If you think you get a better workout, or feel motivated to do a harder workout when you're listening to your favorite tunes, it's not your imagination. Recent research actually shows that people exert more effort and don't mind doing so when they're pumping to the jams.

Group fitness instructors...

Are you thinking about it yet? You probably will be soon... once all the eggnog wears off and your holiday hangover starts to give you pangs of guilt.

But fear not. Here are 20 ways to get you started up or back on track to a healthier, fitter lifestyle....

First there was McDonald's, then Burger King then, almost overnight, dozens more following the same franchise business model sprang up. Seems like this is what's happening in the fitness world now too, only not as fast. Let's face it, more people east fast food than go to gyms (sigh).

I've been a fitness trainer for close to 20 years in L.A. Yes, I've trained some celebrities, though not anyone who's body you'd see splashed on the cover of US Weekly in a bikini, so that's probably a good reason you don't know my name. Most of my private clients...

Did you used to think you can "catch up" or "store up" on sleep? I did, until I was watching one of those news magazine shows several years ago and I was surprised to learn that once you miss a good night's sleep, you can't get it back. The damage...

Can you shake yourself fit? It's not a new concept actually. The Russians used vibration training exercise on cosmonauts when their researchers found this technology could prevent loss of bone density and muscle tissue, two major problems caused by spending an extensive amount of time in zero gravity....

It's crunch season! Literally and figuratively. Forget about the obligatory New Year's drivel when most people talk about losing weight and getting in shape. No matter how well-intentioned you are in January, come February or maybe even March, the majority slide down the slippery slope and back into old, unhealthy...

It's almost impossible to turn the exercise-averse or fitness-phobic couch potato into a workout-aholic. Believe me I've tried. No amount of touting the benefits of regular exercise, from looking and feeling better, to reducing risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular disease has made a permanent difference in the behavior of...

When you sit down with your sweetheart at your favorite restaurant to share a bottle of wine and chocolate molten lava cake this Valentine's Day, look closely. Are either of you putting on some poundage? Depending on how long you've been in your relationship, there's a good chance those love...

When I started blogging for my favorite blog site, The Huffington Post, (shameless, I know), Arianna was on a mission to get more sleep and blogging about the changes more z's made in her life (Sleep Challenge 2010). A difficult lifestyle change to embrace for a woman who...

How much thought you put into hiring a contractor for your house, a CPA for your taxes or a doctor for your health? You probably feel more peace of mind when you see diplomas, licenses and referrals from past clients, right?

So when you set out to hire a personal...

It started for me right after daylight savings time -- as it does most every year. When the days get shorter, my appetite gets bigger, my willpower gets weaker and I feel like sleeping more. I needed help. This year, I gave in to the mass marketing of the dietary...

This is not really a trick question. The answer is simple. Any cardiovascular workout that gives you a higher heart rate for a longer period will burn more calories, thereby helping you lose weight and get fitter faster. So, yes, if you can keep your heart rate higher while walking...

It's probably the weightiest question in the gym world. What's more effective? Lifting light weight and doing high reps or lifting heavy weight and doing low reps? Body builders and power lifters aside, there seems to be an all too common dividing line between men and women when it comes...

When you hear the word cardio, what activities come to mind first? Jogging? Riding a stationary bike? Striding on an elliptical machine? Maybe you enjoy the repetitive "no brainer" aspect to these familiar movements. Nothing wrong with that, except the body gets a little bored with the same old, same...

If you've ever been up late at night channel surfing, you've seen them. A tan, svelte, perfectly toned woman, glistening with droplets of water dripping down her belly and thighs as she emerges from a pool and into the arms of a sexy man with rippling muscles and washboard abs....

I think that old adage about the American dream being a house with a white picket fence is pretty stale. If you ask me, I think the new American dream is coming up with a great idea and making it a profitable success... then the house, the fence and if...

Every year when summer approaches I hear more and more murmurs about the scourge of bikini season - cellulite. If you're post-pubescent and a woman, chances are you have some. Cellulite is a term that describes the dimpled look of subcutaneous fat cells. It's caused by fibrous strands of connective...

Have you noticed little lapses in your memory as you're getting older? (What did I walk into this room for? Where did I put those car keys?) Is it getting harder to remember names and dates, or to stay focused on one train of thought? (What was I saying?) Could...

On the heels of the LA Marathon, the 26.2 mile race signifies the feat of mind over body - the ability to mentally overcome the pain or discomfort of the long distance run. But if you were a compulsive marathoner, would you change your behavior if you knew...