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The more you want to use it, the more we would recommend that you go for high quality treadmills.

When you understand the basics of a quality treadmill, then it will be easy to find one that is perfect for your home and budget.

Long or short workouts determine the quality of motor you need for your treadmill.

I usually end my treadmill routine with about 15 minutes of quality stretching.

Researches have shown, that during exercising most people forget to breath deeply or they are unable to integrate their breathing pattern with the exercises causing them muscle pain and fatigue after the workout.

Vote in This Week's Poll: Does your spouse/partner have different eating and exercise habits?
While I've sworn off training couples in the same session (which is almost always a disaster), spousal issues almost always crop up with my married clients. One person (usually my client) is trying to lose weight while the other one isn't, which leads to stress, tears and impromptu counseling. I'm no marriage counselor, but I can listen, nod my head, make sure they keep exercising and occasionally say, "I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that threatening divorce unless she starts exercising isn't a great idea."

Just some of the things that can happen in relationships include:

• Sabotage - I have one client who's husband regularly brings home sweets he knows she can't resist and then pretends it was an accident ("There's a supersized Snickers in the fridge? How did that get there?")
• Lack of Support - I once had a client who's husband gave me the stink eye every time I showed up for a session, thinking it was a waste of money. He even watched from the doorway, making snide comments about his wife's form. My response was to teach his wife a few kickboxing moves that would really get his attention and...okay, actually I just turned up the music until we couldn't hear him anymore, but I did kind of want to kick him.
• Excessive Force - In this case, it was the client who was the problem, trying to force his wife to exercise. He set up a personal training session for her as a 'gift' but, from the look on her face, I would imagine she gave him her own little gift after I left the awkward session - and I doubt it was all wrapped up with a bow.

Exercises of the Week - Burpees
Whenever I make my clients do Burpees (aka - Squat Thrusts), I almost always duck to avoid having something thrown at my head - a dumbbell, a water bottle, a grenade...whatever. The reason, as anyone who's done them knows, is that they may be one of the most challenging exercises for your body. They work almost every aspect of fitness - They test your power, strength and endurance as well as your emotional stability and anger management skills. What could be better? (I'd like to ask my clients to refrain from actually answering that question).

There are lots of ways to vary the traditional burpees and I'm highlighting a couple of my favorites today. You didn't know you would be this lucky, did you?

First is a medicine ball burpee with a toss at the end (Warning to trainers: Clients may beam the ball straight at your head - 'accidentally' of course) and the second involves using a BOSU Balance Trainer and lifting it over your head for added intensity. Both include an element of instability, so practice the moves first by stepping back instead of jumping or just doing the move without any added equipment.

Med Ball Burpees

Squat and place a medicine ball on the floor. Hold onto it (keeping the hands directly under the shoulders) as you jump both feet back into a pushup position. Jump the feet forward, stand up and toss the ball in the air or at your trainer's head. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

BOSU Balance Trainer Burpees

For this version, start the burpee on the BOSU BT with the dome side down. Jump back into a pushup position, jump forward and then lift the BT overhead as you stand up. Make sure you lift with your legs and keep your abs engaged to protect your lower back.

Exercises of the Week - Burpees originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 05:00:14.

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Avoid Weight Gain on the Road
For our last holiday of the summer, my husband and I will be embarking on a road trip of epic proportions (okay, we're only driving a few hours, but it will feel epic). There will be arguments over what music to listen to, when to stop for the bathroom and the purchase of gas station junk food which is, for some reason, synonymous with road trips.

With many of us hitting the road this Labor Day, there will no doubt be many arguments across the country over just these issues, but there are ways to ensure you'll have a healthy road trip.

One way, of course, is to bring a cooler full of healthy snacks so you won't be tempted by the shiny, pretty boxes of snack cakes at the gas station. Sure, carrots aren't as much fun as, say, jalapeno and fire-roasted beef jerky flavored Doritoes, but they're better for your waistline and they won't stain your fingers an alarming orange color not found in nature. (Is there any chance my husband is buying this argument?)

You'll find more ideas in my article, Avoiding Weight Gain on the Road.

Are you taking a road trip this year and, if so, how will you eat healthy and stay active? Leave a comment to tell us about it.

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