Walking is the best land-based exercise that spares your joints from injury and pain.  The best thing about walking is anybody can do it no matter the skill level.  To make walking a great cardiovascular workout in which you'll burn more calories, be sure to walk at a quick pace.  You should be walking as fast as you can short of running (i.e., about four miles per hour).  In order to effectively do this, you should pump your arms with the elbows in a bent position (i.e., about a 90-degree angle) while swiveling your hips.  This allows your body to move forward more quickly and efficiently due to less side-to-side movement.   Pumping or swinging your arms at the shoulders in sync with your feet also enhances forward momentum.  Be sure to maintain good posture by keeping your chin up, head level, shoulders relaxed, and back straight.  Speed walking is one of the safest and easiest exercises you can do to get in a superb cardiorespiratory workout.  Start with a 20-minute walk three to five times per week and gradually increase the pace on a weekly basis.  You can make your walks more interesting by wearing a weighted backpack and/or going on hill walks.  You can also try interval walks in which you alternate your pace from fast to a slower speed.  

BOTTOM LINE:  Research has indicated that those who tend to walk faster have lower mortality rates but any kind of walking is better than no walking at all.  Just be sure to put on a pair of comfortable, flexible shoes and get out there and walk!

     It's never too late to get in shape or improve your body's strength and condition.  Quality of life is affected by the amount of muscle mass lost due to physical inactivity.  It's never too late to build a healthier mind, body and spirit. Your body is your vessel in life--if you treat it well, it will treat you well.  Any exercise, no matter the intensity level, is better than no exercise.  More importantly, exercise just makes you feel good!  That old adage "use it or lose it" is quite true.   Exercising regularly, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep is essential to living a fit lifestyle.   

    The benefits of exercise include burning body fat, boosting metabolic rate, suppressing appetite, controlling sugar cravings, lessening depression, reducing chronic fatigue and increasing energy.  Not one dietary supplement can promise all of the benefits of exercise.   Acquire more energy and lessen your reliance on costly medications by engaging in daily exercise.

     Many people who exercise may still incur injuries or lack stamina even though they are active.  For instance, a runner may pull his or her iliotibial band (ITB) when running because of weakened core muscles or a weight lifter may lack the endurance to run up a series of steps without feeling quite winded.  Avid bicyclists may lose bone density due to a lack of impact and resistance on the bone tissue.  How can those who perform certain exercises (e.g., running, swimming, biking, weight lifting, etc.) reduce their risk of injury while increasing their overall performance?   The solution is to perform well-rounded exercise programs which encompass resistance training, cardiovascular training as well as flexibility.  
     A comprehensive training program is necessary to enable your body to adapt and withstand multiple stimuli in order for it to perform at its peak level.  Thus, runners should perform weight training exercises (i.e., overhead dumbbell presses, squats, lunges, leg extensions, etc.) to strengthen upper body and core muscles and to reduce injury risk.  Weight lifters should run, bike and/or swim to increase their endurance and cardiorespiratory capacity.  Cyclists should perform weightlifting exercises to maintain bone mass.  All active people should perform stretching exercises to increase joint, muscle and tendon flexibility.  Yoga can benefit any active person.  No one particular exercise should predominate your regime.  Instead, complimentary exercises are necessary in order to ensure moderation and balance.          
     
      

    There is no doubt that being physically active by exercising regularly is healthy and life-sustaining.  You're much less likely to incur many of the lifestyle-related diseases largely attributed to sedentary behavior such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some cancers (e.g., breast, colon).  Being active also promotes better sleep as well as feelings of happiness and more energy.  Of course, a fit body just looks good, boosts one's self-esteem and appeals to anybody.  But many people who know all the benefits of living an active lifestyle still refuse to exercise.  Why?  Because it's easy to make excuses not to exercise and be lazy instead.  
    Here are common excuses made by people to avoid exercising and ways to eliminate the barriers to getting the body in motion:

• I have no time

    If you feel you don't have the time to exercise you need to assess how you are spending your time.  For instance, how much time do you watch TV?  If you spend long hours at work, consider taking breaks to exercise.  Try jump roping for 5 minutes or walk the stairs.  The point is you can do incremental periods of exercise throughout your day.  How about walking or biking to work instead of driving?  If you make these small lifestyle changes and make them habits, you will be surprised how little time is needed to live an active lifestyle and be healthier.  If you feel you have no time to exercise, you need to reevaluate how you spend your time and make exercise a priority.

• I have no energy and I feel too weak to exercise

    If you start walking, biking, or running to work you will find you'll have more energy.  Why is this the case?  Because exercise increases blood circulation, releases endorphins (those feel-good hormones within your body) and boosts adrenalin which increases your energy levels and lessens overall fatigue.   Consider exercising before you go to work after you've recovered from a good-night's sleep.  If you're not a morning person, then workout whenever you feel your best.

• Exercise is boring and I don't have motivation

     If you feel exercise is boring, you should find an activity that appeals to you.  Try skating, dancing, gardening--any activity that gets your body moving and is enjoyable and fun!  Also, consider working out as part of a group of people (e.g., spinning class).  The group effort can be quite a motivating experience.  

• Exercise is painful for my joints

    If  movement activities aggravate your joints, consider hitting the pool for some swimming.  The resistance from the water will allow your muscles to get stronger while lessening joint pain. 

• I don't feel comfortable being around others when exercising

     Focus on your personal accomplishments and avoid comparing your physique to others.  Think about the many health and lifestyle-related benefits of exercise instead.

• I don't have an exercise partner

     A partner or buddy is not needed to become more active.  Strap on an ipod and put on some headphones.  There is evidence that listening to your favorite music can provide strong motivation to exercise. 

• Bad weather

     Really?!  Weather should NEVER be a factor when it comes to exercising.  You can always perform a workout within the comfort of your home.  No exercise equipment?  All you need is your own body.  Do pushups, situps, plank, jumping jacks, lunges, squats, etc.

• I always end up quitting

      If you tend to quit exercising because you feel discouraged rather quickly, consider setting smaller, more attainable fitness goals.  You're more likely to stick with small, achievable goals rather than large, insurmountable ones.  Make small, incremental increases in the durations of exercise sessions (i.e., five minutes daily for one week which grows to ten minutes daily the next week).  Also, consider logging your workouts and posting your activities online (i.e., Facebook , Fitocracy) as this builds encouragement knowing that others are observing your workout progression.   A workout buddy or personal trainer also keeps you honest and less likely to want to quit.  You'll have to be accountable to your friend or trainer and you'll feel like you don't want to let down you buddy or trainer as well as yourself.  

    The important thing is to get started.  Once you get started, momentum will take over and you'll begin to look forward to working out because you'll feel good and energized!        

     Power walking involves walking at a brisk pace (e.g., 5 miles per hour).   This is a superb exercise for those who want to spare their joints (e.g., back, hips, knees, ankles) from high impact and for those who may have orthopedic issues (e.g., arthritic knees).  Power walking can provide cardiovascular benefits comparable to running.  It entails having one foot touching the ground at all times with the front leg being relatively straight when it contacts the ground.  To get the most out of power walking, you should strive to move as quickly as possible in order to burn more calories and become more fit.  Here are some tips to better your technique and to help move at a faster pace:

• Keep you chin up, head level, shoulders relaxed, and back straight
• Pump your arms in front of your shoulders with bent elbows (i.e., about a 90-degree angle)
• Keep your arms tucked close to your ribs
• Swing your arms forward rather than crossing the center of your body
• Avoid having your elbows rise above your chest when swinging your arms
• Avoid having each fist rise higher than your buttocks during the backward swing
• Strike the ground with each heel with your toes up
• Avoid bouncing or swaying your upper body
• Keep your hips in line with your shoulders
• Keep your hands closed in a fist but not clenched
• Step with one leg and swing your opposing arm in sync with your stride
• Swivel your hips, allowing for natural rotation to occur
• Push off with the ball of your back foot
• Take relatively small steps to avoid overstriding
• Begin with a 20-minute walk several times per week and gradually pick up the pace each week
• Vary your routine (i.e., carry a weighted vest or backpack, perform hill walking, perform intervals, perform treadmill walking)

BOTTOM LINE:  Walking is a respectable exercise and is certainly better than being sedentary.

    CrossFit is a trend that has been marketed heavily as a means to get stronger and more powerful via plyometric movements in a high-intensity, minimal-rest bootcamp environment in order to increase cardiorespiratory fitness, stamina, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, and coordination.  The workouts are short (i.e., 5 to 30 minutes) but are expected to occur 3 to 5 days per week.  Crossfit incorporates kettlebells, medicine balls, ropes, bodyweight exercises (e.g., pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats), gymnastics, and endurance exercise.  But the reality is that CrossFit is nothing more than a complex of compound pushing, pulling, running, rowing, and squatting movements that personal trainers have prescribed for many years.  
     What makes CrossFit more appealing to the masses is how the compound exercises (e.g., squats, pullups, pushups, sprints, rowing, push-presses, deadlifts, clean and jerks, etc.) have been structured into a bootcamp scenerio complete with minimal rest between exercises.  We live in an environment in which the consumer has a very short attention span and very little free time.  Hence the appeal of CrossFit--it incorporates high-intensity, quick exercises that can be performed within 30 minutes.  
    Whether or not you should try CrossFit is entirely your decision to make although I should caution you to the risks involved in performing advanced exercises (read: multi-joint movements)--some of which are technically complex.  Unless you have experience in performing squats, deadlifts, and explosive, plyometric Olympic lifts such as cleans, jerks, snatches, etc., I strongly encourage you to learn the fundamentals of these exercises before trying CrossFit.  Not only are the exercises risky but performing them in a fatigued condition increases the risk of injury.  A cursory look at YouTube CrossFit video footage of participants attempting to perform these exercises is atrocious to say the least.  In many cases, the weight lifting techniques are horrible, substantially increasing injury risk.  
   
      Here are the pros of CrossFit:

• Variety of workouts to lessen the effect of boredom
• Competitive drive to achieve fitness goals
• Enjoyment which may increase adherence
• Improves overall functional movement

     Here are the cons of CrossFit:

• Lack of proper exercise guidance (i.e., correct form, range of motion, etc.) from a competent certified personal trainer

• Higher risk of injury (esp. joint) due to a lack of personalized recommendation for loading
• Presented as a "one size fits all" workout regimen without periodization or progressive overloading
• Does not track training progress (e.g., strength, power) due to non-repeating workout protocols
• Prescribes exercises which are in many cases randomized without consideration for needed muscle/joint recovery 

    
     If you're still not convinced that CrossFit is NOT for you, then by all means give it a shot.  There's no harm in trying and you might actually like it but be aware that CrossFit is NOT for everyone.

    Contrary to popular dogma, lifting weights within the 8 to 12 rep range is not entirely necessary in order to cause muscle hypertrophy (i.e., muscle size increase).  Low-load, high-rep training may also impact muscle growth.   The reason for this is because more volume (i.e., greater reps) may increase muscle protein synthesis for a longer duration (e.g., 24 hours post-exercise).  More muscle protein synthesis means more growth potential due to greater absorption of protein within muscle tissue.   In either case, optimal muscle growth will most likely occur when maximal muscle fatigue occurs in conjunction with relatively short rest periods (e.g., less than 1 minute) between each set.   Bottom line:  Perform high-rep, light-weight sets mixed with low-rep, heavy-weight sets to cause optimal muscle growth.

    Here's where a clear distinction must be made regarding the definitions of the words "overweight" and "fat".  The Body Mass Index, or BMI, is the ratio of one's bodyweight and height (i.e., kg/m^2).  BMI has been widely recognized as the parameter for defining whether one is underweight (BMI<18.5), normal weight  (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9), obese (BMI between 30 and 39.9), or morbidly obese (BMI greater than 40).  Thus, having a BMI greater than 25 but less than 30 is technically considered to be overweight.  But here's the rub:  people with more than average amounts of lean body mass (i.e., muscle) will most likely have BMI's greater than 25.  This is because muscle, with its relatively high density, weighs much more than fat within the frame of a muscular person.  So can muscular people be overweight?  Yes, when speaking within the confines of the BMI definition.  
     If muscular people are typically considered overweight, does this mean they are fat?  Of course not!  Fat, like muscle, is simply a tissue within the human body aside from lean body mass that makes up one's body composition.  One can be overweight but lean due to a high proportion of muscle with relatively low bodyfat.  If we can agree a muscular person is a fit person, then we can also agree an overweight person can be fit.  So yes, one can be fit and overweight.  
    Can one be fit and fat?  This boils down to proportion and the definition of fat which is highly ambiguous.  In general, a male and female is considered to be fat when bodyfat is above 20% and 30%, respectively.  Being fat, or at least fatter than average, does not necessarily mean being overweight.  Once again, this is because fat is not a dense tissue and one can be over-fat but still have a relatively low body weight.  But being over-fat is generally not healthy because fatness does not predispose one to being fit (note:  there are exceptions such as endurance swimmers who need more fat for insulation, buoyancy, and long-term energy).   So yes, one can be fit and fat but this is more the exception (i.e., endurance swimmers) rather than the norm.  The health risks of being fat are numerous (i.e., heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, etc.).  Nevertheless, studies have shown that those people who were fat but maintained their aerobic fitness capacity were less likely to die from heart disease or stroke than those who were less fit.  In other words, overweight or even obese people who became fitter fared as well or better in terms of life expectancy than leaner people who became less fit.  The key message here is that increasing physical activity is likely to be at least as important as weight loss for reducing premature mortality.
    Here are the most common misunderstandings within our society and the key to this blog post when it comes to body weight and fitness:  

1. You can be overweight and not fat--and be fit   (a fit, nonfat overweight person)
2. You can be  underweight and fat--and not be fit(!)   (a non-fit, fat underweight person)

The first point is a healthy means of existence and may increase life expectancy whereas the latter point is not and may lead to premature mortality.  If you exercise regularly by incorporating resistance training and cardio,  you will most likely fall within the first group.  If you are mostly sedentary, you may fall within the second group.   Exercise, which can build muscle mass and decrease fat mass, is the key to being fit and living a healthy life.  Bottom line:  Body weight is less relevant than fatness when it comes to fitness and longevity.   Studies have shown that But no matter whether you are overweight or overfat, the important thing is to be fit if you want to live a longer life.