That's Fit

Break out your hula-hoop. You'll need it for exercise class. Well, a modified hula-hoop is what you'll need really, one that's larger and heavier and requires a lot more dexterity than your typical childhood hoop.

In "hooping" classes set to music, exercisers learn lots of moves, work lots of muscles, and get a whole-body fitness experience – all while burning about 400 calories per hour. Check your area for hooping studios and classes. And visit Hoopnotica for instructional DVDs, hoops, and more.

If hula-hoops aren't your thing but you need a little fitness variety, give "suspension" a try. Designed by former Navy SEALs, it's a total body resistance program that uses heavy-duty nylon webbing attached to wall brackets. Users do traditional exercises but get increased resistance. Ask your personal trainer about TRX (Total-body Resistance Exercise) or look for these three letters at health-club chains.

I came across this post at the Celebrity Baby Blog showing Nicole Kidman walking with her trainer and ... showing her pregnant belly! The post was pretty short, mostly consisting of pictures, but what was more interesting were the comments.

Many women seemed really concerned with the fact that Nic is working out so much and so hard during her pregnancy, especially given her age and history (she's had a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy). Good God, her belly is so small! Oh, no, she's sweating!

Here's the thing -- there were stories posted about her attending a spinning class and walking with a trainer within the span of a week. There is no evidence that she's spending hours and hours at the gym each day (or any day, for that matter.

Obviously, Nicole was fit prior to becoming pregnant, and most doctors recommend keeping up some level of activity after becoming pregnant, unless there are problems. And, while each pregnancy is different, as is each pregnant woman, does anyone really think Nicole is about to put her baby at risk?

She's made it abundantly clear that she's over the moon about this pregnancy, and I'm pretty sure she (and her doctors, and her trainer) are well aware of her age and history. I think the opinions of those in the know -- don't you?

Nicole Kidman is spinning her wheels -- her bike wheels -- during her new-ish pregnancy.

Kidman was spotted recently in a spinning class in Santa Monica, doing her exercise thing and staying in shape. Her baby bump was very apparent, say the sources who saw this mommy-to-be.

The soundtrack playing while Kidman pedaled away? Songs by Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, and Culture Club rocked the place. Her favorite, though, said a fellow gym-goer: songs by hubby Keith Urban.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

I just got done chatting with myself....I think. No, it probably wasn't me. The person on the other end of my conversation is world famous and has a couple of of Olympic medals. Nope...it couldn't have been me. But! The other person sounded like me. I asked her questions about health and fitness, and she spat out the same stuff I've spent my professional life teaching. This person raved about the benefits of produce, lean meats and frequent challenging exercise. Yes. It could've been a brilliant fitness expert I was conversing with, but it wasn't. It was champion ice skater and Olympic Sliver Medalist, Sasha Cohen.

I chose Sasha to interview, because of her elite success in athletics. She's also touring with Smucker's Stars on Ice and puts on one heck of a show. She's one of the strongest, most flexible and entertaining athletes on earth. Beyond that...she turned out to be one of the best people I've ever talked fitness with. The girl gets it. I mean, she really gets it! She's a chic who seeks out highly nutritious, low fat, high fiber foods whenever she picks up a fork. She also pursues a well-rounded workout routine outside of skating. I loved what she had to say. I want you to pay close attention as well. She's physically small, but not just because of good genes. She works at it, and I believe she'll always be fit. It's a lifestyle for her, and that's what it should be for you.

Fitz: You're a brilliant skater and make a tremendously difficult sport look effortless. Do you remember when skating was hard?

Sasha: Oh Gosh! Skating is always hard. Sometimes it's a challenge to simply put one foot in front of the other. Every day requires effort just to get through it.

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.

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

For this week's edition of Gym Lingo, we're going to take a look at some popular group exercise classes that many gyms offer their members. Some of these are pretty common, while others are a little lesser known. Here are just a few to help you along with your gym vocab.

Spinning. This is an aerobic exercise that takes place on a specially designed stationary bicycle called a spinning bike (no one ever claimed that gyms were the birthplace of originality). As you pedal, an instructor creates a visualization of an outdoor cycling workout, all while pulse-pounding music plays over a booming sound system.

Cardio Boxing. Designed, to some degree, after the workout boxers follow when training for a fight, this class offers the same cardiovascular benefits without having to ever square off against an opponent.

Bosu. A bosu ball looks like an exercise ball that has been cut in half and then stabilized on a firm platform. There are a variety of group classes that utilize the bosu; cardio work, strength training, core/balance building, and sports performance conditioning can all be performed in bosu group settings.

Bikram Yoga. Ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%, Bikram yoga classes are guided by a yogi's specific dialogue. This style of yoga including 26 postures and two breathing exercises, and classes last approximately 90-minutes.

There are several other types of group classes that gyms offer, but these are certainly among the more common and popular. If you have any others that you'd like to add, please be my guest and add them in the comments section below.

Hopefully this helps you the next (or first) time you go to the gym.

Class dismissed.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Elizabeth Lienhart

Age: 23

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

How often do you exercise? Five to seven days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Spinning, running, kickboxing, weight training, dancing around the house.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Two piece swim suits and skinny jeans!

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Lindsay Johnson

Age: 26

Occupation: Online Advertising Sales

How often do you exercise? Every day

What type of exercise do you do? Weight Training, Cardio, Spinning, Plyometrics

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? My iPod. My workout buddy, Lauren, texting me to get up to the gym. And knowing how good I will feel afterward.

It's no secret that aerobic exercise is good for you. It lowers the possibility of heart disease, lowers blood pressure and elevates your mood, among other benefits. For those just starting out though, it may be tough to know what kind of exercise will be of the most benefit. If you're unsure of what type of cardio to try, here's a list of 5 great workouts:

• Walking/Running - Walking is fantastic because nearly everyone can do it and it can be done pretty much anywhere. Plus it's cheap and it's easy on your body. As the article mentions, running burns more calories but is tough on your joints so make sure to invest in a really good pair of shoes.
• Swimming - Depending on the stroke, swimming engages a number of muscles at a time. Legs and arms work together and it's usually necessary to tighten up your core as well. This exercise is easy on joints so is better for those who have trouble with running or even walking. And based on my experience, swimming is great because you stay cool while burning calories.
• Jumping Rope - Have you tried jumping rope lately? It's darn tough! I don't remember getting so out of breath when I was younger, but a jump rope will have your heart rate up fast. Plus they're cheap and easy to use. But again, this activity can be tough on joints.
• Biking/Spinning - I admit that cycling on an indoor stationary bike is one of my least favorite activities. But it does burn calories, so if you can work hard (which is tough while reading a book, for those of you out there who I've seen diving into a novel while on the bike) and imagine away the monotony, it'll do you a lot of good. Biking outdoors, when the weather permits, is fantastic though and is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise.
• Cross-country skiing - From what I remember of cross-country skiing, it doesn't look hard to glide across the snow, but this is one activity that will literally get your butt into shape. You'll work both legs and arms (they'll be shaky when you're done, trust me) and if you don't start to feel short of breath right away, you're probably sliding down a hill. Plus it's a great way to enjoy the great outdoors in the winter.

Friday April 17th, I'll be attending a fitness conference. Fitness conferences are a blast and are designed to take fitness professionals to the next level. Keep us updated on new tools, toys, and training ideas. It's a place where we share our research, invention and experience. It's a awesome!

I've been going to these conferences for almost two decades and I look forward to each and every one. I love my job, would do it for free if I was one of those 'trust fund kids,' and love the buzz I get from the whole experience of helping others live better and longer. Fitness conferences are super cool, because they inspire and educate my colleagues and I to better ourselves in order to better you.

Fitness pros aren't the only ones who'll benefit from them though. I would love to see more general fitness enthusiasts there. You get to choose the courses you're interested in taking and just go experience a bunch of different innovative workouts. For example. The area I live in does not offer any Strip Tease classes. But, I got to try one at a conference. Does that mean I want to become a stripper or become the Strip Tease instructor? NO! I just wanted to go do it for fun. By the way.....from my experience, the class is basically a hip hop dance workout with some extra thrusting and hair flipping.

At my gym, when it's time for yoga, we have to wheel a bunch of yellow bikes outside of the studio to make room for our mats. But have you ever wondered what those yellow bikes are for, and why every gym out there seems to have them? In case you're not in the know, those bikes are specially designed for spinning classes, also know as 'extreme cycling' in some circles. Are you intrigued yet?

Spinning classes usually get together a group of fitness-minded people who peddle away to the booming commands of an instructor and the frantic beats of some loud music. The intensity of the cycling increases and decreases throughout the workout, alternating between moderately-paced rides and frenzied sprints. The bike is under your control, so you can typically adjust the resistance and pace to suit your level of fitness, though it's recommended that only people at an intermediate level of cardiovascular fitness participate in the class. Why? It's challenging, intense and a great workout. According to Self.com's calories counter, spinning at a moderate effort for 20 minutes burns 250 calories, which is about what I'll burn on the elliptical trainer for the same amount of time at top effort.