There are hundreds of wonderful sites on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. Here at Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.


Indoor cycling and Spinning classes are more readily available than ever -- and we love it! But cycling can require a different type of dress than other athletic activities. POPSUGAR Fitness has all the essentials you need for your next class[1] .


Everyone struggles with fitness goals from time to time -- but not many of us have the goal of swimming 103 miles from Cuba to Florida. We can all learn from 64-year-old Diana Nyad's courage and perseverance. To get you motivated, SparkPeople gathered some of the accomplished swimmer's most inspiring quotes[2] .


What's better than a Tabata workout? A Tabata workout to tunes! Fit Bottomed Girls tried a Tabata workout with music and coaching [3] to pump up your high-intensity interval training.


If August was an off month for your fitness routine, your sign may be to blame. Check out Well + Good's September fitness horoscope[4] for some personalized inspiration to get you back into action.


Planning your workout schedule? Click through the slideshow below for the reasons we think working out in the morning is a great idea!




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  • It Staves Off Cravings


    In the course of a <a href="http://news.health.com/2012/09/18/exercise-curbs-appetite/">Brigham Young University study</a>, 18 normal-weighted and 17 clinically obese women were followed for two full days. On the first day, they exercised for 45 minutes, walking briskly on a treadmill, and then looked at 240 photographs, 120 of which were food (the other 120 were a control: flowers). The researchers then tracked the women's food intake and activity level for the rest of the day. On the second day, one week later, the women were shown the images without the workout. Again their food and exercise choices were tracked. Researchers found that both the obese women and the women at a healthy weight had a lower brain response to the images of food and moved around more following the 45 minute morning workout.




  • It Frees Up Your Day


    This is an obvious one, but getting your workout in before work means that you'll be up for impromptu happy hour or dinner plans. No more "I can't, I have spinning" for you!




  • It Helps You Stick To It


    What's more, getting your workout out of the way first means you'll actually do it. "If you work out be­fore your day distracts you, your chances of exercising regularly go way up," Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/morning-workout">told <em>Women's Health</em></a>.




  • It Ups Your Energy


    When you exercise, the effort helps to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles, organs and other tissues. And that means your whole cardiovascular system will work more efficiently, <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676" target="_hplink">upping your energy</a>, according to the Mayo Clinic.




  • It Jump Starts Your Brain


    Exercise has both short-term and <a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/ExerciseFitness/17907">long-term</a> brain benefits. Research shows that the short-term benefits<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19276839"> include better executive function and memory recall</a>. That brain boost means that a morning workout <em>could</em> take the place of a caffeine fix.