Since reading Women Food and God I’ve been thinking a lot about the excuses that keep us from reaching our nutrition goals. Below are three common stories we get stuck on. Do any of them sound familiar?

“I deserve to indulge.”

I worked hard today. I deserve a treat.

This is a little chat I have with myself as I’m heading to the Starbucks drive-thru for a pumpkin spice latte. ALMOST EVERY DAY.

Rewarding ourselves with food can be problematic (and I’m not even talking about the latte factor). It’s not that we don’t deserve props for our accomplishments. And it isn’t necessarily bad to use treats as rewards. The problem is that we have LOTS of accomplishments, and since we’re practically trained from birth to use food as a reward, we also tend to forget that there are other rewards.

When we start to deserve The Great Wall of Chocolate every day after work, or equate our self-worth with the number of lattes we get to have, our waistlines are pretty much doomed.

“I eat poorly because [enter external factor here].”

Twice a month I work with adults who are at an elementary school literacy level. For almost a year, I have been disappointed and even frustrated about how much attention they give their disabilities. Just when they make a breakthrough in their reading or writing, they yank the conversation back to their limitations, recounting the same stories — childhood traumas, bad influences, genetic setbacks that caused them to fall behind in school — over and over again.

I just didn’t get it. It’s good to understand the setbacks, I thought, but don’t they want to use these stories as a springboard to move forward? They want to progress, so why won’t they let themselves do it?

What I didn’t realize (until reading Women Food and God last month) is that this is common. We all get stuck in our limitations, and many of us do it in our approach to food. We eat poorly because:

• we work 60 hours a week
• we don’t get a lunch break
• it’s cheaper to eat out
• the diet industry is a big fat lie

The truth is that we can work around all of these things, but our limitations have come to define us. Geneen says we’ve been telling the “victim of circumstance” story for so long that not only does it feel comfortable to us, but we think it’s what other people want to hear too.

If we suddenly strutted into a coworker’s office or mom’s kitchen and said that we’re feeling quite confident today, or proud of ourselves, or optimistic about the future, well — wouldn’t that just make them uncomfortable?

“My life would be better if I was skinny.”

How does this story keep us from losing weight? Because deep down, we know it’s not true. On the one hand we are lured forward, mesmerized by the promise of bliss, but on the other, we know it isn’t real.

Many of us have already been there: like Geneen’s students, we arrived at thin, toned and strong and still felt like crap — so we let the muscle turn back to mush. It didn’t make us feel better, so we’re not doing it anymore.

We say that, anyway. Yet we know we’re unhappy because of something else, something behind the weight that we don’t want to deal with. Granted a lot of diets out there don’t work or don’t last, but often people just don’t stick around to find out.

Maybe we even choose certain routes because they won’t work. Take miracle diets. We blame the government for letting us waste $35 billion a year on weight loss products that aren’t FDA-approved and do nothing but give us the jitters. But let’s be honest: we knew they wouldn’t work! Perhaps we want to feel like we’re taking steps to change our nutrition approach, but we are avoiding a bigger issue.

So how can we end the storytelling that is keeping us from eating healthy?

Geneen offers a lot of eye-opening ways to shake the stories, which I would like to explore in future posts. I also like Deepak Chopra’s simple wisdom:

Every moment is a new beginning. Peel away all the labels you and others have given you and what is left is existence, awareness, bliss.

What are some of the stories you’ve ditched to achieve your goals?

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But now that you’re older, you probably have your own definition of ‘in shape.’ For some, being able to walk up the stairs without having to bend over and catch your breath is being in shape. For others, the complete absence of visible fat means you’re in shape.

I have my own formula to determine if my clients are in shape, and it goes like this:

5 Things That Determine If You Are In Shape

#1 Flexibility

I’m not talking about being able to touch your toes. What I look for is flexibility that doesn’t limit range of motion. This level of flexibility is sometimes referred to as functional flexibility. For example, if you are doing a lunge, do you have the flexibility in your hip flexor to complete the movement without leaning forward?

Here are some active stretches to improve your functional flexibility.

#2 Balance

Each joint plays a role in keeping you balanced. The muscles that support the joints need to be strong all around the joint. If one side is stronger than the other, or if all the muscles around the joint aren’t strong enough, it creates an imbalance.

A strong core is vital to being balanced. Your core coordinates the movement of the upper half of your body with the lower half of your body. The stronger your core is, the greater your ability is to resist forces that would push you off balance. Core strength is essential to decreasing the effects of aging.

Here is a basic core routine to get you started on strengthening your core.

#3 Strength

When I look at strength I am not looking at how much weight someone can curl. Strength is the ability to complete basic movement patterns without having to compensate, then being able to add resistance. Going back to the lunge example, I am looking to see if the individual can perform the movement with perfect form. Do they keep 70% of their weight on their front leg? Do they push up instead of laterally as they stand up? If the answers are yes, the individual is strong enough, flexible enough and balanced enough to do the exercise.

How to perform a lunge correctly.

#4 Endurance

I bet you’re thinking that I make my client run a mile or something like that. I actually prefer to see how they preform on metabolic circuit challenges. Burpee/Dumbell Swing Pyramids are a good way to test how they perform after 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 5 minutes of intense exercise. Metabolic circuits are my preferred form of cardio for my clients, so I want to see how well they perform doing them.

Here is a basic metabolic workout.

#5 Body Composition

Body fat is my key body composition test. Measurement of the waist and hips also tells me a lot. Weight is probably the least important but we do track it. Keeping body fat in a healthy range and decreasing body fat around the waist is going to make a big difference in your long-term health. And being in shape for a lot of people means getting rid of that extra weight around the midsection.

So, are you in shape? If you want to prove you’re, do a Burpee/DB Swing Pyramid and post your time. Start at ten and do ten of both. Then do nine of each all the way to one.

If the pyramid doesn’t appeal to you, leave us a comment about what being in shape means to you!

In case you haven’t heard, the Ask Fitness Coach team has been nominated as the official goof-offs experts for the U.S. News blog On Fitness. Meet us over there once a week as we dig up little-known tips and surprising research to share with a news-seeking audience of, oh, 100,000+.

Do we tone it down a little for our mass audience over there? Yep.

Are we still dishing on the fat-blasting power of things like greek yogurt, omelet breakfasts and hoopilates? You bet!

So without further ado… pop over to U.S. News and check out the latest:

Fall’s hottest ways to work up a sweat

Then tell us which of these sizzlin’ workouts you think burns the most calories. And which are you brave enough to try?

Just the thought of putting my toe on the starting line gave me a pit in my stomach. The more I thought about running my first race, the more I dreaded it. I was completely psyching myself out mentally before I ever even took one step. I was literally afraid to run my first 5K.

Afraid? Of what? Exercise maybe?

Truthfully I had pounded out the 5K distance probably 10 or 12 times before race day. It was something I had done and redone. Yet for some reason the thought of running that distance in such a formal fashion scared me to death.

I found myself fretting over the most ridiculous things.

• What if I get lost?
• What if the other runners make fun of me for being slow?
• What if I can’t finish?
• What if that burrito I ate for lunch yesterday decides to strike back?
• What if?
• What if?
• What if?

Looking back I can’t believe some of the doubts that were filling my head.

I can’t imagine I’m alone in this, so I thought I’d give you a few reasons to have confidence going into your first race. Whether it be running, cycling, swimming, or public transit surfing (trust me, it’s a sport), there’s no reason to fear race day.

You’ll Always Set A Personal Record

One of my big concerns before my first 5K was running S L O W. I had visions of the timekeepers having all of their equipment packed, just waiting for me to cross the finish line so they could go home.

Looking back I can’t believe I was concerned about my time at all. I was running a 5K! 8 months earlier I wouldn’t have been able to bike a 5K… downhill… to a Burger King.

On race day just focus on doing your best. Push yourself and don’t focus on your time. Leaving a race knowing you did your absolute best will be much more rewarding than a number. It turned out I actually did set a personal record that day. I ran the fastest 5K I had ever run, and it wasn’t because I was “making good splits” or staring at my watch. I just held up my head and ran the best I could. It was that simple.

There Are No “Mean Girls” At A Race

In the same way I was afraid of holding up the timekeepers, I thought about all of the veteran runners who would be running sub 20 minute 5K times. What would they think of the guy crossing the finish line in almost twice that much time? I imagined eye rolling, and finger pointing, or at the very least some talking under the breath. You know what though? There wasn’t any of that.

I wish I could portray in words the positive energy you experience at a race. Especially for those of you who have never run a race before, I wish I could pass the feeling of community, camaraderie, and overall coolness that exists at a race right through your computer screens. Everybody wants everybody else to succeed. The early finishers almost always stick around to cheer on the later ones. Everybody who crosses the finish line really is made to feel like a winner. As cheesy and cliché as it may sound, everybody who runs, wins.

For years I mocked people who paid to run. The whole concept made absolutely no sense to me. For anyone sitting on the fence about running your first race, open up your wallet and put the money down. It’s totally worth it!

You Can Only Control What You Can Control

I allowed my head to get so full of “what-ifs” that I really started to forget what the race was all about. It was about me doing something I had never done before. It was about accomplishing something I had trained for. It was about a former 400 pound guy crossing the finish line and hugging his wife and kids.

The possibility of burrito revenge is real. There’s also a possibility of getting lost I suppose. Although I have to say that was by far my most ridiculous fear. You might turn an ankle or it might be pouring rain. Those aren’t things you can control.

You can however plan your nutrition for your best performance. You can put on rain gear, and you can watch for potholes. You can make sure you complete your training and prepare yourself the right way. Put all those things into place and the only thing you’ll worry about on race day is where to eat your post race meal.

These days I’m looking at produce in a whole new light. Now that I go grocery shopping with my fake-food-blockers on, I’m reveling in the bright and tasty delights of the produce section. Today, bell peppers caught my eye, so I bought a basketful and came home to read up. Turns out, these brilliant peppers are not only a delightful flavor accent — they pack a whollop of healthy attributes on their own.

A few of the bell pepper’s benefits:

• It contains vitamins A and C. (It’s back-to-school and the weather’s changing — if you aren’t thinking antioxidants right now, you’re crazy.)
• It has anti-inflammatory properties. Sufferers of arthritis, asthma or psoriasis should definitely dial into the bell pepper’s calming effects.
• It contains fiber. Appetite control, anyone?
• It can settle your stomach. While this surely isn’t true of spicy peppers, sweet peppers can alleviate symptoms of indigestion, acidity, nausea and heartburn. They can even ward off peptic ulcers.

So, Red or Green?

Green peppers are red or yellow peppers that haven’t ripened — which I honestly didn’t know until today. Does that mean they’re all equal?

Nope.

Red bell peppers pack triple the vitamin C and eight times the vitamin A, MSN Health reports. Not to mention reds have way more carotenoids. If you’re feeling wild, swap your sweet pepper for a hot one, which MSN Health says can help you burn extra calories by increasing your body heat production after consumption.

But back to bell peppers: should we even bother with green? Well, why not. They taste good, they’re cheaper, and they still have a healthy dose of nutritiousness. Since they never fully ripened, they also have a longer shelf life.

Whatever color you choose, buy ‘em now: they’re at their prime in summer and early fall. Oh, and pick the good ones, advises Men’s Fitness. We probably don’t need experts to tell us this, but pass on the shriveled, blemished and cracked ones, they say — the healthy bell pepper is robust, glossy and firm.

Get ready to ring your bell… peppers!

Now you know that peppers aren’t just healthy because they can make a nutritious (but really dull) dish taste great. For better health and a straight shot at shedding pounds, crunch into a pepper by itself, toss some slices on your burger, or add it to one of these lovely dishes:

Asparagus, tomato & red pepper French bread pizza – Let your veggies take center stage with this great red bell pepper recipe from Mayo clinic:

Arrange French bread slices on a baking sheet. Add pizza sauce and a mixture of diced asparagus, Roma tomatoes, red bell peppers and minced garlic. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 F until the cheese is lightly browned and the vegetables are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Couscous & peppers – This delightful bell pepper recipe from Real Simple really couldn’t be any simpler:

Cook a box of couscous and stir in 1 diced bell pepper, a can of chickpeas, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper… and voilà!

Stir-fried vegetable & shrimp omelet – You know you can’t go wrong with a healthy, mega-filling omelet for breakfast, but have you ever whipped one up for dinner? Follow Martha Stewart’s lead and slip bell peppers into her sophisticated omelet recipe, which is way too long to put in this blog post (well, it’s Martha!).

For more health-rockin’ foods you’ve probably never thought twice about, check out 8 Foods to Help You Lose Weight, our latest post at U.S. News.

So, bell pepper lovers: what’s your favorite recipe?

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3 Nutrition Musts for Long-Term Weight Loss

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When people are improving nutrition for long-term weight loss, there are two approaches they take: they either make a 180-degree turn and change everything, or they create one new habit at a time. If you’re in the second group, I want to share with you the three things to change first.

#1 – Start a Nutrition Journal

If you’re trying to lose weight, I can’t overemphasize the importance of first understanding how you got where you are. Get a nutrition journal and start writing in it before you make any changes to your eating habits. Write for a week and answer these two questions for each meal:

1. What are you eating? (Track calories and macronutrient content, i.e. carbs, protein, and fat)
2. Why are you eating? (Are you bored, hurried, hungry, stressed, following tradition?)

Doing this will give you insight into your relationship with food and specific things that you’ll have to change along the way. Be honest and don’t judge your answers—at least not yet.

#2 – Focus on Creating Good Habits First

Start adding specific foods and good habits to your daily nutrition pattern. Early on, don’t worry about the unhealthy things you might need to cut out. Rather, focus on improving nutrition by getting the food your body needs to have more energy and feel better.

Pick a specific group of foods you should be eating more of: fruits, vegetables or lean meats are good places to start.  Having them accessible and finding easy ways to prepare them will boost your chance for success in the changes you make.

#3 – Keep It Simple by Having a Plan

Nutrition is simple if you stick to the basics. Make it easy on yourself by knowing what and when you’re going to eat, then making sure it’s available. The fast food industry has grown by leaps and bounds because they know that if they provide a quick and simple solution for your meals, you’ll end up at their window by default.

Life is insanely busy. That’s why improving nutrition is impossible if you don’t plan ahead. You’ll always be left with tough choices (and a pretty good chance of making the wrong ones). Make healthy food readily available and you won’t default at the drive-thru. If you know you’ll be out for long periods of time, take your food with you.

Maybe I should start a fast food restaurant called “All You Should Eat” and give people a healthy option to pick up food in the right proportions.

If there were a fast food restaurant called All You Should Eat, would you go?

Do you have other nutrition musts for us?

Leave your thought in the comments

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In my many failed attempts to lose weight over the years I’ve come across boat loads of free advice.

I’ll tell you what, it’s been worth every penny!

Everybody is an expert when it comes to weight loss. Everyone knows how to lose weight. Ask someone, anyone, “how can I lose weight?” I guarantee you that everybody has an answer. Nobody is going to say “I’m not sure.” The reason everybody has an answer is because different ways to lose weight are pounded into our subconscious every moment of every day. On my morning commute, 2 out of every 5 billboards are weight loss related. There are channels dedicated to weight loss infomercials that run 24 hours a day.

Everyone has an answer.

Which answer is right? I’m not even going to try and answer that question in this post, but over the next few months we are going to begin reviewing different weight loss and exercise programs so stay tuned for that. I know you’ll all be glued to your computer screens when I take my first Zumba class.

I can tell you what doesn’t work though. I’m going to give you five common weight loss myths and I’ll disprove them all in this post. Let’s get started, shall we?

1. Switching to Diet Soda Will Help You Lose Weight – Consuming less calories will help you lose weight is a true statement. Logically, one would think that avoiding calories from soda would help with weight loss. New research however, is showing that diet soda can trigger sweet cravings which could potentially lead to reckless donut consumption.I can tell you from my own experience that switching to Diet soda actually caused me to gain weight. I did a really good job of finding my calories elsewhere when they weren’t coming from my Diet Pepsi.
2. Salads are a healthy choice – For every delicious, nutritious, and waistline-friendly salad out there, there is an evil twin. He wears a lettuce and tomato mask but will occasionally rear his blue cheese full fat dressing when you’re least expecting it. After the initial blow you find yourself inhaling bacon bits and deep fried breaded chicken. 700 calories and 40 grams of fat later, you’re wondering how on earth your you were taken advantage by such a sneaky culprit.
3. Gym memberships are required – I’ve heard the excuse many times. “I don’t have money for a gym pass. I can’t lose weight until I can go to the gym.” My response, “How much does running cost?” Aside from running there are so many exercises that can be done in the comfort of your own home for very little money. A set of small weights, a yoga mat, a jump rope, and an exercise ball can be combined (or used separately) for countless exercises. Check out our YouTube channel for some ideas. We are updating it with more and more exercises every day!
4. Fats are the enemy – In the mid to late nineties, the US went through a low fat phase. Seemingly everything was branded as low fat or nonfat. The problem was that most food producers and manufacturers came up with a fat free product that was loaded with sugar, sodium, and other additives to give the food flavor.
   The truth is that up to 30% of your diet should come from fats. Try to stick with unsaturated fats found in foods like avocados, nuts, fish, and flax seed oil. Fats are more filling than carbs or proteins and will keep you feeling fuller longer.
5. Don’t eat at night – this is one that I hear people talk about all the time. “I’m going to stop eating after 7:00pm. The myth is that calories after a certain hour somehow turn into super calories that attack our bodies and make us fat. The time you eat doesn’t matter at all. Spacing meals out evenly throughout the day is a good strategy, but more important than when you eat, is what you eat.I would say that eating late at night generally turns out bad because cravings are heightened and we make bad food choices. There is nothing wrong with eating late at night. It will not impede your weight loss.

There you have it, 5 weight loss myths officially busted.

What other weight loss advice have you received that turned out to be complete junk?

As we’ve learned from the Cranky Fitness chicks, a little bit of attitude can go a long way in your fitness regimen. But being in a downright bad mood is not conducive to exercise. I’m sure you’ve noticed: when you try to exercise mad, your yoga mat, aerobic step or bike will ALWAYS revolt.

The best way to enter an exercise regimen is calm, confident, and alert. And isn’t that how we’d like to feel all the time? So how do we get there?

The Happiness Chemical

Serotonin is a chemical in the brain with the power to chill us out, lift our spirits, and let us sink into a blissful sense of well-being. Sometimes all it takes to spike our serotonin level is the right food.

Complex carbs are one type of food known to increase serotonin levels. Could that be why Elizabeth Gilbert started her Eat Pray Love journey with a pasta binge? (If you’re going to attempt your own healing feast, I recommend these healthy pasta recipes from Eating Well).

Unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much serotonin. According to Janice Taylor, weight loss guru and creator of the Kick in the Tush Club, high serotonin levels can make us tired, while low levels can make us head for the frozen dessert aisle.

To find that serotonin sweet spot — happy, but awake and in control of your cravings — try one of these approaches.

1. Eat Balanced Meals

Fruits and veggies are serotonin-producers of the energizing variety. Head to the produce section for melon, bananas, apricots, avocado and some dark-green leafy vegetables (source: Mind & Mood Foods).

Vitamin C and the “B group” vitamins are also mood-lifters, and they’re easy to come by first thing in the morning. For a list of breakfast options rich in these and other nutrients, check out our U.S. News article, 5 Reasons to Never Skip Breakfast.

If you tend to suffer from sudden shifts of mood — plunging from ecstatic to sad, focused to foggy-headed — chances are it’s related to something you ate (or didn’t eat). Nutrient deficiencies can flip the mood switch fast, but it’s not just a question of serotonin levels. That’s why you can’t go wrong with balanced meals.

2. Eat Every Three Hours

For those who get cranky when you’re starving, and suffer from that midday crash mentioned above, the ’5-6 meals a day’ mantra was made for you.

Eating frequent meals isn’t just to perk up your metabolism; it can keep your moods high and your brain working at top performance all day long. Those smaller portions will leave you feeling lighter and less sluggish, for a shorter recovery time post-meal.

3. Exercise

OK, this one’s not about eating. But it’s no secret that exercise can boost your mood (especially if you’re laughing.) Several studies have shown that exercise increases serotonin function in the human brain. Exercise has also been shown to increase your energy level, and I think we’ve all experienced that post-gym pep in our step.

Even low-impact exercise like yoga or walking can help you make it through the day, Mark says. Or crank out some HIIT like metabolic circuits if you really need to be raised from the dead. And of course, hold onto that exercise high by eating the right foods after your workout.

…

Going for a mood boost isn’t just a pleasant indulgence — it’s a life saver. Did you know that hostility is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality? Whoa.

Lucky for us, we can snag a mood boost (and health and longevity!) with a few simple tweaks to our diet and exercise routine.

Have you noticed the effects of certain foods or activities on your mood?

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Settle Your Fitness War with Rock, Paper, Scissors

It’s going to take a lot of hard work.

You are going to have to make tough sacrifices.

You will never be a super model.

Let’s be honest, you have been stuffing Ding Dongs in your mouth for 20 years — you’re out of shape.

Man, I am surprised you’re still reading this post. I just wrote the words ‘work’ and ‘sacrifice’ and you are still here. You must be a very unusual person. Maybe you’re a masochist and like pain. Because the words ‘work’ and ‘sacrifice’ sound painful, especially in regard to weight loss, right?

The more marketing messages I come across about weight loss, the more convinced I am that almost everyone is looking for a quick fix. At least that is what’s being sold. We are a part of the fast food generation. Everything has to be done faster and take less time. And marketers know that’s what everyone is looking for. The truth is, it just doesn’t work when you are trying to achieve your ideal shape. (And by the way, you don’t have to look like a super model to have your ideal shape.)

Long-term, sustainable weight loss takes time and patience. Darn, another two words you don’t want to hear: time and patience. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it has to take forever to lose weight. What will take time and patience is developing the habits that will help you maintain that weight loss.

Sacrifice is a whole other problem. When you fill your life with good food and exercise, some things have to be sacrificed. You might just have to give up watching re-runs of The Office and Seinfeld to find time to cook dinner. You might just have to give up 30 minutes of precious shut-eye to get your exercise in. But the amazing thing is this: the sacrifices you make are going to have huge returns.

Forget 5-Hour Energy. Your body, with a little healthier eating and exercise, will have its own clean-burning energy system. You will be more productive. You will feel better about yourself. You will live longer with less illness.

Not a bad exchange. You work a little overtime and with a little patience, the sacrifices you make will change your life.

What words do you not want to hear about weight loss?

What words have you embraced to accomplish your weight loss goals?

Talk to us in the comments.

Listen up, office vultures: if you’ve been feeling a little sore in the neck, shoulders and back lately, you’re ready for some serious upper body stretching. Heaven knows I am. I was surprised to discover how stiff I was when I did Kim Kardashian’s ‘Amazing Abs Body Sculpt’ yesterday.

Think you’re amply stretched? Try a little test:

1. Raise your arms above your head.
2. Pinch your shoulder blades back into a ‘V.’
3. Stretch your arms back behind you and twist your palms out.

Are you in pain? Are your arms tingling? Did you just pass out? Yep — it’s time to get stretching and toning. But back up: did I say Kim Kardashian’s upper body workout is the answer to your pain? Maybe. I think I’ve joined the ranks of women who bought the DVD as a joke and ended up agreeing with the Kim Kardashian workout DVD reviews: it’s “a Surprisingly Awesome Hit.”

Here’s why I liked Kim’s workout video (plus a few reasons I didn’t):

Pros

• Kim may be a little slow on the uptake (or downward facing dog), but thankfully, her fitness trainer, Jennifer Galardi, knows what she’s doing. Like the other two DVDs in the Fit in Your Jeans by Friday workout series, it’s a fairly challenging workout.
• The video kicked off with active stretching for the whole upper body, stretching deep into the muscles we tend to ignore (and a lot of yoga instructors do too).
• It’s like watching “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” or “Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami” but you’re getting buff at the same time.

Cons

• While I loved the stretching series and arm workouts, it wasn’t my favorite core workout. I didn’t feel the burn in my abs and obliques as much as I do with other core exercises.
• Not as funny, or as fun to do, as the other two Fit in Your Jeans videos.
• Push-ups. Ugh.

Summary

We'll see if another week of KK's DVD can fix this!

Being stuck at the keyboard all day can lead to serious muscle and joint troubles (what the kids are calling “laptop-itis“). But a good workout can elongate your spine, open your chest, improve posture, loosen up the wrists and fingers, and relieve neck and back tension — the gamut of the desk-bound lady’s gripes.

I recommend Kim Kardashian’s ‘Amazing Abs Body Sculpt’ for those who want to improve upper body strength and flexibility (esp. if you like laughing while you work out). However, you can take a yoga class or ‘dynamic sitting class,’ or create your own upper body routine to counteract those long days at the office. Next stop: the government’s guide to creating an ergonomic work station.

So, do you think you’ll check out Kim’s workout video? Would you wear a corset to keep your core engaged?

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