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Welcome to Twitter Fit Tips. Keep track of the latest diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's Fit will post fitness-related questions and the best tweet responses will get posted here. Start following Healthpop and That's Fit today.

This past week we asked, "Which do you like better -- exercising in hot, humid weather, or icy, windy?"

Here's what our fellow getting-fit Twitterers had to say:

boschae@HealthPop I have my treadmill on the deck in the shade for summer. Can't stand really hot weather but like the view! lol

LouLou197533@HealthPop Somewhere in between is probably ideal but if I had to pick one it'd be icy cold. Bring on the brr, brr, brr.

RemoveMyFatSuit@HealthPop hot, & humid =D I hate the COLD!!

choose2befit@HealthPop Hmmm...that's a toss up. Hate exercising when cold, but don't care to be TOO hot either. My vote is hot over cold.

Are you sick of being out of shape and single too? Why not fix both frustrations with this novel idea: Blind dating at the gym.

A company called BluePont is offering a service that lets you use your cell phone to find, well, let's call them workout buddies. Perhaps your match-up will turn into a love affair but at first, you're just going to get sweaty with your new friend while pumping a little iron.

Here's how the whole thing works: Sign up on the BluePont website, answer a few questions, and download some software to your phone. Before you know it, your phone will start buzzing with fitness matches in your area. Then it's up to you to send a text message to your pal-to-be about meeting up at the gym -- you could meet for a jog too, but in the spirit of safety, I suggest you keep your first encounter in a public venue.

Seem creepy? Not to everyone -- the BluePont site tells me there were 43 mobile match-ups on Thursday. I wonder how they're all working out?

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You're probably doing your best to squeeze healthy eating choices and exercise into your work day, but are you doing it for all the right reasons? The majority of people are motivated to exercise and eat better by the desires to look better, feel better, and live longer, but did you know that adopting a fit lifestyle can actually help your career? Yep, hitting the gym can improve your work performance right along with your bench press stats.

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There are literally hundreds of ways to keep your workout new and interesting, though they may not pop into your head until you're midway through your usual routine. And, sometimes they may not pop into your head at all. That's okay, because a new way to mix up a workout just popped into mine.

Employing what's known as a Ladder Technique may help you reach a new fitness level, while at the same time keeping your boredom meter from pinning. To use the Ladder Technique (or Ladder Method), all you really need to know how to do is count. So far, so good, right? Then, select an exercise you plan on performing. Because it's such a great upper-body exercise, let's choose the push-up for our example. Next, determine how far up the ladder you want to climb. For beginners, I'd suggest shooting for a level of five. Now for what this means.

You'll start by performing one push-up. After you've lowered your body and pushed it up back to the starting position, hold your body here for a count of one full second. Then, perform two push-ups -- only to again hold in the top position after you are done, only this time you will hold for a count of two full seconds.

Most of us go to the gym to work up a sweat, but when ironically named Andy Heatman visited his regular UK gym, he got banned for sweating too much.

Chesire Lines Health Club staff claim that 15 people complained about Heatman's personal hygiene, leading them to ban Heatman from the gym on his next visit. So he took his business down the street to Total Fitness, where he was assured sweating was encouraged.

Heatman works out for two hours at a time, four days a week, so of course he's going to sweat (he also claims he showers regularly, uses deodorant, etc.). I understand it's not always pleasant to see someone sweating profusely, but come on ... isn't that what gyms are for?

What do you think -- was Heatman treated fairly or should he have been left alone to work out in peace?

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Do you have a very logical reason for not working out? Don't we all? Our days are filled with ways to avoid exercise. We're too busy, we had to work late, we've got kids to take care of, Lost finally returned to the airwaves. If we'd just put a little of that excuse-making energy into our workout, we'd be done by now!

Want to learn how to quit letting excuses get the best of your for good? Glamour's Margarita Shapes Up asks her readers to share how they get around common excuses. Mark's Daily Apple takes a deeper look into some of your best excuses. And for those of you that use long work hours as your excuse, here are 20 exercises you can do at your desk.

Now what's your excuse?

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Fill a room with sweaty, determined, and time-crunched people, and some feather ruffling is inevitable. To help prevent you from becoming persona non grata at your local gym, here are five fitness faux pas you would do well to avoid:

1. Not Recognizing Someone's Turf. If you see a dumbbell, a towel, and/or a water bottle on a weight bench or work station, this is enough of a signal that it is being used by someone else (even if they are nowhere in sight at the moment). Don't take liberties and take up residence. Instead, either do a different exercise or wait a minute or so for the person to return, at which time you can ask them how many sets they have left.

2. Crashing Your Weights. Nobody says that a gym has to be as quiet as a mausoleum, but allowing your weights to slam to the ground is just plain obnoxious. As the popular gym saying goes, if you're strong enough to lift the weights, you should be strong enough to put them back.

3. Wardrobe Malfunctions. When getting dressed for the gym, try to keep in mind the specific types of exercises you're going to be doing that day. Those loose-fitting basketball shorts may work fine for the day you're running on the treadmill, but not so much for the day you have to do overhead leg lifts.

4. Being a Space Invader. If a person is working out in front of a mirror, it's because they want to make sure that they are using correct form. Or, it's because they just really pleased with the way they look. Either way, walking across their line of vision is a big no-no.

5. Leaving Traces of Yourself Behind. If you're the type that sweats profusely, chances are your sweat ends up all over the gym. So, to keep the rest of the gym population on your good side, towel off your benches and machines once you're done with them.

It's slowly approaching that time for my regular gym session. But, um, *cough cough* I think I might be coming down with something. Seriously. Maybe I should skip it today and make up for it tomorrow. Sound familiar? We all have excuses we use to avoid working out -- what's yours?

Let's face it: when it comes time to get your butt down to the gym, do a variety of excuses tend to pop up? You're too tired, too sore from yesterdays workout, too ill. Or you don't have enough time. Or it's too expensive. Or the weather sucks. There are lots of excuses, and they're all valid. The truth is, sometimes you have to listen to your body and put other priorities ahead of fitness, but if you use these excuses too much, you're doing yourself a disservice by denying yourself something that's important for you for your health and well-being.

So if figuring out an elaborate reason to avoid the gym has become more of a habit than going to the gym yourself, do yourself and favour and quit it with the excuses already.

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Do you think a majority of sports drinks are marketed to men? One group thinks so, mainly because women allegedly don't vibe with the (sometimes) high caloric intake. After all, a good serving of Powerade can weigh in at a hundred calories or more depending on how thirsty you are when working out.

For this reason, lighter alternatives are starting to gain traction among female gym enthusiasts. A nutritionist and triathlete reviewed four of these for the NY Times to get a good idea of what is available to women in the sports drink market. With a touch of flavor and ample hydration properties, one of these products could be what you're looking for.

The cheapest option she reviewed also had the weirdest name. It's called Nuun, and it costs about $9 for 16 tablets. Simply drop one of these in your water bottle to get a boost of folic acid, vitamin B2 and magnesium. Any Crystal Light fans out there? Their hydration packets come in 1-ounce servings and contain only ten calories. With no sugar people can mix this into their water for moderate electrolyte replacement. I'm sure there are other light sports drinks out there that appeal to men and women alike -- you may even have a unique preference of your own!

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Do you brush your teeth before going to the dentist for a cleaning? Do you comb your hair before getting your hair cut? If you said yes to either of these, you probably care about what other people think of you. This, of course, is a fairly natural part of human behavior; taking into account how other perceive us. This is why it's not completely uncommon for people to also feel the need to get into shape before they join a gym.

It can be quite daunting to walk into a gym and see so many fit people, particularly when you may not be. Making things worse, you really aren't quite sure what to do, so you not only fear sticking out based on how you look, but also for your lack of fitness knowledge. Again, it is this type of scenario that often causes people to workout at home before feeling confident enough to join a gym.

In my opinion, you should do whatever it is you need to do to feel comfortable. If you would prefer to reach a certain fitness level, exercising stealthily in your basement for the next few months, before stepping foot in a gym, then you do that. If you're the type that doesn't care at all what others are thinking and have no qualms about being the least fit person in the gym (for now), then you go for yours. The critical part is that you work out. Where and when don't matter nearly as much as how and why.

It doesn't really matter how old you are or how out-of-shape you may be, it's never too late to start exercising. Regular physical activity will enable you to reach a greater level of health; including, but not limited to, weight reduction, improved circulation, increased bone density, reducing stress, and lowering cholesterol.

Bear in mind, exercise doesn't always have to take place in a gym, nor does it ever have to be boring. You can dance, you can swim, you can walk, you can box, you can lift weights, and you can pretty much do whatever physical activity that you choose, so long as you do it consistently over time. Just as critical is to exercise safely, which is exactly what the following tips will help you do:

• Consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program
• Drink plenty of water
• Start out with as little as 10 to 15 minutes of exercise a day at a comfortable pace, gradually increasing over time.
• Exercise with another person
• If you workout outdoors and it is cold, dress in layers. Also, wear a hat. Most of the body's warmth is lost through the head.
• If the weather makes it dangerous or too uncomfortable to exercise outside, try indoor activities, such as walking on a treadmill or even at the mall, take a dance class, go swimming at an indoor pool, or exercise in your home along to a fitness DVD.
• Stretch before and after your workout

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Yes, breaking up is hard to do. But then again, it's the best attitude to have when working out if you want to be more efficient at burning calories.

Why not take two back-to-back 30-minute workouts when doing that treadmill or elliptical cardio workout? Instead of going for an entire hour, try splitting up your session with a 20-minute rest in between.

Combine cardio and weight training in a single workout as well, but just don't combine the sessions without a break. That is, if your goal is to get those calories burned with the best combination of effort and efficiency.

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Do you have the time to exercise in that precious 24-hour day? If you're like most of us, then no. Finding time -- even 30 minutes -- to exercise daily with the stresses of a job, commute and a family/social life leaves us pretty stretched for time.

Some companies, though, are realizing that giving some time back to employees to exercise is one of the best investments they can make in workforce efficiency.

A recent study out this week even said that flexible work lives have a positive impact on healthier lifestyles. Sounds like a plan -- as the old 8-to-5 workday with an hour for lunch is completely outmoded in the current information age we live in.

How about 9-to-4:30 with an hour given for exercising and related travel? Come on, corporate America -- be a healthy trend setter for once!

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Eight ... niiiiiiiiiiine .....t-t-t-ten. Whew ... you barely got through that set, didn't you? Really gave those last couple of reps all you had. Question is, how was your form?

According to a new report in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the further into a workout set people went, the more likely they were to break form. These findings make sense, as it is all too often that you see men and women contorting themselves, swinging their bodies, and cheating in any way possible to squeeze out those last two reps.

Training to complete failure is not always the best idea. Some swear by it, while others (including researchers) claim that it sometimes does more harm than good. Sticking to strict form and working onto technical failure (which differs from complete failure by virtue of the fact that it refers to the point when an exercise can no longer be performed with proper form) is almost universally accepted as the safest and most effective way to train.

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If motivation is the key to success, then staying interested is the key to being motivated. For those of you out there who could follow your gym routine with your eyes closed, here are 10 ways to change it up for the better. After all, wouldn't you like to be able to hit "Refresh" on your gym workout the same way you can on your computer?

Well as this Men's Health article puts it, you can start by warming up more efficiently. Don't just hit the treadmill or jog to get the blood flowing. That's a pretty good way to begin the routine... for a lower body workout. But if you plan on pumping iron for anything above your navel, then incorporate your arms as well. Jumping rope or rowing are just two ways to get the blood flowing through your upper body, because isn't that what you want to target afterwards?

Closing your eyes while working out is another way to change it up in a subtle way. Just feel the burn and visualize the tendons as you crank each set out. This is even more helpful when toning anything on your backside. One personal trainer in Houston says that it "challenges the neuromuscular system and helps you establish better balance" when doing things that require stability (we're looking at you, one-legged squat). Who would have thought a simple move like closing the eyes could improve anything? These are only a couple of the tips they share. Get on over to the full article to see even more ways to supercharge a workout.

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