Blog Posts by FITNESS Magazine

By Paige Greenfield

When your brain abandons your workout routine, your body is soon to follow. Here's how to bust out of almost any exercise rut and get back your motivation.

Related: The 48-Hour Workout Jumpstart

Sick of Going Solo

Instant replay: Become a groupie to automatically get a workout buddy or two. Walkers can find a local pack at ava.org, runners at rrca.org, and swimmers at clubswim.com. Or hook up with a virtual partner right here on our site to keep yourself motivated! Head to the message boards and start posting your interests to connect with like-minded exercisers in your area.

Gear shift: Invite friends over for a Wii Fit challenge. Play your way into great shape with All Star Cheer Squad or Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 with Dance Mat ($40 to $70, amazon.com).

Related: 7 Ways to Find a Fitness Buddy

Tired of the Treadmill

Instant replay: "The number-one mistake runners make is going one speed, at one incline, every workout," says trainer Jamie Norcini,

By Marianne Magno

If we could only be so lucky to have personal trainers and nutritionists at our beck and call. But you don't need either to lose the baby weight. Real moms dish on how they slimmed down post-pregnancy.

Related: Our Lose the Baby Weight Plan

"Incorporate your baby into your exercise routine."

Erin W., 30, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, got help from her daughter during her workouts. "Strap your baby into a baby carrier for added resistance when doing squats," she says. "And they make an adorable distraction when you're doing crunches or push-ups!"


Related: Top Moves to Get Your After-Baby Body, Fast!




"Take it 10 minutes at a time."

"When I got the okay from my doctor six weeks after giving birth, I got on the recumbent bike for 10 minutes every day," says mom of two (soon to be three!) Valerie V., 37, of Houston. "I put the baby right next to the bike so I could hop on and off if she needed me. In about four months, I worked up to hour-long sessions, four or five

By Cara Kagan

Shorts season might be over, but that doesn't mean you're open to a little more thigh jiggle for the winter. Try these exercises that sculpt your front, back, and inner thighs from R. Marcus Minier of the Sports Club/LA in New York City.

Related: More Moves to Tighten Your Thighs

1. Bent-Knee Extension
Targets: hamstrings (back of thigh)

Lie faceup on floor with arms at sides, knees bent 90 degrees and heels shoulder-width apart on a stability ball. Lift hips toward the ceiling, being careful not to overarch back. Hold for 3 counts and lower. Repeat for 8 to 10 reps.


Related: Easy Circuits to Tone Your Trouble Spots



2. Seated Leg Raise
Targets: quads (front of thigh)

Sit on floor with your back pressed into a wall, legs extended in front of you with feet flexed. Raise right leg off floor as high as you comfortably can, keeping foot flexed. Lower to floor without touching; do 20 continuous reps. Repeat with left leg.

Related: 5 Exercises to Love Your Lower Body




3.

By the editors of FITNESS Magazine

There are 168 hours in a week -- but you only need half a dozen of them to shape up and lose weight. Here, 10 ways to make the most of every minute.

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

1. Just press "intense." Don't have that much time to work out? "Try high-intensity aerobic exercise or resistance training [working at about an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10], which can help you burn an extra 50 to 150 calories during the first two hours after exercise," advises Len Kravitz, PhD, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. For cardio, incorporate several speed intervals; for strength training, do circuits.

Related: The Best Cardio Interval Blasters

2. Follow the new guidelines. The latest word from the experts at the American College of Sports Medicine: For minimum health gains, do moderately intense cardio (hard enough to break a sweat) for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, plus

By the editors of FITNESS

On her reality show, Could You Survive?, health-and-fitness guru Pamela Peeke, MD, teaches real women how to get fit enough to be prepared for anything. Here, she shares her get-fit strategies for surviving everyday life's biggest challenges, from couch potato syndrome to the hidden health risks in your pantry.

Related: The Hidden Benefits of Exercise

Health Risk #1: Your Couch

The Culprit: Your couch. "Our culture gives us every excuse not to move," Dr. Peeke says. "We're either glued to our computers, driving someplace, or vegging in front of the TV." And with every step we don't take, we get more and more out of shape.

The Fix: Work in a little exercise whenever you can -- do biceps curls while reading e-mail, get in some lunges while waiting for your laundry to dry. Or do as many bent-knee push-ups as possible. You'll strengthen five muscles at one time.

Related: Made-for-TV Workout: 5 Fast Exercises



Health Risk #2: Your Snacks

The Culprit: Your snacks.

By Jennifer Matarrazo

Your exercise regimen doesn't have to take over your life. Getting the fitness result you want-whether it's losing weight or reshaping your body-can be as simple as squeezing in an extra 30 seconds here or minute there. These fast, tiny tweaks to your program will help you rev your energy level, burn more calories and sculpt new muscle. Incorporate our one-minute workout boosters into your daily routine and say good-bye to flab for good.

Related: More One-Minute Better Body Tricks

1. Do a Kegel while you crunch.
Contract your pelvic-floor muscles-the ones that you use to stop the flow of urine-as you lift and lower. "This will help you recruit more of the entire abdominal group and make the muscles work harder," says Michele Olson, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama.

Related: Sex Positions That Double as Exercise

2. Close your eyes on the ball.
"Doing abdominal moves on a stability ball

By Maura Kelly

Organic forms of selenium, a trace mineral in plants and grain-fed animal protein, may guard against breast cancer by normalizing the body's circadian rhythms (the internal clock that regulates how many estrogen receptors -- often linked to the disease -- your cells produce). Get your beneficial daily dose, 55 micrograms, with the selenium-rich foods here and double down on their other health perks.

Related: Shop for a Cause: BCA Products

Tuna

3 ounces light, canned in oil: 65 micrograms selenium

Also contains: B6: helps the immune system Niacin: lowers cholesterol

Source: Helmut Zarbl, PhD, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey

• Tuna & Chickpea Salad
• Balsamic Tuna Salad Sandwhich
• Spicy Tuna Salad

4 ounces, cooked: 43 micrograms selenium

Also contains: Iron: fights fatigue Protein: builds muscle

By Ayren Jackson-Cannady

For every mile we log, we exert about 200,000 pounds of pressure on each foot. Here's how to injury-proof some of your favorite pairs.


Peep-Toe Shoes

The narrow shape can crowd toes, leading to a bunion (enlargement of the bone around the big toe) or hammertoes (when digits bend), says Marc A. Brenner, DPM, a podiatrist in Glendale, New York.



Sole Solution
Search for peep-toes that have a wider toe box. Hint: You should be able to wiggle your toes in various directions -- up and down and side to side.



Ballet Flats

With no arch support, your tootsies can expand, stretching their ligaments and causing pain and possibly heel problems, says Suzanne Levine, DPM, a podiatric surgeon in New York City.


Sole Solution
Before you buy, feel inside to make sure the bottoms have padding around the arch. No cushion? Slip in a pair of orthotic insoles for immediate comfort.




High Heels

Even a low heel (think one inch) can increase pressure on the bones in the balls of