Photo: Getty Images

Did you just train for -- and compete in -- your first 5K, 10K, marathon, triathlon or other fitness feat? We want to share your story with the world! Let us know why you decided to train, how you did it and what it felt like to cross that (mental or physical) finish line. Send us an e-mail at successstories [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com.

Photo: Howard Wise

Playing sports and hitting the gym can be totally separate activities, but it doesn't have to be that way. Whether you're just starting out with a new sport or have been hitting the field since your school days -- you'll go further and faster if your gym routine compliments your inner athlete.

"You'll feel more body confident, prevent injuries, and improve your overall athletic performance if you use sports-specific resistance training two to three days a week in addition to regular workouts," says Tom Williams, former U.S. Olympic swimmer and owner of Burn Fitness health club in Santa Monica, Calif.

Here, Williams offers simple training tweaks for four of the most common hobbies and fit pastimes: Swimming, running, cycling and playing golf or tennis. After two to four weeks of incorporating these specific moves into your regimen and practicing your sport, you'll have a stronger core, a leaner lower body, faster reflexes and the ability to play better with more stamina.

Swimming
Swim a minimum of twice a week, but train not only with your favorite stroke (free-style, for instance), alternate it with other strokes, including a backstroke and the butterfly because each specific movement really zeroes in on different muscle groups and works your body in new ways.

Moves: Yoga side planks, ab crunches and push-ups also boost your swimming muscles and core strength. Williams recommends using a resistance band or dumbbells to strengthen the muscles all around your upper and outer back. In addition to a gym lat pull-down machine or a chest bench press, stand upright and tie a tube or band handle around a bed post or use dumbbells to row back with arms straight until hands reach hips. Return arms to full extension and repeat 10 times.

Photo: Courtesy of Nick Irons

This High School All-American and Boston College NCAA Division I swimmer combined his passion for swimming with his wish to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis -- a disease his father lives with -- to swim the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to Baton Rouge. He finished his goal -- a total of 1,550 miles -- in four months and then decided to bike the perimeter of the continental United States. That's Fit had the chance to ask Nick Irons about endurance, not having to count calories and what keeps him motivated to stay active these days.

That's Fit: You trained for 18 months, then swam every day for four months. How did you maintain your enthusiasm, stamina and drive?

Nick Irons: It helped that I was never "just" swimming the Mississippi River. I was swimming the Mississippi River to help my dad. The swim was my way of making a difference, by raising money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS) -- the disease my dad lives with. Whenever I had feeling of quitting, all I had to do was remind myself why I was swimming in the first place. I thought about my dad struggling to walk. I thought about his daily, never-ending fight with MS and realized that he can never say "I've had enough." He can never end his fight with MS by saying "I quit." That was always enough for me to keep swimming.

I thought about that for four long, long months of swimming. And I never quit. We raised more than $150,000 for MS research, and we were able to keep MS in the news for over four months.

Photo: mikebaird/Flickr

There's just something about exercising at the beach -- the crisp, fresh air, the warm sun on your skin and the amazing scenery make it the perfect place to work out in the summertime. Maybe most of all, beach workouts tend to fun because,come on, you're at the beach! Just sitting in the sand at the beach is fun, but you're not the kind of person who just sits, anyway, are you?

You can break a sweat the usual ways: Running -- on the sand, of course, for strong and sexy legs, biking (on a trail) and swimming. Or, you can kick things up a notch with one of these fun-in-the-sun activities, which are sure to leave you huffing and puffing and wishing summer would never end.

• Paddleball: Kristen tells us the set costs about $5, so it won't break your vacation budget. It's the perfect workout for competitive couples or friends who are looking to get off their beach blankets for a while.
• Use Your Environment: There's no reason to spend a beautiful summer day inside a gym when everything you need is at the beach. Long Beach personal trainer Justin Rudd shows you how to use benches, trees and even dunes to round out your workout routine.
• Check out the rentals: What's for rent at your local beach? Paddle boats, surf board, skim boards? Chances are it's something designed to get you up and moving.
• Get in the water: Yes, I know the water is cold. And you just applied your sunscreen. And your hair looks terrible wet. But still, swimming is great exercise, and body surfing those waves is so much fun, you'll find yourself going back for more.
• Yoga: Hit the beach in the early mornings or at sunset to beat the crowds and to make the most of the soothing and sensual natural surroundings.

Finally, however you decide to enjoy your trip to the beach -- don't forget your sunscreen!

What's your favorite beach workout?

Source

Lots of people get fit to look good in their swimsuits. But why not get in your swimsuit to get fit? CafeMom has a great post with some water workout suggestions such as:

Tick-tock hop. Jump from side to side with your feet together.

Squat jump. Extend your arms to shoulder height, then squat down; jump as high as possible while raising your arms overhead.

Bicycle. Lean back against the side of the pool with your arms resting on the edge for balance. Raise your legs and pedal at the surface.

Want some more ways to get fit at the pool? Check out these poolside workout tips.

Source

Summer may not officially be here yet, but it certainly feels like it. Long, sunny days can motivate you to visit a local park, work in the garden or invite family and friends over for a cookout. But don't let the change in season change your fitness schedule.

You might think people get more exercise during summer, but that's not always the case. For some, summer is a fitness slow down. "Everybody wants to be out in the weather and they don't want to be inside like they were all winter," explains Benji Radach, corporate trainer for L.A. Boxing. Even if your gym routine has gone to the wayside, summer opens up a whole new world of fitness opportunities.

While it's important to maintain a consistent exercise routine, you can also slip some additional fitness moves in while enjoying favorite summer activities. Try these poolside exercise tips from the fitness gurus at L.A. Boxing:

Nineteen-year-old Olympic swimmer and gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington is a powerful force in the pool. But those strong shoulders that bring her fame in the water bring her shame on land.

"Do you know why I like shoes? They make me feel feminine," Adlington recently told The Daily Mail. "My shoulders stand out and people always say, 'Aren't they broad?' And I think, 'Thanks! You are really making me feel better about myself.' I don't hate them, but I'd like to be more petite."

Adlington continues: "Without them, though, I know I wouldn't have the power I have – they are what makes me go so fast in the water – but out of the water, they definitely look better with a nice pair of shoes," she says with a laugh.

Source

Brendan Hansen, Olympic gold medalist, captain of the 2008 Beijing Olympics U.S. Swim Team and Director of Training & Performance for PureSport, designed this moderate swim workout exclusively for That's Fit.

Equipment Needs:

Goggles
Swim cap
Flippers
Kick Board

Benefits of Swimming:

Improved range of motion in all joints
Increased aerobic threshold
Healthier joints from exercising in a gravity-free environment
Increased metabolism
Weight loss

Do cravings hit hard after a marathon workout session at the gym? For me, it varies -- sometimes I want to have some lean protein after a sweat session and sometimes I want to eat my body weight in chocolate (but don't worry -- I don't. Well, usually ... ). But as it turns out, there's actually a rhyme and reason to post-exercise cravings.

According to recent studies, the type of workout you do has a tendency to lead to a certain craving. So,

• If you go for a run, you're most likely to crave fruit afterwards.
• If you go for a swim, you're likely to crave high fat or sugary foods, like chocolate.
  
• If you lift weights, you're likely to crave cheeseburgers, pizza or peanut butter sandwiches.
  
• If you go for a gentle walk, it doesn't affect your appetite at all.
  

Of course, it all comes down to evolution -- if you go for a swim in cold water, for instance, your body is prompted to pack on a protective layer of fat. Still, that doesn't mean you should load up on these things -- just be aware and make sure to diet-proof your pantry before your next workout.

Source

I love swimming laps -- I might not be able to run long distances (at least, not at a respectable pace), but swimming? Swimming, I can do forever. In fact, I often swim long enough that I completely lose track of how many laps I've done.

Obviously, other people have this problem, because there is a solution -- the Finis Lap Track. This device can attach to the side of the pool in a variety of ways (suction cups or a weight bag and hanging arm -- see the site for a picture), and performs several functions.

First and foremost, it counts your laps, and the whole thing is a button, so you don't have to try to find any small buttons to push -- just bop the entire thing. It can also keep track of split times and calories burned. And, you can opt to count up, or, if you have a set number you want to reach, you can count down to zero.

Source

Michael Phelps, the swimming star of these past Olympic games, made more than a few headlines with the revelation that he eats 12,000 calories a day, almost 10 times what us regular folks consume. But while this number is much talked about, it's not actually true.

During his recent appearance on 60 Minutes, Phelps revealed that he actually eats about 8,000 to 10,000 a day when he's training. That's still quite a lot of food, but Phelps insists that he really needs it -- "I have to always just constantly shovel food in because I can lose five to 10 pounds in a week," he says. Dang -- I sure wish I could say the same.

What does he eat to keep his calorie intake up? His Baltimore apartment is stocked with junk food and healthy foods alike -- peanut butter cups and Nutrigrain bars, to name a few.

Source

First Sarah Palin gushes about running, then Vladimir Putin is teaching people Judo -- it seems like a lot of major politicians are jumping on the fitness bandwagon and telling the world about it. Former first lady of Britain Cherie Blair is no exception -- she and her husband are showing off trim new figures these days.

Not surprisingly, the weight loss is down to good old fashioned healthy eating and exercise. According to a source close to the couple, swimming is the exercise of choice. In fact, Mrs. Blair enjoys it so much, she recently splashed out on a $50,000+ pool -- you know, the kind that produces a counter current to create an effective workout.

Good for them. Though I must say, I'm awfully jealous -- how cool would it be to have one of those pools?

Source

In order to be a superb athlete, we all know you need to work your butt off and practice as much as possible. You might be surprised, though, to know that in order to become the best, you actually need to do the opposite -- relaxation is the key to breaking records, according to this article from the New York Times.

That's not to say you should take to the couch for a few years and expect to win a gold medal at the next Olympics. Nope, finding a balance between training as hard as you can while not stressing too much about your performance makes all the difference, according to experts. "It's the paradox of athletics," says Rick DeMont, coach at the University of Arizona and a former Olympian. "Tension is slow, tension is inefficient. You need to be relaxed."

Still, telling someone to relax is one thing. Actually being able to relax when hundreds, thousands, or millions of people are counting on your win is quite another. Your thoughts?

Source

Reno 911 star Niecy Nash knows how important exercise is. The 38-year-old's favorite forms of fitness? Swimming and pilates.

Ah, if only it were that easy to jump in the pool or power over to a pilates class. But that darn swimming messes with Nash's hair, she tells Essence magazine. And she has kids that keep her busy and away from pilates. The TV host and actress has a foolproof solution, though: She opts for physical activity that includes her kiddos. One of her prized picks: Hula-hoop in front of the TV. Not a bad idea.

The hula-hoop is not only ideal for family TV time. It's also making its way into fitness centers across the country. Check out this post for more.

Source

I don't eat red meat, sweets, or junk food, and I don't drink alcohol. I aim for low-fat and low-sugar, and I load up on fruits and veggies. I eat lean meats, whole grains, and nuts. And I exercise a lot. I run one day, strength train the next day, run again, strength train, and so on. I mix in walking, biking, and swimming too. In a nutshell, give or take a few good and bad habits, that's my routine. And on days like yesterday, it hits me that I'm on the right path.