[manictaz]

Assuming you're a morning person, a smart way to lose weight is to work out before breakfast. That's because when you don't give your body carbs, more of the calories you burn will come from fat stores. Just stick to a moderate 500-calorie workout and you shouldn't pass out.

Before beginning a workout, drink half a Diet Coke. The caffeine can lower the perceived difficulty of the exercises. And the easier they seem, the longer and harder you'll be able to train.

"Most runners don't warm up as well as they could. Ideally, you want to warm up very slowly (about 60 percent of perceived exertion) for three minutes, then do three very quick intervals in a row -- 20-second sprints separated by two minutes of easy jogging. The sprints will get your body used to producing and clearing lactic acid, which will really come in handy once you start to pick up the intensity in earnest." --Chris Carmichael, longtime coach of Lance Armstrong

To simulate outdoor running, set the treadmill incline to at least 1 percent. Running on a cardio machine set to a zero-percent grade is actually easier than running outdoors on flat ground -- because there's no wind resistance and less friction.

Never run at a speed that you could walk. Studies of health club members have shown that treadmill runners experience less caloric burn and greater stress on their joints while running slow than when walking fast. The switch-over point: 5 to 6 mph.