Sit and Stand. It's the single most important exercise you can do, says Stephanie Richardson, M.S., exercise physiologist at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Why this exercise, and not the push-up, the pull-up, running, or walking? Well, a strong predictor for independence and good health as we age is quadriceps strength. And this simple, do-anywhere exercise strengthens the leg's largest muscle and increases your chances of living well and long.

Here's what you've got to do to get yourself some strong legs, says Richardson:

• Stand in front of a chair, toes pointing straight ahead, and slowly sit down, watching to be sure that your knees track directly over your heels. (Do not let the knees come forward of the toes -- do let your buttocks stick out behind you).
  
• Let your arms come up for balance.
  
• Touch the front of the seat with your buttocks, then slowly stand up again, keeping knees tracking forward the whole time.
  
• Work up to three sets of 10, three days or more a week.
  
• As this becomes easy, add hand weights or pin an exercise tube under your feet and pull up on the handles as you stand.
  
  

That's it, says the Canyon Ranch guru. Think you can master it? Think it really is the most important exercise?

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Just because summer isn't for several more months, it doesn't mean that it's time to let our exercise programs go. People tend to put on more weight during the colder months for a few reasons: 1) Because they probably won't be donning their bathing suits at the beach for quite some time, and 2) Because our bodies are designed to slow our metabolism down -- a carry-over from our more primitive days when food sources became more scarce during the cold season.

For these reasons, and probably about eight thousand others, it's a smart idea to keep stoking the flames of your metabolism right through these frosty months. So, to help you do just that, here's an exercise that that will help you burn some serious calories while toning up your legs.

Called the Step-Up, this cardiovascular movement will help you speed up your metabolism as you strengthen and tone your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and even your calves. To perform this exercise, start by standing in front of a weight bench or any safe substitute for one (tip: take two milk crates, spread them apart, and place a firm, wooden board over them -- a great, makeshift bench). Next, take your right foot and place it on the surface of the bench. From there, step-up onto the bench, using your right leg to power the rest of your body up.

It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

(tri-sets, drop-sets, straight sets, etc.). This week, we'll learn about a few major muscle groups, including where they are located on the body, how to exercise them, and even their nicknames.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat ...

Pectorals. More commonly referred to as "pecs," these are the muscles that make up your chest (note: sometimes they are also simply referred to as chest). There are a variety of ways to work the various portions of your chest -- including the upper, lower, mid-region, inner, and outer areas. The most popular of chest exercises is the bench press, though you can also incorporate dumbell flyes, incline press, dumbell press, dips, pullovers, and decline press.

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