10 Mysteries of Fitness Uncovered

Question #1:
I am in a hurry to lose this awful flab and get in some sort of shape for a wedding early this summer. I'm interested in training with you twice a week and doing a body pump weight class at the local gym twice a week also. But there is a slight scheduling problem and I’ll be doing two weight workouts back to back. Hey, I’m no bodybuilder, so shouldn’t it be okay for me to lift weights two days in a row?

Answer #1:
Some trainers and bodybuilders adhere strictly to the "alternate body groups" workout, known as a split workout. For instance, you might work back, shoulders, abs and legs one day, and chest, biceps, triceps on another. These proponents advocate a 48 hour rest period between workouts of the same muscle group.

However, I think that if a person is in moderate to excellent shape (NOT A BEGINNER) working the large muscles of the body on a daily basis such as the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps would greatly assist in fat loss and toning. I would say it would be wise to use different exercises though, vary the intensity of your workouts, and work no more than 3 days consecutively before taking at least one day off to do nothing and rest.

With all that said, the best results are achieved when people listen to their bodies. Some of us have a higher tolerance or greater need for intense exercise than others. If you are really sore, take a rest or just do light cardio that day with stretching. Give your body a chance to recover and mend before you hit it with another challenging workout.

Question #2:
I'm 54, somewhat overweight and was recently told by my doctor that I am borderline hypertensive - something many African American men and women apparently suffer from. I've read that exercise can help me with my blood pressure problem. I've never exercised in my life! How do I get started?

Answer#2:
First I am going to say that you need to clear ANY increase in physical activity with your doctor. He or she should advise you on the types and duration of any beginning exercise program due to the fact that hypertension can increase one’s risk for heart failure. As a matter of fact, a study I read concluded that African American women who are overweight and have high blood pressure are at greater risk than any other group for developing heart failure. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, shows that while hypertension was the main cause of heart failure for 40% of African Americans, it was the cause of heart failure in just 7% of non-African Americans. So please take heed to my advice to discuss this situation with your physician.

Our blood pressure does tend to increase as we age, and is affected by such things as diet and weight. But unlike other potentially deadly diseases, hypertension, often called the "silent killer," in the press, frequently has few outward symptoms. However, research conclusively proves that physically active men and women have lower average blood pressures and are diagnosed less frequently with hypertension than their sedentary counterparts. In other words, to prevent or control your blood pressure, get up off the couch and get moving!

Medications can lower the heart rate even during exercise, and thus those suffering from hypertension should avoid heavy resistance over a long period of time, isometric exercises which might require you to hold your breath, and highly competitive situations involving vigorous exercise (which has a tendency to INCREASE blood pressure).. Therefore, we don’t usually incorporate weight training in a program with our hypertensive patients. Those with hypertension are prone to sudden drops in blood pressure following exercise. This can cause fainting, so gradual cool downs are very important.

And be sure to use a home BP monitor to check your pressure both before and after exercise. It's probably a good idea to check it DURING your early exercise programs as well so you can stop exercising if it climbs too high.

Studies done in exercise labs report that lw intensity walking and cycling programs do very well in reducing blood pressure in mildly hypertensive persons. Other mind-body and relaxation exercise programs like yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong, dance therapy, water or chair aerobics, and movement therapy have all been reported to improve blood pressure status to varying degrees, independent of medication.

Question #3:
I'm so excited! I just found out that I'm pregnant. But I'm also worried. I don't want to get huge like the women in my family usually do. They take the "eating for two" thing entirely too literally! Is it safe for me to continue to work out while I'm pregnant? Should I modify my program or not exercise at all?

Answer#3:
Next to not smoking and avoiding alcohol and other harmful drugs, exercise is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your baby during pregnancy. In fact, during pregnancy, women can continue to exercise and derive health benefits even from mild exercise routines. However, being pregnant means modifying your workouts just a bit. For example, you may need to ease up if you have heart problems, asthma, high blood pressure, or a history of miscarriages or premature labor. The American College of Obstretics and Gynecology also recommends the women avoid exercising in a position where they lay flat on their backs after the first trimester. Most importantly, give your body (and your baby) enough food during the day to keep your energy up.

If you've already been exercising, your obstetrician is the best person to advise you on whether or not to continue your regular program. He or she may want you to modify your workout and decrease the intensity.

If you get your doctor's blessing, here are some general guidelines to ensure a safe workout:

• Maintain your usual level of activity -- don't increase it.
• Drink plenty of water to prevent overheating and dehydration.
• Never exercise to exhaustion.
• Avoid any activities with a risk of falling or trauma to the abdomen.
• As pregnancy progresses and your center of gravity shifts, be careful of activities requiring balance.
• If additional weight is presenting a difficulty, switch to non-weight bearing exercises such as swimming or stationary cycling.
• If you experience any pain or bleeding or if your water breaks, stop exercising immediately and call your doctor right away.

Question #4:
What is the difference between being "overweight" and being "overfat?" I don't understand what difference it makes if I am too heavy and can't get into my size 10 pants!

Answer#4:
Unfortunately, women are really focused on scale weight. We jump on the scale every morning and get depressed if it shows even a 1/2 lb. increase. However, when we usually talk about "losing weight" what we really mean is that we want to lose fat. Our scale weight includes bones, muscles, blood, intracellular fluid, the cheeseburger and fries we ate for lunch, our hairpieces, etc. And women that are more athletic tend to have lower body fat and more muscle, which due to its density, is heavier than fat.

Not only that, when we begin an exercise program our muscles will begin growing with may mean an initial weight gain of 3-5 lbs. even while we have lost 10 inches or an entire dress size in fat! Therefore we need to switch our thinking from WEIGHT to FAT loss. And fat loss is not best measured on a scale but by using our eyeballs (how our clothes fit and how large our bulges are), and a $1.79 tape measure. Those two things will tell you much more about how successful your exercise program is than the scale ever will.

Question #5:
I am 46 years old and in pretty good health. I walk for exercise but have a very wide middle section. Is it possible to reduce the "love handles" I have and find my waistline again?

Answer#5:
How can I say this... ummmm NO! Changing the appearance of your body requires a combination of overall aerobic exercise with specific routines that tone and strengthen individual muscles. The two types of exercise go together. Aerobics help the body lose fat stores, and the other whips the underlying muscles into shape. So if you neglect aerobic exercise even while performing 500 crunches a day, all you will have is toned abs hidden under a 1 inch thick layer of belly fat.

Some of the changes you are experiencing are probably due to a change in hormones as your body prepares for menopause. Dr. Debra Waterhouse in her book "Outsmarting the Mid-life Fat Cell" discusses changes a woman’s 30 billion fat cells go through to help us weather the changes we go through in mid-life. Though we hate the wide waists we have in our mid-40s, Dr. Waterhouse explains how this new fat storage location is actually in our best interest. With that in mind, the best approach for you is to vary your aerobic routine for whole body condition by alternating walking with bicycling, jogging, or aerobic machines) and to begin incorporating abdominal and other muscle building exercises into your fitness program.

Question #6:
I am a 37 year old female. I’ve been dieting and exercising for about a year now, but still have a lot of flab on the back of my upper arm. I’ve noticed many older women with that look and I really want it gone. Help!

Answer#6:
This is a really tough area for women since the triceps (along with hips and thighs) is one of the chief fat storage areas for females. In order to achieve the results you are looking for, you have to perform specific exercises to concentrate on your triceps. It is also important to eliminate excess body fat that tends to accumulate here. The saggy flab that you mention is the result of excess body fat and lack of muscle tone. Since you are already dieting, we won’t address that, but here is a great exercise to increase tone in the upper arm.

Triceps Extension to the rescue! Grab two dumbbells (3-5 lbs. or more depending upon your strength) and raise them up over your head. Bend your elbows to drop the weights behind your head. Keep upper arms and elbows parallel. Straighten your arms to push the weights straight up over your head. Lower slowly and repeat. Avoid letting your hands drop. Control the lowering phase by moving slowly. Focus on tightening the back of your upper arm as you push the weights up.

Question #7:
I had a baby 2 years ago and eventually lost all the weight I gained, but my breasts are sagging now. Are there any exercises I can do that will improve my bustline?

Answer#7:
I have good news and bad news - good news first! Improving posture can make your breasts look higher immediately. And resistance training which focuses on exercises for your chest, can strengthen, tone, and tighten your pectoral muscles (these are the chest muscles beneath our breasts).

Now for the bad news. Improving your pectoral muscles will improve the lift and tone of the underlying muscles, but will not change the size and shape of actual breast tissue or stretched skin. The overall appearance of your chest will improve, but resistance training and no other kind of exercise has the ability to change the glandular or fatty tissue of breasts.

Question #8:
My college roommate ordered some sort of metabolism boosting pill from the Internet and swears it helped her to lose that "freshman 15" weight we gained. I've seen and heard lots of advertisements in newspapers, magazines, and on radio and television for similar products. Do these things really work? If they do, then why is it that so many people are still fat?

Answer#8:
Oh, the old "magic pill in a bottle" trick. All I can say is that "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!" There are many questionable weight loss products and scams out there, appealing to people’s desire for the fast and easy way to achieve their dreams. The diet industry makes BILLIONS of dollars every year from unsuspecting consumers. I am not an advocate of metabolism boosters, diet pills, shots or special diet drinks and cannot advise you on their success levels. All I can say is that you should use your good common sense. Before you rush off to spend $75 on the "miracle weight loss product of the week" ask yourself how probable it is that this stuff could work. Investigate the product by asking your doctor or looking up the claims at the library or on the Internet. See if you can find any well-researched scientific or medical studies that back up the claims the product makes about its efficacy. If you have no factual information, save your money!

Question #9:
I'm not overweight but I'm flabby. For the past two weeks I’ve been walking 30 minutes on the treadmill four times a week, and doing 15 minutes of weight lifting. My friend told my that this workout is weak and won’t really help me to firm up. Since my goal is to firm up in about a month, should I work out longer or harder to see results in that time?

Answer#9:
Looking for solid results in less than a month might be a bit unrealistic. You will certainly feel better, have more energy, and may notice a few changes here and there, but it usually takes at least 6-8 weeks to see firmer muscles and real definition.

Your aerobic workout program is great for a beginner, but since you don’t mention how hard you are working during your program its hard to judge its effectiveness. As for your weight program, 15 minutes is fine but only if you lifting heavy enough weights and choosing effective (compound) exercises.

Question #10:
I used to work out before I had my baby. I stopped while I was pregnant. Now that she is 5 months old and I'm finished nursing, I'd like to get back into the gym. I've heard its easier to regain muscle tone if you've lifted weights before... is that true?

Answer#10:
The answer to your question is yes! Even if you have stopped weight training for a year, you will show results faster than someone who has never lifted them at all. Working out with weights causes changes in muscle fiber that last even after you take time off, which help you to regain tone faster. You’re also already familiar with the exercises. It's just like riding a bike! Just be sure you don’t get so gung-ho that you jump right into a program using the same level of weights and intensity you did before your break. Give your body a chance to refamiliarize itself with the routine by using slightly lighter weights than you did previously.

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