Q. I've recently changed gyms. However, I'm discovering the new gym and I are a poor fit. I need more variety. At my former gym, I had access to a pool, indoor running track and group classes as well as the usual assortment of cardio machines and weights. At the new gym I'm left with only the (admittedly excellent selection of) cardio machines and weights. I'm not able to do much cardio outside due to exercise-induced asthma. Do you have any tips for staying motivated on a cardio machine for the next nine months, until my contract expires? Staring at a wall for 30 minutes at a time while I'm sweating my tuchis off is starting to get irritating and uninspiring.

A. Sounds like you and your gym could use some couples therapy, and I happen to know just the guy to help: Kevin Owens, who teaches Treadmill Race Training at the Tysons Corner (Va.) Equinox. He says he can convert anyone into a machine maniac. "Most people who exercise indoors are bored out of their minds, but of course I know how to make it interesting," he boasts.

AJC (ENLARGE)

Tired of the treadmill? Plan your workout, and set fitness challenges, before you punch in your age and weight.

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The key, he explains, is to plan your workout before you punch in your age and weight. Otherwise, you're likely to take it too easy, or push full throttle right away and poop out. "I'll write it down on a piece of paper and say this is what I'm going to do," he says. "Plop it in front of you. You're more likely to stay true to your goal that way."

So what should those goals be? Well, Owens starts with ground rules. His students always need to keep their treadmills at a one-degree incline or higher, and always keep moving. Then he gives them intervals to struggle through. "You want to be tired and keep your heart rate up, but you don't want to be over-stressing your body," he says. He might start students at 70 percent of their top pace for two minutes, followed by one minute of recovery, for five sets. The bulk of the workout is generally more intense: Think longer spurts at a faster pace or upping the incline while trying to stay at a quick clip.

If you're better buddies with an elliptical or a bike, the same interval tricks apply. Keep changing up the challenge and you'll forget all about that wall.

Owens has a bonus idea that'll get you using those weights, too: Break up your cardio into chunks. Run for six to eight minutes, then hop off to do abs exercises. Then run again, until you break for another exercise set. It'll keep your heart rate up, pump your muscles and, best of all, limit excessive wall-staring.

Q. Can you suggest weight resistance exercises that will work my legs and butt but won't stress my knees? I'm 44, and my knees just can't handle squats and lunges anymore. I do cardio work three to four times per week and weight training three days per week.

A. You might want to swear whenever you squat, but it's not quite time to swear off squats, advises Michael Lin, co-founder of Verve Health & Fitness in Arlington, Va. After all, the squat is a movement most people need to perform in daily life — and even to use the bathroom in certain foreign countries.

"It's a matter of making sure the weight is on your heels, not your toes, and that spinal alignment is straight," he says. "The better you understand that, the more comfortable your knees will stay." To keep your training knee-friendly, he suggests you lean against a Swiss ball pushed to the wall and then slide down it as you sink.

But certainly there are tons of other exercises for your lower body that won't aggravate your joints. How about leg swings or lifts to the front, side and back? You can do them on a multi-hip machine or with ankle weights; even just the weight of your leg can be exhausting with enough reps.

As long as you're not having shoulder woes, too, Lin recommends side plank leg lifts. Prop yourself on one side with your bent elbow and knee, and then raise the other leg, which should be straight to get the most benefit. To make it a bit trickier, try the pose with your foot instead of your knee. Advanced exercisers can kick it up one more notch by switching out their elbow for their hand.

And here's one more that may look silly but feels serious. Take a circular resistance band, or just tie a regular one into a small loop, and slip it around your ankles. "The trick is not to put your feet together, because then you lose the tension," Lin says. Then start shuffling in every which way to feel the burn in your inner and outer thighs and glutes.

Q. Back in the day (okay, way back in the day) I was a pretty fair and fast runner. I kind of have a bug to find some kind of track team or events for folks my vintage (currently 44).

A. There's a term for folks like you in the running world. No, it's not "old fogy." It's "master," which encompasses anyone over the ripe age of 35. That includes Bob Platt, 56, the publisher of Race Packet (a magazine and Web site dedicated to running in the Washington area) and the Virginia rep of the Road Runners Club of America.

And he has plenty of ideas for bringing you back into the fold. But first, a warning: "People who are very competitive often can't stand the idea that they're not running as fast as they used to," says Platt, who has friends who've taken up other sports or events to lessen the blow. But he sticks with his longtime pastime. "Although we resent getting passed by young whippersnappers, we're doing the best we can," he says.

What's more, you can even get prizes for doing the best you can. There aren't many masters-only races, but virtually every 5K, marathon and everything in between nowadays offers age-group awards. Want to get a better sense of how you stack up against the overall winner? Plug your info into the tables created by World Masters Athletics to get your equivalent score if you were 20 years younger.

As for finding a team to join, that's the easy part. While masters-only teams are theoretically rare, most runners tend to be in their late 30s or 40s. Platt, a member of the D.C. Road Runners, says they're constantly brainstorming for ways to get 20-somethings more interested in old-fashioned jogging. In your age bracket, with many running clubs, you may even feel like a whippersnapper yourself.