Comments on: Questions on Health and Fitness Vol.1

By: Matthew Odette

Matthew Odette — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:57:10 +0000

I’m glad you warned people against treadmills. Sometimes I have a hard time breaking clients of the dreadmill habit. Luckily we have an indoor track available, it might not be a full 1/4 mile but it’s a lifesaver in the winter.

By: Liam | EverythingZing

Liam | EverythingZing — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:52:05 +0000

With the whole “not having time to exercise” thing, I can see why some people are pushed for time, but you can really get a great workout in 10 minutes or even less! And who can’t spare 10 mintues??

Spot on about keeping it light before bed. Why go putting calories into the body when your metabolism is at it’s slowest? You’re just asking to get fat!

By: TomGreenwald

TomGreenwald — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:08:04 +0000

I totally agree that you should consult a specialist if you experience back-pain frequently.

About three years ago I was racing 4X (extreme MTBing), attending gym and so on. I was athletic and healthy and didn’t thought I will experience any health problems. One day I felt that my lower back muscles where tightening up. A week later I had pain in my left leg and the big to was numb. I went to a doctor. The result – two herniated discs in my lower back. It took me about a year of physiotherapy and pilates to recover. Now I really love to work out and I’m in a better physical shape than before the injury.

The thing is that I don’t know when and where I herniated those discs. Probably in a bike crash. But you never know. Maybe you already have serious back problems, but the consequences will come later. Be careful.

@ Tom: Thanks for chiming in, back injuries really can be pretty serious so should always be treated with extreme caution. Especially lower back issues as it is a very delicate part of the body.

By: Fitness Contrarian

Fitness Contrarian — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:29:25 +0000

I love nuts and find unsalted nuts keep me from eating too many. Plus Trader Joe’s sells bags of unsalted nuts in small packages which also helps with portion control.

Best – Mike

By: Miss Zen

Miss Zen — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:13:28 +0000

I have a question regarding one of your previous post : what makes a healthy breakfast ? I’m really addicted to bread (I’m French) : I often read that it is better to start the day with proteins. Is it really bad to have a “bread breakfast” ? Thanks

@ Miss Zen: You could definitely do a lot worse. instead of putting a sugary spread on the baguette why not try something savoury like cheese or nut butter. This will supply you with more sustained energy throughout the morning. Ideally though cook some eggs and have that with your bread but go for a sourdough bread if you can….

By: Rajiv

Rajiv — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:06:07 +0000

Maybe I’m being draconian, but I’m of the mind that it’s there’s almost never an excuse not to get exercise into one’s schedule. As you mentioned, one solution lies in walking, then walking some more.

I figure that if a person has time to watch TV, they have time to do some basic exercise, perhaps in front of the TV.

This is especially true of students, who claim that they have studying to prioritize. Well, why not study while doing some light walking/other cardio?

I only take this position because I was once the master of these excuses.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:08:29 +0000

A buddy of mine travels a lot for work. He’s started carrying a jump rope in his suitcase for those times when he can’t get to a gym. I piggy-backed onto that idea and it works great.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:55:55 +0000

Now that I am eating better carbs, and fewer of them (but not excessively low, just 100gm or so daily) I find it easy to stop eating at around 6pm. On the rare nights I am hungry later I eat a small snack, I also find that I typically am not hungry until noon or so the next day. Some mornings I eat at 9-10 am, just whenever the hunger strikes. It really makes IF for 24 hours pretty easy to d0 1-2 days a week too. I could not have done that on my donut and ice cream diet of years past.

By: Jen-JensFitnessTips.com

Jen-JensFitnessTips.com — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:13:09 +0000

Great post!! You hit a lot of important topics!! I’ve been doing the elliptal and treadmill. I wanted to get prepared for running a race this Spring. I thought with it being Winter, that I would start doing some training on the treadmill. What do you suggest? You said to stay away from the treadmill. I don’t want to be hurting myself. Should I just get some warm clothes on and start running outside even in the cold?! I’d love to know what you think?! Thanks for sharing!

Jen

@ Jen: In moderation the treadmill is fine. Just make sure you use a slight incline (2-3) and keep your heel to toe action going strong…. Otherwise I would recommend running outside when you can, try to run outdoors in the late afternoon when your body is warmed up and you have some food in you to fuel the run.

By: Grok

Grok — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:52:27 +0000

I like the idea of switching up the machines. You could make up a pretty mean sweaty circuit jumping around like that.

Could be problematic at a busy gym though. Gatorade drinking, chatty socialite cardio junkies could mess up your flow!