Physical Fitness

When it comes to their physical fitness, students are taking baby steps toward better health, according to results from the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test released Tuesday. The annual public school test measures six areas, including cardiovascular endurance, body fat percentage and strength and flexibility.

Six-pack abs -- everyone wants them, but only some know the best ways to get them. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just about staying loyal to the standard crunches.

When Wu Yifu wants to play basketball with his friends, he has to travel 30 minutes by subway, pay $2, and then wait for up to two hours to get on the public court.

THOUGH THE wisdom that comes with age can help navigate metaphorical bumps in the road of life, actual, physical obstacles can cause stumbles and falls.

BRING on the Power Ball! At the FitExpo event held mid-February in the Los Angeles Convention Center, I joined about 6,000 people from around the country who'd taken the four-minute "tryout," the first step in becoming a contestant on the newly resurrected NBC spectacle of strength, speed and coordination, "American Gladiators.

She might be 13 and beanpole-thin, but Lauren Hagedorn can compete with any Navy SEAL. Hagedorn, a runner and swimmer from Manhattan Beach, stuck out in the crowd of mostly muscled, 20-something guys grunting and sweating through a series of grueling exercise events set up by the SEALs for the public on the UCLA campus Saturday morning.

The fitness and weight-loss industry has been without one of its most vociferous and prolific spokeswomen for about a decade now. But fear not, intrepid dieters, Susan Powter is back.