The latest equipment or diet - are they working better than what you did before?

to get the most out of your fitness program?

Or both?

For Christmas I received some much anticipated DryFit clothing for my running. I "Broke 'em in" today, and they really help in wicking away the sweat. I love my new clothes. Of course, a good pair of running shoes are a necessity too. About a month ago, I found a great pair of Asics on sale because they were "so last season" fine for me as long as I would no longer suffer shin or calf pain from old worn out shoes that I've worn everywhere for a year. They work wonderfully.

I go to a gym mainly to run on the track in inclement weather.

I bought a step-aerobics step thanks to Tamilee Webb's influence. Use it at home. I have a couple of FitTubes and some weights for home use as well. Have inlaws old stationary bike for inclement/winter weather use.

Abs,Abs,Abs... I'm in pretty good shape for a guy at 46 yrs of age, but I have to work on my mid-section this new year.

Looking for good, effective and safe exercises to reduce my pouch. Will continue to reduce calorie intake and running on treadmill.

Any one have any other ideas?

Joe
Las Vegas, NV

Yes, I feel a need for a good aerobics shoe for step aerobics. I bought a pair of cross trainers(NB) especially for my step workouts. My new shoes hurt my wide rainbow arched feet. Any suggestions?

well I exercise 6 days a week but haven't seen any real results in flattening my abs or getting rid of those "bat wongs" (flabby triceps). I am a faithful watcher of BiM and Aerobic Conditiong (except when Bodywaves is on) and I also do The Firm videos w/out the Fanny Lifter. I'd like to invest in The Firm 2 series with the new Scuplting Stick and (finally!) purchase the Fanny Lifter (it costs about $30).

If anyone knows a product/piece of equipment which can really flatten the abs and get rid of that underarm flab. PLEASE let me know. I do crunches, tricep dips, and use wights but still no change. Meanwhile my shoulders, back and leg muscles are lean and tight. Could it be that my body just stores fat in those 2 areas?

Yah i bought like 20 dollar payless running shoe things..its ok i guess...they have springy things so it feels like im 2 feet akwardly taller..lol

I guess from your logonname that you are fit but are unhappy about your abs and triceps. i know its tiring to hear but if you keep with it consistently you will see results. Some trainers believe that our muscles will not fatigue as easily if you do the same ole routine they suggest varying your positioning slightly to "wake up" that muscle group.As for your triceps do the same bend that elbow and straighten to lift a bit higher.The tricep muscle is an underused muscle in everyday life so it takes a while to see results. Be patient but don't give up.

I want to add these to my strength training. I workout at home and do not get the discovery heath channel from my cable provider. I am just having a hard time finding any information about how they work and what to ddo once you have them.that seems strange to me because when i started working out with weights there were about 800gazillion self help books out there on how to use weights correctly.... I think in particular i would like to use them for the triceps and biceps and also because i love to add variety to all my workout routines and get great results that way. Thanks for any info.

I like to think of Fit Tv as my personal trainer, in my experience most of the places I have been to workout do not have overly qualified, knowledgeable or experienced personal trainers.

I am always on a look out for comfortable high-performance sneakers. I found out, by working out on a treadmill, that it’s extremely important to have the right sneakers in order not develop all kinds of problems.
I also like to try different exercise routines and a lot of them require the new stability pads or different exercise balls. I just bought a cotton yoga mat. Finally, someone came up with a good idea to replace the annoying rubber mats.
I have tons of videos and I was very excited to find this channel since I get bored with the sane videos.

yes as my name suggests I consider myself to be pretty fit. I am a single mom of 2 am 29 years old, 5 foot 2 and 112lbs (weight fluctuates between 110 and 113). I am pretty toned except for the "bat wings" and my lower ab area. I even went to see a plastic surgeon who told me that surgery was the only weigh to really see a change in those two areas b/c thats where my body stores fat. I was told that even if I lost 5 or 10 lbs I would still have fat in those 2 spots.
In 1997 I weighed 167lbs which is alot of weight on my small frame (I wore a size 14-16). I went to a personal trainer for about 4 months then continued to exercise on my own. I was down to 120 (and a size 5-6) by the time I graduated college in May 1998 and have been at my current weight (and size 2-4) since 2001(even after having my son in 2002) so I think this is the weight I was meant to be at, b/c my original goal was 105 but I've never been able to achieve that.
I saw a commerical for this product called "6 second abs" but it was expensive! Has anyone tried any product that really gave them flatter, firmer abs? I was thinking of purchasing the Winsor Pilates tapes but they aren't cheap either. any suggestions would be helpful..

this is for fitmommof2,

I saw in Health magazine a fitness tip for abdominals by Sarah Michelle Gellar(Daphne in Scooby Doo and Buffy in Buffy the vampire), she said to do these for great realistic abs:
1: lie down on floor, pretend your ankles and your wrists have strings attached to them and someone above you is pulling these strings upwards so that your toes and your hands touch one another, sitting on your buttocks for balance.
This I have tried and even tho' its extremely hard to do, it actually works, I can only lift my legs and my upperbody a few inches off of the floor and for just 10 times right now but I have seen a considerable difference. It also strengthens your core muscles. The recommendations for this are do only a few at first(5 is good) and gradually increase it.
2.I have found that doing bicycling in a straight legged version just a few inches above the ground or at a halfway point rather than above your abs with your back and arms on the ground has a faster,more noticeable effect, but should be done in small numbers as well. I'm a mother of 3 and also have the famous lil' lower tummy pooch as well and until I started these two exercises to all the others, I didn't see much improvement either. If I didn't explain this very well, please ask me again and I will explain it better.

after years of eating 5 - 6 small meals a day, i got tired of eating so much, and, got tired of being overly concerned w/ when i am gonna get my next meal in! it was too much of a bodybuilder mentality, and it did not work well for me w/ my schedule and priorities. so i started the warrior diet and lost 15 lbs. of unwanted weight,,,i wanted to feel more athletic, which is what the body should be! i also have been using russian kettlebells which give my body more of a full body workout, it helps the body work as a unit, rather than isolate one muscle at a time, which is not how we live in real life, our body works together as a total system!
i am also a BIG BELIEVER in the use of a stability/physio ball, i use an anti burst b/c i sometimes use heavy weights on the ball, but i love body weight exercises using the ball!
i have a studio gym in my own house, so all my equipment is based on what i need, which is a bit ecelctic compared to the regular gym/fitness center! it doesn't cost much for a stability ball, and a dumbbell rack (a frame)that has dumbbells from 5 - 25lbs.
i have heavier, but if you are getting started, it doesn't cost much!
www.combatgrappler.com
--zach

mod_ivy,
i just started counting calories and working out to some of the programms on fittv.i am trying to get some advice to find out if counting calories and working out would work. I started doing this on the 5th of this month.i have never realy worked out before, i am a yo-yo dieter and i realy need some advice. i do know that since i have started doing this it has been working a little but i have target areas that need more work on (lower pouch, inner thighs, and hips) can you give me some adivce on any of this.

Hi Joe -- I got a tape a while back "SPRI's Awesome Abs on the Ball" that will totally fry your abs. Also, get a stablity ball if you don't already have one. They are awesome. I do crunches holding a 10lb plate and its super effective.

My BOSU is my 2004 fitness friend. I love how it trains my core and how my loewr body muscles are always firing.

I think that your accomplishments are outstanding and you should be very proud of yourself.
Regarding abs, genetics is such a big part of this. What you are trying to do is change the shape of your body. It is possible but you have to be patient. I have witnessed a very close friend change her body shape with yoga. She is a die hard yoga person, but man has she seen results. But it has all happened over a period of 2 years. You seem to be in great shape, but as a mother of 2 myself I know how hard it is to get a really good long sweaty workout in. It feels like no matter how much you do nothing ever improves, just stays the same.
Yoga is great for core strengthening. As you strengthen your middle section you should start to see results, but it will not happen overnight.
Good luck!

I sprung the money and bought the sharon mann the works dvd set a couple weeks ago...and love em...great high intensity workout....and also recently purchased trampoline so that I could get in excericse while watching my favorite tv programs (used to using dvd or video tapes while excericsing)......