Blog Posts by FITNESS Magazine

Peter Ardito/Fitness MagazineBy the Editors of FITNESS Magazine

On top of taking it slow (don't up your total mileage by more than 10 percent every three weeks), reduce your injury risk with these tips from Luke Humphrey, owner of Hanson's Coaching Services in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Related: Injury-Proof Your Shoes

Ouch! Shin Splints
The culprit: Tight calves -- as they get stronger, they also get tighter. This often strains tendons and muscles along the sides of the legs, causing tendinitis.

The fix: Stretch your calves after every workout. Stand in front of a wall, feet hip-width apart. Step right leg forward (knee bent, left leg straight), place palms on wall, and lean forward. Hold for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat.

Related: 7 Common Causes of Back Pain and Easy Solutions

Ouch! Plantar Fasciitis
The culprit: The plantar fascia, a band of tissue along the bottom of the foot. If overstretched, tiny tears can develop, causing inflammation.

The fix: Roll a golf ball with the bottom of your foot for 5 to 10

Karen Pearson/Fitness MagazineBy Nicole Gray

Your best workout starts in the locker room. Spending a few minutes calming your mind and reviewing your routine boosts your motivation and endurance and primes your body to burn calories and build muscle. Get the most out of your exercise plan by following these steps.

Related: Get Fitter, Firmer, Faster! 18 Fitness Shortcuts

Step 1: Breathe deeply while you change.
If you're rushing to the gym to make a class or squeeze in a workout, you're usually taking quick, shallow breaths by the time you get there, which increases muscle tension and anxiety. "As you undress, start breathing in through the nose and exhaling fully through your mouth," says Mark T. Cuatt, assistant general manager at Club Fit in Jefferson Valley, New York. Taking deeper breaths speeds up oxygen delivery to -- and carbon dioxide elimination from -- your muscles, increasing energy levels and helping you think more clearly.

Related: The Ultimate Lunch-Hour Workout

Step 2: Drink some water.
Research

By Marianne Magno

These leading ladies make us laugh and cry, but they also get us motivated to get off the couch and on the treadmill. Learn about their workouts and fitness routines here.

More from FITNESS Magazine:

Madonna's Hard Candy Workout

The Biggest Loser Host Alison Sweeney's Couch Workout

Jillian Michaels' Amazing Arm Moves

Ned Frisk/Jupiter ImagesBy the editors of FITNESS Magazine

We'll keep this short because we know you're exhausted. According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of women say they get a good night's sleep just a few days a week or less, and nearly half admit they're so beat that it interferes with daily activities. "We live in a 24-7 society with a huge amount of pressure and commitments," says Helene A. Emsellem, MD, medical director of the Center for Sleep & Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and author of Snooze...Or Lose! "It's very easy to sacrifice sleep time for other things we think are more important."

Then there are all those nights we can't nod off, no matter how hard we try. Research shows that women's sleep tends to be disrupted during menstruation, pregnancy, and perimenopause. Women are also more likely than men to suffer from insomnia (about 7 out of 10 women reported having it in a recent poll). Given all this, it's no wonder that the amount of money we spend

Denise Crew/Fitness MagazineBy Caroline Hwang

News flash: You don't have to overhaul your life to work off mega calories. Here are our eight simple rules for squeezing the most out of your everyday routine to score the silhouette you've been sweating for.

Related: Get a Firmer Butt in 30 Minutes

Rule #1: Be an early bird to get the workout.
Lace up first thing and you'll increase your odds of exercising today threefold. A study of 500 people at the Mollen Clinic, a preventive medicine and wellness center in Scottsdale, Arizona, found that 75 percent of those who worked out in the morning did so regularly, compared with just half the afternoon exercisers and a quarter of the post-work crowd. "At the beginning of the day, you have the fewest excuses for skipping exercise," says clinic founder Arthur Mollen, DO. Not waking up early enough, of course, is the main one. "Limit using the snooze button to only five minutes so that you don't fall into a deep sleep again," Dr. Mollen advises. Bonus! You'll go to work

Ericka McConnell/Fitness MagazineBy Ethan Boldt

If you've stopped getting results from your strength-training routine, it's time to shake things up. Pick any of these five simple strategies to wake up your muscles.

Related: 5 Exercises for Stronger Arms Fast

1. Move Quickly from Upper to Lower Body
Alternate upper- and lower-body exercises without rest in between to up your caloric burn exponentially, says celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, whose clients include Jennifer Lopez. Moving quickly from biceps curls to squats, for example, can raise your heart rate by forcing blood to shunt from your arms to your legs. Work this technique into your routine once a week.

2. Drop the Weight
Squeeze every ounce of effort out of your muscles with drop sets, says Mark Jenkins, owner of International Fitness in New York City. This technique recruits more muscle fibers for faster results. Start with a weight heavy enough to fatigue muscles in 10 reps. Use a slightly lighter weight for a second set. Then go even lighter for a

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Melissa Daly

Expert solutions for nagging fitness obstacles so you can finally get fitter, faster, stronger.

Related: How to Do a Yoga Headstand, a Pull-Up and More

How to Choose and Anchor a Resistance Band
A piece of stretchy rubber seems like simple enough equipment. But then, how stretchy is too stretchy? And where in your house are you supposed to tie the thing? Kit Rich, a Los Angeles-based celebrity Pilates instructor, clears up the confusion: If you're new to exercise, choose the lightest band to start, usually the equivalent of a three-pound dumbbell. If you already work out, go with the next level, five to seven pounds of resistance. (Bands are typically color coded. Try the GoFit Power Loops kit to get three levels of resistance; $15, gofit.com.) "To increase the resistance of any band, just shorten it, by holding it closer to where it's anchored," Rich adds. Depending on the exercise, you can anchor the band under your feet or tie it around a doorknob, a sofa leg, or a

Laura Doss/Fitness MagazineBy Ayren Jackson-Cannady

With celebrity moms showing off shockingly svelte bodies just weeks after giving birth, it's no wonder new mothers are so confused about what to really expect after delivery. Here, we separate fact from fiction.

Related: Lose the Baby Weight: Get a Better Body After Baby Workout

You'll Instantly Lose 10 Pounds
True. Take one seven- to eight-pound baby, plus about two pounds of blood and amniotic fluid, and you're pretty much assured a 10-pound weight loss in the hospital after you deliver. "In the first week you will probably lose another three to five pounds of water weight. However, it will take time until you return to your pre-pregnancy weight," says Lisa Druxman, a San Diego-based fitness trainer and author of Lean Mommy. "It took nine months for you to put the weight on, so you should give yourself at least that to take it off."

Your Hair Will Start to Shed
True. Up to 50 percent of women experience an increased shedding period after giving birth. "It's