Exercise

Climbing a mountain is no easy feat, but what if that mountain is actually the floor? That's the concept of this week's exercise which asks the question: What happens when you get on the floor and run your knees in and out as fast as you can? The obvious follow up to that is to wonder why someone would want to do this and the answer to that is: Because you can (although, if you really can't, I have some variations below).

Mountain climbers are an excellent move for building cardio endurance while also building core strength and agility. This is also a great move when you don't have much (or any) equipment and want a challenging way to work your body.

There are a couple of ways to do this move. One, is to run the knees in and out without touching your toes to the floor. Another is to do the opposite and touch your toes to the floor, making it more of a foot-switch than a run. If this move doesn't agree with you, you can take it slow and simply walk one foot forward into a low lunge, walk it back and switch legs. I also have a gliding disc version that might work for people who need less impact.

Work this into your usual cardio routine or add it to other cardio exercises to make your own high intensity circuit workout.

Do it right: Begin in a pushup position on the hands and toes. Bring the right knee in towards the chest, resting the foot on the floor. Jump up and switch feet in the air, bringing the left foot in and the right foot back. You can also run the knees in and out rather than touching the toes to the floor. Continue alternating the feet as fast as you safely can for 30-60 seconds.

The battle between cardio and strength training, at least the battle that exists in our minds, has been going on for decades. The two actually get along quite well on their own, but add a human to the mix and that's where the conflict comes in.

Whether it's buried somewhere in your genetic code, the type of muscle fibers you have, what you grew up doing, age, gender, experience or all of the above, most of us have one activity we like (or at least tolerate) and one we do because we're supposed to.

There's no doubt you need both to lose weight and get fit but many of us, if given a choice, would easily give up our least favorite if we could get away with it.

While cardio and strength training can overlap, thinking of the differences between them, it's easy to see why some of us would prefer one over the other. With cardio, there's the endurance factor: Breathing hard, sweating, having to sustain a certain level of discomfort for, sometimes, long periods of time. For some? This can feel like torture. For others, there's nothing better than a long cardio workout to blow some stink off.

With strength training, you have the burn factor: After a few reps, providing you have enough weight, a burning sensation starts deep in the muscles and, the longer you lift, the worse it gets. For some people, this can feel like torture, while others love focusing on their muscles, feeling them contract, imagining them getting stronger.

Thinking about your workouts, about the differences between cardio and strength training, which one do you prefer? Would you happily give up one over the other? Or perhaps you like them both in certain ways? Vote in this week's poll and tell us what you think about cardio and strength training.

We're often so ready for spring to get here that we forget one important thing: Our bodies often aren't ready for it. It's not just the extra activity that can cause problems (like the general feeling that our bodies grew muscles we've never had before), but it's other things that sneak up on us like allergies, drawers full of workout clothes that stink/don't fit/have holes in them and the variable weather - Warm and sunny one day, cold and rainy the next.

I've got a couple of resources to help with the soreness and allergies:

• Exercising With Allergies - The American College of Sports Medicine offers some basic tips for exercising during allergy season. Here's one I didn't know: Breathe through your nose as much as you can when you exercise because "The nasal passages act as natural filters and humidifiers." Guess you want to avoid sprints on a bad allergy day.
• Preventing Sports Injuries - It's easy to overdo it this time of year. In fact, I've already had two clients out with back injuries from overzealous gardening. Our Sports Medicine Guide offers some tips to avoid that and you might want to think about working on your flexibility and core strength if you'll be doing a lot of yard work. Marie, our Guide to Gardening, also offers some great exercises for gardeners.

I can't do anything about the weather (except complain about it, which I do incessantly), but I do have an updated list of Spring Fitness Essentials, which can help you update your wardrobe to accommodate crazy spring weather with top picks for clothes, shoes, socks and other top picks for both men and women.

Exercising at home has a few advantages. One is the ability to put on your workout clothes and walk a few feet to your workout space, which is much simpler than driving all the way to the gym.

Also, you can do all kinds of things at home that you can't do at the gym - Watch movies on your big screen TV, listen to your music as loud as you want (even sign to it, if you're so inclined) and do pushups with your cat or dog 'helping' (read: Sprawling under your face or crouching on your back, beyond excited that you've come down to the floor to play with them)...something frowned upon at the gym.

There are some disadvantages too - Motivating yourself to exercise instead of doing other chores or tasks, lack of equipment variety and, of course, the fact that your (soft, warm, cozy) bed is located so close to your (stark, cold, exercisey) home gym, that you often find it hard to traverse that small distance.

Another tough one is figuring out how to get in your cardio.

This is a no-brainer if you have cardio machines or like to go outside, but, if you don't, you may find this a real challenge.

There are some options, of course: Exercise videos or movements that require no space and very little equipment like jumping jacks, jump rope, walking/jogging in place and the overhead cat toss (not recommended for the inexperienced exerciser...or cat). The problem with those exercises is that they're not as sustainable as, say, getting on an elliptical or going for a walk or run. You can only run in place or do jumping jacks for so long before you either get too winded or too bored.

What may work for you in this situation is to choose 10 or so cardio movements (check out these 10 minute timesaver workouts for more ideas), and doing each for 60 seconds, taking walking breaks in between as needed. You can complete 1 or more circuits, putting together the perfect cardio workout for you.

That's just one option and I've got a few more, if you need some ideas:

Home Cardio Resources

• Step by Step - Home Cardio Exercises
• Advanced Cardio Blast Workout
• Step by Step - Low Impact Cardio Exercises
• Low Impact Cardio Challenge
• Jump Rope Circuit
• Boot Camp Workout

What about you? What's your favorite way to do cardio at home? Do you use machines, videos or do you have go-to exercises to make your own workouts? Leave a comment and tell us about your home cardio workouts.

When it comes to whole body exercises (e.g., moves that not only work multiple muscle groups but also multiple areas of fitness - strength, endurance, cardio, etc.), squat thrusts are up there when it comes to effectiveness and intensity. Squat thrusts, which are a form of burpees, involve jumping the feet in an out from a plank position. That doesn't sound like such a big deal until you try it...or your trainer makes you try it, at which point you may suggest that said trainer should add the exercise to your ongoing list of "Exercises I Hate."

When you do, you'll find it's an excellent move for the core, the lower body and the heart rate (although you may not feel the cardio part until the exercise is over) and the addition of the Gliding Discs adds even more depth to the core portion of the exercise. Not only will your abs and back work harder, you'll really feel this in your quads each time you pull the knees in. I really love this exercise for building overall core strength and endurance.

Do it right: Squat to the floor with the balls of the feet on the Gliding Discs (you can also use paper plates or towels, if you have hardwood floors). Push the legs out straight, into a plank position, and quickly pull the knees back into the chest, moving the knees out and in as quickly as you can. Keep the core braced throughout the exercise. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

We all go through times when we don't feel like exercising. Sometimes, you lie in bed, thinking of all the many reasons to skip your workout. Reason number one? That warm, cozy bed feels a little better than that dark, chilly morning.

Other times, you actually go through the motions - Putting on your workout clothes, going to your workout room or driving to the gym, even starting your workout - only to find that, whatever got you there (likely a mixture of habit and discipline) has disappeared.

Sometimes it's simply burnout or overtraining, a sign you need a much-deserved rest. Other times, it's more about mental fatigue than the physical kind.

What you do during those times can make the difference between going strong or giving up. Sometimes just a small change can make a difference - For example, recognizing when your body needs a break from exercise so you can come back stronger tomorrow - While, other times, you may need to sit down and set new goals for yourself. If you're constantly skipping your workouts, there could be something more going on and finding out what that is should be your first step.

I'm curious about how you keep yourself going. What do you do when you feel uninspired? How do you stay on track with your workouts? Vote in this week's poll and tell us how you stay inspired to exercise.

Welcome to your fitness round up, a collection of interesting fitness tidbits, websites, events and more that have crossed my desk/email/eyeballs in the last few weeks.

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any new ideas to add to the mix.

• Bold Pace Music - Next to finding decent workout headphones and figuring out how to fold a fitted sheet, finding workout music (or ways to use my own music in my workouts) takes up way too much of my time...at least, until now. Enter Bold Pace Music, a website that breaks down popular songs by BPMs (that's beats per minute) and even offers workout playlists you can buy/download right in the iTunes store. Love this website!
• Faster App - Now, I haven't tried this one but it's another pace-oriented app that works something like this: You set your desired distance and target time and the Faster app keeps you on pace by slowing down your music if you don't keep up. This is an interesting way to go about this, considering that many apps try to change your music (or give you music) to fit the pace you want to run or walk. Would slowing down your music motivate you to move faster? Something to consider if you're into maintaining a certain pace during your workouts.
• InsideTracker - We all know sports nutrition is big business these days and never is that more apparent than when you take a look at InsideTracker which, as the site explains, "...analyzes your bloodwork and gives you recommendations and an optimal eating plan." What you do is, you choose one of their plans - Fitness, Fitness Plus and Performance (each of which analyze different biomarkers), visit one of their labs to get your blood drawn and have it sent in for analysis. Once your blood is analyzed, you can access the website to get your nutrition recommendations based on your goals and the package you chose (which can cost upwards of $169). This just proof of how far science has come in sports nutrition, although I suspect this is the kind of thing that would appeal more to professional/hardcore athletes and exercisers.
• SELF Workout in the Park - This one's for the girls: SELF Magazine does an annual Workout in the Park event which is kind of like a workout fair - There are booths and workouts and workshops and all kinds of other interesting fitness and health related stuff for the active woman. I actually stumbled into one of these in San Francisco years ago and ended up enjoying myself, so check it out if you're near one. They'll be in San Fransisco on May 5, New York on May 12 and in Chicago on June 2. The tickets are only $20, so it's worth a go if you're in the area and want to do something a little different.

As exercise and weight loss goals go, most of us have never entertained the goal of preventing weight gain. Somehow, saying "I want to prevent weight gain," just doesn't have the same resonance as, "I want to lose weight!"

But, for some of us, that's exactly the goal we need to have.

Think about the difference in these goals for a moment and the amount of work required for each:

• Preventing weight gain requires about 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise every day. That could be a 10 minute walk in the morning and a 15 minute walk later in the day, a basic strength program a couple of times each week or some combination of that. And, keep in mind, that's all without changing your diet at all (providing you don't eat more than you're currently eating).
• Losing weight requires about 30-60 minutes of exercise most days of the week, working at a more vigorous intensity and with a combination of strength training and cardio workouts. Again, this is without changing your diet at all, so keep in mind that eating fewer calories does increase your weight loss chances.

The difference between these two goals is pretty big - With the weight loss goal, we get to lose weight and losing weight makes us happy. The problem? We often have a hard time doing the amount of exercise required to lose that weight so we end up giving up and, sometimes, gaining even more weight in the process.

With the weight gain prevention goal, we get to avoid gaining more weight. That? Doesn't sound like much fun, does it? Maybe preventing weight gain isn't as sexy as losing weight but here's something to think about if you're struggling to lose weight: Finding a way to stop gaining more weight puts you in a powerful position to start losing it for good.

The truth is, it's hard to lose weight. Every pound you put on is twice as hard to get off, our bodies are just made that way. So, every time you gain a pound, that's a pound on top of what you already want to lose. You've just made it harder on yourself and, if you're already struggling, you've compounded the problem.

So, what's easier? To follow an exercise program we can't stick to or choose a more accessible route that, if nothing else, keeps us moving and keeps our weight in check as we practice this whole healthy lifestyle process?

That's a question to ask yourself if you're on the weight loss roller coaster. Is there another way? What do you think? Is it a good idea to rethink weight loss goals if they aren't working for you? Is preventing weight gain a worthy goal to have? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

As I was working on this blog topic, I went to some of my friends and clients to ask: What's your favorite workout? This question elicited a number of facial expressions, depending on the person asked. Most of my exerciser friends became thoughtful, complete with furrowed brows and faraway looks as they flipped through a mental list of workouts they've tried in search of their favorite.

For my struggling-to-exercise friends, the look was more like a bug...as in the kind with eyes that bulge out in what appears to be disbelief or, perhaps, it was disgust. For example, my client *Dana asked, "Is that a serious question?" Then went on to inform me that 'favorite' and 'workout' are two words she would never, ever use in the same sentence unless the sentence went like this: My favorite way of avoiding a workout is...

There are so many ways to exercise these days, so many options, almost anyone can find something they like, even Dana (although we are still in search of what that might be). Whether it's running, walking, circuit training, interval training, endurance workouts, strength training, sports or even gum-flapping workouts (as in, gums flap while the body remains in a stationary position, usually blocking the very machine you'd like to use), there's something out there for everyone.

The key to finding it is to keep trying until something clicks, even if it takes a few tries. One way to make that process easier is to learn what others are doing. Sometimes just hearing or reading about an idea is enough to get you excited about trying a new way to exercise.

To that end, I'd love to hear about your favorite workout. Whether it's something traditional, like a good old fashioned walk around the neighborhood, or something unusual, like sword fighting or tire throwing, leave a comment and tell us about it. You may inspire someone else to start exercising today.

"You lied to me!" That's what a client, having worked with me for exactly 2 sessions, texted me one day, along with an angry emoticon that made me sit up and take notice. I admit, I do tell lies sometimes...small lies, like "You're really going to like this exercise!" Knowing they'll hate it, or "You'll be so glad you did this exercise some day!" Knowing that may be 6 months from now. But, beyond that, I couldn't imagine a lie so heinous as to require an angry emoticon.

When I asked what she was talking about, she said, "You said exercise was necessary for weight loss and I've gained 3 pounds. THREE!"

The all caps told me this was serious and reminded me of something I should tell all of my weight loss clients: Namely, that it's normal to gain a little weight when you start exercising.

I've written quite a bit about this phenomenon (I just started exercising...why am I gaining weight?, Why Can't I Lose Weight?, and What to Do If You're Not Losing Weight, just to name a few) but it can be quite frustrating. Even if you know how common it is and that it does, eventually, reverse itself if you watch your diet, it's still extra numbers on the scale that shouldn't be there after all that hard work.

I eventually calmed her down (although my smiley-face emoticon didn't go over so well) and she's slowly starting to believe me, now that her weight is changing. However, she had a tough time with it as we waited for her body to respond to our workouts and the weight loss to kick in.

I'm curious about your experiences. Have you ever gained weight after starting an exercise program? If so, what did you do about it? Vote in this week's poll and tell us about your experiences with exercise and weight gain.

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog in which I stated that the real way to burn fat was with the following: Consistent cardio and strength training. As expected, that went over like a led balloon because anything that includes the word 'consistent' also often includes things like 'boredom' and 'monotony' and 'slow to achieve noticeable results.'

I still stick to my original premise that consistent exercise is the real key to fat loss (and, I should've added that a low calorie diet is another essential), but I wanted to take the fat-burning concept a bit further. It's true that there are no 'magic' fat burning exercises - but there is something you can do to enhance your body's fat burning potential and that is this: Work really hard.

Intensity is the real game-changer when it comes to burning fat because, when you work hard (as in going to a place where you can't breathe, can't think, can't stand it for more than few seconds at a time), your body responds by becoming something of a fat burning machine. As one study suggested, "...vigorous exercise favors negative energy and lipid balance to a greater extent than exercise of low to moderate intensity." Which is a fancy way of saying you can burn more fat.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't work at a lower intensity, because long slow workouts are good for us, too. In fact, it's best to have a variety of intensities when planning out your cardio routine. And, keep in mind that working very hard is, well, hard and it puts you at risk for injury, which is why you shouldn't try it until you've been working out for awhile. Also, working very hard is uncomfortable, which is why you should consider short bursts of hard work rather than trying to go all out for an entire workout, which isn't a good idea.

I talk about some of your hard-work options in my latest article, Best Fat Burning Exercises and, as always, I'd love to hear from you. How important is intensity in your workouts? Have you noticed better results from adding higher intensity exercises or activities? How do you manage your schedule to avoid burnout and injury, a problem with too much high intensity exercise? Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.

I've never really liked the phrase, 'fake it till you make it' - The idea that acting the way you want to be will make it easier to eventually be that way. It seems strange, maybe even counterintuitive to fake a behavior you don't really believe in...what's the point of acting happy about a grilled vegetable salad or an early morning workout when what would really make you happy would be the fried cheese and an extra hour in bed?

Still, there's no doubt is a certain amount of fakery on the road to consistent exercise because, sometimes, you have to keep doing it before you know why you're doing it. Not the intellectual 'why' (for better health, to feel good, have more energy, etc.), but the deep-down-what's-important-to-you why, which may have nothing to do with abstract concepts like protection from disease (which is great, but how do you really monitor that?) or feeling better in 20 years (which is also great, but what do you get right now?).

Here's an example: A client of mine spent the first three months of our training relationship struggling with his workouts - Both the ones we did together and the ones I assigned him (which he almost never did). He understood the importance of exercise in losing weight, at least intellectually, but where he really struggled was with the value of all this hard work. He said all the right things about our workouts but, the truth was, he was faking it. Yes, burning calories was great and, yes, the workouts made him feel better after he was finished, but...there was still that doubt, that feeling that he wasn't quite sure of the point of all of it.

Then, this client saw his doctor who, surprisingly, took him off one of the heart medications he had been on for years. That moment was like a light switch, changing his entire attitude about exercise. In fact, he couldn't wait to tell me about the workouts he was doing over the weekend and, when I looked out the window, I saw a pig fly by.

For the first time, the workouts made sense to him in a way that mattered in his life and that's what we all have to figure out. If we want to keep going, exercise has to mean something and, frankly, we don't always know what that is when we first start doing it.

It can take weeks or even months before you understand why exercise is important and what it can do for you and, until you do understand that, you may indeed have to fake it; continue to tell yourself how important it is until it really is important.

What do you think? Have you ever had to fake it through your exercise program? Was there a point where you didn't have to fake it anymore? Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.

The jump rope is one of the most versatile pieces of fitness equipment around, but I often see it hanging on the wall at the gym every day, dangling and depressed as exercisers walk by in favor of that big, shiny treadmill or that other big shiny machine with the arms that move around.

It's easy to shun the jump rope for several reasons: A) It's hard. If you're old, like me, you did it effortlessly as a child and when you tried it as an adult, your calves cramped, your lungs burned and you tripped over it so many times, you started to lose any sense of how big your feet actually are. B) If you do get past those issues, you may realize you can only jump for a few seconds at a time before you have to stop, no matter how in shape you are.

There are other reasons of course (and some people don't like/can't do the impact), but there are other, very good reasons to add jumping rope to your cardio routine. Not only will it raise your heart rate, it's also a great way to build endurance in the lower body (especially the calves). You improve your balance and coordination, get a great workout and you can take your jump rope anywhere.

The key is, first, to use good form, which will make jumping rope more comfortable: Jumping only high enough to clear the rope, landing with soft joints, keeping your upper body stable and turning from the wrists, not the arms. Another important key is to start small and slowly work your way up to longer sessions.

With that in mind, I've put together a new Jump Rope Circuit Workout with alternating segments of jumping and strength training exercises. This is great whole body strength/cardio circuit for intermediate/advanced exercisers and for all the lonely jump ropes out there.

What about you? Are you a fan of jumping rope and, if so, how do you use it in your workouts? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Things have been rather dull around here lately, now that spring break is over and everyone's back to work and back at the whole exercise and diet thing. Us exercisers, whether we're trying to lose weight, maintain or just get something (anything) going, tend to take ourselves pretty seriously. There's so much angst involved with what we do each day, striving to make the right decisions and kicking ourselves when we don't (which is some form of exercise, is it not?), we forget to lighten up and find ways to enjoy the process a little more.

A group of young girls in my neighborhood reminded me of this as I was walking by and overheard them playing the 'Would you rather...' game. As in, "Would you rather eat green slime or dog food?" (The consensus? Dog food). This reminded me of some of the silly surveys I've heard over the years stating things like, 52% of women would give up sex for a summer if it meant they could avoid gaining 10 pounds, and 6% would give up showering.

Which brings me to my poll today, which is completely silly and useless. Take a vote and tell us, would you rather...

Note: I've set the poll to allow multiple answers, but sometimes our poll coding has convulsions and doesn't work right. Forgive me if this happens and please just leave a comment with your answers if something goes wrong.

By far, my favorite topic to write/read/hear about is embarrassing moments at the gym. It always makes me feel better when I read about the misfortune of others, knowing that I'm not the only one to make a complete fool of myself.

Like this morning, for example, when I killed an elliptical trainer. It wasn't on purpose - More like involuntary manslaughter. The kind where your towel falls off the rail and gets eaten by the pedals and you yank and pull and grunt to get it out (while the 49 people on the row of treadmills behind you watch in delight - because A) It's not them and B) Anything is interesting when one is on a treadmill) and then you have to go get the floor manager who tries to make you feel better by saying, "...happens all the time..." and "I'm sure no one's really watching" and "I'm sure it'll be fine...these only cost $8,000."

In the end, I not only strangled the elliptical trainer, I caused a poor, innocent towel to be maimed as well. The question remained: Do I get on another elliptical trainer and act like it never happened? Or do I move clear to the other side of the gym (where no one saw this assault) to finish my workout? I took door number three: Smile, shake my head at my own ridiculousness and walk (quite briskly) to my car.

I'm making myself feel better by remembering all the embarrassing things that can happen at the gym (like falling off a treadmill) and by reading our reader's embarrassing stories.

What about you? Share your story or leave a comment about what you've done that...well...you wish you hadn't.

I get a lot of emails from teenagers with a variety of questions about exercise and weight loss: Is it safe to weight train? How many times a week should I workout? How can I lose weight? There aren't always easy answers to these questions, but there's one thing working in your favor: The younger you are, the easier it is to lose weight. Fat loss often comes easier to young, strong bodies with faster metabolisms, and the earlier you start, the easier it is to keep going as you get older.

You'll find at least some of the answers to the questions posed above in the following resources, hopefully, giving you the guidance you need to start exercising.

• Do's and Don'ts for Teen Exercise
• Weight Loss for Teens
• How NOT to Lose Weight
• Am I Fat?

Are you a teen who's had experience with weight loss or did you have a weight problem when you were a teenager? If so, leave a comment and tell us about it. How did you find healthy ways to lose weight?

Despite my (boring and slightly nauseating) lectures on the importance of lifting weights, too many of us avoid weight training. The reasons for this range from the mythical ("I don't want to bulk up too much) to the uncomfortable ("It burns...why do I have to do this again?")

My article, 10 Reasons to Lift Weights, discusses some of the physical reasons one should pick up a set of dumbbells now and then, including the fact that it helps you lose weight and, of course, it makes you strong.

What you may not know is that lifting weights can also improve your mental health, specifically: Reducing anxiety and depression, improving cognition, managing chronic fatigue, boosting self-esteem and helping you sleep better.

If you're not lifting weights, now is a wonderful time to get started.

Getting Started

We all need a partner in crime...someone to stand behind our nagging mothers, rolling their eyes and mimicking strangulation, pretend an emergency to get us out of a bad date or lie to our spouses for us (e.g., "John only had 2 beers last night...I swear!"). However, sometimes these partners in crime offer the wrong kind of support, the kind that can easily derail or even sabotage one's diet and/or exercise program.

I'm thinking of a conversation I overhead at a restaurant (and, yes, I'm a confessed eavesdopper) between a husband and wife:

Husband: What are you having?
Wife: (Staring thoughtfully at the menu) I really should have a salad.
Husband: (Glumly) Yeah, me too.
Wife: (a little too brightly) That chopped chicken salad with raw chickpeas looks...um...healthy.
Husband: (Still glum) Yeah.
(long pause)
Husband: I think I'm going to have the cheeseburger.
Wife: (Relieved nearly to the point of tears) Me too.

Sometimes all we need is that one nudge to go down the wrong path. After all, it's easier to cheat on your diet or skip your workout if someone else is doing it with you. Somehow, those calories don't count as much if they're distributed amongst more than one person. What about you? Do you have a partner in crime? Or maybe you are the partner in crime. Vote in this week's poll and tell us about your partner in crime.

Your approach to exercise often depends on your personality, more than anything else. Some people start exercising without much thought, slapping on a pair of shoes and heading out without worrying too much about what or how much they should be doing. There's a lovely fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants feeling with this approach, but it can have unintended consequences (soreness, pain, injury or just a smack-in-the-face realization of just how out of shape you are).

Others spend hours poring over books, articles, websites and studies, hoping to perfect their workout program before they ever get started...a lofty goal, that may also have unintended consequences (such as, spending so much time researching, you forget to actually exercise).

The problem is compounded by the sheer amount of information available and the sad fact that some of it is crap. The other problem is that there isn't one clear, precise exercise prescription that fits every person.

One way to deal with this is to remember two important things:

• There is no 'right' way to exercise and lose weight - There are plenty of people promising you the perfect diet/exercise program, but anything can work as long as you're creating a calorie deficit. We all need a different amount of exercise and there's no program or set of rules that fits everyone. Don't be afraid to start somewhere - A basic walking program a few days a week and a simple strength program is a reasonable place to start and you can always build from there.
• You're in charge - It's important to know a few basics about exercise, but the single most important element in your success is knowing yourself. No one knows you better than you - Use that knowledge to build an exercise program around what works for you. If you're not sure what works for you yet, explore your options based on your fitness personality, your fitness level or what you already enjoy doing.

What do you think? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the information out there? How do you deal with information overload? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Almost any news about autism captures our attention because, despite its prevalence, it's still one of the least understood developmental disorders. There's no consensus on what actually causes autism, but a recent study suggests one factor might be obesity during pregnancy. The study (Maternal Metabolic Conditions and Risk for Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders), which will be published in the May issue Pediatrics, suggests there's a "strong association" between diabetes, obesity and hypertension during pregnancy and autism. You can learn more about the study from our Pediatrics Guide, Dr. Vince Iannelli and his excellent blog post describing the details of the study.

While we're still in the early stages of understanding what causes autism, this study brings to light the problems that arise from being overweight or obese while pregnant: High blood pressure, increased risk of miscarriage, complications during labor and delivery, increased risk of birth defects and an increased risk that your baby will be obese.

The question here is: If you're overweight or obese and pregnant, should you try to lose weight? The general consensus is no, but there are experts who question this, as well as the general rule that a woman should always gain weight (usually 15-25 pounds) during pregnancy. One of these experts is Dr. Raul Artal who conducted a study involving obese pregnant women to determine the effect of gestational weight change on pregnancy outcomes. The study found that "[l]imited or no weight gain in obese pregnant women has favorable pregnancy outcomes."

Clearly, this is a topic begging for more research and your first resource should be your doctor, but there's one clear message coming out of all of these studies: Eating for two should be a thing of the past, and exercise should move to the top of the priority list for pregnant women (or, at least, for those without any complications or restrictions, of course).

Pregnancy and Exercise Resources

• Exercise During Pregnancy
• How to Get and Stay Active During Pregnancy
• 4 Great Pregnancy Exercises
• 10 Reasons to Exercise in Pregnancy

What about you? Was your weight an issue before or during your pregnancy, or did a loved one experience that problem? What did your doctor recommend and how did you handle it? Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences with pregnancy, obesity and weight gain.

I recently started training a client's wife and she came in one morning and said, quite smugly, "It's too bad I can't do the same exercises as *Greg, seeing as how I can't do any high impact exercise." She conjured up a frown. "I guess I won't be able to to burpees or mountain climbers, like he does. What a bummer," she added with a disappointed sigh.

What she didn't expect was that she would indeed do both of those exercises without any impact at all (and that she would likely keep her mouth shut in the future, lest she give me anymore ideas).

With the right tools, you can take the impact out of a number of cardio exercises without losing the intensity, and my favorite tools for this are Gliding Discs. I've highlighted a variety of exercises with the discs (like sliding lunges and pushups), but mountain cilmbers are one of my favorites.

Not only do you engage both the quads and the core (and, boy, will your legs burn, as my client found out), pumping your legs as fast as you can will get your heart rate up, making this a great total body exercise.

If you don't have Gliding Discs, you can try using paper plates or even towels, if you have hardwood floors.

Do it right: Begin in a plank position, toes on the Gliding Discs and alternate sliding each knee in towards your chest, 'running' as fast as you can. Bring the knees in as far as you can while keeping the hips down and the core engaged. Repeat for 1 or more sets at 30-60 seconds.

When you read stories about weight loss, you'll notice that many people experience a kind of wake up call that precedes a serious attempt to lose weight. This wake up call often comes out of left field - Seeing a picture of yourself in a bathing suit, your doctor telling you you're thisclose to diabetes or the salesperson at Macy's suggesting you start shopping in the plus size department.

It seems strange that we can go along, completely unaware of just how much weight we've gained, but it's surprisingly easy. It's not often we get an objective look at ourselves (and the dressing rooms at the department stores don't count, because everyone know they're all full of 'fat' mirrors).

I remember one story a client told me: *Diane was sitting in a doctor's office and a woman came in with her child. She was looking for a place to sit and the child said, "Hey, there's a seat next to that fat lady!" Diane smiled, thinking how embarrassing it was for that poor woman, whoever she was, to be called out like that...until the child sat in the chair next to her, at which point a giant hole opened up, swallowing Diane, chair and all. (At least, that's what happened in her fantasy). In reality, her face went up in flames in embarrassment and she called me the next day, vowing to show that child just what a 'fat lady' could do. Diane ended up losing more than 80 pounds and is amazed to this day how that one comment made such an impression.

What about you? Did you have a wake up call and, if so, where did it come from? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment to tell us about your experiences. Don't forget to share your weight loss success story,if you've got one.

Losing weight is hard enough, but it's even harder when you don't have a good support system around you. For example, you put together a fresh salad, grilled chicken and a side of whole grains so whole-grainy, you're wondering if it's possible to overdose on fiber.

You plate your meal, already proud of the sheer number of nutrients you are about to ingest when your spouse walks in and shouts, "Honey, I brought home pizza!" Your response is so instant, so primal, you actually have no memory of what happened to that lovely chicken dish, much less how your face ended up in the middle of a deep dish pizza.

That support is important, but we can't always control what our spouses do (though we never really stop trying, do we?). However, there are things we can control, things that, if left unchecked, make it that much harder to stay on track:

• Your pantry - That bag of Doritoes that stares at you (perhaps even winks at you seductively) every time you open the door doesn't care about what size pants you want to fit into or the fact that your doctor threatened high cholesterol medication if you don't lose weight. It's a known fact that temptation is easier to resist if it isn't there (or, at the very least, hidden where you'll never find it).
• Your scale - It may surprise you that an inanimate object can be so hateful, but the scale isn't always your friend. In fact, your scale may lie to you regularly, telling you you're not making progress, even when you are. If your scale makes you cry on a regular basis, it may be time to break up with it and find a less destructive relationship.
• Your workouts - Sometimes, even our workouts work against us. Perhaps they're too long to fit into the time we have, so we skip them. Or maybe they include things we don't like, making them more unpleasant than they have to be. We often try to force our lives to fit the workout schedule we're 'supposed' to follow, rather than fitting exercise into the lives we already have. Unfortunately, having an amazing workout program guaranteed to help you lose weight doesn't matter if you never follow it. A supportive workout program means one you can stick to most of the time.

What do you think? Have you set up an environment that supports your goals or have you sabotaged yourself in some way? Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about exercise fears, asking readers what scares them most about exercise. The overwhelming choice? Injury.

I think fear of injuring one's self is a healthy fear. After all, there are plenty of studies (like this one ) suggesting that injury could be just one workout away. In fact, I remember reading a Canadian Health Survey suggesting that some 20% of the females surveyed and more than 40% of the males surveyed suffered an exercise injury.

However, the most important statistic is this: 100% of injuries cause pain and, I don't have a study backing this up but, pain hurts.

The key to dealing with this fear is to face it with a few tricks up your sleeve: Easing into your workouts, warming up and using good form, just to name a few (and you can find more ideas in How to Avoid Exercise Injury).

However, it also helps to remind yourself of a few things:

• You may get hurt anyway - There's an inherent risk in any type of movement, whether it's lifting dumbbells or pushing a broom. Just as you can't always avoid catching a cold or the flu, no matter how many times you wash your hands, you can't always avoid an injury. That reminder may help ease some of the frustration and guilt that often accompanies an injury.
• There are ways to keep exercising, even if you are injured - The worst thing some of us do when we get hurt is to get frustrated and quit. While you may need rest to heal your injury, you can almost always exercise some part of your body (with your doctor's clearance, of course). Keeping some kind of routine going, even if it's only a fraction of what you were doing, keeps the momentum going and gives you more control over your situation.

The last thing you want to do is to let your fear paralyze you into doing nothing.

So, what about you? Have you ever let your fear of injury stop you from exercising? Or maybe you have a chronic injury you're always dealing with and have some advice. Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.

If you've ever made the decision to get rid of your gym membership and set up a home gym, you've probably run into the cardio conundrum: Treadmill or elliptical trainer?

For many people, this often comes down to the weight issue, namely, which one will help you lose weight the fastest? The short answer here is: The one you actually use. And, for exercise, not as a Royal Throne for your cat (or, perhaps that only occurs in my house).

The longer answer is that elliptical trainers can help you lose weight...if you work at it. The 'work at it' part is where the elliptical trainer and the treadmill often diverge.

A treadmill is usualy more comfortable from the beginning - You're used to walking, so it doesn't feel like you're doing something weird when you try it (if you ignore the fact that you're actually walking to nowhere).

On the elliptical, you push into the pedals (much like a bicycle) in order to move, something our bodies don't normally do. This no-impact movement is a plus for those with joint problems. It can be a minus, however, when you consider that, in order to get your heart rate up, you have to work against the resistance of the pedals...and it sometimes takes quite a bit of resistance to really get your heart going.

The act of pushing against resistance can really tax the legs, making it more uncomfortable than walking on a treadmill (a movement our bodies are used to doing every day). That doesn't mean the treadmill is better, just that you should take that into account as you're making your choice. Your legs may need extra time to gradually build endurance. Eventually, this will allow you to work at the level of intensity you need to burn calories.

What do you think? Have you lost weight using an elliptical trainer? What are the pros and cons? Leave a comment and tell us what you think about elliptical trainers.

More Elliptical Resources

• Before You Buy an Elliptical Trainer
• Elliptical Interval Workout
• Beginner Elliptical Workout