Posts by srrussell3

I need to set short term goals for myself in order to be motivated to exercise regularly; this past year I trained for a "Warrior Dash" and then took up Pilates, yoga and dance based aerobic classes because I like to do community theater and had an dance audition come up. Exercise by itself is too much like work and the classes are hard but very fun. Entering "transformation" contests are also good motivators (I have dozens of "before" photos!).

As you can tell from the replies, there is a lot of confusing information about exercise and fat loss; it's not so confusing if you look at excercise and fitness. There are essential 3 energy systems in the body, one for very short duration hard exercise (max lifting, etc), short duration hard exercise (1-2 minutes all out stair running or sprints) and long, slow pace (jogging for 1+ hours) which does use fat as it's primary energy source, however the body is really good at switching between the energy sources.  Overall fitness requires training all three (along with healthy diet, adequate hydration, flexibility and adequate rest and relaxation). If you are starting out and not physically fit, training the long, slow system first makes sense, if it's already fit (i.e. you can run for 45 minutes at a training level heart rate of 75% and not be exhausted, then from a fitness level it makes sense to work on the other systems with HIIT and heavy weights.  However, no excercise program will maximize fat loss if your diet is lousy so I'd advise a well rounded exercise program (work on all 3 systems) but put most of your effort into reasonable calorie restriction and relaxation (chronic stress and anxiety increase cortisol levels a lot more than exercise). Good luck   

Starting out, most exercise seems like work and isn't really much fun; try and find a kind of exercise you think you can enjoy and dive into it.  The local public library might have a variety of exercise videos you can experiment with.  Don't exclude anything until you've given it an honest try.  Consider looking into DVD's of dance aerobics like "Zumba" and other dance work-outs. Initially you'll feel like a total klutz but if you keep working at it your nervous system will adapt and before long you can keep up with the instructor.  Dancing is fun and up-beat music is energizing.  All exercise programs are beneficial, and after a while your body will start to crave exercise; at that point you might find that you enjoy running non-stop for 30 minutes or lifting weights.  Exercise classes at a Rec Center or Club can be a lot of fun; everybody (including the instructor!) wants to be more fit than they are welcoming to newcomers. Good luck

there are racks of "Fitness Mags" that come out monthly with the newest, latest, greatest way to get shredded, etc., none of them actually discuss anything new. To get to the next level you have to do a program that challenges your body in ways it isn't already used to; a good trainer will assess you strengthes and weaknesses, put you on a program to improve the weaknesses and improve balance, keep you motivated, etc., so a "prepackaged program" isn't what you are paying for.  As others in this thread have advised, talk to the trainer, get an explanation of the rational behind the program.  I also think you have to believe that the program will work for you to make any progress  (unless you just have to put up with it, like in military boot camp, which is very effective in improving fitness and includes tons of light weight lifting like push-ups and frequent aerobics, like running for miles in boots and carrying a backpack)

Osteoarthritis often affects some joints worse than other, depending on which joints are most involved would influence your choice of exercises. You need to know specifically why your Doctor told you not to walk and are other aerobic exercises safe substitutes (eliptical machines, stair steppers, bicycling, exercise cycle, rowing machine, etc). Ask what your treatment options are available, and if you are told "none" you need to get a second medical opinion.  If you have no access to a public pool, an at home option is an "Endless Pool" which is like a large Hot-tub with an adjustable current you can exercise against (cost is about $15,000 installed and with all the headaches of maintenence, so driving 30 miles to a pool twice a week might look like a bargain). Pilates can help with stengthening and fitness, and if you are heavy, weight loss is beneficial.  I had really bad OA in my feet and took up power ice skating a few years ago (the stiff, heavy ice hockey boots limited the pain in my feet and I could really push myself) and the regular activity improved my knees, hips and back and eventually, even my feet began to do better (in addition I started wearing good over-the-counter orthotics) and I'm back to comfortably running and hiking.  I firmly believe that with a healthy diet, lots of water and regular exercise you can actually reverse some of the damage from OA and restore fundtion. Good luck

Shin splints can be really aggravating, the involved muscles are encased in very tight membranes, so if you try to strengthen the muscles they have a tendency to hypertrophy, causing more pressure in the already tight space. Gentle stretching and appropirate footwear is essential. Orthotics might help, custom orthotics or brands like "Goodfeet Arch Supports" can solve a number of back-hip-leg-knee-calf-foot issues but they are pricy.  Sometimes the pain isn't actually shin splints but can be due to stess fractures or an inadequate blood supply.  A rowing maching might provide an alternative aerobic exercise to allow the shins to rest and recover.  Pilates and yoga provide good aerobic and strengthening work-outs and are easy on the joints and tendons. 

If you are this sore after day one you won't be able to continue in this "bootcamp"; there is no treatment for overuse soreness other than rest.  This regimen sounds insane and abusive, you need to ask yourself why you are participating in this activity.  This schedule might be appropriate training for world class swimmers at peak level of fitness. 

I'm amazed at the firestorm this little post has ignited! I was in a similar boat about 25 years ago, with a degrees in various liberal arts and no job possibilities but decided to apply to medical school, got in and funded it through a U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship.  All the services offer similar programs for Medical Students, Nurses, Physician Assistant's, etc. as well. The programs for Dentists, Lawyers and other Staff Officer specialties weren't as generous.  The life as a Military Doc was fantastic and very rewarding; everyone passed the physical fitness requirements at "knife and fork" school (no boot camp!) and it really was an adventure.  You're making some very important decisions that will really affect your life, so be careful; the recruiters will try to steer you toward a choice of their highest, immediate needs (I nearly enlisted in the Nuc-propulsion field before I learned about the Health Professions Scholarships).  And to enforce some of the above posts; life as an officer is infinitely better than enlisted. Good luck

I've enjoyed this forum and it's got me thinking about my fitness challeges and goals, and why we set goals and New Years resolutions. Sometimes they're not realistic or even beneficial, but without a goal, at least for me, I get into a rut and don't progress. Sometimes you just have to drop a challenge when it's counter productive. So thinking about my current fitness goals, for 2010: I'll work to doing 10 unassisted pull-ups, run a 10K in fewer minutes than my age (55) and get my BMI <25 (180 pounds for me).

Push-ups usually exercise fast twitch muscles (anaerobic), and depending on your physiology you hit an anaerobic threshhold after a few seconds (for top athletes that is between 30-60 seconds) and then your muscles fail; it's really hard (or impossible) to change that threshhold so the only strategies that make sense to me is to do the push-ups as fast as possible (if you can do 2 every second you can get close to 100) or convert this into an aerobic exercise, which you can continue as long as you want (the last time I checked the record for push-ups was in the thousands).  I recommend stretching out your recovery intervals to 48+ hours or until you have no muscle soreness then practice doing the push-ups as fast as you can.