That's Fit

I always get a kick out of watching people at the gym, especially in the free weight and stretching areas. Everyone has their own way of doing crunches, or lunges, or squats, probably because they're trying to target their trouble spot.

However, the cardio machine you choose can have a lot to do with the area you target. Women's Health magazine listed the best cardio machines for your bum, and you can check them out in our gallery. After all, if you're putting in the time at the gym, you want to make sure you're getting the most out of it you can, right?

So you're exercising regularly and really making it a priority. That's great! But make sure you don't fall into some of these exercise traps. You want to make sure you're following good technique so you can get the most out of your workout. AOL Health shares some common bad exercises techniques:

• Weight overload. Lifting too much weight can, at worst, cause injury and, at a minimum, cause the move to be ineffective. When you're lifting too much you may not be isolating the muscles properly.
  
• Biceps only. The bicep curl is a great exercise, but don't spend all of your strength training time on one muscle. Be sure to work out your shoulders, triceps, legs, core, and glutes as well. When strength training, you want to strengthen all the muscles of your body.
  

Have an hour to spare each day? Looking to drop a few pounds? And help the environment? If you said yes to all three of these questions, you're the calorie-burning, eco-friendly person that a recent Men's Health article was obviously written for.

Slim down and tone up your muscles while doing your part to save the world; here are five ways to make yourself a green superhero.

1. Running (1 hr at a 9-min.-mile pace)

• 902 calories burned on a treadmill
• 943 calories burned running outdoors with hill sections
• Energy Saved: Running for 30 minutes on a treadmill a day uses about 2,000 watts a year and costs around $50
• Go the Extra Mile: Add stairs to your run. You'll burn an extra 308 calories in just 15 minutes

2. Trimming Trees and Hedges (1 hour)

• 287 calories burned using an electric trimmer
• 369 calories burned using a hand trimmer
• Energy Saved: Besides the electricity used to run the power trimmer, you can go a step further to help the environment by using watering cans instead of a sprinkler -- which loses most of its water to runoff or evaporation. You'll also burn an extra 123 calories in the process.

I do some of my best thinking on the treadmill. I happen to have one at home and whenever I hop on for a power walk or run, my mind starts working. Sometimes, I plot the course of my day as the miles tick by. Sometimes, I watch my kids play in front of me and marvel at their passion for pirate ships, dragons, and Lego creations of all kinds. Other times, I generate items for my ongoing to-do list, I dream up ideas for stories I can write -- like this one -- and when I'm feeling really reflective, I count my blessing on that treadmill.

My treadmill is more than an exercise apparatus. It's a location that is all my own, reserved not only for the fine-tuning of my body but for the fitness of my mind too. I never knew that piece of equipment, purchased more than seven years ago and still going strong, would be such a great investment. Now, I know.

When you're working hard at working out, you sometimes can find yourself in a bit of an exercise rut. While a routine may work for you, if you want to stick to it long term, you need to shake things up once in a while. AOL Body gives us some tips for beating exercise boredom including:

• Head to the outdoors. If you normally walk on a treadmill, take a walk outside instead. Just the change in environment can refresh your workout.
  
• Find the fun. Join a sports team or engage in other activities that get your heart rate up and are fun at the same time.
  
• Play with your kids. Kick a soccer ball around, play a game of tag, have a relay race -- your kids will appreciate the quality time and you'll benefit from the activity.
• Give while you get. Join a charity walk or other event. It's a win-win situation.

My treadmill has been sitting quietly for some time now, all alone in the corner of my kids' playroom, completely neglected and collecting quite a blanket of dust. I noticed the dust yesterday, just more than four weeks after our last run together, and I felt sorry for it. No, I felt sorry for me. It's been 30 days since my tummy tuck surgery, and the spotting the dust on my trusty treadmill symbolized just how inactive I've been. Doctors orders, I know. But I simply had to clean that thing off and take it for a spin.

My spin wasn't too much -- just a walk, at 4.5 miles per hour, with no incline. I managed quite easily for two miles, all the while dreaming ahead two weeks when my doctor gives me the OK to start running again. How great it will be.

Is your treadmill -- or elliptical, or stationary bike, or whatever it is you're ignoring in the corner of your house -- collecting dust? If so, give it a quick wipe-down, hop on, and take that thing for a whirl. It'll do you a world of good. It did me.

Have you ever been at the gym, kicking butt on the elliptical, only to look outside and see a perfect, gorgeous day that you're missing because you're in a gym? Or, do you like the idea of biking for fun, fitness, or transportation, but have less love for some of the things that come with biking (seat pain, hunched over position, catching on chain, etc.)? If so, you might want to get on the wait list for the elliptiGO Glide Bike.

The elliptiGO is a cross between a bike and an elliptical trainer, "combining the best aspects of running and cycling to create a fun and effective means of exercising outdoors." Since you're in a standing position while riding it, you have increased visibility and a distinct lack of pain in the genitals (because, be honest -- how many of you have opted out of a long bike ride because you knew how bad your privates would hurt afterward? I'm always amazed that true cyclists can ever have sex!).

It's easily modifiable, so you can go at your own pace using your own stride. There are eight gears, allowing you to work really hard and go as fast as 25 mph, or cruise along at closer to 6mph.

Losing weight is tough enough, but keeping it off -- now that can be really tough. Statistics show that 90-95 percent of overweight people who lose weight will regain it all (and in some cases, even more) within five years.

So, what's a person to do to stay slim? Work out harder, say researchers from Brown University. This may seem like a no-brainer at first, but what their study found was that duration during exercise does not matter as much as intensity when it comes to maintaining weight loss over time.

The good news is that you won't have to spend as long in the gym; the data shows that around 25 minutes per day is perfect. The bad news is that you won't be spending long, leisurely walks while reading a book on the treadmill anymore, because you're going to have to kick your workout into high gear.

I ran really far on Sunday, and when the time came to go to the gym with my husband on Monday, I thought I'd be too beat to perform. I literally was contemplating stretching for an hour as I walked through the front doors. But then! Then I saw something beautiful to my left. Over the dozens of cardio machines to my side, I saw Tom Cruise plopped down on the couch with Oprah and was drawn over to the treadmills.

Curiosity got my goat, and up I climbed on to the machine before me. Now strangely enough, because of a back injury, walking hurts more than running. So with emotional bricks in my shoes I cranked up the speed to six miles per hour and got going. I swear to you that before I turned that darn machine on, I would have never imagined my legs would take me half a mile. Apparently I was wrong.

Turns out that even though I felt sluggish and was full of doubt, I was capable of running for an hour straight! Isn't that insane? I think so. Listen. I've been in this business a long time, and have made a living out of proving to people that they could do the things they thought they couldn't! Feeling slow, tired, and unmotivated is not unusual. What is unusual, though, is finding the inspiration to yank out your personal best, even under those circumstances.

I was running on a new treadmill at my local gym yesterday, and I had really exerted myself and my breathing started getting a little out of control (I'm asthmatic, so I'm careful not to overdo). I slowed to a walk, and as I did so, I put my hands on the heart rate monitors, and ... according to the display, my heart rate was at only 112, but I know from monitoring it at other times, at a similar intensity, it has shown 180+. Huh?

I've noticed before that my heart rate fluctuates considerably depending on the day, but never looked into it. Yesterday, though, it made me realize that I really have no idea what heart rate I reach at my peak, and what I maintain.

Wouldn't it be great if you could burn calories just by eating or drinking something? Well, as a matter of fact, you can. No, this isn't a pitch for a new supplement or diet pill; rather, it's something that makes up 75 percent of this planet. I gave it away with that last one, didn't I?

You guessed it, I'm talking about water. Good ol' H20. How does water burn calories, you may be wondering. Well, for starters it has to be pretty cold (40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower). When you drink cold water, your body must heat the fluid to a core body temperature of 98.6 degrees. This heating process requires about one calorie of energy to warm each ounce of cold water to body temperature. Thus, an 8-ounce glass of cold water burns almost 8 calories. Multiply that by the many glasses of water per day you drink (or will probably now drink after reading this), and before long you're burning about the same amount of calories as jogging for 8 minutes on the treadmill!!

Did you every wonder what the deal was with the Fat Burn option on cardio equipment? I mean, what happens when you set a treadmill or an elliptical to Fat Burn, anyway? Does your fat get zapped off by a laser or something? What is it that makes this option any more of a fat burner than, say, Hill, Interval, or Random?

Seeing that I just wrote an entire paragraph using only questions, it's only fair that I start offering up some answers. The bottom line is that there really is no such thing as a fat burn option; the amount of effort you exert is the only factor that will change how many calories and fat you'll blast. This setting is nothing more than a marketing ploy, used by fitness equipment manufacturers, to get people to buy their product.

Does this mean you should avoid setting your equipment to Fat Burn? No. Set it to whatever setting you want, as it really doesn't matter all too much. What matters more is the intensity level you at which you set your fitness equipment and the duration of time you spend on it.

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?

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I am 29 year old male and I am thinking about starting a workout routine. However, I don't know where to begin. I have a treadmill and that's it. I am 5'11 and about 160lbs. I don't have a lot of muscle, have a low self esteem towards my body shape and would like to change it. Something simple I can do at home with or without the treadmill would be OK. Any suggestions? Jared

A. Sweet Jared. So sorry you're feeling down in the dumps. Hard to know exactly what is causing it all, but getting yourself in shape can certainly be a grand opportunity to increase your physical fitness, confidence and self esteem. It's proven to help people live better and longer. I can help you with your physical goals. If you feel like there may be something else adding to your low self-esteem, please don't feel shy to talk to your medical doctor or a counselor.

Having said that, it sounds like you are long and lean. What a lucky place to start! Let's get you going with a very simple routine which should get you on your way towards the athletic body you so desire. Make that treadmill your home for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. Jog for as long as you can, take a two minute walking break, and then repeat. Continue this jogging/walking training until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. Once you get there....increase your time, distance, speed or all three. Up to you! When you feel like you have bricks in your shoes, just walk! It's OK to have some slower days here and there.

Even though spring is less than a month away, winter is still very much here. Between the blustery cold temperatures and the solid foot of snow I'm currently staring at, it will clearly be at least a few more weeks before an outdoor workout of any kind can safely be done. Looks like it's going to be a gym workout until then.

Ahhhh....the warmth, the comfort ... the wait? Easily one of the worst parts of any gym workout is waiting for machines, equipment, and -- depending upon how crowded your gym may be -- a mere 3 x 3 space to call your own. This is something I refer to as the "Gym Stall," and it's more than enough to drive you a little nuts when you're trying to squeeze in a workout.

So, what do you do when you've mustered up the determination to get dressed, tie your sneakers tightly, and then drive all the way to the gym, only to find that you won't be able to get on a single piece of equipment for at least a half an hour? Do you reverse-slap the air as you let out an audible "forget about it?" Do you hop back in your car and drive home? Or do you wait out the half an hour, passing the time reading eight-month-old gym copies of National Geographic? Between the three, the third option is probably the best. At least you do eventually get your workout done (and maybe even learn a thing or two about the aboriginal people of Papua New Guinea). But who has that kind of time? Most people don't, which is why your cardio and/or resistance training workout needs to get done in the time that's been allotted. Here's just a few workout alternatives that may help you do just that:

All the treadmills taken? Look for a reasonable alternative; the elliptical machine, the stair stepper, the recumbent bike, the rowing machine, etc. The important thing is to make sure that you will at least burn the same amount of calories that you would during your time on the treadmill. You'd be surprised at the variance that exists with regard to calorie burning from one machine to the next. A quick way to find out how many calories you will burn in, say, a half an hour on a particular machine is to pay close attention to the Calories per Hour readout. Obviously, since for this example we are trying to figure out how many calories will be used in a half an hour, simply divide this number by two. Is it more or less than how many calories you typically use while on the treadmill? If it is more, than you are fine. If it is exactly the same, that's also cool. But, if it's less, you may want to continue for as long as you need to on that machine to at least match the amount of calories you would normally burn while on the treadmill.