Still, when I was done, my arms ached like I'd just finished a strenuous workout. Wait, I had just finished a strenuous workout. It just wasn't the traditional in-the-gym activity that usually leaves our muscles sore. Add on some cardio (my front yard in on an incline so my body was working double-time) and I had myself a pretty good exercise session. Did I mention I'd already run 2.5 miles, cranked out my 10 push-ups -- impressive, I know -- and logged two one-minute planks before my lawn tasks began? Right now, I'm spent.

I urge you to consider spending some time working around your house. I mean really working around your house, inside and out. Exercise doesn't always have to come in the form of weight training, jogging, yoga, and the other fitness standards. It can be as simple as exerting yourself consistently while tackling everyday responsibilities. Combine it with other workout forms, and you'll be one fit cookie.

For some people, busy schedules leave them with little or no time to workout -- except at night before they go to bed. But working out at home after the sun sets can be disturbing for neighbours -- what's the solution? Not working out? I don't think so. Here are some quiet exercise tips from Fitsugar:

• Push-ups, sit-ups, planks and side-planks will tone the core and arms
• Squats and lunges will tone your glutes without make noise
• A yoga DVD is a great way to relax before bedtime

What's your favourite home-based exercise?