The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just came out with a new report. While the CDC isn't usually known as a harbinger of uplifting news, I have to admit a certain amount of deflation upon hearing their findings that 80 percent of all Americans don't get enough exercise.

Many gym veterans can recall how doctors and other healthcare providers maligned squats and recommended leg extensions. Squats were supposed to be "bad" for the knee and leg extensions were supposed to be "good" for the knee.

Personal trainers were not quite right for me either, their rabid personalities never really meshing with mine. Specifically, their sheer enthusiasm and their love of the outdoors only served to highlight two things I fundamentally dislike: sheer enthusiasm and love of the outdoors.

Biggest Loser contestants are doing it, celebrity trainers do it, NASCAR drivers do it, pro sports teams are incorporating it into their conditioning programs. Here are five reasons why you should try it.

Richard Simmons "Sweat" class was my fantasy exercise class -- a real full body workout, inside and out. If my abdominal muscles were not sore from laughing so much, I'd think I had been dreaming!

Take a second to think about your gym routine. Got it? Now, I bet you feel pretty good about the fitness moves that you've incorporated -- you're hitting the big muscle groups, and plus, these moves are so popular that they have to be effective. Right? Wrong.

Make the most of your time. A quality, intense workout always exceeds a long, mediocre workout. On the flip side, remember that too much of a good thing is still too much.

Whether you hit the gym first thing in the morning -- or, like me, end your day with a long-distance run -- it is all too easy for us to counteract our workouts by our actions throughout the day.

I work out. I rarely eat baguettes, cheese or chocolate (except when on assignment -- I'm a food writer). And like many women, I like to fit into a small pair of jeans. But I wanted it both ways when I spent a week in Paris with two girlfriends last summer.

Let's exercise and do it well! That is a major ingredient in maintaining a healthy body and a healthy soul.

March Madness is in full swing! If your favorite team is still in the lead, you may feel like you can't miss a second of the game. Rather than sacrifice your workouts all weekend because you have to keep your eye on the TV, why not work out with your friends as you watch all the fun?

There is no question that in order to become skillful at any sport or fitness activity, you need to participate in and practice the activity. But if that is all that is required -- practice, practice, practice -- how come not everyone that practices a lot excels at what they do?

The patterns that you repeat on a daily basis will eventually form the identity that you believe in and the actions that you take. You can transform your identity and become the type of person who doesn't need motivation to perform well.

In his recent critique of CrossFit, Blogger Matthew Basso succeeds in warning readers of an alarmingly dangerous, unorthodox, and ineffective fitness program. The only drawback to Basso's article is that he critiques a program that doesn't exist.

I fully agree that strong abdominals are very useful and important to have. But this is not the full story. The most powerful muscles of our body are all the muscles that are attached to the pelvis, what I call the "power center."

Working out to become fit means that you're strengthening the systems of your entire body for everyday, peak performance. It's a lot like servicing your car. And that is what your main goal should be.

There is a trick to creating the desire to work out early and to ensure the effectiveness of the exercise at hand. You need to let yourself ease into the movements through a playlist with a musical arc that allows you to do so.