Fitness is a very important part of maintaining your health and an active lifestyle. You should try to find time, even if you're busy, to exercise and stay in shape. These easy tips in this article will help you efficiently maintain your body through exercise while saving you time.

If you're trying to get in better shape, don't bother exercising when you have a cold, the flu, or another illness your body needs to fight off. Why? Your body has different priorities than you do -- when you're sick, it will try to restore your health before it will devote any resources to muscle-building.

Work out your abs without doing crunches. That's right, all you have to do is to take a deep breath and on the exhale, simply squeeze your belly to your spine and hold it for about 10 seconds. You'll be working your transversus abdominis muscle, which lays behind more prominent abdominal muscles but can flatten your stomach noticeably.

Carve out a few minutes of your busy day, every day, to exercise. If you don't like "traditional" exercise, focus on simple things like taking the stairs every day at work rather than the elevator, and parking your car further away from stores when out shopping.

Choose the right fitness club. Consider several factors before you sign up for a club membership. Don't just go to the nearest location. Make sure the club offers the services, exercise types and training you need. Choose the location with the broadest services available as you never know what you might need later.

When pursuing your fitness goals, a great tip is to never coddle a weak area. If you hate doing a particular workout, you need to start doing it. If you have weak spots in your body, they can likely lead to injury down the road if you do not start working on them.

In order to avoid injuries, you should give your shoes an expiration date. You can use a pair of shoes for about 500 miles before it is time to replace them. To figure out when you should set your shoes expiration date, divide 500 by your weekly mileage. Write the expiration date on your shoes when you purchase them to be sure that you do not forget it.