The hardest part of getting into good shape and staying there is motivation. Our inspiration to stay in shape changes with the seasons. We have holidays to consider, cold winter days, and all of those gadgets of convenience which keep us from maintaining a daily routine or exercise. However, we really should be wise about the way inactivity affects our bodies and our health.

An important component of keeping your body in top physical condition is your body fluid level. Without your body being in top physical condition, your workout will not be as effective and you will be more prone to injury.

As you exercise, your internal body temperature rises, leading to the body releasing internal fluid to the outside via millions of sweat glands and heightened respiration.

Whether you are running, cycling, paddling, performing aerobics routines or using cardio machines, the traditional method for monitoring exercise intensity is to measure heart rate. For the purpose of general fitness improvement, this allows you to determine whether you are working within your aerobic training zone - the intensity that most effectively improves the cardiovascular system without becoming uncomfortable and causing premature fatigue.

The top 5 fat burning exercises burn so many calories and melt away fat because they increase oxygen demands and get your heart rate way up by working several muscles at once. They should be done at a vigorous pace and with little to no rest in between exercises.

Remember to always consult your doctor before starting an exercise program.

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Nothing beats waking up in the morning with the thought of going to the gym to lift weights or jog on the treadmill. After a hard days work, the gym is one place you don't even want to think about. Sometimes, even the thought of exercising at home with your own equipment can be less than desirable, which is why many people in San Diego and other cities all over the world turn to personal trainers to stay motivated.

You can become lean, more energetic, and happier by making a few easy decisions in your life. Below are ten tips to get you started.

1. Lift weights. An effective strength-training regimen adds lean muscle mass to your body. Each pound of lean muscle mass burns, on the average, 13 calories a day; that means, if you gain an additional ten pounds of lean muscle, you will burn an extra 130 calories per day.

OK, so sweat isn't particularly the nicest of topics to talk about. People spend vast amounts of money on deodorants to stop themselves from sweating. It's no wonder either because sweating can turn smelly and make our clothes wet and uncomfortable to wear. The thing is though that our bodies need to sweat in order to be able to keep in good health.

You can lose weight quickly. You can shed fat from your belly and under your arms with rigorous but smart exercise. You can get a lean, athletic build. You can even show off your muscles by losing that pesky layer of fat that obscures your tone and definition. It is not a matter of training for hours on end every day. It is a matter of making every minute of your exercise as efficient as possible.

We know cardio is essential to improve the cardiovascular system. This goes without saying. When many people don't realize, is that cardiovascular exercise can be useful for losing weight as well as gaining weight; for increasing endurance as well as increasing power, size, and strength. The difference is in training energy systems. You can train your anaerobic energy system (builds power and strength) while participating in a cardio workout, just as easily as training you can train your aerobic energy system by performing super-high-rep circuit training on the weight machines (boo).

Could it be that nearly everybody (including me)dispensing advice on how much to drink is totally wrong? Apparently a new theory is being proposed that could change the drinking habits of endurance athletes.

During exercise, nobody disputes the fact that significant dehydration impairs performance and can lead to life threatening heat stroke.