By Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent

Comments from amazon.com customers:

•"This book has been really great in helping me to get my butt off the couch and start to get fit." -Reader from Portland, Oregon

•Everything Schlosberg writes is hilarious! I was laughing so hard I didn't realize how much useful information the book gave me until I was finished." -Reader from San Fernando, California

•"This book is written in a fun, informative style and provides a ton of excellent advice and really funny true-life stories." -Reader from Framingham, Mass.

Excerpt from the Introduction:

Some things in life never change, like the traffic in Los Angeles or the weather in Tahiti. But fitness doesn't fall into that category. In the exercise world, there’s something new in equipment, research, classes, gadgets, videos, and Web sites just about every day. In fact, so much has changed since 1996, when the first edition of Fitness for Dummies was published, that we felt compelled to overhaul the book, adding six chapters and substantially revamping the others.

So what exactly is new in fitness? Well, nobody has changed the shape of the barbell or decided it's healthier to jog backward instead of forward. The basics remain the same. But health clubs are offering innovative new classes, like cardio kickboxing and firefighter boot camp, and nifty new machines, like the elliptical trainer. Yoga and other "mind-body" workouts have become so popular that we've given them an entire part of the book. Meanwhile, scientists have published scores of new studies suggesting that exercise can, among other things, improve memory, prevent gallstones, and give you a mood boost.

Technology has transformed fitness in many ways, too. Many clubs have invested in fancy entertainment systems, so that you can watch your own personal TV-or even surf the Interent-while jogging on the treadmill. And the 'Net itself has spawned new places to read exercise video reviews, gain inspiration from other fitness enthusiasts, and buy workout products at a good price.

Of course, this being the fitness industry, the last few years have also seen the invention and marketing of new schlock. Like pills that claim to eliminate cellulite and machines that purport to tone your thighs "without any effort on your part." And there’s no shortage of hokey books, websites full of misleading fitness information, and magazine ads posing as articles.

Fitness for Dummies, Second Edition updates you on all the latest-the good, the bad, and the totally weird. But our main mission remains the same as it was the first time around: to tackle your fears, whether you worry that operating a stairclimber requires a degree in mechanical engineering or fret that no matter what exercise routine you start, sooner or later you'll end up back in the recliner.

Excerpt from Chapter 18: Choosing a Health Club

Some health clubs will try anything to rope you into a membership. Be prepared to combat these slimy sales strategies:

•Limited offers: "You must join right now," the salesperson will say, "or I can’t give you this special deal. I’m really sorry, but the sale ends today." The truth is, if you come back tomorrow, the club may offer you an even better deal so that you don’t walk out again. Suzanne’s gym seems to have a membership "special" going on every day of every month. If it’s not the "Valentine’s Day Join-With-Your-Partner Special," or the "March Madness Special," it’s the "April After-Taxes Special" or the "May Get-Ready-for-Summer Special." What prospective members may not realize is, these specials aren’t so special. Month after the month, the offers are pretty much the same.

•Creating fear or insecurity: The salesperson may rattle off death statistics for men your age who don’t exercise - or tell you that women just a few years older than you disintegrate from osteoporosis because they don’t work out. The salesperson may even tell perfectly healthy women that they are fat. This was a common practice at a gym where Liz used to work as a trainer. The salespeople would try to get the trainers to test the body fat of prospective members-and then inflate the numbers. Liz, of course, refused to participate in this scheme. Watch out: Some clubs try to make you feels as if you cannot go on living one more minute without a gym membership.

•An answer for everything: If you say that you have to ask your wife, the salesperson may attack your manhood: "What’s the matter? You need her to tell you what to do about your health?" If you say you can’t afford it, they’ll say, "How can you not afford to invest in your health?" They’ll whip out the contract and keep inching it across the desk toward you. Be prepared to walk out, even as they tell you how insane you are for doing so.

•The bait-and-switch: The newspaper ad tells you one price, but when you go in, the salesperson says, "Oh, that sale ended yesterday, but I can give you this offer." Or, "You misunderstood the woman on the phone - we can’t give you the first three months free." Always ask who you’re talking to so you can name names. Bring the newspaper ad along so you can use it for proof.