Whether you're a novice when it comes to exercise or regularly workout, I’m sure you’ve noticed the latest trend of high intensity exercise.

Whether you know it as CrossFit, P90X, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), Tabata or boot camps, what it comes down to is heart-pounding, sweat-inducing, ‘my clothes are drenched and I can’t move’ intense workouts. Intense workouts burn calories.

But more isn’t always better when it comes to exercise. Should you be doing high intensity exercise? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Have you ever wondered if the ab exercises you're slogging through are really the best ones to be doing?  Should you be doing crunches?  Or should you move to

Butt, buttocks, backside, derriere or booty  -- whatever you want to call it, we all want to have a nice one.  *cue sound of a needle scratching over a vinyl

Are you sabotaging your workouts by bringing your smartphone to the gym or having it nearby wherever you're working out? Not only can a smartphone be a major

You've seen it hundreds of times. A nasty disclaimer that begins with a big, red WARNING that gets in the way as you start up an exercise DVD or stream an exercise video. "See a doctor before starting any exercise program," it reads. Here by dragons. This means you. You try your best to fast forward through it, and then don't give it a second thought. I bet you haven't even read FitWatch's disclaimers, right? Sure, a company adds those disclaimers as a "CYB" (Cover Your Butt!), but there are certain circumstances when it's important for you to see a doctor before exercising. We want to help, not hurt, you. When you exercise, certain physiological changes happen to your body.

• You put additional stress on your bones and joints.
• Your body burns fat and glucose for energy to fuel the muscles.
• Your heart rate and the amount of blood pumped to the body increases.
• Your blood flow is diverted away from your abdominal area to provide more blood to the muscles.
• Your blood pressure changes as you exercise: your systolic number -- the number on top -- increases.

It's important to know your whole body is in good working order before you head out for a run, start pumping iron or do a downward facing dog. Here are the questions you should be asking yourself before you start exercising:

Feeling sluggish and unmotivated to exercise? Can't stand the thought of huffing and puffing your way through a strenuous exercise routine?

While getting your heart rate up is an important part of an exercise program, jumping in and going all out is the wrong way to go about things. If you're new to exercise or are more than 20lbs overweight -- or if you have an aversion to *shudder* the big E -- one of the best ways to ease yourself into exercise is to start a walking program. Studies show that people are more likely to stick to a walking program.

See? I'm always trying to set you up for success!

Let me, um, 'walk' you through an easy-to-follow 12 week walking schedule that will having you walking away those extra pounds -- and may even get you to like exercising. (Hey, it can happen!) I'll even tell you one simple tip on how to walk faster. Bet you didn't know this one...

Toning pants are workout pants made with compression panels that make it harder to move your legs. The idea being if you're working harder to move your legs while walking or working out, you'll "tone" your leg muscles much more quickly. In fact, Fila USA (TM) says their toning line "dramatically improves workout efficiency." But do toning pants really work?

Usually, when you think about ab exercises, you picture yourself on the floor, grunting through a variety of grueling crunches. Hardly something you'd do anywhere, anytime -- and definitely not something you'd do in a room full of people outside of the gym, right?

But there's one ab exercise you can do while grocery shopping, giving a presentation at work, sitting on the bus, walking down the street -- really, anywhere, anytime.

Have you ever had that weight loss "moment"? You know the one I mean. That "moment" where you realize that if you keep doing what you're doing, your weight is going to continue ballooning to the point of no return? That moment where you say, "Enough is enough!" That moment where you realize you need to make changes now. Not tomorrow, not 'starting on Monday,' but N-O-W.

Maybe it was when you couldn't breathe while bending over to tie your shoe, maybe it was a number on a scale that you thought you'd never see. Whatever the moment, it's there and it's real. Here's an easy 8 step plan to help you use that moment as a starting point to break out of that weight loss rut that you're in.

When you're looking for a way to stay cool in the summer while still breaking a sweat, a swimming pool is the obvious choice. Not only do you get to beat the heat while having fun, swimming is a great way to burn calories while using the resistance of the water to stretch and strengthen your muscles. You don't have to settle for just lap swimming, though! Instead, hit the waves for a few other forms of aquatic exercise.