Wouldn't it be great if motivation was a commodity that you could stock up on?

The only difference between the person that gets up off the couch and the person that stays sitting is motivation.

The Blame Game
Sometimes I wonder if we can blame our personality. Some people are wired in such a way that they just "get things done" - including daily exercise. In reality - I don't think we can blame anything.

Set a Goal
Set a goal and contemplate on it. Surround yourself with people who share common goals. Go to websites where you will be motivated to do better.

Since I've started doing (more like attempting) CrossFit - I never fail to be inspired by those who are dedicated, consistent, and just downright fit.

It makes me want to get up out of my chair and do better.

What motivates you?

The other day I was relaxing in some hot pools when I noticed an elderly man leaving the pool. Two people were assisting him, and I held my breath hoping he would make it out without injury.

He was lean as a stick and looked very frail. As I looked I could not help wondering if that will be me one day. Which led me to think about functional fitness.

Making Exercise Useful
It is my desire that I will maintain some level of fitness right through to old age - although we never be sure what life will throw at us.

To me, functional fitness means - the ability to get in and out of a chair easily (squats helps with this). To be agile, balanced, and flexible enough to cope with any of life's activities - such as shifting furniture or picking up my kids.

Power
I know of a woman who is a powerlifter. Recently she was at a shopping mall and noticed a large older woman had fallen and could not get up. At this point two other ladies were assisting but lacked the strength to do anything. It seemed a hopeless situation.

The powerlifting woman alone had the strength to boost the fallen lady into a sitting position.

Now that's useful.

Mixing up your workouts gives your brain some new material too ponder on. For some of us this is essential. I personally cannot stand repetitive tasks in any avenue of my life and the same goes for physical activity.

This week I got to try a dumbbell swing - actually more than one - it was a set of 21 reps. I could almost feel my brain being stimulated by the completely new movement.

Dumbbell or Kettlebell Swing
The movement involves holding a single dumbbell with a two-handed grip. Squat down while holding the dumbbell between your legs. You the come out of the squat position and swing up the dumbbell until it is above your head. You then swing back down (a bit like bringing an axe down) and return back into the squat stance.

It took me a few practice attempts to get the hang of it.

For the next two days after my Trapezius muscles were burning... It could have only been the dumbbell swings.

It's incredible how many gadgets there are around today - and this is a good thing for fitness. As our lifestyle has got more sedentary - it's much harder to get out there and do something. Gadgets can track your progress and give you that little bit of incentive.

Over at diet-blog I posted about the inaccuracies of pedometers. It shows that you do have to pay for quality as most cheap pedometers are inaccurate.

Overall, however, the demand for certain equipment has changed. Yesterday I went into a sports shop looking for a chin-up or pull-up bar. The guy looked at me funny and said he hadn't sold such a thing for many years. He said that most people are buying elliptical trainers and treadmills - and that even a bench is not a huge seller.

This surprises me. Some of the more simple gear can do wonders for fitness. At the moment I am using our washing line frame as a pull-up bar.

Now that's cheap!

I've never been one for the treadmill. I always thought that if you were going to run - you might as well do it out in the open air.

Of course maybe I secretly harbour a fear of falling off. Just like this girl...

One word of advice: Don't eat too much before a gruelling workout.

Today I attempted my second crossfit workout. Prior to the workout I had been snacking on raw almonds.

I tried a "lite" version of the workout - but even so, about half-way through the workout I found myself on the floor - panting like a dog - and struggling to retain the contents of my stomach.

It makes me realise how slack I have become in my exercise habits recently. I mean really slack.

Today's workout combined pull-ups, press-ups, sit-ups, and squats. That's a lot of "ups". Fortunately the squats are without any weights.

It's funny how you can train in a gym full of a hundred different machines - but still be completely out of shape.

I first saw mention of Crossfit in response to a diet-blog posting about Free fitness tools. At the time I had a look around Crossfit and was gobsmacked. This was about serious fitness.

Crossfit seems to combine elements from many exercise disciplines. They post a new workout each day.

A few days ago I decided to have another good look at Crossfit - and for the first time in months - I feel seriously excited about exercise! I'm going to give it a try.

At this point I cannot even do their warmup routine! But hey - everyone starts somewhere.

The time has come for some changes. For so many months now I've been struggling with my exercise routine. It's been the typical weights and cardio thing.

However I've made no progress. But what is progress and what am I aiming for? And that's just the problem. I don't really know what my goals are, and when I do set goals, I feel my body betrays me.

I've been thru various weight training programs that I've made up myself - but I think my mind is just not in it.

It's time for something new...

New research demonstrates the power of exercise.

Called the STRRIDE trial, Duke University measured various health markers in people who were inactive over 6 months. Over the next 6 months the participants engaged in regular exercise.

"In the new analysis, we found that waist size, time to exhaustion, visceral fat and metabolic syndrome scores deteriorated significantly during the six-month period of inactivity during the original STRRIDE trial," Robbins said. "However, after six months of exercise training in the study, 13 of the 17 variables had either reverted to original baseline levels or even improved.

Three levels of exercise were measured: 12 miles of walking per week, 12 miles of jogging per week or 20 miles of jogging per week. From the results it seems that it was not the group with the most intense exercise that got the most results.

I honestly believe that the power of simple exercise should never be underestimated. While aerobic activity is not a health cure-all - there is overwhelming evidence proving the many benefits.

The challenge we face is not in trying to find the 'perfect' form of exercise, but in finding the reasons why most of us do not exercise at all.

Another lesson from this is that positive health improvements didn't come overnight. Six months to regress in health, followed by six months of improving.

Types of Fat
We have adipose tissue all over the body. This tissue is made of adipocytes (fat cells) whose sole job is to store energy in the form of fat. Body fat distribution differs from person to person. There are generally two types of fat storage: visceral (surrounding organs), or subcutaneous (beneath the skin - about 80% of all body fat (src)).

When it comes to losing fat - it often does not go according to plan. Despite many claims of spot reduction (i.e. "lose belly fat first") - it rarely happens this way.

Gaining Fat

Basic Areas

• Women - generally around the buttocks and thighs (gluteofemoral): "pear-shaped".
• Men - generally around the abdomen: "apple-shaped".

Note that these are the predominant patterns - but both 'apple' and 'pear' shaped distribution can be found in either gender.

Specific Areas

Knee	Fat often builds up on the inside region of the knees in women.
Upper Arm	Also common in women, fat build up can occur in the middle to upper area of the upper arm - typically covering the tricep area.
Abdomen	Fat buildup around the navel area is common in both men and women. It is also one of the few fat deposits that are also found in slim women.
Inner Thigh	Fat storage between the thighs is common in women - but also occurs with men. It is more noticeable in women due to the width of the pelvis that in turn influences the position of the thigh (femur).
Outer Thigh	Sometimes called "Riding Breeches" - this area is the most likely place for the pitted or 'quilted' appearance of cellulite. This fat concentration also blends with fat tissue on the inner thigh and the buttocks.
Buttocks	Without fat here - sitting would be quite uncomfortable. Fat is held in place by the gluteal fold. If significant fat is lost from the buttock, then only appropriate training can prevent the buttock from sagging down against the thigh.
Lower Back	This fat concentration often merges with the buttock area.
Chest	Breast tissue comprises the mammary gland (one's 'endowment') surrounded by fat. Men also have atrophied glands and fat in this area. Both sexes gain fat in this area. In men this can sometimes be mistaken for the condition of gynecomastia - a condition that includes not only fat build up, but growth in gland tissue.

Ethnic Variation
There is considerable research showing that fat distribution varies between ethnic groups. For example Asian adults are more prone to visceral and central obesity than Europeans. Mediterranean women are prone to fat gain in the outer thighs.

Losing Fat

Many people compare subcutaneous fat to the layers of an onion. Rather than disappearing from a particular place, it comes off layer by layer from the whole body.

Moreover, the way fat is shed is different from person to person. It tends to go from the most recent place it appeared. If your tummy started gaining first - this will be the very last place for the fat to disappear from.

This is why, for example, a man may complain of getting too thin in the face - and yet still have a small 'spare tire' around his waist. Or a woman may complain of a smaller bust, and yet the hips may have barely moved in inch.

This is further compounded by cellulite. With cellulite tissue, fatty acids are contained in a net of fibrous connective tissue. As fat loss occurs the net becomes compressed - making it difficult for the blood supply to readily remove the fat from these stubborn areas.

During weight loss, the following trends have been observed:

• Obese men tend to lose more visceral (internal) fat while obese women lose more subcutaneous fat (src).
• Exercise seems to result in more subcutaneous fat loss. Diet alone results in more visceral fat loss (and less surface fat loss) (src). This explains how you can lose weight - but not necessarily have any radical change in appearance.

The Outcome

The upshot is - there is very little you can do to influence specific subcutaneous fat distribution. Exercise should always be a part of any fat loss program - but vigorously exercising a specific body part will not have any influence on local fat in that area. This myth has been debunked again and again. Neither will high-repetition (e.g. 20-30 reps) weight training lead to greater fat loss. In fact the loss of intensity may ultimately result in less fat loss than lower-reps with heavier weights. Higher reps are good for muscular endurance (more).

It can be very frustrating but everybody is different. Stay committed to your training and nutrition - and don't be dissuaded by the commercials and images that show perfectly proportioned clones. Understand how your body works, and set achievable goals accordingly.