That's Fit

Most of us have one major problem with exercise: Finding time for it. I know the feeling--between working 8-10 hours a day, spending time with family and trying to run a household, it's difficult, sometimes impossible, to find time to head to the gym. My job is no help--being a writer doesn't exactly burn too many calories.

But they key is trying to find way to work exercise into your everyday life. Weight Loss Journal recently revealed 8 ways to exercise throughout the day, including:

• Sucking in your stomach -- it really does help to tone your tummy, and it makes you look slimmer instantly.
  
• Fidgeting. It helps you burn calories throughout the day.
  
• Taking the stairs at work.
  
• Using a desk exercise machine. You can work away while silently pedalling under your desk. Neat, huh?

Read the rest of the tips here, and when you're done, tell us what you do to work in the workouts.

If you wish to go from one level to the next, you climb the stairs. In the mall, in your home, or even in your fitness, climbing to the top requires taking one step at a time.

Now let's move past the motivational pep talk and onto something a bit more substantive about stairs. Your lower-body muscles are actively recruited when climbing stairs. Essentially, you're performing abbreviated versions of split squats with every step. So, running or even walking a large set of stairs on a regular basis will surely help your legs go from jiggly to jacked.

Still, there are many more exercises you can perform on a flight of stairs -- even if your "flight" is no more than three or four steps. To work your upper body, place your palms on one of the stairs, lower yourself into the plank position and bang out a set of push-ups. You can also flip over, so that your backside is facing the stairs, and perform a set of dips. Get creative on the stairs and before long, your firm and toned body will be proof that you've made it to the next level.

Singing sensation Fergie won't be caught in a gym, and it's not because she isn't concerned about her body. It's quite the opposite really -- have you seen the girl's body lately? It rocks. It's another reason entirely that keeps Fergie from indoor workout facilities.

It's the outdoors.

Fergie keeps her body toned by running on the beach, hiking, and climbing up and down the Santa Monica steps -- a steep stairwell above the ocean. Fergie works out in the fresh air every day. Not a bad idea, I say.

Want some outdoor alternatives for your exercise routine? Take a peek at this site.

In my expert opinion, yes! Disney World is the healthiest place on earth. I just returned from a five-night, six-day vacation with my husband and two children and was blown away by the amount of physical activity both offered and required of ourselves in order to indulge in the full Disney experience.

We pushed our double-stroller miles through two theme parks, climbed thousands of stairs and jumped an equal amount of waves at two water-parks, danced our tushies off to live bands at various Disney resorts, and played game after game with our children as we giggled, oohed and ahhed at all the Disney magic. As a fitness trainer, one of my biggest obstacles is convincing my clients not to trash their fitness efforts when they head out on vacation. Disney offers the perfect opportunity to not only maintain one's fitness level, but improve it.

The physical adventures are endless, and Disney World has made a deliberate effort to increase the availability of legitimately nutritious, low fat, and lower sugar foods. Fruit stands have popped up all over the theme parks, and children's dining has switched from burgers and fries to grilled chicken with carrots and grapes offered as side dishes. Soda has been dumped for low fat milk! I can't get food that "clean" in my own neighborhood, unless I cook it myself! Of course, the old junkie favorites like popcorn, fries, and ice cream are still available, but if you do care about your health and want to maintain it on vacation ... Disney makes it easy.

Today is Earth Day. And you should take the stairs. Not because it's saves a lot of energy. If you take two flights of stairs every day at work, you'll save 72 kilowatts of energy on each day, which saves 90 cents a year in energy costs. You should take the stairs for two other reasons.

One, it's a green thing to do, says Renee Mullen of The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Science Group. And any energy saved is good for the environment.

Two, it's a healthy thing to do. It's good for your body to move. It's good for your head too. So today, take the stairs. Do it every day if you can. But at minimum, do it today.

When it comes to working out, I definitely prefer cardio to weights. Don't get me wrong, I do the weights, they're just not my favourite. I prefer to pop in my headphone, blare the tunes on my iPod and run my worries away on the treadmill. Yes, weights are important, but cardio is also important, so don't feel bad if you're a fellow cardio junky -- it's definitely one of the better habits to have.

There are plenty of ways to get your cardio in, but the most popular cardio exercises at the gym seem to revolve around the treadmill, the elliptical trainer, the stationary bike, the recumbent bike and the Stairmaster. Which one do you love the most? Or at least tolerate the most?

Staying healthy is becoming harder and harder. We used to live in a society where our jobs usually involved physical exertion of some kind, meaning that people were practically exercising all day long. In an agrarian culture, this meant tilling crops, raking stuff (notice how my knowledge of agrarian culture is already starting to wane), and the like. This was hard work. So was working in a factory, laying bricks, digging ditches, and carrying lumber and steel. Nowadays, however, many people spend their 8 to 15(!) hours per day sitting behind a desk, staring at computer screens and moving only to occasionally go to the bathroom. Our diets aren't getting any better, either.

Processed foods, fast-foods, chemical-laden foods -- they have all laid their claim in the American diet. Convenience is king in the fast paced, New York Minute type world that we live in. As a result, it's easier to reach for a Big Mac than it is to make some grilled chicken and vegetables. Let's face it, it takes time to make grilled chicken and vegetables!! The Big Mac? No time at all. So therein lies the problem: How do we make healthy choices when our lifestyles are not conducive to supporting them?

Here are a few tips that can help you work around this conundrum.

Exercise performed in several short sessions, spread throughout the day, can be just as effective in helping you burn calories as one, long workout session. This means that if you can squeeze a few quick sets of push-ups or a brisk walk into a coffee break, go for it.

Getting in shape can be expensive -- between workout gear, gym memberships and equipment, the cost can be quite high. But getting fit is worth it, so it's important to find budget-friendly ways to work out. Here are some tips from WebMD:

• Find weighty objects in your kitchen -- grapefruits, water bottles and canned food all work. Or bench press the cat.
  
• Get exercise DVDs from the library and work out at home. Or borrow some of your friends' DVDs.
  
• Instead of buying a step or a stairmaster, use the steps in your house
• Use a rolled-up towel as a bolster for yoga or as back-support for sit-ups.
  

Really, getting fit on a budget is just as simple as getting back to basics, to when fitness wasn't an industry, it was a way of life.

How do you save money on fitness?

I accepted a challenge the other day and climbed hundreds of steps in the University of Florida football stadium. The challenge centered around testing my cardiovascular strength. "Try it and see how hard it makes you breath," my sister said. So I tried. And my breathing became labored. I even had to slow down a few times to catch my breath. But I made it up all those stairs, and all the way back down too. And today, a few days after my feat, I realize the challenge wasn't all about breathing. It was also about my legs, my calves to be exact.

Right now, I can barely walk. Well, I can walk -- I just look like a waddling duck as I put one foot in front of the other. And as I contemplate my compromised state, I wonder just how some people do it -- how they conquer "stadiums" as they run and walk up and down, day after day. I guess it's just like any physical activity -- start slow and in time, the body becomes stronger. I did it with running. Once unable to run around the block, I can now log up to four miles at a time. It's called progress. Plain and simple. If I chose to continue stadium workouts, I'd no doubt become proficient at it. My knees may suffer over time, but my calf muscles would surely adjust.

I don't think stadium stepping is in my future. But if I ever take on the challenge again, I'll take it slow and steady. You should too -- if walking is something you really value.

For more on stadium cross training, click here.

When asked why they take the elevator vs. the stairs, most people will tell you they do it to save time. But a recent study done at the University of South Carolina shows that in most cases, this just isn't true -- you'd save more time by taking the stairs. And you'll burn more calories too. Obviously, this doesn't apply if you work or live on the 39th floor, but when it comes to a matter of a few floors, take the stairs.

And if you don't believe the results of this study to be true, it's even more reason to hoof it between floors -- you can test whether it's true or not.

So what's your excuse for not taking the stairs?

The difference between weight loss and weight maintenance is a matter of calories and how many of them we're burning off. So if you're trying to lose weight and your current routine just isn't cutting the mustard, consider doing one of the following to up your calorie burn, courtesy of eDiets:

• Do 10 minutes of exercise every morning when you wake up
• Walk faster, and challenge yourself. If it takes 15 minutes to walk to the store, try to make it in 12.
• Take the stairs up to your office every morning
  
• While seated, perform small isometric exercises
• Get a pedometer, and make sure you get to 10,000 steps a day
• Exercise during the commercials
• Pick an exercise each day and do it for 7 minutes (ie. dips off your office chair)
  
• Always take the longest route
• Double up on the stairs
• Find a fitness buddy and do any of these with them!

What tips do you have for burning a few extra calories?

Sadly, this suggestion may not be viable for many of you in various locations. But! For the lucky ones who live in a predominantly sunny state like I do, and have a water-park nearby......get ready for a whole new training adventure. I spent the day today at one of the several local water-parks near my home here in Florida and I had one of those little fitness trainer epiphanies.

After I finished running up and down a thousand stairs for hours on my way to some swirly water slides, I dove into the wave pool and struggled to keep my head above water due to exhaustion! Now....I don't mean dangerous exhaustion, but I was certainly whooped. Amongst all the fun, I was exercising really hard.

If you live near one of these watery wonderlands, get an annual or seasonal pass. I kid you not. What a fun way to get in shape. You could literally spend an hour running up stairs or ramps and sliding into a bubbly pool for cardio and lower body strength training. Head on over to the wave pool and either jump the waves or doggy paddle for 30 minutes or so. It is tough!

Looking to burn a ton of calories? Lose some weight without much wait? Run, don't stroll to try out these workouts. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit which means.....you burn more than you consume. If you're eager to move up the pace of weight loss or just get in incredible shape, schedule some of these workouts into your week. You'll be shopping for smaller jeans in no time.

Calories listed are for a 155 pound person exercising for one hour*

Cross Country Skiing max effort: 1161

Boxing with partner/opponent: 844

Running Stairs: 1056

Cycling @ 20 mph: 1126

Jump Roping Fast: 844

Those who are trying to lose weight know that it all boils down to one thing: burning calories, preferably more than you consume. So you should always be looking at ways to increase your calorie burn. Here's some help from the fitness pro at eDiets. He has a number of suggestions that can all easily be worked into your day-to-day routine. Walking is a big one -- try to work walking into your routine no matter what you do. For example, take a walk at lunch instead of sitting around and gabbing with co-workers.

Other solutions? Do a 10-minute workout each day -- it may not seem like much but it can make a difference over time. Or, double up when going up the stairs -- it's the same as doing a series of lunges.

Will you commit to some of these activities?