That's Fit

My husband, a baseball editor for a national newspaper, taught our daughter how to say "pitching mound" when she was about 18 months old. We are lucky to have a field down the street. We drive by it every time we go somewhere in the car and every time we do, our daughter yells "pitching mound!" with gleeful delight.

We've now started making treks on foot down to the field on a semi-regular basis. And our little girl, now almost three, is learning about the rest of the landscape covered with red dirt and grass and framed by two dugouts. She isn't skilled enough to hit yet. Not even off of a tee. But boy do we run those bases. Over and over. And we jump on them. And we cheer at home plate.

By the time we've walked there and back and run the bases a few times, I figure we got more exercise than most players do during a whole game. And it certainly didn't take nine innings to do it. Quick and easy workout, and the kid's exhausted. Perfect!

Halle Berry was seen this weekend at the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in Los Angeles (possibly with an engagement ring on her all-important finger), and let me tell you -- she looked fantastic. And the fact that she gave birth to her daughter, Nahla Ariela, just about a month ago makes her fabulous body just that much more amazing.

New moms in the real world shouldn't hold themselves to Halle's standards -- I mean, she had a ridiculously amazing figure before the baby. However, she dished about her post-pregnancy fitness routine to People, and I've got the scoop for you!

She's been working out five days a week for an hour with her trainer, Ramona Braganza. She implements three cardio segments using the elliptical, stairs, and kickboxing, as well as some strength-training that works her abs and legs.

Motivational pop and rock music is the key to strength training success. Really. A 2006 U.K. study says so.

A York St. John University study found that students could hold a 2.4-pound weight straight out in front of their bodies at shoulder height for up to 10 percent longer when strong lyrics were booming around them. All-music workouts beat out both a partial-music workout and a white noise workout but only when the tunes were powerful enough to pump up exercisers.

Pick a song you'd belt out recklessly in the shower or in your car and use it to power your next workout. Or borrow this Women's Health recommended playlist. Or this one, compliments of Divine Caroline. Or this one, offered by Fitness magazine.

Most abdominal exercises can't quite be called relaxing. You might enjoy them, and they might not be painful, but if you try to tell me any exercises really feel wonderful while you're doing them, I'm going to ... well, I just won't believe you. But that's not really my point.

This week's Fit Gadget, the Multi-Core-Flex Excel Body Gym, is designed to massage your back while working your abs, quads, and inner and outer thighs. Actually, it claims that, in addition to giving you a fantastic workout, it will give you "the most relaxing back massage you've ever had. Its comfortable rounded pads enable you to stretch your entire upper body as well as your back for total relaxation."

Hmm ...

Britney Spears has been amazing in a number of ways lately, but most of them have not been positive, to say the least. However, she is apparently amazing her trainer, Marc Corliss, with her dedication. He states that her commitment and attitude are the reasons she's been able to drop 15 pounds in the last four weeks.

Honestly, I would be surprised if she has dropped that much weight -- she is looking healthier, but that's a lot of weight to lose in such a short time. Either way, it's nice to see her smiling, and I'm happy to see that fitness is playing a role in her recovery.

Mario Lopez is sharing his hot body secrets in his book, Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness, which goes on sale May 13. He's currently out stumping for the book, and while he admits that it's hard to find time for fitness, he believes everyone can achieve their best body. It's certainly helpful for him that his current job requires that he dance all day, but he has some down-to-earth tips -- eat healthy, keep a journal, and stay focused. Sounds like good advice to me!

I'm so happy to be back to incorporating outdoor workouts into my routine, sporadic as it may be. It's been almost three years since I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and I still don't have winter workout gear in my wardrobe. So I tend to wait around for April to go for any lengthy walks or jogs outside.

But that would be so normal.

The other day, I actually did sprints, played hide and seek and pretended to be Dora the Explorer in a field of tall grass down the street from our house. Of course, I wasn't alone. This was my daughter's idea of a grand time. And it turned out to be a pretty darn good workout, too.

No trails, stroller, trails, or special gear needed. Just an empty meadow and our imaginations.

These days, it seems like all the rage to be into exercise and being more eco-conscious. Hey, there have been worse trends, that's for sure!! But, is there a way to somehow combine both of these endeavors into one? There are plenty, actually, the easiest of which is working out in the morning before work.

If you are able to get up a little earlier -- that is, without the risk of shaving off time from the 7 to 8 hours of sleep you should be getting each night -- and squeeze in a workout, you may find it to be perfect for your busy schedule. No longer do you have to race home from work, run a few errands, change, and then high tail it to the gym. Instead, you can take your time waking up, have a healthy breakfast, and then make your way to the gym. It will be difficult at first, especially if you're used to working out in the evening, but you're body will adjust in about a week or two.

Now, I also mentioned that working out in the morning could somehow be more eco-friendly. How's that, you may be wondering. Simple; if you work out in the morning, you only have to shower once (instead of having to shower again in the evening if you were working out then), after your workout. On average, that can save around 25 gallons of water each day!!

This has been a Gwyneth Paltrow-heavy week. First of all, the mother of two spoke up about her battle with post-partum depression after the birth of her second child, son Moses. She said, "I felt really out of my body ... really down ... really pessimistic." She thinks part of the problem was that she stopped taking time for herself and neglected her usual wellness treatments, such as acupuncture and massage.

And, as long as we're talking about Gwynnie and gawking, there's no WAY I'm going to leave out the wardrobe she's been sporting while stumping for her new flick, Iron Man. First of all, there have been shoes -- shoes with heels of half a foot or so. And then the dresses! Gwyneth has been rocking the shortest minidresses imaginable, mostly with great success. She certainly has the body to pull it off, although I'm firmly of the opinion that nobody should wear a skirt so short that there's serious risk of a panty-flash, no matter how fab the legs are.

In other Gwyneth news, her trainer (who she says Madonna stole) gave USWeekly a diet and exercise program designed to allow participants to lose three to five pounds a week. It doesn't look too healthy to me, so I think I'll stick with a more moderate plan and be happy to drop just a pound or two weekly.

Research tells me that if I want to ward off another battle with breast cancer I ought to work out vigorously for at least five hours per week. I think I'm complying with this recommendation but I'm not so sure. What exactly does "vigorous" mean when it comes to fitness?

Researchers cited in Fitness magazine's May issue say it's anything with a metabolic equivalent (MET) intensity level greater than 6.0. Apparently, my MET ranges from 0.9 while sleeping to 18 while running at 10.9 miles per hour. I don't think I'll ever reach that intensity level but a 6.0 -- I can surely do that. If I want to up my performance and reach an even higher MET, I can add 12 vigorous moves to my routine. See gallery for making the following activities a bit more challenging.

• Running
• Biking

• Step aerobics

• Jumping rope

• Boxing

• Soccer

• Swimming

• Backpacking

• Canoeing

• Mountain climbing

• Roller skating

• Tennis

Fitness magazine offers the perfect workout playlist in its May issue. "Freshen up your routine with these new tunes," reads page 18 in this inspiring publication. Five songs are featured, each with a specific purpose in mind. Here they are.

• Good Day by Tally Hall: A great feel-good song to get you started
  
  

• Mercy by Duffy: This retro soul tune will help you find your rhythm
  
  

• Elevator by Flo Rida: The hip-hop beat is hypnotic and will push you to go the distance
  
  

• 4 Minutes To Save the World by Madonna: This high energy track with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland will keep you going
  
  

• Touch My Body by Mariah Carey: Wind down with this hot new single

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.

Health experts recommend that we all get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day. Though "I don't have time" shouldn't be an excuse on a regular basis, there are days when you literally can't squeeze a 30 minute workout in.

Any exercise is better than no exercise at all, however, so here are a few links to help you create a mini-workout that will help you burn fat and blast calories in no time at all.

I don't think anyone has had any complaints about Prince William's body -- he always looks pretty fit to me. However, it apparently took the influence of Wils' longtime love, Kate Middleton, for him to build a gym at Clarence House.

While Kate still has her own apartment, which she shares with her sister, Pippa, she spends the majority of her time at William and Harry's residence, and supposedly asked if they would allow her to build a gym there. Now that it's been installed, she and her sister are loving it because it has all kinds of amazing equipment and it's totally private.

Kate supposedly keeps her figure fabulous by working out an hour a day, and now "she even has William and Harry doing crunches and press-ups." Something tells me those boys were no strangers to working out long before Kate requested a gym, but still, it's great to see fitness playing a real role in the life of the royals!

If you're an athlete, then you've probably had to contend with athlete's foot at some point in your life. The itching, the scratching, the burning -- it can be pretty uncomfortable. Even if you're not a quote-unquote athlete, if you work out regularly (especially if you walk barefoot around locker rooms), there's a good chance your foot might become, shall we say, slightly athletic.

To get rid of this fungus, apply an over-the-counter medicinal cream at least twice a day until the symptoms clear, and then once a day for three months to prevent it from sneaking back up on you. Also, a very big word to the wise: If you have athlete's foot, you should put your socks on before your underwear; otherwise, you risk spreading this fungal infection onto them as your feet pass through, which can result in jock itch.

I've also read that soaking your feet in Epsom salt and warm water can help eliminate athlete's foot. If you happen to know of any other natural remedies, please feel free to add them in the comments section below.

I'm friends with a lot of fit couples, and I've noticed that, while they all enjoy working out and have memberships to the same gym, they rarely follow the same fitness routines. They might jump on the elliptical together, or spot each other on weights occasionally, but more often than not, they do their own thing.

As long as they're both happy with their individual routines, generally, it works. However, what if your sweetie is far more dedicated than you are, or vice versa? For example, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has recently been kicking butt in the fitness department, and she's looking fantastic. However, her dancer boyfriend, Ivan Velez, is reportedly getting fed up with the amount of time she spends working out, and isn't a fan of being roped into her early morning fitness routines.

It's not easy -- if he's naturally thin and you put on weight easily, you might feel compelled to hit the gym hard every day, and he might be perfectly happy going two or three times a week. If you really want to work out together, That's Fit posted some suggestions last year for involving your sweetie, but one thing I would suggest is that you be flexible and figure out whether it's more important to you to have a long, hard workout, or to work out with your partner. If you're willing to take a brisk, two-mile walk instead of a four-mile run, he or she might be more likely to join you. Or, if there's something your sweetie enjoys, give it a shot -- there are plenty of ways to burn calories, after all!

Rebecca Brown over at Divine Caroline says she's worthless at her workouts without a good playlist to motor her along. I'm with Rebecca. My MP3 player is strapped to my arm whenever I exercise. I don't do well with silence and running, silence and weight training, silence and treadmilling. Silence and writing: I love the combination. But anything that causes me to sweat and huff and puff simply must be set to music.

Rebecca's got a bunch of readers sharing their playlists here. Check out this one.

• Paula Abdul - Dance Like There's No Tomorrow
  
• Matchbox 20 - How Far We've Come
  
• Limp Bizcuit - Nookie
• Britney Spears - Stronger
• Jars of Clay - Faith Like A Child
  
  

Check out some more if you're in the market for some new tunes. Borrow a song or two. Heck, use an entire playlist if you wish. And let us know what you've got playing in your ears.