Anyone who has worked out in a gym, had a personal fitness assessment done or is an athlete, your VO2 Max is something you need to know. VO2 max is something we all have, it's a natural ability and it refers to the maximum oxygen consumption that you need to perform at maximum sustained output. In other words, if you're going to push yourself on the treadmill at a sustained high speed - let's say 3.5 - your VO2 max is just how hard you are going to breathe to get the amount of oxygen you need to keep up that effort.

I've heard VO2 max being described as the engine performance in your body. Consider the idea that you want to run an endurance event or compete in one, you need a high performance engine to sustain that level of performance. The higher your VO2 max, the more likely you are to perform well in that endurance event.

So you would think that based on this analogy, the higher the VO2 max is the better off you are. Not necessarily, because it depends on what your goal is. VO2 max is also not the only factor, but it does play its part. The idea being that even a moderate VO2 max can make you a sustainable endurance performer, but you may not do well in the short bursts of speed.

Your VO2 max is measured through incremental increases in your effort until you can't go any further. There are a number of ways to test your VO2 max and you're better off doing this test in a controlled atmosphere with someone monitoring because the testing portion will leave you gasping for air and making all kinds of faces. Once you know your VO2 max, you can work on improving as it necessary. There is one trick to improving your VO2 max, lose some extra weight.

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Yes, I know, uniform is stretching it where fitness is concerned, but I have a fitness uniform that I wear and I think many people do. Your uniform doesn't have to have a name tag or a specific color scheme, but it does need to put you in the right mindset for your fitness routine. In general my uniform consists of:

• Shorts - I prefer shorts to pants when I am walking or working out because I get very hot, very quickly. Pants can increase my body temperature and if I am sweating over much, they get soaked through and that's a really uncomfortable feeling. In winter time, I may wear a pair of light pants for outdoor workouts in order to avoid chills
• Sports Bra - No matter what workout I am doing whether it's an outdoor session of power lawn mowing, bicycle riding, strength training or yoga - the support of a sports bra is great as well as the cooling off factor because there's not a lot of dripping sweat
• Tank top - I prefer tank tops to t-shirts in part so I can see my arms as I isolate muscles and also for the cooling down factor
• Light weight ankle socks are better than thick fold down socks for heat control around my feet and ankles
• Sturdy, comfortable walking shoes that support my arches are the final component of my fitness uniform

I've worn this type of fitness uniforms for three plus years now and I can honestly tell you that when I put this uniform on - I am already working my way into the right fitness mindset. I can feel my body gearing up and I am looking forward to my workout. I know that a couple of times that I have gotten into my workout uniform and my workout has been delayed - I get all antsy waiting to get started on my workout because I am dressed in my workout uniform and ready to go.

What is a part of your workout uniform?

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This has been a crazy week here and I'll be filling in some details in later blogs, but let's take a quick look at our week in review for the fitness blog as we close in on the end of July.

Monday, July 23

Q is for Questions and we all have fitness questions. The best resources for getting your questions answered include your personal trainer, your physician and other fitness resources including Dear Heather.

Tuesday, July 24

Fitness Journal - Stressing Your Pedometer is a great way to get an accurate read on how many steps you take in a day and to build on your fitness program. In R is for Running explores the different elements necessary to kick start a running program and why running is very good for you.

Wednesday, July 25

In our Fitness Journal - Today's Workout we're circuit training today in an effort to push through an exercise program and get done. S is for Sit-Ups covers the strength training aspect of sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal workouts.

Thursday, July 26

T is for Total Body Workout and when we talk about total body, we're talking about working out your upper, lower and core muscles in a regular set of routines that give you all around fitness. In Fitness Journal - Pain Management we explore what pain management is and how it affects me.

Friday, July 27

Fitness Journal - Sleeplessness and Exercise we explore how sleep and too much sleep can affect your performance in other areas of your life. In Ten Great Reasons to Exercise we explore all the health benefits that exercising gives you.

What was your favorite article this week?

For more great Fitness articles, be sure to check out our previous weeks in review

Do you need 10 good reasons to exercise? After all, we talk about how good exercise is for you all the time. We read the articles, we write them, we offer exercise tips and suggestions. We talk about health, nutrition and much more. But let's break it down so that we're talking about why exercise is great for you and the top ten best reasons to exercise:

• Healthy Heart - All you need to improve your heart and help it is moderate exercise. When you exercise, you reduce your LDL cholesterol (the type that clogs arteries) and helps to diminish blood clots as the blood flow is improved and heart muscle function is improved
• Lose Weight - When you exercise regularly, it helps you to lose weight. If you exercise every day for 30 minutes and do intense exercise for 60 minutes every third day, you can see profound weight loss results
• Osteoporosis Prevented - When you exercise regularly and eat nutritiously, you'll build strong bones and lower the chances for osteoporosis as you age, but it's never too late to start exercising so whether you are 20, 30, 40 or 50, regular exercise can help your bones
• Lower Stress - Regular exercise can lower your blood pressure and it can also help you to relax because it reduces stress and counters depression. While it may only provide a temporary distraction from what stresses you daily, it's a great way to improve your self-esteem and reduce your muscle tension which can relieve the side-effects of too much stress and anxiety
• Healthier Body - Regular exercise actually helps you reduce the number of colds you may have throughout the year. In fact, according to research, regular exercise can make you 23% less likely to get sick
• Asthma Severity Reduced - When you suffer from asthma, you may be less inclined to exercise, but according to the specialists, asthmatics who exercise regularly can actually help themselves to avoid certain triggers that kick off an asthma attack and swimming is a great way to do that
• Diabetic Complications - Lifestyle can impact many conditions, none more so than diabetes. So regular exercise can actually help you reduce your insulin needs
• Healthy Pregnancy - Regular exercise can help you promote a healthy pregnancy and since you can exercise pretty regularly up until your third trimester, you can even help your chances of reducing pregnancy weight gain and losing that weight faster after the baby is born
• Cancer Prevention - 35% of cancer cases may be related to being overweight and the Seattle Cancer Research Centre since being overweight usually means you have higher levels of insulin in your system that can promote the growth of tumors and exercise in women reduces the level of oestrogen, a breast cancer linked hormone
• Healthy Brain - Regular exercise gives you a fitter mind because it can increase the blood flow to the brain, better circulation and may actually stimulate the growth of nerve cells and that can improve memory function

So tell me again, why aren't you exercising regularly?

The more you sleep, the better you feel - that sounds reasonable, right? Sometimes though, you can sleep too much. If you are low on energy and you don't eat well, chances are you sleep long hours and you sleep very hard. In today's fitness journal, I want to share a story with you. Years ago, I had a friend who rarely if ever ate very well. Her diet often consisted of Dr. Pepper and fast food. On the rare occasions she ate 'meals' she did not eat vegetables or whole grain products. She was more inclined to eat steaks, burgers and Hamburger Helper than anything else.

Sleeping Too Much

Her diet was so poor that she was often exhausted all the time and could never explain it. I asked her once how much water she drank in a day and she looked at me blankly. More often as not, she needed to sleep a minimum of 12 hours in a day in order to just be functional. Even then, she was sluggish when she woke up and it could take an hour or more for her to even get moving.

Her poor diet combined with her excessive sleep habits created a really bad situation for her in lifestyle and life choices. She lost two jobs. She lost her apartment. She had trouble functioning in group atmospheres and more. Now, before you say chances are she had other problems - sure, she could have. But the point is - that for this whole first year that I knew her, she was really struggling across the board. She always seemed to have a cold, nasty versions that lingered and lingered and it was always a struggle to get better.

During the second year, her diet became healthier. She began eating more balanced meals. She spent more time outside and became more physically active. During that year, she started feeling better about herself, found a job that she really enjoyed and did better overall. I should also mention that her health improved.

With each area of improvement, she became more physically active, she continued to make healthier eating choices and now, more than ten years later, she's graduated college, she's in great shape, she has a good job and she's doing well - and while it's not all due to eating well and being more physically active - these contributed to her success and she would agree.

Be sure to check out Mission Possible.

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