Cross Train

If you're a runner, you should be doing Pilates. If you bike, you should throw in a little swimming. If you strength train, you should try yoga too. Cross training is not just for the elite athlete striving for a marathon finish, according to fitness expert and personal trainer Marilynn Preston. Nope, it's for us everyday folks trying to live healthy, happy and fit lives, and "Dr. Jock," as Preston is called in the column she writes for The Gainesville Sun, says there are four good reasons we all should be mixing it up. Injury. Cross training lets your overused muscles rest, and since repetitive stress is a major cause of injuries in all sports, you really ought to give your biking legs a rest by lapping it up in the pool. Boredom. Repetition wears on muscles -- and on the mind too. Boredom is one of the main reasons people quit working out, so try to engage in two to three activities to keep your motivation fresh. You want to achieve lifelong fitness, after all, and variety will get you there. Self-confidence. We all need to leave our comfort zones now and then, so don't be a star in one sport -- become good at several, and your self-esteem will soar. Flexibility. Back-up plans are key in all walks of life. When your legs give out on the running circuit, you'll need a plan B. When you travel and find no fitness center in your hotel, you'll need to find a walking path or some stairs to climb. Preston isn't only an authority on cross training -- she's got four tips for squeezing fitness into tough economic times, she can tell you how to step up and pep up your walking and here, she's got eight ideas for making your summer a healthy one.