I do 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups a night, every night for the past month, but haven't been able to see any improvements at all. Is there something I'm doing wrong, not enough or too much?

Not to answer a question with a question, but what are you trying to achieve? If you are looking to make changes in your upper-body strength and abdominal endurance, then these may be the right exercises. If you're hoping to tone up a little and trying to look less "soft," they may not be.

You may need to concentrate on your diet and cardiovascular exercise a little more to get rid of some of the fat that may be obscuring your muscles. Try working at least three 30-minute cardio workouts (walking, biking, etc.) in each week. Also, you may need to work on technique. Check your form with a trainer, a book or a magazine.

As a "total body workout" your routine doesn't cut it either. You are only hitting three or four of your major muscle groups -- the muscles you need to work on a regular basis for overall balanced strength and appearance. Your major muscle groups are your upper back, chest, shoulders, arms, abs, lower back, buttocks, thighs and calves. Your push-up/sit-up routine only addresses the chest, shoulders, back of the arms and abs. Adding in a few more muscle-building exercises will help balance out the strength part of your workout, adding in an aerobic activity like walking, jogging or cycling will help whip your heart and lungs into shape, and doing some stretching will help your body feel relaxed and loose. If you expand your routine in this manner, I guarantee you will see some results in a few short weeks.

Finally, the changes you want to see may be affected by heredity; it always takes women longer to build muscle (we've got different hormones), and even among women, it takes some of us longer than others. So, if you feel like you're doing the right things for what you want to achieve, stick with it. If not, make the changes I've outlined.

Post your questions and comments on the Tone Up Your Body message board!