In a limited UK survey, only 21 percent of the doctors surveyed got a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Doctors cite a lack of time, motivation and resources as excuses for not following the advice they dispense to patients. That's Fit asked readers what they thought -- does the physical fitness of a doctor matter?

• 52.2 percent of you feel that doctors should practice what they preach.
• 23.9 percent of you feel that a doctor's lifestyle doesn't change what they know, and their knowledge is more important when practicing medicine. One reader commented that doctors who have struggled with weight themselves tend to be more helpful and empathic with patients.
  
• 23.9 percent feel that it depends on what kind of doctors they are and what type of advice they're dispensing.

Getting fit and staying fit is tough stuff. A top hurdle is most definitely finding the time to work out. Finding the motivation is an obstacle too.

Blogger "Intrigued"over at Trusera has a suggestion for those of you who whine about working out: Remember the results. Says this smart one: "Whenever I find myself starting to whine, complain or (ahem) curse during a workout, I catch myself, stop the negativity, and say out loud, 'I love the results.'"

Attitude, as well as practice, really does make a difference. "I love the results!" Why not make it your mantra too?

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Exercise and routine -- those are two words you frequently see paired together. It's a good thing to make a habit of exercise and to schedule time in your day for your workout. But you shouldn't make your routine too, well ... routine.

Think of it like this. If you knew how to play the piano, you might find a particularly challenging piece of music. At first, playing it would be difficult but as you practiced, it would become easier and easier and eventually you'd be able to play it by memory. Your muscles are no different -- a workout that was once very challenging can become easy after time; muscles have a memory of sorts.

But if you vary your routine, you can keep your body guessing and working as hard as you want it to. Divine Caroline has some great suggestions for varying your workout. Variety in your exercise program will prevent your body from hitting a plateau and, as an added bonus, variety also prevents you from getting bored.

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Veteran's Day has come and gone, but we hope you honor your servicemen and women every day -- and we hope you are continually inspired by all they do to allow us the freedom we all enjoy. We know some of you feel the inspiration but sadly, most respondents in our recent Veteran's Day poll report that they do not. Check these out, the answers to our question: Does Veteran's Day Inspire You?

• 27.3 percent of you are absolutely inspired. Good for you.
• 63.6 percent of you are not really inspired, Ah, come on.
• 9.1 percent of you aren't yet sure.
  
  

For those of you who are not really inspired or aren't yet sure if you're inspired -- I say you lace up those walking shoes, take a long walk, and think again. Or do like Martha would do and hop on the treadmill. It makes her thankful there are folks out there ensuring she can feel alive, powerful, and free. See if it does the same for you.

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I love The Biggest Loser -- I've been following Bev's updates as religiously as I have the show. And I think it's great for the viewers -- all that encouragement to slim down, shape up and take back control of their health. So I was interested when I saw this article titled Biggest Loser lessons to forget. Huh?

Using the show as motivation to get healthy is a fantastic idea but before you get discouraged that you can't keep up with the show, there are a few issues you should keep in mind, according to the folks over at Divine Caroline:

• Results are not typical. Normal people don't lose more than two pounds a week.
• They put their lives on hold. Contestants spend weeks focused solely on losing weight. The rest of us can't afford that luxury.
  
• They're probably over-training. Think about it -- they go from no exercise to working out for hours each day. This isn't healthy -- or realistic.
• They have trainers. Celebrity trainers are there with them for every workout. Can you afford that? Didn't think so.

Hmm. I never thought of it that way. But I still think the show does more good then harm. Your thoughts?

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2007 was a great year for healthy living. As nations banded together to fight the obesity epidemic, healthy habits were adopted by many people. As a bit of a fitness nut, I was happy to see so many people taking up activities, sports and hobbies that got them off the couch and on the road to health. I've always been active but even I got my butt (more) in gear and I feel better than ever. I'm excited for 2008 and looking forward to getting more in shape than ever. You too?

The American College of Sport Medicine recently came up with a list of the top fitness trends of 2007--Here are their picks for what made the most fitness headlines this year:

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For those of you who have never partaken in any regular exercise program, let me tell you how things basically work.

First, you follow your workout regimen for about two or three weeks, feeling very sore from your workout on the day prior. It's somewhere around the fourth week that your body becomes somewhat acclimated to the new stress your are placing upon it and the soreness tapers off. It is also around this fourth week that people tend to get a bit frustrated, because they may not be seeing much change in their bodies. A few pounds lost here and there, maybe a slight increase in strength, but nothing that makes all the past three weeks of soreness seem even the smallest bit worthwhile.

Then, around the fifth or sixth week, things really start to happen. If your diet is clean, then these results may appear much sooner -- but, for most they will happen at around this stage of the game. You'll see the pounds start to drop quicker, muscles will begin to form and appear, and your endurance and strength levels will be impressively high. For several weeks thereafter -- maybe even months and months later -- you'll experience aphysical change at a rapid and dramatic pace. But then, after about a year or so, something will happen. Well, it will seem more like nothing is happening, because your results won't be coming as fast and as furiously as they had been.

Examples of this 1-year wall can be seen in contestants on the popular television show The Biggest Loser. During the several months they trained while on the show, the contestants saw dramatic changes to their bodies. By the end of the season, they didn't even look like their former, heavier selves. Now, fast forward to a year later, when last year's champions return; many of them still look great, but not much different from when we last saw them during the finale of the previous year's season.

Is this because they no longer have the luxury of working with a trainer and dietitian? Absolutely. Is it because they don't have the motivation of nationwide audience rooting them on? Yeah, I'm sure that plays a part, too. Still, one of the major reasons why these contestants have not experienced the same marked improvements is because their bodies have adapted to their new level of fitness. This, of course, is not to say that they are not longer experiencing results; rather, it points to the way the body reacts to certain degrees of diet and exercise.

What is the point of mentioning all this? Well, for two reasons, really. One, to provide the workout newbies out there with at least a cursory look into how physical progress usually occurs. 2008 may be the year that you finally take the plunge and join a gym, so I think it's important to know what to expect. And two, to let the more experienced gym goers out there know that it is quite natural for your results to become less easy to come by as time goes on, so don't be discouraged.

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If you're at all involved in the health and fitness world and follow the news then you're probably confused on an almost daily basis -- I know I am! It seems like everything contradicts everything else, and when it comes to figuring out how much exercise is enough exercise (or how much is too much, for that matter) it's nearly impossible. Check five different sources and you'll get five different answers.

Sadly there is no flat black and white answer that will be best for everybody because we're all so different. What you need to do is ask yourself two things: how much can I exercise every week while keeping consistent? And how much exercise makes you feel the best and gets you the results you want? Seek out help and advice, but ultimately you're the only one who can really determine the perfect amount of exercise for you.

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Prevention Magazine recently posted the results of a series of polls they did on women and their health. According to the results 67% of women rate 'Happiness' and the top aspect that affects their overall health, followed by stress levels, weight, energy levels and relationship with spouse. I don't know about you, but I would have thought that one's relationship with their spouse would rank higher in importance. Other surprising finds?

• 86% of women who are dieting are going about it on their own, without help from a weight-loss program or dieting buddy
  
• Yet on average, women say they lose 5 lbs more when they diet with a friend
• 58% of women would rather be 10 lbs slimmer than look 10 years younger
• 74% would rather be given a million dollars than be their ideal weight for the rest if their lives.
  

What do you think about these results? I think I would prefer to be a healthy weight no matter what I ate than a millionaire, but that's just me.

To read the full results, click here.

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I don't think this needs much of an introduction -- it's a list of 25 common weight loss mistakes (some of which we make on almost a daily basis!). So read through it and see what small changes you can make to jumpstart your fitness and weight loss goals!

• Having a defeatist attitude from the start. Ever heard about the law of attraction? If you think about failing you'll attract failure. You'll sabotage yourself before you even get started. On the flip side go around believing you're going to succeed? You will!
  
• Starting something you can't see yourself sticking with forever. If you can't imagine doing it for the rest of your life, like a grapefruit diet or Atkins for example, then don't bother. It's about lifestyle choices, not quick fixes.
• Starting something you hate from the start. You may be telling yourself "beauty is pain" and forcing yourself to push onward, but how long is that going to last? Find something you can really get behind and stick with for the long haul.
• Weighing yourself too much. By getting on that scale everyday (or heaven forbid more than once a day) you're letting it rule your mood and control your day. That's just plain messed up. It's just a scale.
• Not drinking enough water. Back to basics is usually a good rule, and this is one of those cases. Drinking enough water can do everything from give your more energy to help you shed puffiness, and it's free, has no calories, and is always available!

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I love the idea of fitness boot camp, although I'll admit that the premise scares the you-know-what out of me. It's not just the idea of getting up at 5am for an hour of grueling exercise (the bad), it's also the thought of doing it for five days a week for a full month. Can you imagine how sore you'd be every single day (the painful!)?

Of course, both are likely a small price to pay when you start to see results (the good). I also think that the good outweighs the bad (and the painful) in that you've got a professional helping you get into shape every step of the way for an entire month. Plus they make sure to mix up the exercises each day so you end up doing cardio, a full range of muscle exercises, stretching and more. Finally, fitness boot camp causes you to commit for four weeks. It's easy when you're on your own to give up after a few days if you're really not feeling motivated, but when you've got a class of 10 or 15 people, plus your very own work-out drill sergeant, you've got some serious incentive to get your butt in gear.

The writer of this article tried it out and really only has positive things to say. One of the aspects I liked the best was that people of all ages, weights and fitness levels could join. And if you're really not a morning person, most companies also offer classes after work. What do you think, would you be willing to give it a try?

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This news is a bit of a bummer: new research shows that overweight people get less benefit from strength training than thinner, leaner people do. They have to work harder for the same results.

On the bright side, the differences between groups in the study were small, and experts aren't even sure they even apply to absolutely everybody -- they could have been due to genetic differences, or other things. Also, just because weight loss and muscle mass aren't improving, that doesn't mean the body isn't benefiting from the exercise. Bottom line? Don't be discouraged, and don't give up!

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By now we all know that fast food isn't really the best dietary option especially for those trying to live fit. However, I think that most things are fine in moderation so while it's best not to opt for the drive-thru window everyday, it's ok to indulge in burgers, fries and shakes once in a while as a treat.

So for those of you out there who can't or won't give up their fast food fix, the restaurant guide gurus at Zagat's have conducted a survey on the nation's favorite fast food options. Categories include Top Mega-Chain, Best Burger and even Favorite Mascot.

Check out this article for a quick summary of the winners as well as some hilarious outtakes from those polled. Unsurprisingly, the top concern when eating fast food among those who responded to the survey was the amount of calories and fat in their meal, and the article points out that Applebee's received the top spot for Best Healthy Options. You can view the survey results in full here, and keep them in mind the next time you decide that salad and soup just isn't going to cut it for dinner.

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Which are you when it comes to exercising, the tortoise or the hare? When it comes to slow and steady vs fast and furious there are arguments pointing to both ways as the "best" way, but a recent article in The New York Times suggests that it's really a blend of the two that has the most health benefits for most people. And no, a mix of slow and fast in this case does not equal "medium," it means intervals.

Interval training is not new by a long shot, but there is new interest in it due to research continuing to confirm and solidify just how great it is for cardiovascular health and fat burning. Both slow workouts and faster workouts offer similar health benefits such as weight loss, lowered risk for diabetes, and improved cardiovascular health. But it looks like interval training takes these benefits and multiplies them for the positive. Throwing some peaks and valleys into your exercise routine can up your calorie burning and speed up your fitness goals. In addition, benefits seemed similar for people regardless of their physical shape when they started the training. Both low activity/sedentary adults and young fit athletes showed similar levels of improvement in a little as a few weeks.

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Are you sick of working out at the gym day after day and not seeing any results. Perhaps you should get a personal trainer. Too expensive/not enough time? Well, here's another solution -- the fitness pro at eDiet's has come up with a routine that should sculpt your body within a month ... at only 2-3 sessions per week. designed to tone your arms, legs and core, the workout uses weights and simple, easy-to-follow exercises like lunges. There are even pictures you can refer to, to ensure that you've got the technique right.

Combined with a healthy diet and some cardiovascular exercise on the side, you should see results quickly. What do you think?

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