While he said it in the context of buildings, the idea that the shape of something should emanate from its use is a pretty good one for you to follow, as well. If you wish your body to look a particular way, you need to train it accordingly.

A prime example of the results of form-centric training can be found in athletics. Depending upon the type of activity in which they engage, athletes have a wide range of physiques, all of them excellent and all equipped to their specific stresses. Marathon runners are generally lanky and lean, the result of having to be able to run 26 miles at a clip. Bodybuilders are extremely muscular, due to the heavy weights they lift. Gymnasts are somewhere in the middle, thanks to all of the bodyweight feats they perform.

How your body looks is entirely up to you. I recommend you find a type of athlete whose body you admire, then follow their training system. Remember, when it comes to your body, you are the architect.

Q: Your wife Betty looks so amazing. I've always thought she was beautiful, but I'm amazed at how she's been able to retain her youthful looks. I know that she's about the same age as my mom, and I would love to pass along any beauty secrets Mrs. Weider might have.

A: I have to agree with you wholeheartedly -- my wife does look amazing. Moreover, she is amazing. Without her support, I wouldn't be where I am today.

I wish I could tell you that Betty has a secret to looking as good as she does, as we could stand to make a tidy sum off it. However, the truth is that she has been following the same tried-and-true formula since she and I first met.

Betty is a devotee of the kind of health and fitness mantra I've been preaching for the better part of seven decades. Like me, she still exercises daily, performing both resistance exercises and cardio. She also follows a healthy diet regimen, one that consists largely of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.

She keeps her meat intake to a minimum, and when she does eat it she prefers sticking with lean meats such as chicken and fish.

The other things Betty does that I'm convinced helps keep her in the pique of health is drink lots of water. The general recommendation is to imbibe eight 8 oz. glasses per day, but Betty and I consider that a minimum. Both she and I know that staying hydrated results in healthy, radiant skin, not to mention optimally functioning inner organs.

In other words, let your mom know that if she treats her body like the work of art it is, she'll find herself with as many admirers as Betty does.

Q: I'm considering purchasing a portable ab exerciser. There are so many on the market these days that I'm having trouble deciding which to get. I'm sure you can't promote a specific brand, but could you tell me what I should be looking for in an ab training device?

A: As you mentioned, there are more ab machines out on the market than you can shake a barbell at. I'm sure some of them do the trick, while others may miss the mark. The truth is I'm not one to ask about these because I don't use them, and I can't recommend them for you, either.

It's not that I have anything against ab exercisers per se. My issue is with the fact that most people who buy these staples of late night TV do so to appease the guilt they feel for not exercising, only to stuff the product in a closet a couple of weeks after purchasing it.

If you're truly committed to sculpting your midsection, there is a wealth of exercises you can perform without any equipment at all, from bent-knee sit-ups to lying leg raises to bicycle kicks to side bends. The abdominals don't require a lot of fancy exercises to get toned -- only persistence. Five minutes a day, four days a week of these exercises is all it takes to make marked changes in your midsection, and the best part is that you'll save five easy payments of only $14.95 to boot!

Joe Wieder is the co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders, creator of the Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia bodybuilding contests, and publisher of numerous fitness magazines. To find out more about Joe Wieder, write to him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
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