fitness

This is a continuation to last months health rant "17 Home Truths Every Health Freak Needs to Hear". Here are 17 more quick tips, opinions and rants on exercise and nutrition.

These are the piano stairs, a fun little experiment by -- who else? -- TheFunTheory.com. The basic idea behind their initiative is that making something fun is the most effective way to change someone's behavior.

Before the stairs were altered, we clearly see the majority of people using the escalator. But when the stairs become a giant, working piano, 66 percent more people used the stairs. Why? Because it's fun!

It takes about six weeks for a bonafide couch potato to see real results from a fitness program, though feeling the results starts to happen immediately. Unfortunately, many people just aren't that patient, and quit long before they've really even begun.

Going from flab to fit can seem like a long, overwhelming process. But the truth is, every day you stick with it is a day closer to your goal. As the visual evidence in the video above proves.

Just when you thought the advice on protecting your heart from cardiovascular disease couldn't get any more standard, here comes a wild card study out of nowhere:

People with skinny thighs are more likely to develop, and die from, heart disease.

So much for that skinny jeans workout!

School buses, backpacks, and new lunch boxes--these are the things that mark the end of long, lazy summer days, and a return to that more structured routine of waking up early, homework every night, and early bedtimes.

While many of us are busier in the fall with scheduled activities than we are in the summer months, there are ways to use the return of a more rigid routine to your advantage.

What motivates you to get to the gym: Weight loss? Strong muscles? Longevity? Or maybe you're just tired of not fitting into your jeans?

If that's the case, then check out the Skinny Jeans Workout, programmed to specifically work on the core, butt, and thighs--or as instructor Lisa Grimmer told CNN, "anything placed in your jeans." The Skinny Jeans Workout will have you zipping up in no time.

The Urban Dictionary defines the slang word 'cankle' as:

It's a clever word, but what comes after isn't so funny!

I get a hard time from my husband's co-workers -- especially on rainy days and all winter long. That's because he bikes to work every day, even in inclement weather, while our car stays home sitting in the driveway.

They think I'm mean, mean, mean. But in reality, he just likes to ride his bike.

But, he's a minority in our country.

It would be horrible, if it wasn't so funny. Or, maybe it would be funny, if it wasn't so horrible - children in an east London borough tricked researchers when they took the pedometers they'd been assigned to measure their activity levels, and put them on their dogs.

Baffled at why some of the obese children, who were obviously very active during the day (at least according to their pedometers), could still be obese despite all that extra exercise, researchers took a closer look.

You can look far and wide, but you won't find a more enthusiastic walking buddy than man's best friend: your dog. In our house, it's not even smart to say the word "walk" before you've laced up your shoes.

A handful of studies have tried to measure what dog lovers have known all along -- dogs like to walk, and people who have dogs like to make their dogs happy:

Until recently, the link between yoga and improved asthma was anecdotal, but unproven.

But, a recent study out of New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Medical Center has made a pretty good case. Researchers there found that asthmatics who practised Hatha yoga regularly (or three times a week) for ten weeks reported a significant improvement in asthma symptoms and quality of life, and some were even able to reduce their controller medications.

There are two theories as to why this works. One is that as asthmatics are trained to be more aware of their breath, they recognize and treat symptoms earlier. The other is that deep breathing done during yoga trains the lungs, making them stronger and more functional.

A 10-minute walking stress test can give important information about health risks to those middle aged and older. The test measures cardiorespiratory fitness, or how well the lungs, heart, and blood vessels work together.

Preventative medicine expert Dr Timothy Church, recently told CNN, "Fitness is just simply as powerful a risk factor as there is." I think that's a pretty bold statement, and one we would do well to pay attention to.

If you live in one of the northern states, like me, then you've probably noticed two things: The sun -- which hasn't been around for about six months. And the swimsuits, which have been popping up at local stores since January. Believe me, trying on swimsuits under a bright fluorescent light after a long winter buried under heavy sweaters makes it impossible to deny that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's didn't really happen.

But as painful as swimsuit shopping is, it's a necessary part of enjoying summer fun. Forget those fashion magazines with Photoshopped beauties on the cover ... bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and if we all waited until we looked like supermodels to hit the beach or pool, no one would ever go. Instead, try one of these tips to feel good in your swimsuit this summer, no matter how fit you are.

IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) held their annual conference this month - a monster of an affair which draws the who's who of fitness equipment manufacturers, club owners and enthusiasts in general. Not surprisingly, computer-based fitness games and health data for the web stood out as big trends. One part irony, one part ingenuity, the health industry is using the very tools that are contributing to obesity to try and reverse the trend. For better or for worse, here's what's new and popular in the world of fitness.

New research shows obese African-Americans lost more weight on church-based fitness programs and were able to maintain the weight they lost for at least six months. Preach on!

We've all heard our fair share of truths, half-truths, and flat-out lies at the gym. Whether it's a new way to burn a few extra calories, or a method for adding a few inches to the ol' guns, it seems everyone has something to say. But, the question remains, How accurate is this information?

Everyone needs a holiday from the pressures and routines of "normal" life. But does heading off for a holiday mean taking a break from regular exercise too?

The dilemma: how to balance the need to "get away from it all" with the desire to "stay on track" with your physical fitness goals.

It's a great way to shed weight or at least keep from gaining additional pounds--buy a pedometer and track your daily steps. The target number you hear most often is a daunting 10,000 steps a day. Ten thousand steps is almost five miles. That's pretty challenging if you have a hectic schedule, but it's worth it, right?

Well, unfortunately, a recent pedometer study says it may take just a bit more than that.

Last month, The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its world-wide fitness trends survey for 2008 So here are the trends, with a little dissection from yours truly.