I know this is a response to an old thread, but in case anyone else just happens to come across this thread: I don't want to spend money on a gym, where I have to exercise with a bunch of other people around. Not happening. So, I do the following (and has worked for me): * Take 10 minute walks whenever possible -- break time, lunch time, after work -- if the weather is inclement, go to the Mall, CostCo (just don't grab a cart) or Sam's Club. * Do you have stairs in your house? Run up and down the stairs a lot. It helps if you can make an errand, like taking things up and bringing things back down. * Find workouts online, on TV, or buy some DVD's. My favorite on TV is Classical Stretch (PBS) because it's elegant, and you do strengthening and conditioning as well as low-impact aerobics. I'm a school teacher, so one of my other favorite workouts online are with Fresh Start Fitness and Zumba Kids, both done with my students (we all get exercise and have fun doing it). * Every area of the country has trails somewhere. On weekends, find your local trails and hike them, now that the weather is turning nice almost everywhere. * My husband and I took out a membership to our local zoological society. It helps that we live near enough to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Safari Park (formerly Wild Animal Park). Both parks are huge. We walk. And walk. Uphill. Downhill. Then Uphill some more. Last Saturday, we walked 4 miles at the Safari Park. Oh, and we got to see some amazing animals, too. Depending on where you live, you may have a huge zoo or animal park nearby where you will get some walking in. Donna

Following are comments on three ab exercisers in the Feb 09 issue of Consumer Reports: 1. Ab Rocket ($100): Most Ab Rocket exercises were slightly less effective than traditional abdominal exercises in our tests, and the head position bothered some. Diet plan was sound but lacked specifics abut food amounts and diet duration. Good for most beginners, but we found sit-ups slightly more effective. 2. Rock-N-Go Exerciser ($230): Panelists agree that the machine was easy to use, but they didn't feel it provided a workout. Some felt ridiculous or creepy on this machine. Our tests showed it was less effective at engaging abdominal muscles than conventional exercises performed with no equipment on an exercise mat. 3. Red Exerciser DX ($175): As we reported in February 2008, the "core twist strides" in the infomercial and some advanced exercises in the video engaged obliques at least as much as comparable floor moves but might not work abs as well. Good for obliques, but those 4 inches aren't going anywhere without serious dieting. Diet plan provides sound advice, but no maintenance plan. I don't own any of them, but thought this info might be of some help. Good luck!

that a lot of those 'articles' in magazines such as Allure, Self, etc. are nothing more than advertisements. I haven't seen the article myself but I'd be willing to bet that the 'study' being quoted is not a published one; rather it is a study that the manufacturers of the device in question PAID to have done, in other words, they asked the university to do a study on their device that shows their machine to be more effective than crunches. I would take those studies with a GIGANTIC grain of salt! The tobacco industry is famous for this - they have had hundreds of studies done by universities and independent labs over the years, showing that smoking cigarettes does not cause cancer and can actually be healthful! ahhh...riiiiight. I advise you to stick with crunches, and be advised of this old bodybuilders' saying: "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym". In other words, you can have the strongest abs in the world but working your abs is not going to make you burn bodyfat. Most of those models with the six-packs in the ads are professional fitness models whose bodyfat is hovering around 6-8% (men) or 9-13% (women). Rest assured that they did NOT accomplish that low body fat through any of those devices you see advertised in infomercials and magazines! In addition, abdominal fat is usually the most difficult and the last fat to be lost. Body fat loss is very much "first on, last off" - usually the stomach area is the first place that extra fat is stored by your body and it will be the last to go when you're losing it. Given that, it IS a good thing to have strong abs as they support your upper body. The key is in good form and technique. Don't just do a bunch of fast sit-ups or crunches - while you're doing them concentrate on those ab muscles, try and push your bellybutton down to the floor while you're crunching. Don't jerk your head forward with your arms - try to make sure all the work is being done by your ab muscles. The latest issue of Muscle Media is devoted to abs, you may want to go to Safeway and thumb through it. Some great workouts and tips in there - and a lot cheaper at $5.99 vs. spending megabucks on another overhyped device that will probably sit in your closet after the first couple of weeks.

Hi Everyone- 3 months ago I hurt my foot and I believe it is a Jones fracture of the 5th metatarcil.The Dr. I saw dismissed it as tendonitis, and gave me no info or help because the fracture didn't show up on the X-ray. He was supposed to get me an MRI and that was 2 months ago. AS it got much worse from walking on it I went a bought a boot. Make a long story short, the Dr office has been dreadfully unhelpful,(different people call back, lose orders, etc) and I am in severe pain and back in the boot when I thought it was getting much better a few weeks ago,. But I was packing and moving and bending over to carry heavy boxes and twisted my foot and now the bone is painful, red and swollen again. It hurts all night when I try to sleep. I have a hard time finding a new doctor. Should I go to an Urgent care. It has been over 3 months I have been incapacitated. I am a single Mom and have no one to help me or drive me. Driving every day hurts but I have to. I cannot get motivated to go in to Urgent care but think I must. Any advice? (I had also herniated a disc in my back last fall and it took 6 months to heal) I am 49 yr old female. Some of the other Dr office I called said they aren't taking new patients...What to do? I had done this to my foot by taking a leap up into the air and landing on it (the one foot) wrong (was trying to demonstrate a dance move to my kids)It hurt for a few days before I realized something was wrong.