Summer is a great time to get in shape — you can enjoy the non-freezing weather, the longer days and, depending on your line of work, you might have more free time. But then a holiday happens, and your fitness goals take a back seat for a little while. Here’s how to minimise the damage.

Non-smokers can no longer smugly lord their decreased mortality over smokers, unless they also have a high level of cardiovascular fitness. A new study has revealed that a sedentary lifestyle could be the most deadly way you could possibly live, even more so than smokers or those with diabetes.

You can get fit by running outdoors, or by exercising at a fancy gym, but in the end all your muscles care about is that they got to contract a bunch of times. Need a workout you can do when you’re stuck in one place with no gear? Ask a former prisoner.

There's almost never a bad time to start running — or to get back into it, if you’ve taken a break. We just spent a month trying to stand on our heads, so a little plain old jogging is going to feel great by comparison.

How long do you spend at the gym? There's an optimum amount of time you should be spending on your daily workout, and chances are it's a lot shorter than you think. Think of what you'll do with all that extra time!

We all hit a slump near the beginning of a fitness program. Not at the very start, when we’re excited to get going — more like a few weeks in. It may take six weeks to notice more muscle or better endurance, but how do you get through that time without losing hope?

Killer workouts come with bragging rights: can you believe you survived that? But you can get a perfectly good sweat on without doing anything labelled "high intensity" or headed by a sadistic coach. It's okay for a workout not to feel like torture, but only like work.

It's a beautiful day and we're going on an adventure! For the May instalment of the Lifehacker Fitness Challenge, your mission is to find a fitness trail (sometimes called a parcourse) near you - they're often hiding in plain sight.

Crossfit's intense workouts are a polarising subject of discussion. It seems the first rule of Crossfit club is that you must never shut up about Crossfit club, and on the flip side, the sport (routine? Discipline? Hobby?) has its share of haters. So let's take a minute to cut through that for anyone who's intrigued but isn't sure what they would be getting into and whether it's worthwhile.

Video: Ever wonder how MMA fighters and football players get those quick feet? A big part of the secret is footwork drills like these. Practise them in short bursts, and you've got a great cardio workout.

Video: This week's lunch break workout is perfect for people who can't move their legs, or who just don't want to. That's right, you'll work your upper body and core without having to get out of a chair.

Walking your dog, it turns out, counts as legitimate exercise -- the kind that will help you live longer. Dogs really are man's best friend.

If you aren't sure where to go when you step onto an ice or roller rink, this handy guide will help you out. Traffic flows in one direction (usually counterclockwise), with the center reserved for people to work on their skills.

It's no surprise consistent exercise keeps you healthy, but a new study suggests a certain type of workout can actually dramatically improve your longevity. This is how you can get your sweat on well into your golden years.

If you can only work out a couple days per week, you probably do both your lifting and cardio exercises on the same days. While that's not ideal, you can maximise the benefits if you lift before you run. Here's why.

Yoga is great for flexibility, strength and balance, but we've never taken it seriously as a form of cardio. According to a new study, though, cycling through poses at a fast pace -- we'll show you how -- can give you a workout on par with a light aerobics class.

Video: Flamboyant workout guru Richard Simmons hasn't been teaching classes or releasing videos for the last few years. (He may be the victim of witchcraft, or just of bad knees, depending on who you ask.) But you can still savour his last YouTube workout.

Is today the day you're going to start working out more often? Or are you just getting back to what you used to do before all the holiday parties messed with your schedule? Either way, it's time to get started. We've picked out six workouts that are perfect for your first (or second) day back.

Video: Rocky made skipping rope for exercise look easy, but it's more than just hopping to badarse music. It's all in your rhythm, the type of rope you use, the right length of rope and good form. There's a lot of ground to cover, but this video will bring you up to speed.