In a recent and thought-provoking article, our Eating Disorders Guide, Matt, posed an interesting question: Should we limit the display of nutritional values in restaurants or schools?

The reason Matt asked this question is because of a controversy you may remember from awhile back. Harvard University removed nutritional information from its menu because some students and parents raised concerns about the impact of this information on people with eating disorders. Namely, that this kind of information might trigger some people toward disordered eating.

What do you think? Does posting nutritional data about food, like calories, fat, sugar, etc. help us or hurt us? Should we be concerned about people who have eating disorders and, therefore limit where and how we post nutritional information? Vote in this week's poll and tell us what you think.

Most of us probably don't think about how strong our bones are - they seem to take good care of themselves without much interference on our end, don't they?

Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Brittle bones or osteoporosis can happen to any of us, particularly postmenopausal women, but it's something we can stay ahead of with a little something I like to call exercise.

Not just any exercise will do the job, though. A recent study found that weight bearing exercise is the key to building strong bones. That means activities in which the body works against gravity like walking, jogging, lifting weights climbing stairs or playing tennis.

What it also means is that, while non-weight bearing exercises, like cycling or swimming, are good for you, they don't always help your bones. Another study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise suggests competitive cyclists have lower bone mineral density than untrained people due to the fact that cycling isn't a weight bearing exercise.

If weight bearing is good, high impact exercise is even better. Activities that involve jumping offer greater strain magnitudes, rates, and frequencies - all fancy terms for the forces we put on our bones that, in turn, make them grow stronger.

Does that mean you have to run every day or jump up and down during your workouts if that's not your thing? Not necessarily because, don't forget, strength training is one of those activities that can make your bones stronger. Just something to think about if you needed another reason to pick up some dumbbells.

_Sources:

Smathers, AM, et al. Bone density comparisons in male competitive road cyclists and untrained controls. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Feb;41(2):290-6

Manske, Sarah L, et al.Bone Health: Part 2, Physical Activity. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, July 2009 vol. 1 no. 4.

David Kessler's The End of Overeating is an excellent book for anyone in the nutrition or fitness biz or for anyone who struggles with what Dr. Kessler calls 'hypereating.' While his writing is on the sciency side, he goes through a fascinating account of what leads us to overeat - a combination of brain chemistry, appetite and manipulation by the food industry.

What I really like is that he doesn't offer the usual diets, menu plans or workout programs, but a more individual approach to dealing with our eating habits. He knows we all know how to eat healthy, that isn't the problem. The problem is actually dealing with our own emotions and bypassing all the temptations we face to make those healthy choices on a regular basis.

You can learn more in my review and be sure to leave a comment to tell us what you think. Or post your own review to give readers another viewpoint.

If you use New Whey liquid or Hardcore Energize Bullet liquid products, think twice about drinking them. The FDA announced that some of these products, which are sold in vials that look like test tubes, may have been tampered with.

A utility knife blade was found in a vial of the Hardcore Energize Bullet drink and another in the New Whey. No one has been hurt, but the products have been recalled so toss them if you have them and be sure to report any problems you have with these products to the FDA.

Do you use these energy drinks or other energy drinks? There's plenty of controversy over these types of drinks because of the high levels of caffeine in them and the fact that young kids seem to be their biggest fans. What do you think about energy drinks in general? Leave a comment and tell us your thoughts.

Variety is the only way to go when it comes to strength training, especially when it comes to the classic moves. Overhead presses are a move most of us include when working the shoulders and there are plenty of ways to vary the movement to make it interesting and challenging. This alternating press is a simple way to add intensity and my clients like this version when I'm encouraging them (not forcing them, as some would suggest) to lift heavy weights.

By alternating the arms, you force yourself to slow down and concentrate on the movement. There's an isometric contraction in there as one arm holds its position and the other presses up, which adds intensity to the exercise. Add in some core bracing to keep your body stable (especially if you're on an exercise ball as shown) and you get a little more bang for your buck. I like to do this move after a barbell press because you can feel the difference between the right and left arms and work them more independently.

Do it right: Sit or stand and hold weights next to the ears, elbows bent like a goal post. Press the right arm up overhead while keeping the left arm in place. Engage the abs to keep the rest of the body stable. Lower the right arm and, keeping it in place, press the left arm up overhead. Continue alternating for 10-16 reps (on each side) for 1-3 sets.

What's your favorite shoulder exercise? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

More shoulder exercises.

One thing that happens after finding the man or woman of your dreams, besides living happily ever as you skip through flower-filled meadows, is this: You get fatter. This is true according to many couples I know and a study showing that marriage is associated with a significant 2-year weight gain. Just some things that contribute include:

• Shared environment - You tend to eat the same foods and do the same things when you live together, so one person may be influenced by the other to eat more and sit more
• Less incentive to be thin - When you're dating, you tend to work harder to look good
• Having kids - This makes you tired, busy and stressed

We've talked before about getting your spouse or partner to exercise (something almost impossible without superhuman powers), and now I want to know about what happened after the wedding. Did you gain weight? What do you think caused it and what did you do about it? Post a comment and tell us your experiences with marriage, living together and weight gain.

_Source:

Robert W. Jeffery and Allison M. Rick. Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Body Mass Index and Marriage-Related Factors. Obesity Research (2002) 10, 809–815, 2002.

This time last year, I remember blogging about the 10 fattest states, which included my home state of Tennessee (coming in at an unfortunate 3rd place).  Imagine how thrilled I was to see the new data for this year (as shown in this report, F as in Fat 2009, put out by the Trust for America's Health) which places Tennessee (with an obesity rate of 30.2%) at around 4th place for the fattest state. Maybe we're inching our way out of the top 10 slower than the human eye can detect, who knows?

As for the rest of the top 10, it's unfortunate that most of them include other southern states: Mississippi (with an obesity rate at 32.5%), Alabama (31.2%), West Virginia (31.1%), Louisiana (28.9%) and Arkansas (28.6%). The state with the lowest percentage of adult obesity (18.9%) was Colorado.

On the bright side, the report points how we've improved:

• 19 states have stricter nutritional standards for school meals, as opposed to five years ago when only 4 states legislated stricter standards.
• 27 states now have nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines, a la carte and in school stores. Only 6 states did that five years ago.
• 20 states now have standards for BMI screenings for kids and teens in schools. Only 4 states did that five years ago.

I also wanted to point out what the report suggests for us to combat obesity:

• Offer healthy meals at school
• Make healthy foods available and affordable in all communities
• Offer more physical activity in schools
• More access to safe places for people to live and be active
• Limit computer time
• Find ways to encourage companies to offer wellness programs for their employess

I want to know what you think. First, how healthy is your state and, second, what do you think we need to do to change things in this country? Is there a way to turn things around with legislation and healthy living initiatives? If so, how do we pay for those things and how do we encourage people to change their lifestyles?

_Source:

Trust for America's Health. F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America. Retrieved July 2, 2009.

'Functional Training' is one of those fitness phrases that has lost it's meaning over time. I think the phrase encompasses so many meanings to so many people, that no one knows exactly what it means. Even at the fitness conference I attended a few months ago, I heard the phrase from experts as they talked about this exercise being more 'functional' as opposed to that exercise. The truth is, what is functional can't always be defined in a broad sense, but I think it has more to do with a departure from traditional strength training. The strength training many of us learned was based on how bodybuilders train - working muscles individually to make them stronger and, of course, to make them look good. These days, we come at strength training from a multitude of angles - runners focus on strengthening their bodies for running, which is different from how a beginning exerciser might train for overall conditioning and weight loss. The truth is, anything that makes your body work better is functional, whether you isolate your muscles, as in a biceps curl for strength and size, or whether you add more movement, such as a squat curl and press to build whole body strength and burn calories. Adding dynamic movement is a great way to work your body in all planes of motion - our bodies bend, twist and rotate through a number of activities each day and it makes sense to train that way. As a bonus, it makes your workouts more interesting - you really have to focus when you're working multiple muscles. Some ideas for adding a little functionality to your workouts:

• Try compound or combination exercises. There are the common exercises (squats, lunges, dips, etc.) and then there are more unusual ways to combine exercises such as the lunge sweep or squat toss.
• Try circuit training. By moving quickly through a variety of exercises, you work every muscle in the body along with the heart and lungs.
• Add movement. Look for ways you can add movement to different exercises. This lunge reach incorporates more balance and core strength than static lunges, while this rotation on the ball involves more movement than the usual ball crunch.
• Think about what you want to get better at. Do you want to be able to jog up the stairs with ease? Working on your cardio endurance and practicing stair climbing can help you accomplish that. Want to be able to spend hours working in the garden without hurting your back? Focusing on muscular endurance, core strength and, perhaps, yoga exercises for flexibility may help with that.

What do you think about 'functional training'? Is it something you don't pay attention to or do you focus on ways to make your workouts more functional to fit your goals? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

If your hamstrings are tight and your back aches from sitting all day, this seated rotation (which is a lot like the Pilates Saw exercise) will feel really good to you. I like this move for several reasons. First, elevating the body on an exercise ball can take the pressure off tight hamstrings, helping you get a little deeper into the stretch. Second, by lengthening through the back and rotating at the same time, you get a great twist that both engages the core muscles while stretching them. Last, reaching out and over the foot provides an excellent hamstring stretch, making this a great move for flexibility, core strength and balance. Do it right: Sit on the ball and extend the legs in front of you, feet flexed. Sit tall and keep the back straight as you stretch the arms out and lean forward from the hips, feeling a stretch in the hamstrings. Rotate the torso to the right and reach the left arm out and over the right foot. Rotate back to center and then to the left, reaching right arm out and over the left foot. Continue rotating, concentrating on lengthening the spine for 8-10 reps on each side.

Once, I showed up at a friend's house for a barbecue and she handed me a bowl of lemon wedges saying, "Here. That's your dinner tonight, since I'm sure you won't eat the barbecue."

Very funny...and, hey, I'm from the south so, as I've mentioned before, barbecue lives in the strands of my DNA.

When you're into exercise and healthful eating, you sometimes have to put up with a little good-natured teasing. People roll their eyes when you fill your plate with vegetables or look at you in shock when you mention getting up early that morning to workout and, most of the time, it's all in good fun.

However, there are times when it isn't so good-natured. Maybe people don't want to invite you to parties because they don't want a party pooper around. Or maybe co-workers don't take you to lunch because they know you'll order the salad with your dressing on the side.

Sometimes people pick on you because they have a hard time making healthful choices themselves and don't enjoy seeing someone else do it with such apparent ease. Some people don't want a healthy person around, reminding them that they should be making better choices themselves. And, sometimes, people may see you as an anal-retentive health 'freak' who is so annoying, they don't want you around.

Whatever the issue is, there are those people who love to pick on the health-conscious when given the opportunity. What about you? Do people make fun of you because of your healthy choices? Do you make fun of other people? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

I get a lot of questions from readers about their workouts: Am I doing the right workout? How do I know if I'm doing this the right way?

These questions are impossible to answer because there is no 'right' way to exercise. Go to the gym and talk to 10 different people and you'll find 10 completely different exercise programs.

While you can't always determine the 'perfect' workout program right away, there are some questions you can ask yourself to assess your workouts:

• Do I like what I'm doing? You may not love every part of your program, but you should include some activities you enjoy. If you're riding on a stationary bike and hating every minute of it, that's not a workout you'll stick with. Take this Fitness Personality Quiz if you're having trouble finding things you enjoy.
• Is my program balanced? Doing all cardio and no strength training or all high intensity exercise and no recovery workouts can lead to boredom, burnout and plateaus.
• Am I getting results? Weight loss is certainly one result you might expect, but look at other ideas: Are you getting stronger? Have you increased your endurance? Are you progressing in your exercises? Are you feeling better about yourself and your commitment to exercise?

These are just a few questions to ask yourself if you're not sure you're on the right path. For you veteran exercisers, I'd like to hear from you. How do you assess your workouts? Do you regularly take stock of what you're doing or do you go with the flow, making changes when it makes sense? Leave a comment and tell us more about how to assess our workouts.

Our Documentaries Guide, Jennifer, just posted her review of one of the latest exposes of the food industry, Food, Inc.

This documentary is all about how food is produced and distributed in the US, and, as Jennifer puts it, "After you see this film--and it is essential that you do--you will never again approach nutrition in the same way."

From what Jennifer says, getting the inside scoop on what really happens to our food before it hits the grocery store or restaurant may make you want to plant your own garden and never eat out again.

Have you seen Food Inc. or do you plan on seeing it? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

A few days ago, those of us here in the Midwest were wondering if summer would ever arrive. Today? Summer decided to make a grand entrance, taking us from chilly, rainy weather to temperatures in the 90s and a heat index topping 100 degrees. Hello, summer!

What some of us figured out this week was that the body needs some time to adjust to those kinds of temperatures. That 4-mile jog might turn into a 2-mile trudge as your body struggles to keep you cool and you struggle to down enough water to survive.

There are a few simple things you can do to stay safe and comfortable when it's hot outside and you can get the details in my latest article about exercising in the heat.

What's your favorite way to stay cool? Leave a comment and tell us your tips for exercising in the heat.

I've been playing around with kettlebells lately and, while I haven't spent much time on traditional kettlebell moves, I like having a weight with a handle. Being able to hold onto a weight with a solid grip or switch hands in the middle of an exercise opens the door for a variety of creative exercises and more reasons for my clients to groan when I walk in the door.

This lunge sweep is my new favorite and one that has elicited many, many groans from my clients. It's a bit tricky but the idea is almost like a lunge with a pivot. You lunge to one side while holding the kettlebell. As you come out of the lunge, you raise the kettlebell up over the head, pivot and turn the body to the other side while switching hands and lunging with the other leg.

What I like about this move is that it works multiple muscles - the hips, glutes and thighs, of course, as well as the arms, shoulders and core. It also raises the heart rate, making this one a great overall calorie-burner.

To keep this move safe, start with no weight to get the movement down (I used a 10 lb kettlebell in the example shown, but usually start my clients with a light medicine ball). If you're on carpet, you'll want to shift your feet as you pivot to avoid tweaking the knee.

Do it right: Begin with feet wider than the hips, kettlebell or weight in the right hand. Pivot and turn the body to the right and lower into a lunge. As you push back up, swing the weight up and over the head as you pivot back to the front. Switch hands and pivot to the left, lowering into a lunge and taking the weight down to the floor. Continue alternating sides while swinging the weight up and over (if you're advanced, you can toss the weight to the other hand at the top of the motion) for 1-3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 rep includes lunging to the right and left).

Fitness trainers and experts talk a lot (some of my clients would say too much) about lifting a challenging weight, but there are still plenty of myths running around out there about that. Some of my female clients are afraid to lift heavy weights because they don't want to bulk up. In fact, many of them are shocked when I tell them they'll need up to 25 lb dumbbells for our workouts. They're also skeptical when I tell them they won't end up looking like bodybuilder.

My male clients are more comfortable with heavy weights, sometimes to the point where they go a little too heavy. Either way, it's sometimes hard to know how much weight to lift, especially with the variety of exercises we do and the different muscles we use. It can be confusing - you may need a heavier weight for a chest press but, change it to an incline chest press, and you may need to go lighter. You'll need a heavy weight for barbell rows but, try to use that same weight for an overhead press and you'll be in trouble.

Learning how much weight to lift comes with education and practice, but there are a few tips that may help:

• If you can do more than your desired reps, you need to increase your weight
• If you realize halfway through your set that you went too light or too heavy, change your weights right away or do more or fewer reps to compensate
• Keep track of your strength training workouts. It's helpful to be able to look at your notes from last week rather than guess and hope you're right
• Learn more about the benefits of lifting heavy so you're more motivated to try it

What about you? Do you lift heavy weights or do you usually go a little lighter than you know you can handle? Vote in this week's poll and tell us about your weight training habits.

A friend and I were standing in a checkout line one day, surrounded by a hundred or so magazines, and she picked up one magazine with the screaming headline: "GET YOUR BODY BIKINI-READY!"

"I hate that phrase," she said. "It's all over the place when summer starts and I'm like - why do I have to be ready for a bikini? I'd rather be ready for an emergency. I think that's the most annoying phrase ever."

As we waited, she came up with other fitness quotes, phrases and cliches that annoy her:

• 8 more! ("When my aerobics instructor says that, she's always lying.")
• Pain is weakness leaving the body ("No, it's just PAIN")
• No pain, no gain ("I gain all the time and I don't need pain to do it")
• Core training ("We all know it's just ab exercises")
• Ripped abs ("I keep picturing shredded abdominal muscles flapping in the wind...ew")
• Yo-yo dieting ("That whole phrase just needs to go")
• Does this make my butt look big? ("I have a big butt, so it looks big no matter what I wear. If you have to ask...")

What fitness phrases and cliches make you roll your eyes? Leave a comment and make us laugh - we could all use a little humor today.

"Fat!" That's the shout I heard from the bedroom as my college roommate stepped on the scale. When I went in the room, she was pointing at different parts of her body and shouting, "Fat! Fat! Fat!" I remember that moment because it was funny (she was laughing, too) and because it made me realize how traumatic stepping on a scale can be.

In a previous blog, I asked readers how often they weigh themselves and the majority said once a day. Some readers even mentioned experiencing scale-trauma because, as one person put it, "The more I weigh myself, the up and down from day to day drives me crazy."

There's no question the scale can be a useful tool for weigh loss management, but it can also drive you crazy in certain situations. I talk about this in my latest article, Reasons to Ditch the Scale and would love to hear about your scale experiences. Does the scale motivate you or make you crazy?

I once worked with a client who was so busy, he couldn't find more than a few minutes at a time to exercise. When I suggested doing a few 10-minute workouts each day, he looked at me like I was crazy (a not uncommon occurrence with my clients). "What good will that do?" He wondered, going on to say that, in the past, he did at least 45 minutes of exercise to keep his weight down. "Isn't 10 minutes a waste of time?"

It all depends on what you do with that 10 minutes and to prove it, I took him through a few workouts. For a cardio-focused workout, I chose 5 exercises and had him do each for 1 minute, repeating the entire series again. They included sprinting on his treadmill, running up and down a flight of stairs, jumping jacks, sprinting on his stationary bike, a 1-minute all out climb on his elliptical trainer (he had a great home gym, no?) and then repeating them.

For a strength-focused workout, I had him do pushups, squats, lunges, step ups, dips, triceps pushups, planks with dumbbell rows and a squat, curl and press exercise.

At the end of our experiment, possibly due to the sweat pouring down his face, he was convinced that he really could get a good workout in a short period of time.

The key to short workouts is to chose big, whole body movements that involve multiple muscles and work at a high intensity to get the most out of every single second.

What would you do with 10 minutes? Leave a comment and tell us how to get the most out of 10-minute workouts.

More About 10-Minute Workouts

• 10-Minute Timesaver Workouts
• Burn 100 Calories in 10 Minutes
• 10-Minute Strength Training
• Short Workouts

Like many of my clients, I get a little bored with traditional ab exercises. That's one reason I love the medicine ball for core work. It adds intensity but, even better, sometimes I actually catch a client smiling because they're suddenly having a little fun.

They especially love doing a ball crunch while throwing a medicine ball, mostly because - how often to do they get permission to throw heavy objects at my head? It's amazing how much stronger they suddenly become when given a chance to knock me down.

You don't have to have a partner available for this exercise. Just holding the medicine ball and reaching out as you crunch up will add intensity. If you like, you can toss the ball up in the air and catch it before going back for your next crunch. Experiment with this one to see what you can come up with.

Do it right: Lie on an exercise ball and hold a medicine ball behind your head, arms straight. Crunch the shoulders off the ball (try moving the body and not the ball) while taking the medicine ball forward, reaching the ball toward the ceiling. Roll back and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 reps. If you have a partner, throw the ball to him/her while staying in your crunch. Have him/her throw the ball back to you as fast as possible for your next crunch.

A friend emailed me recently, wanting to know the best way to brave the yoga class at his gym. He mentioned wanting to try yoga to deal with back pain and flexibility issues but, as he put it, "There are no guys in that class - not one. Like I'm going to walk into that estrogen fest. Oh, and I am not wearing tights. And another thing, I am not going to put my leg behind my head or whatever you're supposed to do."

While I wanted to tell him to go for it and not worry about what anyone thinks, I know that's easier said than done. Would I walk into a class full of male bodybuilders with giant barbells in front of them? Probably not.

Group fitness classes are usually geared toward women because that's how many of us like to workout - an instructor, music, a choreographed routine and a group of people to workout with. That's not something that usually appeals to guys.

While group fitness has come a long way, health clubs still have a ways to go in getting men to brave the fitness studio. I'm curious about what you think. Do men avoid group fitness and, if so, why? Would more male-oriented workouts make a difference? Vote in this week's poll and then leave a comment with your opinion. Tell us what group fitness classes you'd like to see for men.

We all know that changing our workouts on a regular basis can stave off plateaus, boredom and repetitive strain injuries, but it's not always easy coming up with new ideas. If you're a little brain dead when it comes to that sort of thing, check out these workouts, techniques and ideas. Maybe you'll find something that sparks your interest.

• Try Drop Sets
• The Basics for Sculpting Your Upper Body
• Weight Training Circuit
• Mixed Resistance with Dumbbells and Resistance Bands
• Lower Body Pyramid Training
• Upper Body Pyramid Training
• Body Weight Workout

Do you have a favorite technique for changing your workouts? Or perhaps a method of training that always gives you a great workout? Leave a comment and give us the benefit of your wisdom.

I get loads of emails from fitness enthusiasts and their representatives for new gear, websites and so forth. Sometimes they're a little odd but, sometimes they actually sound promising. Here's the latest:

RealRyder: This may be one of the best innovations to the spin bike since...well...since they came out with the spin bike. The Real Ryder mimics actual cycling movement by tilting, turning and twisting just like a real bike. I don't know if any of you are seeing this where you live (I haven't seen it here in Chicagoland) but I'm hoping this is something that catches on. It will really add a new dynamic to spin classes.

Yogaglo: Yogaglo offers online yoga classes which are filmed at their studio and uploaded for your online yoga pleasure. The classes, which include all styles of yoga for all fitness levels, are filmed in HD so they look amazing, making you feel like you're there in the class. It's $18 a month for unlimited classes.

H2O Audio : This is a great idea for swimmers - waterproof armbands for your iPod, iPhone and other MP3 players as well as waterproof headphones. They're a little pricey ($69 for the headphones and $79 or so for the armbands) but, if you swim regularly, they're worth it.

Have you tried any of these or do you have any new gear or software to recommend? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

The first time I tried Wii Fit, I decided it was the coolest thing ever. I loved the fun balance and cardio exercises (like the hula hoop and soccer-ball doge) and I loved using the balance board to test my stability in different exercises. After awhile, though, I wanted more - the ability to put exercises together into some type of workout, rather than doing each exercise on it's own.

My wish came true with EA Sports Active, one of the latest exergames for Wii. EA offers actual workouts (circuit workouts, to be precise) and, even better, the controllers log your movements for a truly interactive experience. There are loads of exercises included and some of them can be quite challenging.

What I also like is that all exercisers - beginner, intermediate and advanced - will get something out of these workouts. You can learn more in my review and be sure to leave a comment if you've tried it - what do you think about EA Sports Active?

One thing my clients say on a regular basis is: "More lunges! I want more lunges!" Okay, perhaps that's an exaggeration. Or a lie. When I pull yet another lunge variation from the seemingly endless supply out there, the typical reaction includes eye-rolls, groans and, occasionally, swearing. They will all be happy to know I have another version.

The figure 8 lunge is a favorite of mine because it works multiple muscles and multiple objectives. The lunges build strength and endurance in the hips, glutes and thighs, while the figure 8 motion works on balance, stability and core strength.

The idea is to complete half the figure 8 motion as you lunge forward and finish the motion on the other side as you lunge back with the same leg. This move will challenge your balance, so take your time and practice without the medicine ball if you need to.

Because you're using a lighter weight, this exercise is great for working on leg endurance and for warming up the lower body before moving on to heavier weights.

Do it right: Step forward into a lunge with the right leg while sweeping the medicine ball in a half circle to the right (half of a figure 8 motion). Step the right leg back to start and then into a reverse lunge while sweeping the medicine ball to the left, finishing the figure 8 motion. Continue lunging forward and back while moving the ball in a smooth, figure 8 motion for 8-16 reps. Repeat on the other side, completing 1-3 sets.

When my readers ask what exercises they should be doing, I almost always say the same thing - a balance of cardio, strength training and flexibility. I say that because that's generally a good way to approach exercise and because it fits a wide variety of goals.

There are some problems with that answer, though. It doesn't tell you exactly what that balance is and there's a good reason for that: It's different for everyone. Some people will do more strength training, some will do more cardio and some will do more flexibility training. They will choose their particular balance of activities based on what they want to accomplish and, of course, based on what they enjoy.

But, you're not always going to enjoy every part of your workout and that's the struggle many of us deal with on a daily basis.

I'm curious about you and what you struggle with the most. Do you love cardio more than weight training? Or maybe you love yoga more than cardio? Vote in this week's poll and tell us about the activities you struggle with and how you motivate yourself to keep going.