And for the past six months, my workout routine has given me very visible results: smaller thighs, better butt, and all around weight loss.

But recently things seemed to have…well….stopped.

It seems that my body has gotten quite used to the old routine. And while experts call this a “plateau,” I call it just plain crappy. I mean, it’s nearly June, dammit. Time to put on the little tops, short skirts and – gasp – bathing suits. This is not the time for a f**king plateau!

That being said, I did some research on my problem and found that there are some things I can do to get off this fat-teau and get into that itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, black and pink flowered bikini I’ve been having nightmares about for the past 3 weeks.

Weights: Cardio burns calories while you’re doing it, but muscles burn those little suckers all day long and give your metabolism a little kick in the ass. Building muscles also tones those not-so-pretty flabby parts and gets you lookin’ a lot better in summer clothes.

Calories: Just like my body got used to my workouts, it can also get used to the consistent number of calories I consume every day. So, it could help to change it up a little. You know, eat 2,000 calories for a few days and then drop down to 1,600 for a few days. This prevents our bodies from getting too comfortable.

Protein: Yes, salads are a great diet food, but eating only fruits and vegetables can leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Proteins, however, will keep you fuller longer, so you don’t find yourself grazing the candy aisle between classes. Proteins also get your metabolism moving, which is a great bonus.

Healthy Fats: It might sound counter-intuitive, but our bodies need fat to burn fat. That means that you gotta put down the unnatural fat free cheese/yogurt/candy and get some healthy fats into your eating rotation. Natural peanut butter, avocado, olive oil and nuts (natural, not the ones that are covered in chocolate/that delicious candy coating) are great options.

Intensity: The easiest way to get off a plateau is to simply turn your workouts up a notch. Running 3 miles a day? Why not set a goal for 4? Add 10 minutes on the Stairmaster, speed up a bit on the elliptical, or take a long walk outside. Any little addition to your workout will help and build your endurance for future workouts.

If only you could snap your fingers Sabrina-the-Teenage-Witch style and have your workout completed and your body looking Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition ready.

Well God is great, but he’s not that nice. Instead, he leaves us messages and makes us feel a little guilty, like the other day when I was waiting for my nails to dry (instead of working out) and I found this pamphlet next to the drying station: “14 Tips and Tricks for Looking Great in Your Swimsuit.” I flipped through the list, somehow managing not to smudge a nail, and now I will share these really great tips with you. (Don’t thank me, thank God. God or the nice Vietnamese people who placed these pamphlets on their drying station).

Brought to you by “Pilatesyourway.com”

1. Mix strength training with cardio. You aren’t going to get Madonna’s arms if you just run every day. Adding a little weight training into your routine (be it with pilates, yoga, or actually lifting some weights) will help you tone all the right extremities and – bonus! – muscle burns more calories than fat. Woo hoo!

2. Don’t eat 2-3 hours before bed. This is by far the hardest rule for college students. Um, my roommate and I have Jimmy John’s and Coldstone on speed dial. But your metabolism slows down when you sleep (Translation: eating pizza/brownies at 2am is much worse than eating those same foods at 7pm), so you may really want to try this little tip out.

3. Eat Breakfast…ALWAYS. (Or if you sleep till noon like me, eat soon after waking up.) Experts say your breakfast will not only keep you from binging later (avoiding the problem in numero dos), but it will kick start your metabolism for the day. Breakfast should include protein (think eggs) and complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, Kashi cereal, whole grain toast).

4. Eat regularly throughout the day. Going Rachel Zoe “I only drink Venti Starbucks teas. OMG, I die! (Literally.)” style won’t help your figure. When you don’t eat, your body thinks you are starving and begins to store fat as a means of survival. The more often you eat, the more adapted your metabolism is to working at burning everything up.

5. Exercise correctly. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people at the gym doing crunches so wrong. There is a reason your 1,000 crunches a day aren’t producing abs like Kara DioGuardi’s. You aren’t doing it right!!! Set up a one-on-one appointment with a trainer in your gym to make sure you’re doing everything the right way. Oftentimes, they’ll provide these for free, so ask!

6. Eat fat to lose fat. Your body needs fat, plain and simple. It helps your immune system; makes your hair, skin and nails healthy; and so much more. Make sure to incorporate some healthy fats into your diet every day. Choose olive oil, nuts, avocado or nut butters.

7. Variety in exercise. The same 45 minute stint on the elliptical will stop challenging your body and will decrease results. Keep your muscles guessing by switching it up each day (and keep your mind guessing by putting your iPod on shuffle). Try running on the treadmill one day, add a little stationary bike into the mix, try a kick boxing class once a week. Just shake things up a bit (literally and figuratively).

8. Enjoy yourself. Impossible you say? Not so! Run outside, swim, kick box, dance, etc. Just find something you like to do. You are more likely to continue an exercise program if it’s something you enjoy doing. Duh.

9. Drink lots and lots and lots of water. 8 glasses a day is recommended for the average Joe (or Josie),  but if you exercise (or, ahem, drink) you need to up that number. Even being mildly dehydrated radically affects how your body performs.

10. Set exercise appointments with yourself. We have all been there: “I’ll go in an hour” and somehow that hour turns into 6 hours later and you are still on your butt watching the American’s Next Top Model marathon (even though you’ve seen all these episodes 3 times) and your workout has gone out the window. If you make a set time to do it each day and make working out part of your schedule (like class and student groups), you will follow through.

11. Eat a lot of protein. Protein helps your body recover and repair after a workout. Upping your protein intake will decrease your soreness and will help result in a longer and leaner body. Ideas include: a few slices of turkey after a workout, a hard boiled egg, or pick up a Magic Bullet (Editor’s Note: BEST. PURCHASE. EVER!) and make your own protein shakes.

12. At the start of a fitness plan, do not be overly aggressive. You will hurt. A lot. You are more likely to stay motivated if you slowly build. Start small – just get moving!

13. Limit your alcohol consumption. Um, okay, so maybe wait till after graduation to follow this one. But really, alcohol not only leads to late night eating (and beer goggles, but that’s a whole different post), it also doesn’t require digestion – the carbs and dietary fats in your favorite vodka tonic are changed into body fat in minutes. Minutes! Such a depressing fact, I know.

14. Always stretch. Stretching improves blood flow, flexibility and muscle recovery. And it feels so, so, so good. Just keep in mind: 1) you should hold each stretch for 20 seconds to get the benefits, 2) you should never force a stretch – only go as far as you can comfortably, and 3)  NEVER bounce. Ever. Ever ever. It is bad for those muscles!

Alright, so now that I’ve done my duty of passing on these tips it’s really about time that I get back to that America’s Next Top Model marathon. I kid, I kid.

Well, sorta. I’m gonna watch it… just on the treadmill.

There may be a way….

According to Women’s Health magazine, it’s possible to burn 400 calories in 15 minutes. Now, if you’re a regular gym-attendee like me, and have spent 30 minutes on the treadmill only to burn 300 calories, this may seem simply impossible. According to WH columnist and physiologist Amy Dixon, however, it’s all about a special workout called the superset, in which you complete two fitness moves back to back without resting.

Not only do supersets cause a serious metabolic spike, they’ll cause you to continue burning fat and calories at a higher rate for up to 16 hours after your workout is over, according to researchers at Colorado State University. All you have to do is complete these exercises twice a week using weights that make it almost impossible for you to finish your last rep.

Here are three of Dixon’s moves. Visit Women’s Health to see all six moves with accompanying pictures. Bye, bye belly flab, hello Miami sun!

Dixon’s first move is called the Leapfrog, and all you need is an exercise step. Start with your feet planted on the ground, jump up onto the step and bend your knees as you land, and then jump back onto the ground (lowering your heels first and your toes second). Continue for sixty seconds.

The second move is called the “Bosu Burpie Pushup,” and all you need is a bosu ball—a blow up exercise ball with a hard, flat bottom (your campus gym should have these!). Place the ball upside down, so that the dome is on the floor and you’re holding onto the base. With your hands on the base, jump back into the plank position, suck in your stomach, and lower into a push up. Then jump back up. Do this 12 to 15 times.

The third move is called the “Power Knee Tap and Touch.” To start, stand to the right of your exercise step. Swinging your left arm to help propel your body, jump onto the step with your left food, and bring your right thigh to hip height. When you land, with both feet touching the floor, immediately lower your left leg into a lunge. Stand up and repeat for thirty seconds before repeating the entire movement with your other leg.

Incorporate this superset workout into your weekly routine and you’ll see results fast. And if you don’t quite get those 6-pack abs you were hoping for before Spring Break (Amy Dixon isn’t God, you know!), you’ll definitely see them come summer.

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It’s time to start lifting weights, ladies!

Some of us love it (like that girl who never goes to the gym and eats french fries for every meal and somehow still wears a size 00) and some of us hate it (when we eat an apple and our thighs starts rubbing together). But does anyone really know what metabolism is or how it works?

Your (my, our) metabolism is really just your metabolic rate, or BMR, which is roughly the amount of calories that you burn when at rest. Like right now as you sit on your couch, feet up, laptop on your lap and a bowl of cereal in your hand. This is the energy that your body uses to keep organs, cells, and digestion all going. It is influenced by your age, sex, height, weight, and the amount of muscle mass that you have.

There are lots of myths around about things that will “speed up” your metabolism, causing you to burn more calories. There are also many surprising truths. I’m going to separation the fact from the fiction and give you all the tools to control your metabolic destiny. Here we go!

Myths

If your mom has a “slow” metabolism, you will too: This is one is half-true. Heredity does play a role in metabolism, but just because mama passed on that snail’s-pace metabolism doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. There are many ways to speed things up: build muscle mass, eat a balanced breakfast and overall diet, snack throughout the day on low-calorie foods, include protein in your diet, and keep moving!

Grapefruit increases your metabolic rate: Its fiber and water will fill you up, and the Thermogenic Effect of the fruit means that your body will use extra calories to digest it, but it won’t speed your metabolism up more than any other food.

Celery is a negative-calorie food: I wish! That would be easy. And I’d be eating a whole lot more celery. But, nope, it’s not so. Celery still has calories, no matter how difficult it is for our bodies to eat and digest it.

Truths

Ice cold beverages and foods rev up your metabolism: It’s true, but the number of extra calories that you’ll burn are definitely not enough to burn off the damage done at Thirsty Thursday. Studies have suggested that drinking five to six glasses of ice cold water could help you burn an extra 10 calories per day. Not too exciting, but those calories could help you burn up to a pound a year without even trying!

Drinking water can help you burn more calories: Say it with me, “I LOVE WATER.” Seriously, you need it. And not just when you’re working out and not just when you’re hungover (or chugging water late-night to prevent a hangover). We all need water all the time! Getting enough water per day for your body weight helps to keep your metabolism, as well as all of your body’s other functions, running at full speed and maximum capability.

Dieting slows your metabolism: Yep! This one’s true, even if it seems counter-intuitive. For every pound you lose, your Basic Metabolic Rate (a fancy term for your metabolism) drops about 2 to 10 calories a day. So, if you manage to lose 10 pounds, you now have to eat 20 to 100 fewer calories per day.  Counteract this effect by gaining muscle as you lost weight; more muscle mass means a faster metabolism!

Protein speeds it up! Protein is far superior to fat or carbohydrates when it comes to your metabolism, because it requires more of your body’s energy (fat!) to digest!  Studies show that you may burn up to twice as many calories digesting protein as carbohydrates. To get enough protein per day, take one third of your body weight and convert it into grams. That’s about how much protein you need to eat to keep things running smoothly.

YOUR BURN MORE CALORIES WHEN YOU’RE PMSING!: I wanted to believe it, I prayed it was true…and it actually is! Pass the Oreos, please!! Yes, PMS cravings ARE related to the boost in your metabolism before your period. Your resting metabolic rate increases between ovulation and the first day of your period and can burn up to an extra 300 calories per day! Woohoo!

Eat well, and often: Though it seems a little backwards, eating balanced meals and snacks every 2-4 hours keeps your metabolism in high gear! This includes breakfast – eat it, people! Even a tablespoon of peanut butter is better than nothing. Breakfast gets your metabolism kick-started for the day and then you can keep it at maximum speed by eating small meals and snacks throughout the day.

Drink Some Coffee and Green Tea: This one’s tough because it is true, but like water, isn’t a huge metabolism booster. The caffeine in coffee will help you burn more calories after drinking it, but very few. Green Tea, which contains a substance called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), may also help you burn more calories, but so few that any weight loss effects are almost impossible to detect.

Lift! For every pound of muscle in you, your body burns 35 calories per day. The body burns just 2 calories for each pound of fat. Conclusion? Weight train!! Increased muscle mass and density will lead to an increase in calories burned because the muscle takes more energy to maintain than the fat. This means that even when at rest you will be burning more calories! (Here are some great exercises that you can do just about anywhere!)

Some Like It Hot: Some studies have shown that hot pepper and very, VERY spicy foods can raise metabolic rates by about 20% up to 30 minutes after a meal. If burning your mouth, turning red, dealing with heartburn and sweating are worth it to you, go for it! But if you’re willing to put in that much work, why not just hit the gym instead?

It's time to try something new. And that includes wearing an actual shirt to the gym.

If magazines like Women’s Health or Fitness are considered a part of your required monthly reading (or, really, as long as you haven’t been living under a rock), you have probably learned that switching up your workout routine is vital. In addition to being a surefire way to speed up weight  loss by ensuring that you’ll burn more calories, varying the things you do at the gym will ensure that your body is up for any challenge.

Now, if only I had listened…

Last week, I returned home from school for the long-awaited Christmas break and was informed by my mom that I would be accompanying her to her training session. She works out once a week with a nice (and semi-attractive) man who seems to be pretty un-intimidating, and seeing that she is a 52-year-old mom and I’m a 22-year-old rock star in pretty good shape, I figured that it would be a piece of cake. I can run on the treadmill, right? I can do bicep curls with ten pound weights! Bring it on!

Instead, I was forced to endure pull ups (I cannot do these), lunge and squat around the entire room while carrying crazy weighted sticks, lie down on that squeaky medicine ball while doing sit ups, fling around little black weights that looked like cowbells and bruised the inside of my wrists, and lower myself into numerous machines while I pushed and pulled and panted until I could barely breathe. Meanwhile, my mom was just humming to herself and completing her tasks without a word.

Five days later, I can still barely move. When I lift my arms to put my hair in a ponytail, shooting pains soar through my shoulders. Every time I sit down in a chair, my thighs burn. My shoulder blades ache when they press up against the seat of the car. And every time I take a step, I have to hunch over a little bit to ease the pain resulting in a Hunchback of Notre Dame-esque stride that I know must be pretty unattractive. My parents, my friends and my boyfriend are going to kill me if I complain of soreness another time, and I might just lose it if I still have to roll out of bed like a toddler just learning to walk tomorrow morning.

Now, I don’t need Shape to tell me that what I thought was a pretty legit exercise routine – my usual 45-minute run on the treadmill or stride on the elliptical – wasn’t really enough. I wasn’t lifting enough weights (so my strength was suffering), I wasn’t doing enough core work or improving my flexibility (since I kind of hate sit ups and never take Pilates or Yoga classes), and I wasn’t switching up my cardio.

While getting 45 minutes of exercise in each day is good, that alone will not get the job done. Variety is important. And that means variety within your cardio workout – like interval training – and variety in the types of workouts you do – like weight training, core training and flexibility. In order to burn the most calories and see the greatest results from your exercise routine, you must train your entire body, and you really gotta spice those workouts up in the process. Otherwise your body will get used to your routine and it won’t have to work as hard to complete it. Which means, over time, that 45 minutes on the elliptical will burn less calories. And still be just as boring.

As we sit on the cusp of a new year, it’s time to think about what you want to look and feel like in 2010. I don’t know about you, but I know for a fact that I don’t want to feel the pain of getting out of bed. Or sitting in a chair. Or brushing my hair. And I wouldn’t mind getting a little stronger and leaner.

Basically, I’m ready to make some major changes in my routine and you should, too. Sign up for some weight training classes on campus. Seek out a Pilates studio and build up that core. If you’re an elliptical rat, get on a treadmill and start running. Not only will these small changes make your workouts more interesting and effective, but your new strength will increase your endurance, making you able to get even better workouts in down the road.

It’s a win/win. Unlike my current situation, which is a pain/more pain.

So when I do finally muster up the energy to make it to the gym I know I have to make it count. I don’t want to waste any time so I’ve started streamlining my workout by doing exercises that combine cardio and weight training. The cardio aspect gets my heart rate up, allowing the strength training exercises to burn more calories and be even more effective.

I’m all about the multi-tasking and after this workout I feel stronger and skinnier and happy. In fact, I can feel the endorphins kicking in already…

Jumping Lunges
Don’t settle for typical lunges if you want a great butt! Speed up the process by doing jumping lunges. These will spike your heart rate while also toning, so you’ll see results a lot faster. I usually do these in one-minute intervals with a 30 second break between.

How to:
1. With your hands on your waist, lunge forward with one leg.
2. Jump, pushing off both feet and switching your legs in mid-air.
3. Land in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
4. Repeat.

Up-Downs

Ladies, if football players can do these, we can too. Up-downs burn some serious calories; give you a great ab, arm and leg workout, and can provide some amusement for your lazy roomies. Make them join you, or have them call the shots, boot camp style. Start off doing Up-downs in one-minute intervals and work your way up.

How to:
1. Start by running in place.
2. Every ten seconds, drop to the ground in a push up formation and push yourself back up to your feet.
3. Keep your abs engaged and repeat!

Jumping Squats
Squats work wonders on your butt and legs. Make them even more effective by adding a burst of cardio!

How to:
1. Start with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Squat, making sure your knees are lined up right over your ankles, then jump up.
3. When you land, sink immediately into another squat and repeat.

Bring ‘Em Overs
These might look a little funky to strangers, but you’ll definitely feel it in your abs and legs after!

How to:
1. Bring your arms up by your chin, like a boxer. Stand with your feet together.
2. Grab a nearby stool or pretend there is one in front of you (should be a little lower than your waist).
3. Extend your leg out and bring it over the stool, so it ends up on the other side. Keep your abs tight!
4. Follow with the other leg, so both legs end up on the other side of the stool. Repeat, back and forth across the stool.

Good Mornings
This move is a bit harder than the others, but it gets your whole body moving, while specifically working your abs and legs! If this is difficult, try doing just a few. You will begin building up the muscles and you’ll be able to do more in no time.

How to:
1. Lay down on your back, legs and arms fully extended along the floor.
2. Keeping your arms extended straight upwards, use your abs to roll upward to a crouch, and then to a standing position.
3. Keeping your arms extended over your head, sink down into a crouching position and roll back to the starting position.
4. Repeat!

WTF?

Whenever I see workouts in magazines/online that tell me that I need 23,494,201 pieces of equipment to get a full-body workout all I think is, “I’ll stick to the elliptical thankyouverymuch!” But while the elliptical is a great cardio workout, it’s not enough to get into shape and stay healthy. A girl’s gotta lift some weights.

But where? And how?

Typically, the weight room on college campuses is the “man’s domain” (as we control the cardio machine kingdom), so walking in there – never-mind actually using different machines while frat guys look on with tongues hanging out – seems less than appealing for many women. You think I’m gonna do some squats while that meat head looks on? No thank you.

And that’s pretty much why I designed this workout. The routine hits all the important areas of the body and doesn’t require a lot of time, equiptment, or beefy guys staring at you as you fumble with the inner/outer thigh machine. All you need is one flat bench and a set of weights, anywhere between 5 and 15 pounds depending on your strength level.

I recommend starting with the biggest muscles (legs) and then moving on from there, but the order is totally up to you!

Weighted step ups
Works: hips and thighs

Grab one of your weights in each hand and stand directly in front of your bench. Step up with your left foot, then your right, then down with your left, then right. Repeat 12 times on the left side for one set, then 12 times with your right leg leading. Do three sets of 12 on each side.
Expert modification – switch step-up leg after each full up and down motion. Also, add a bicep curl while standing on the top of the bench for an added challenge.

Weighted lunges with one leg up on bench
Works: hips and thighs

Place your left foot on top of the bench, right foot lunging straight behind you (far enough back that your heel is in the air), and a weight in each hand at your side. Dip your right knee toward the ground as if in a lunge, and then come up. Repeat 12 times per side, three sets per side.

Weighted calf raises with stability challenge
Works: calves and abdominals

Stand atop the bench with a weight in each hand at your sides. Your heels should be hanging slightly off the back edge of the bench. Dip your heels down below the line of the top of the the bench, and the slowly rise up onto your toes. It will be hard because the bench is squishy! Flex your core to keep your balance, and repeat 12 times, three sets.
Even harder: Challenge your core by lifting one foot off the bench and doing raises on only one foot. Alternate sides.

Chest press
Works: chest

Lay flat on the bench on your back with a weight in each hand. Bring elbows to 90 degree angles at your sides, in line with your head, palms facing up. Press up slowly and bring weights toward each other. Lower. Repeat 12 times and three sets.

Standing bicep curls/hammer curls
Works: biceps

Standing with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart, take one weight in each hand and place arms at your sides with elbows at 90 degree angles, palms facing in toward each other. Slowly raise weights at the same time toward your shoulders, keeping elbows close at your sides. Lower to 90 degrees, not going any lower. Repeat three sets of 12.

Triceps extensions
Works: triceps

Stand behind the bench, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, shoulders back and tummy held taunt. Join both hands behind your head holding a weight, arms at 90 degree angles. Slowly straighten your arms out above your head, and then return to the starting position, not going past 90 degrees. Keep the area from your shoulders to your elbows completely stable. Repeat for three sets of 12.

Ab pusher
Works: abdominals

Lay face up on the bench with your legs straight up in the air. Holding one weight with both hands, arms straight above your head and parallel with your legs, lift (don’t’ curl) your shoulders up to the ceiling, pushing the weight upward toward your feet. Be sure to keep your abs pulled in and tight, and be sure to press upward toward the ceiling, rather than curling your neck. Three sets of 12.

Leg throws / up-downs
Works: Abdominals

Lay flat on your back on the bench, with legs straight up in the air. Place your hands behind your lower back or your booty. Slowly lower your legs straight down so they are in-line with the bench then lift them back up. Lower them again, this time off to the left, then lift them back up. Lower again, this time to the right, then back up. Repeat 12 times or as many as you can do!

Weight training is really important, and now that you have a quick and easy workout, there’s no excuse to skip it. Not only does it increase your metabolic rate, but it can help prevent osteoporosis, increase lean muscle mass, help to prevent injury (when you stumble, maybe drunk), improve your balance (in 4’’ heels or otherwise), enhance your physical and mental health, and help you to feel better and look better!

Sounds worth it to me!

"Everything huuuuurts."

Between the nightly orders of cheese fries and the daily “I’m too tired/busy/stressed/wrapped up in this Friends marathon to go to the gym” you’ve let yourself go. And based on how much work it takes to get those bootcuts over your thighs, it’s all beginning to catch up with you.  So when Sunday night rolls around you put your (chubby) foot down and decide it’s time to get back in gear.

You eat a salad for dinner (with the dressing on the side), enjoy some Smart Pop Kettle Korn for a late-night study snack and set your alarm for a pre-class workout. “You’re gonna get up this time,” you tell yourself before you crawl into bed.

You shoot out of bed when Pitbull starts “singing” in your ear at 7am. You slip into the workout clothes you laid out the night before, brush your teeth and run out of the house before your brain has a chance to realize what is going on and lures you back to your warm, cozy bed. You’re still slightly out of it when you get to the gym, but 10 minutes into your elliptical session you’re awake, alert and ready for a serious workout.

You start with 30 minutes on the elliptical, rotating incline and resistance. You work up a pretty good sweat but decide to switch to the Stairmaster for a little more gluteal attention. Twenty minutes later you move to the weight room. You don’t want those big, beefy guys to think you’re some prissy little girl so you pick up some weights and start working.  3 sets of 15 reps of triceps, biceps, chest presses and lunges later, you’re soaked in sweat and feeling great.

Those workout endorphins have kicked in and you’re walking around, Britney Spears blasting into your earbuds, wondering why you aren’t doing this more often. You’re energized and productive for the rest of the day – going to class, doing your laundry, getting ahead on that reading for Wednesday. You even pass on the leftover mac and cheese your roommate made for dinner. You’re back on track and nothing is going to stop you.

That is until you wake up in the morning to do it all again. When Cosmic Starship starts blaring from your alarm clock at 7am you attempt to jump out of bed, but an intense soreness in your belly stops you. You roll onto your side and attempt to push yourself out of bed but your arms are burning. Then you lift your legs and, sure enough, those are crying too.

Five minutes and a few groans later, you are finally out of bed. “You’ll feel better once you get moving,” you tell yourself. But as you limp to the bathroom you realize that might not be the case. You spot a roommate in the hall and start groaning about your pain.

“This is why I don’t work out,” she jokes. You laugh and it sends shooting pains through your core.

Bending over the sink to wash your face makes your back ache and lifting your arms to brush your hair is out of the question. It takes you a full minute to lower yourself onto the toilet and forget about trying to do a little #2 – it hurts too much to try.

You curse yourself for getting so out of shape, then curse those thick-necked boys in the gym for “making” you lift heavier waits. Then you cough and your eyes fill with tears as every muscle in your body screams.

With a few hours left until class, you decide to skip the gym and crawl back into bed. You’ll take the day off and get back into it tomorrow. Only the pain doesn’t subside for days and instead of working out, you order cheese fries and lay on the couch catching up on some TV marathons. Dramas, of course; the comedies hurt too much to watch.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. And like your roommate, this is why we just stopped working out.

Katrina doing the Fitness Model Circuit Workout

Do you ever look at pictures in Shape or Self magazine and wonder how the models get their perfect bodies? Well, most likely they have been Photoshopped to perfection, but in real life, they are not far from it.

When I was in California recently, I was lucky enough to have Karena Dawn, a fitness model, show me and my pal Katrina the workout she used to get in shape for a recent shoot with Shape Magazine. It’s a total body fat burning circuit workout you can complete in just 20 minutes! Try this routine three days a week and you will have a magazine-cover body in no time.

Self Magazine Fitness Model Workout

This workout is 20 minutes, and includes a resistance move followed by 30-60 seconds of cardio, like running up stairs, jumping rope, running, or even jumping jacks. Best part: you do not need any equipment or a gym membership to complete this workout. You have no excuse not to get in shape!

1. Push ups (20 reps)
To make this move more difficult try putting your feet up on a stair. To make it easier, place knees down on the ground.

To make sure you are doing your push ups properly, start out in a table top position with your spine in neutral. Extend one foot back, then the other. If you feel more comfortable placing your hands wider than shoulder width, then feel free to do so for your own comfort.

-  60 seconds of Cardio.
This is up to you. Choose any sort of heart pumping cardio you like and do it up for a full minute.

2.  Jump Squats (20 reps)
With feet hip distance apart, squat down bringing arms down by sides. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, swing your arms back and jump up raising your hands high above your head. Land on your toes lightly and bend your knees going directly into your next squat. DO NOT lock your knees when you land. Not only does this defeat a lot of the workout, but it is horrible for your joints.

To make this move easier, simple do not jump, just squat.

-  60 seconds of Cardio.

3.  Tummy Tucks (20 reps)
Starting out in plank position (which is the position you’d hold before doing a push up), bring your right knee to your right elbow shifting your core weight with your leg. If this is too hard simply bring knee into chest rather than out to the side.

-  60 seconds of Cardio.

Now find a bench or something that is at least 2 feet off the ground for the last resistance move.

4. Tricep Dip (20 reps)
Place hands on the edge of the bench. For a harder exercise, extend legs out straight. Beginners can keep knees bent. Lift yourself off the bench and hang your butt just a couple inches in front of the ledge. Lower your self down towards the ground using your arms (NOT YOUR LEGS!) and push yourself back up using your triceps. (This is the best workout for getting rid of that unwanted under arm flub.)

-  60 seconds of Cardio.

You have now completed the circuit. Tired? Well, you gotta do it two more times for the full 20 minute workout.

If you are unsure about any of the moves, watch the video version of this workout below. Don’t worry; it’s only 4 minutes, which is just enough time to show you all the moves. Enjoy that rockin’ new body, ladies!

[If you liked this workout, don't forget to subscribe to DietHealth on YouTube for free and check out my blog updated weekly over at Examiner.com! It's like having your very own personal trainer at no cost. Could there be anything better? Have a question? Ask me on Twitter.]