Fitness tip

It's one thing to have a healthy goal (like weight loss) for New Year's, and it's another to set yourself up with unrealistic time lines (like losing 10 pounds by the end of the week). New Year's resolutions can be motivation you need to start the year out strong, but they can also give you unneeded pressure to reach your goals ASAP.

Whether your normal routine has disappeared in lieu of holiday celebrations and cake, or if you've vowed that this is the year that you'll become a gym rat, remember to take it slow. No matter what your starting point, taking it to the next level should involve a slow ramping up and not an all-out body-straining routine, which can not only lead to discouraging aches and pains but also injuries that sideline you even when you want to keep going.

Want some strategies to help you start out slow and build your routine gradually? We've got tips on how to ramp up your workout once you've mastered your current one, how to restart exercise after an injury or sickness, and how to jump back on the fitness bandwagon after your exercise routine has taken a hiatus.

I've been doing push-ups before hopping into bed for a few months now, and I find it both tones my arms and gets me tuckered and ready to snooze. Push-ups are my all-time favorite upper-body exercise because they are so darn effective. It doesn't take many reps before you feel them, and boy will you feel it in your triceps, shoulders, upper back, and core. Here are some tips to keep in mind when doing this exercise.

1. Check your alignment. Shoulders should be over your wrists and your body in one straight line. If it's too difficult to keep your spine straight doing classic push-ups, lower your knees to the floor — knee push-ups still work your arms.
2. Check your hands. Spread your palms and activate fingertips to protect your wrists. Turn your fingertips slightly inward to help target your triceps. Or widen your hands slightly to target your pecs.
3. Check your abs. Pull your navel in toward your spine to engage your core. It not only tones your abs, but will prevent lower back pain.
4. Connect your breath with your movements to make it easier. Inhale as you bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your torso down, and exhale as you straighten your arms and lift your torso back to the starting position.
5. Push-up variations beat boredom and target your body in different ways. Give these variations a try:
   • Elevated Push-Up: isolates one arm at a time
   • One Elbow In, One Elbow Out: isolates one shoulder at a time
   • Spider-Man Push-Up: targets your upper body and core
   • Diamond Push-Ups: targets your triceps
   • Grasshopper Push-Up: increases flexibility in your back and hips

Whether you're working out at a gym, with a trainer, or to a fitness DVD, it's not unusual to be asked to stand "hip-width apart" before performing a specific exercise. Easy enough, right? Not for me, apparently. While working out at Crunch with my trainer Tim, I had to repeatedly be corrected on my form because my stance was always a bit too wide. Seeing my frustration, Tim gave me an easy tip on how to ensure that my feet were in fact, hip-width apart.

Tim had me march slowly in place, stop, and then casually kick up my left leg and allow it to fall back to the ground naturally. He said that this motion would result in a stance that was always hip-width apart — he was right, too. As many times as I tried to fool his system, I always ended up standing with correct form for my exercises. An easy enough tip that has made my exercise stance foolproof!

I don't know about you, but these dark Fall mornings are making it tough for me to climb out of bed. When I should be at the gym getting my workout on, I'm hiding under the sheets waiting for the sun to pluck me from my slumber. With daylight saving ending this weekend things should get a bit easier, but I know I've still got a battle ahead of me. I'm pulling out all the stops with these tips and hoping they can help my fellow not-so-morning people, too.

• Before you go to sleep, set out your gym clothes in your bed so you don't even have to get out of bed to get dressed.
• Do some stretches in bed to get your body breathing.
• Keep a bouquet of flowers on your bedside table. Research shows that people feel energized by the scent of fresh flora.
• Skip the gym altogether and pop in a DVD for a personal exercise routine in your own living room.

Want to see the rest of the tips?

As a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, Valerie Bertinelli lost an amazing 50 pounds on the weight loss system. Fast forward to today, and the actress is training to run the Boston Marathon (her first) on April 19 to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. But before she takes on the 26.2 mile run she decided to take a little jaunt to Italy earlier this month, where she enjoyed lots of pasta, red wine, and oysters. "I ate everything I wanted to and forgave myself," she told People Magazine, "and 3.4 lbs. is all I gained! I can take that off!”

Valerie was able to stay fit during her 10-day vacation by walking everywhere: "The smallest number of steps we took in a day was 11,000. We never caught a cab." By the end of the trip she had clocked in 85 miles! With Spring break either under way or just around the corner, staying fit on vacation is of special concern to many of you — especially if you're spending half your vacation in a bikini! Like Valerie, I do my best to walk everywhere when I'm on vacation so I can indulge on local fare but still feel pretty healthy.

How do you stay fit while on vacation?

Here are some easy-to-do fitness tips from OnSugar blog goddessbody.

You don't have to wear one of those early corsets to change your shape or get into shape. Wearing one of those would be terrible I would imagine. You probably know a lot of these tips already, but here is a reminder. One drop is nothing, but a continuous drip will eventually fill up even a very big bucket. The same goes for all these activities. One might not be enough but a collection will make a difference.

1. Always take the stairs instead of the escalator. As for not taking the elevator that would depend on where you are, on the third or 33rd floor? However, you can also walk down the stairs if it's too far up to walk.
2. Get up and walk to the water fountain on a regular basis. Get enough hydrating drinks, or make an herbal tea to make sure your metabolism doesn't slow down. Also being hydrated stops you snacking so much.
3. Communicate with someone in your office. Opt to get up and go speak to them in person, instead of phoning or sending an email.
4. While on the phone get up and walk on the stop [treadmill], or pace around some.
5. Don't get someone who is popping out to buy their lunch get yours at the same — go with them.
6. In the morning while you are getting ready, turn up the volume and dance around, or walk on the stop [treadmill] while brushing your teeth.
7. People who get a good night's sleep control their weight better, they have less cravings, eat less, and use more energy. Make sure you relax a little before going to bed.
8. Do the vacuuming with more vigor and more often — you and the house will be in better shape.
9. Make your bed every day, put away your stuff every day. You will feel good coming back to a tidy home and you will use more calories.
10. If you live in a two-story home and a bathroom is conveniently situated on both floors, use the bathroom on the other floor, making you walk up and down the stairs.

To see the rest of her tips, head over to the goddessbody blog, or start your own OnSugar blog and share some great tips of your own. Maybe your stories will be posted here on FitSugar!

I don't know about you but working out in the cold can sometimes be uncomfortable because it makes my muscles extra tight. What helps me is to warm up inside before heading out into the chilly weather.

Before a run or bike ride, I do about 5-10 minutes of light cardio inside. Jogging in place, jumping rope, or going up and down my stairs is just enough activity to loosen up my body and get my blood pumping. When I get outside, it's less of a shock to my system. If you'd rather do your warm-up exercises outside, a hot shower is another great way to loosen up your muscles before a cold weather workout.