Have a question about fitness, weight loss, nutrition, specific exercises? Chances are, others are also wondering the same thing. So, let's all learn together.
Post your question here. Nar and Elaine will post their responses daily.
You're also welcome to respond to questions from other BootCampers. Many of you have learned strategies and tips that work well for you. By sharing our ideas, we can all help each other to stay healthier.
Two questions--
ReplyDelete1. when you're sore, does it help or hurt to take a cold shower? Is it better to take a hot shower?
2. when you're sore, is it okay to take ibuprofen before a workout?
Hi Beth:
ReplyDeleteGREAT QUESTIONS!
1. Immediately following a hard workout, take a COLD shower or bath to bring down the inflammation in your joints. This is especially helpful after an intense or long cardio workout, such as when you're training for a marathon.
On the other hand, when your muscles are sore 24-48 hours after a challenging workout (especially after strength training), then you want to take a HOT shower or bath to help your muscles relax.
2. NO!! A lot of people pop NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen) before a long run or a hard workout because they think that if they don't feel the pain, they'll be able to work out harder or longer. HOWEVER, pain has a purpose.
Pain is a signal to your body that it is under stress. When you feel the pain during your workout, it is a signal to your body to either stop or lighten up so that you don't injure yourself (or exacerbate an existing injury).
On top of that, NSAIDS inhibit the hormones that help normalize blood flow to the kidneys. They can also raise your blood pressure. So, to protect your kidneys, heart and brain, you want to limit your use of NSAIDS.
How do you work out your "lower abs"? When I am doing crunches, am I working out my entire upper and lower abs?
ReplyDeleteWhich brand of multivitamins do you recommend for men , and which brand for women?
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy cholesterol is just under the high mark, can you give me some suggestions on how to lower it and keep it from going over the edge?
Thanks
Dear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteREGARDING UPPER & LOWER ABS:
Great question. To answer it, though, we need to tell you a little bit about all the different “ab” muscles: rectus abdominus, internal obliques, external obliques and transverses abdominus.
Rectuc abdominus: this is the long muscle that starts at your xyphoid process and goes all the way down the front of your torso to your pubis. This is the muscle that flexes (bends) your spine when you do crunches, and the SAME muscle that flexes when you do hip lifts. So in this case, no, there is not a separate muscle for “upper” and “lower” abs – it is all one muscle. Although you might feel the lower part of your abs tighten when you do hip lifts, they are not “working the lower abs” any more than regular crunches do.
Internal & External obliques: These muscles wrap around the sides of your torso & they work when you do diagonal-type crunches (elbow to opposite knee) or any type of rotation.
Transversus abdominis: Unlike most other muscles, the transversus abdominis is not connected to a joint that moves. So there is not a specific movement that works the muscle. Instead, this muscle aids in forced expiration & supports the abdominal wall. This is the muscle you feel contract when we tell you (over & over again) in Pilates to “pull your navel in to your spine.” This is also the muscle you use when we tell you “tighten your abs” or “engage your abs” before lifting a heavy weight, or when you are running. Engaging this muscle stabilizes your torso, protects your back from injury and improves your balance. And to top it all off, it helps improve your posture & will make those lower abs look flatter!
Dear twomorelaps:
ReplyDeleteREGARDING CHOLESTEROL:
What you want to keep in mind about cholesterol is that there is “good” HDL and “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Too much LDL and/or to little HDL can put you at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. For a healthy heart, you’ll want to not only LOWER your LDL, but also RAISE you HDL.
To lower your LDL:
• Reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat to 7% or less of your total daily calories. Foods that contain saturated fat include meats, poultry, shellfish, eggs, butter, cheese and milk.
• Reduce the amount of trans fat to 1% or less of your total calories. Most commercially baked items (donuts, pastries, cookies) and fast food (french fries) contain trans fat. Any item that list “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils contains trans fat.
• Keep your intake of total fat to between 25 percent and 35 percent of your total calories.
To raise your HDL:
• Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day to raise HDL!
• Avoid tobacco. Even exposure to second hand smoke can lower your HDL.
• Eat at least 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber each day — preferably from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Steel cut oatmeal is particularly effective at raising HDL.
• Consume a variety of poly- and mono-unsaturated fats: salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts, almonds, and liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, olive and sunflower.
Dear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteREGARDING MULTIVITAMINS
If you are eating healthfully (the way we recommend at AAY! BootCamp), you should be able to get all your nutrients without taking pills.
What we mean by eating healthfully: each day you need to eat a wide variety of fruits (minimum of 2 servings) and vegetables (minimum of 4 servings) and whole grains and lean protein and unsaturated fat. You need to consume a minimum of 25 grams of fiber.
Variety is key. Even if everything you eat is healthful, if it is the same thing every day, you may be missing some key nutrients.
We would MUCH rather have you EAT your nutrients than to swallow them in a pill. Our bodies were designed for FOOD not for pills!
The only exceptions are:
1. If you have a specific deficiency and your doctor recommends that you take a supplement.
2. Osteoporosis runs in your family. Even if you don't have symptoms, you may want to be proactive and take calcium supplements. You'll also want to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D.
So for both the majority of men & women - eat right and stop wasting your money on vitamin pills & other supplements.
are products such as Yakult, that claim to regulate your digestive system and make you more healthy really work? Do you suggest taking them as part of a healthy well-rounded diet?
ReplyDeleteAlbert & Denise
Yakult is a fermented milk product that contains a probiotic called Lactobacillus casei Shirota.
ReplyDeleteProbiotics are good for your digestive system because they are "friendly" bacteria that colonize in your intestines, leaving little space for the "bad" bacteria to thrive.
Many other products also contain probiotics: yogurt, cottage cheese and kefir. We encourage you to eat a variety of these products, but to choose the "plain" unflavored versions that don't contain added sugar. (You can add fresh fruit to any of these.)
The problems with Yakult are:
1. It contains added sugar.
2. It's more expensive than the other products.
Also, we want to remind you that PRO-biotics need PRE-biotics in order to thrive in your digestive tract.
Where do you get PRE-biotics? From fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains. One more great reason to eat a balanced, nutritious diet!