How about self-esteem? 64% of Americans are overweight. That is almost two-thirds of population. If you think that a figure like that and skyrocketing sales of prescription anti-depressants aren't related, you now have a second opportunity to stop reading this article and continue on with your day.

Here is bottom line, folks: Exercise and a reasonable nutrition program are necessary for ALL people, for their ENTIRE lives. Note, however, that I said "exercise", and that I also said "reasonable nutrition program". At no point did I say anything about spending 2 hours per day at gym, or about eating nothing but carrots and celery for rest of your life. Why? Those practices are just as ineffective at long-term weight loss as diet pills and late night infomercial products. Here is what DOES work:

1)Weight/Resistance Training - Weight training for both men and women has same effect - it makes your muscles more metabolically active. In simpler terms, it means your muscles will burn more calories - even when you are sleeping. Muscle is only site on your body where bodyfat is broken down. Weak muscles = weak metabolism. Weak metabolism = slow calorie burning. 2)Cardiovascular Training - Contrary to popular belief, this type of training is meant to help your cardio-respiratory system function more effectively, and ultimately to last longer. Does it burn a lot of calories? Sure it does. However, if you don't combine it with resistance training and supportive nutrition, you'll likely just burn off water weight and muscle tissue that you worked so hard for up in step number 1. 3)Reasonable Nutrition Program - Quality sources of complex and fibrous carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and lean sources of protein. Eat those nutrients in reasonable proportions frequently throughout your day, and your metabolism (refer again to #1) will crank up to high, and you'll be burning more calories on a day to day basis than you ever have before in your life.

So far we have seen that not only can exercise keep us out of a nursing home, but it can also keep off excess levels of bodyfat which will - literally - keep us alive. We haven't even touched on sports performance, recreational activities, improved energy levels, ability to focus, or many of other benefits of a regular exercise program.

Personally, I'd be happy with just staying out of a nursing home, and staying alive long enough to look good in a bathing suit. What about you?

To summarize, here are but a few of ways that you can cross train your muscles:

* Heavier Weights * Higher Number of Repetitions * Change Position of Your Body * Modify Speed of Exercise * Use Machines as well as Free Weights

Challenging Your Cardiovascular System

Just like muscular system, your body will find ways to adapt to cardiovascular training that you do, and before long you will stop seeing a high degree of results. Let's try to use some of same concepts that we applied to resistance training, and see if they also apply to cardiovascular training!

Heavier Weights

How can you make yourself heavier? Most people are trying to make themselves LIGHTER when they exercise! However, if you are able to find a safe way to increase total amount of weight that your body is moving during cardiovascular training, don't you think that activity would be more difficult, and force your body to adapt? Sure it would!

A common method that people use to do this is one that you should NOT do, and that is strap on wrist weights or ankle weights, or to carry dumbbells while you are doing cardio. Although this does increase total amount of weight being moved by your body, it also puts a stress on your joints that is not natural, and therefore, not a good idea. However, alternatives that DO work include putting on an adjustable weighted vest, or even just strapping on a backpack with some weights or books in it! The idea is to keep additional weight as close to your body as possible, away from easily damaged joints.

Higher Number of Repetitions

Although you don't normally count repetitions when you are doing cardio, you DO take a certain number of steps, have a certain number of revolutions per minute on elliptical or bike, or you take a certain number of steps on stair master. Do you think that increasing those numbers would help? You bet! Whether it be by staying on equipment for longer, or just working out harder to get a higher number of steps or revolutions in same amount of time, either way you have changed stimulus on your cardiovascular system (not to mention your legs!), and by reacting to that new stress, your cardiovascular system will burn more calories while adapting to new program.

Change Position of Your Body

You may be asking yourself at this point just how many positions can body be in when you are walking on treadmill? The answer is PLENTY! Changing incline of equipment is an obvious way to change position of your body, provided you continue to STAND UP STRAIGHT. If you hunch over, or grab machine for support, you are defeating purpose. What about leaning backwards or forwards when riding a bike, or peddling an elliptical? By changing angle at which your legs are pushing on machine, you are most certainly changing stimulus, forcing your body to adapt!

Modify Speed of Exercise

This one pretty much goes without saying! Go faster, and you'll burn more calories, and elicit a new adaptive response from your body. However, what about going slower? What if you are used to Cycling class where your instructor seems to be made of steel, and can spin his/her legs around 80,000 times a minute for 30 minutes straight? Can slowing down be as effective as that? Sure it can! Trying reaching down to tighten up resistance knob on that bike past your normal comfort level, and it's guaranteed that your body and your legs will have to find a new way to provide energy, even though you are actually going slower than you were a few minutes ago.

Use Machines as well as Free Weights

Other than what we discussed above with weight vests/backpacks vs. ankle/wrist weights, you really don't use free weights during cardio. However, you DO ride a treadmill or an exercise bike or a stair master on a regular basis, right? Trade those machines in for real thing! Go outside and go for a brisk walk or a jog. Use a REAL bike and get out for some fresh air and an invigorating ride around your area. Find a tall building in your area and walk up and down stairs. It's a safe bet that after a few flights you'll be wishing you were back on stair master with it's motorized movement assistance!

The examples above have been just a few ways that you can cross train your body. There are many different training protocols, and literally thousands of different exercises that human body is capable of. You should research as many different training protocols as possible, and even enlist aid of a personal trainer if you need help setting up a program for yourself, or to change program that you are already on. Remember, key is to make your body ADAPT to new stimulus as often as possible!

Now get out there and get some exercise!