How to stick with your workouts - Get Fit

Shape, April, 2002 by Kathleen Doheny

If you feel clumsy when you do step aerobics or self-conscious when you run, you're unlikely to stick with these activities. To avoid always starting and stopping exercise programs, just find something you believe you're good at; you'll be more likely to stay with it. A British study found that "perceived competence" was the No. 1 motivation to stay with a workout. To some people, feeling competent means winning or doing well when others make mistakes. To others, it means they gave their best and are improving. However you define it, you'll know when you've found the right match.

Wedding-dress workouts

Any wedding Web site will tell you things like when to order the invitations and how to find a photographer who won't drink all the liquor. Now there's a site that can help you look your best in your gown, even if your wedding is mere weeks away. At fittobetied.tv, created by Bonne Marano, a certified fitness trainer, you can click on a gown category (sheath, strapless, halter top, tank, spaghetti strap, sweetheart neckline, low back or form-fitted) and get targeted training routines that you can do at home or in the gym. Exercises include kickboxing, ballet, Pilates and yoga moves as well as weight and cardio routines.

Linda Lewis

Sharon Cohen

Getting short on time? Buff Brides: The Complete Guide to Getting In Shape and Looking Great for Your Wedding Day by Sue Fleming (Villard, 2002), offers both a three- and six-month program with daily workout schedules. It also has hints on choosing the right gown design for your body type.

women's wear on the web.

* ladiesonlysports.com features clothes and gear for running, tennis, volleyball and more.

* teamestrogen.com specializes in women's cycling gear.

* x-chrom.com features sports bras, bottoms, socks and underwear.

great online gyms.

* Crunch gyms are usually ahead of the curve; so is the Web site. Go to crunch.com (click on "Crunch Life") for workouts, recipes and more. No pictures, but reliable info and great stuff for sale, including videos.

* Plus One is a pricey New York City gym that provides a one-on-one trainer to every member. For the same expertise without the expense, go to www.plusone.com.

* At workoutsforwomen.com, clients receive weekly home exercise programs via online video with written descriptions and unlimited e-mail consultations with a certified trainer ($57 for 12 weeks; lots of useful information for nonmembers too).

* Head to reeboku.com (Reebok University) for a free personalized workout routine via streaming video.

Donna Raskin

Get fit, lose more weight...10 minutes at a time.

Good news for the time-deprived: Yet another study has found that squeezing in brief bouts of exercise works just as well - perhaps even better - to improve fitness and reduce weight as waiting until you have a half hour to spare. Researchers had 30 overweight college women exercise for 30 minutes a day for 12 weeks - either all at once or in 10- or 15-minute sessions. All three groups made similar cardio-fitness gains, but the once-a-day exercisers lost nearly 6 pounds on average, the twice-a-day group 6.5 pounds and those who exercised three times a day 9.5 pounds. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

you'll never walk alone If you're looking for a new walking route or partner, check out the American Volkssport Association's Web site, ava.org. The organization has 450 clubs and hosts more than 3,000 walking events.

Should you brace a bum knee?

Some doctors recommend wearing a brace after having surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee; others don't. When a recent study compared 30 people, average age 27, some of whom wore a custom brace after ACL surgery, there was very little difference in their knees' function or performance. "Braces aren't a major factor in knee stability," says orthopedic surgeon Frank R. Noyes, M.D., chairman of Cincinnati Sportsmedicine and Orthopaedic Center. (Noyes was not involved in the study, which was published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise.) Instead, he recommends undergoing specialized physical therapy that focuses on intensive jumping and other drills to build joint control and strength. A brace won't help prevent an ACL injury either, Noyes adds, but the same strategies used during recovery can help keep your knee injury-free in the future.

Michele Bloomquist

Weight training without weights

In a technique called manual resistance training, a trainer is the weight the exerciser works against. The technique has been used to train athletes at the U.S. Air Force Academy and elsewhere, and now it's being promoted by some trainers as a good way to get the masses into shape. There are pros and cons, says Allen Hedrick, M.A., C.S.C.S., head strength and conditioning coach at the Academy. Though no equipment is needed, both people must know exactly how to perform the exercises. More important, there's no objective measure of the actual amount of exercise being performed. If you're going to try it, Hedrick says, find a certified trainer with a specific background in the technique.