Archive for November, 2009

Nov 27 2009

Is Running Bad For Your Health? Even If Your Knees Hurt?

Published by Pat Mullaly under Boomer Sites, Dieting, Health and Fitness, Keeping Fit, Midlife, Staying Healthy

We all want to stay healthy. I used to run when I was younger and even though I never finished a marathon, I managed a few 10K races. But then life got busier and I stopped running. A few years later when I tried to begin again, my knees started complaining. Guest author and nationally certified personal trainer Kathy Ekdahl has some sound advice for the boomer who wants to start again.

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Q- I want to start running to get in shape, but every time I try, I get knee and hip pain. Is this inevitable, and does running cause arthritis?
A-Large research studies have shown that runners do not have a greater incidence of osteoarthritis than other populations, so, no, running does not cause arthritis. But, running is a very repetitive form of exercise, and to run without musculoskeletal pain and overuse injuries takes some knowledge and planning. You can’t just throw on a pair of old sneakers and head out the door and expect to be able to run well and run far unless you’ve done your homework!  First, I’d invest in a good pair of sneakers. There are stores that will choose sneakers for you based on your specific foot and gait patterns. Large sporting goods stores may not have personnel who are knowledgeable about gait patterns, so look for a store that caters to runners.  Secondly, there is a great saying about running: “Get fit to run, don’t run to get fit.” To a large degree, I agree with this. If you are not physically prepared for running, it can cause injuries due to its repetitive nature. Running requires healthy strong muscles, good flexibility, and a comprehensive warm-up and cool down to prevent injury. I recommend that you work on your core strength including the muscles of the hips, to prevent the type of nagging foot, back and knee pain many runners experience. Weak, tight hip muscles are a major cause of knee pain! Make sure that you have a good flexibility program in place as well, stretching the major muscles of the legs including hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and calves. You should always perform static stretches after you run, not before. Holding stretches statically before you run can cause injuries, not prevent them, as it decreases neuromuscular activation, which is not good if we want the muscles to work for us during running! Instead of static stretches, perform dynamic movements which warm up muscles and joints and help the joints move smoothly. I also highly recommend the use of foam rollers as a way to keep muscle tissue healthy. Lastly, if you begin to develop nagging pain during or after running, don’t ignore it.  Go see your Doctor.  Ignoring injuries always makes them get worse and last longer- and runners have a bad habit of doing this.
Running can be a part of a well rounded fitness program, and while not everyone can or should run, many of us can manage shorter distances (3-4 miles) several days a week without injury.  Remember that running every day is not necessary, so be conservative and run 3 days a week instead of more. And, always start with short distances or run/walks and build up.

Running to get in shape – But my knees hurt. Is it too late to start again?

Q- I want to start running to get in shape, but every time I try, I get knee and hip pain. Is this inevitable, and does running cause arthritis?

A-Large research studies have shown that runners do not have a greater incidence of osteoarthritis than other populations, so, no, running does not cause arthritis. But, running is a very repetitive form of exercise, and to run without musculoskeletal pain and overuse injuries takes some knowledge and planning. You can’t just throw on a pair of old sneakers and head out the door and expect to be able to run well and run far unless you’ve done your homework!

First, I’d invest in a good pair of sneakers. There are stores that will choose sneakers for you based on your specific foot and gait patterns. Large sporting goods stores may not have personnel who are knowledgeable about gait patterns, so look for a store that caters to runners.

Secondly, there is a great saying about running: “Get fit to run, don’t run to get fit.” To a large degree, I agree with this. If you are not physically prepared for running, it can cause injuries due to its repetitive nature. Running requires healthy strong muscles, good flexibility, and a comprehensive warm-up and cool down to prevent injury. I recommend that you work on your core strength including the muscles of the hips, to prevent the type of nagging foot, back and knee pain many runners experience. Weak, tight hip muscles are a major cause of knee pain!

Make sure that you have a good flexibility program in place as well, stretching the major muscles of the legs including hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and calves. You should always perform static stretches after you run, not before. Holding stretches statically before you run can cause injuries, not prevent them, as it decreases neuromuscular activation, which is not good if we want the muscles to work for us during running! Instead of static stretches, perform dynamic movements which warm up muscles and joints and help the joints move smoothly. I also highly recommend the use of foam rollers as a way to keep muscle tissue healthy.

Lastly, if you begin to develop nagging pain during or after running, don’t ignore it.  Go see your Doctor. Ignoring injuries always makes them get worse and last longer- and runners have a bad habit of doing this.

Running can be a part of a well rounded fitness program, and while not everyone can or should run, many of us can manage shorter distances (3-4 miles) several days a week without injury.  Remember that running every day is not necessary, so be conservative and run 3 days a week instead of more. And, always start with short distances or run/walks and build up.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at:kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com or visit her website.

493 responses so far

Nov 23 2009

Body Fat: How to Lose It – Easily and Effectively!

Published by Pat Mullaly under Dieting, Health and Fitness, Keeping Fit, Staying Healthy

What is the most effective way to lose body fat?
Losing body fat is different than just “losing weight.” So, your question is a good one. Losing weight is easier…. Just go on a crash diet, lose lots of water and muscle tissue (up to 30% of your weight loss) as well as a little fat, and you’ll weigh less. But it won’t last- your crash diet lowered your metabolism by wasting muscle tissue, so now you gain weight back faster. Diet alone never results in permanent weight loss.
Instead, losing body fat means doing everything nutritionally and exercise wise to promote or maintain muscle tissue while losing body fat. This means you can not go too low in calories, or you will cannibalize muscle, and you must exercise hard to elevate your metabolism and stimulate muscle tissue growth.
As far as exercise, years ago, most fitness experts felt that cardiovascular training was the best way to lose body fat, but, recent research has highlighted the importance of hard strength training and high intensity aerobic work in body fat loss. By hard strength training, I mean multi muscle group exercises that produce muscle exhaustion. What you do, and how you do it, depends on your baseline fitness level, but whole body strength training 2-3 times a week is suggested.  As far as cardio, steady state cardio (like walking or jogging) does not produce the same metabolic increase that intervals of high intensity cardio do. SO- add some intervals of hard cardio 2x a week, and you’ll really start to burn fat.
Finally, as I mentioned above, healthy nutrition is the key to success. This is where most people really have a hard time. Many people need to dramatically change their diets, but most are unaware of what they eat and when, so food logs are an absolute. You must have adequate- but not too much- caloric intake and you must eat with regular frequency, never going too long between meals. Under eating during the day only leads to over eating at night, so skipping meals makes no sense. I believe that reducing processed foods, high fat foods, and refined and “starchy” carbohydrates can dramatically improve your health.  Instead of these foods, add more lean protein, vegetables, healthy fats and fruits, and you will lose body fat.  Eat whole, from the earth, unprocessed foods, and you can’t go wrong!
Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

It’s holiday time! And for the next month of so the temptation to eat more and exercise less will be a constant companion. Get a jump on your January Resolutions by paying attention to your health now! Over the next few weeks, Midlifejourney.com will be publishing guest posts by nationally certified personal trainer, Kathy Ekdahl, who shares some of the best ideas to keep you body, mind and spirit in balance!

. . . . .

What is the most effective way to lose body fat?

Losing body fat is different than just “losing weight.” So, your question is a good one. Losing weight is easier…. Just go on a crash diet, lose lots of water and muscle tissue (up to 30% of your weight loss) as well as a little fat, and you’ll weigh less. But it won’t last- your crash diet lowered your metabolism by wasting muscle tissue, so now you gain weight back faster. Diet alone never results in permanent weight loss.

Instead, losing body fat means doing everything nutritionally and exercise wise to promote or maintain muscle tissue while losing body fat. This means you can not go too low in calories, or you will cannibalize muscle, and you must exercise hard to elevate your metabolism and stimulate muscle tissue growth.

As far as exercise, years ago, most fitness experts felt that cardiovascular training was the best way to lose body fat, but, recent research has highlighted the importance of hard strength training and high intensity aerobic work in body fat loss. By hard strength training, I mean multi muscle group exercises that produce muscle exhaustion. What you do, and how you do it, depends on your baseline fitness level, but whole body strength training 2-3 times a week is suggested.  As far as cardio, steady state cardio (like walking or jogging) does not produce the same metabolic increase that intervals of high intensity cardio do. SO- add some intervals of hard cardio 2x a week, and you’ll really start to burn fat.

Finally, as I mentioned above, healthy nutrition is the key to success. This is where most people really have a hard time. Many people need to dramatically change their diets, but most are unaware of what they eat and when, so food logs are an absolute. You must have adequate- but not too much- caloric intake and you must eat with regular frequency, never going too long between meals. Under eating during the day only leads to over eating at night, so skipping meals makes no sense. I believe that reducing processed foods, high fat foods, and refined and “starchy” carbohydrates can dramatically improve your health.  Instead of these foods, add more lean protein, vegetables, healthy fats and fruits, and you will lose body fat.  Eat whole, from the earth, unprocessed foods, and you can’t go wrong!

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com. Visit her website at: http://personalbestpersonaltraining.com/

359 responses so far