I'm not a fan of rules and tend to want to break them as soon as I'm told I have to follow them, but rules do make for a civilized society and they may be one of the most important parts of your exercise program.

Without a few rules, we risk exercise anarchy, failure and frustration. The key is to create rules that make sense and help you reach your goals without limiting your ability to be creative and flexible with your program as needed.

So, how do you do that? One way is to look at what successful exercisers do and the rules they follow to stay on track. For example, many of them workout in the morning, take time to plan ahead and treat their workouts with the same importance they would, say, a meeting with the boss.

Those are just a few rules to think about and I talk about several more in my latest article, 10 Exercise Rules to Live By. Maybe you'll find something that will help make exercise easier and, if you already figured out how to do that, leave a comment to tell us about your own exercise rules. What helps you stay on track?

Exercise burnout isn't a pretty thing to witness. It may cause uncontrollable crying, intense crankiness and even violence or vandalism committed against inanimate objects (like workout shoes, treadmills or other exercise-related equipment).

Burnout can reach even further, if you don't catch it soon enough, leaving you feeling depressed, sore, tired, unmotivated and not really caring that you're unmotivated- all signs of overtraining. There are some signs of an impending burnout, but some of the most obvious include:

• Poor Performance - You may keep trying to run a certain speed or lift a certain amount of weight, but you never seem to get there. If your performance is declining, your body may need some extra rest days.
• Exercise Dread - If all of your workouts are hard and unsatisfying, you may start to feel as though you'd rather do anything than exercise.
• Self-Doubt - The worst part of burn out is feeling like you're doing something wrong. Often, when things go wrong with our workouts, our instinct is to work even harder. It's as though we think we can make our bodies do what we want. Sometimes that's true but, if you're burned out or overtrained, your body is going to tell you what it can and can't do. Forcing things may only make things worse.

Taking a break is the most obvious choice for dealing with burnout, but you don't have to completely stop exercising. In fact, burnout is the perfect time to try something completely different. If your performance has been in the toilet lately, think of a light activity you know you can do well without much effort. Yoga, stretching, walking the dog, swimming, hula-hooping, Wii Fit - anything that will help you reconnect with your body in a less intense way and remind you that feeling good is an important part of any exercise routine.

What about you? How do you know when you're burned out and what do you do about it? Have you ever quit exercising because you felt burned out? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

The kettlebell is probably one of my favorites pieces of equipment. There's something about 'breaking the rules' and being allow the swing a weight (usually a big no-no in traditional strength training) that makes a person feel powerful and strong in a whole different way.

Kettlebell training isn't easy but, once you get the basics down (hopefully from an expert instructor), there are a variety of exercises you can do that can make your workout more intense and more fun (depending on your definition of fun, of course).

The single arm curl is one of my favorite kettlebell exercises because it's a dynamic way to work the biceps while involving the lower body as well. I don't know about you, but I get tired of doing the same old biceps exercises (lift, lower, rinse, repeat). This move challenges your biceps as well as your forearms and wrists, as you work to keep the kettlebell upright and stable. The squat and swing adds a bit of a cardio element to the move, making it a great overall exercise.

If you don't have a kettlebell or you don't feel comfortable with that type of training, you can try this move with a regular dumbbell, although it won't have quite the same effect.

Do it right: - Hold a medium kettlebell in the right hand by your side. Step to the right and lower into a squat, swinging the weight between the knees. Step the feet back together as you thrust the hips up, swinging the weight up into a biceps curl. At the end of the movement, the bottom of the kettlebell should be pointing straight up with the wrist strong and straight. Repeat for 8-12 reps before switching sides, completing 1-3 sets.

Labor Day is often the symbolic end of summer, thus ushering in thoughts of cold, dark, wintery days that make you want to crawl under your bed and...wait, that is way too depressing. Whatever Labor Day means to you, it is a holiday and, if you have the day off, it's also a great time to exercise. You thought I was going to say it's a great time to sleep late, didn't you?

You can sleep late, but you can also use this free time for a good workout. I've posted a few ideas below, for your exercise pleasure.

Short and Sweet

• Boot Camp Circuit
• Quick Total Body
• 10-Minute Strength & Power Circuit
• Sprint Interval Workout
• 10-Minute Travel Workout

For a Serious Challenge...

• Advanced Cardio & Strength Circuit
• Advanced Lower Body and Core
• Upper Body Power and Strength
• Boredom Buster Treadmill Workout - 55 Minutes
• Low-Impact Cardio Blast

Simple and Relaxing

• Core and Flexibility
• 10-Minute Yoga
• Basic Stretch
• Seated Upper Body Stretch

What's on your plate for the holiday? Leave a comment and give us some workout ideas for the long weekend.