Get fit and in shape - and learn some skills too!

Most fitness programs have a major flaw: they don't hold your interest for very long. It can be difficult to keep working out day after day and week after week with very little to show for it except a vague sense of "being in shape". After all, fitness is great but you don't necessarily have to do the same thing, over and over again, to get fit.

You probably want a workout routine that can get you in top condition while also giving you useful skills that will serve you well in the real world.

Read on for some suggestions:

Try working out like a boxer

Have you ever considered boxing-style training?

You don't have to be a Mike Tyson clone to benefit from this sort of training. Just because you don't want to walk around picking fights doesn't mean that you can't learn a few moves which might help you out some day.

There are few -- if any -- athletes who are as fit as a boxer before a fight. Consider a pro boxer: when his career, health, and pride depends on how physically capable he is, you can be sure that he does only what works instead of what's hot or trendy at the moment. No late-night TV infomercial is going to convince a world-class boxer that he needs some bizarre workout gizmo to get in shape. He uses the collective wisdom of more than a century's worth of boxing trainers to get into the sort of shape that makes him the equal of any man.

What equipment do you need?

With nothing more than a jumprope, some floor space, a pair of running shoes, and perhaps a mirror and an instructional DVD (I recommend Ultimate Boxing Lessons), you can learn simple footwork, all the basic punches, and a set of exercise routines that will strengthen your legs and back, your core, and the rest of you too. Better yet, you'll burn calories and get the sort of conditioning workout that treadmill-plodding gym-goers can only dream of.

When you're ready to take it to the next level, a heavybag gives you a great workout and teaches useful skills too.

Will this turn me into the next Floyd Mayweather?

Unfortunately, no. You won't become a boxer -- or even a very good fighter -- just by training by yourself in front of a mirror. To really get better, you need more... But hey, you'll be better than you were when you started, and that's something. After all, you don't learn anything useful by walking on a treadmill; boxing workouts, however, do teach usable skills, even if only at a relatively lower level.

If you want to get really good, you'll need sparring and other forms of practice with a partner. But it's all about getting in shape and learning, right? That can wait.