I was speaking with an old friend the other day about exercise and fitness.  I’m not going to go into the details of the conversation but there was one comment that amused me.  It was “I don’t need to go to the gym, I have a lot of sex and that’s good exercise.”  We had a long conversation following that comment and I wanted to share some of what we discussed with you (with her permission).

Is Sex a Workout?

Well, in order to answer this question, we really need to define what is a workout.  Workouts can be roughly divided into three categories:

  • Cardio: This is an intense and continuous workout that elevates your heart rate to between 60% and 80% of max.  Examples are Biking and running.  Cardio’s benefits are calories burned, elevated metabolism and improved cardio vascular system among others.
  • Resistance: This is an intense workout that involves more strength and less endurance.  You’re pushing or pulling against a resistance (hence the name) and therefore building up your muscles.  It’s usually not a continuous workout and is done in reps or sets with breaks in between them.  Examples include weight training.  Resistance training has benefits like an elevated metabolism and increased strength among others.
  • Mild Endurance:  This is essentially a downgraded form of cardio.  For example, walking is a mild endurance workout.  It’s not going to elevate your heart rate very much but it’s going to contribute to your overall health with lesser versions of cardio’s benefits.

So, which one of these most resembles sex?

Cardio?

Well, I suppose we would all like to think that our sex life was a series of cardio workouts, hours long sessions of high energy movement, but the truth is a bit less flattering.  For most people, sex begins and ends in under 30 minutes.  Actual intercourse, which is usually the most high energy part, is under 5 to 10 minutes.  Also, while sex does elevate your heart rate, it’s usually not to the same level as a cardio workout.  If you doubt me, just try this short test, and I recommend discussing this with your partner first.  Do you have the breath to hold a conversation during sex?  If you do then you’re not having a cardio workout.  As much as we would like to think otherwise, the average sexual encounter is just not high energy enough to qualify as cardio.

NOTE - You can be out of breath and sweaty after sex, but unless you were relatively out of breath during sex for a period of 20 minutes or so, it doesn’t count as cardio, sorry.  :)

Resistance?

This one is an easier one to answer.  Do you frequently push or pull a relatively high weight during sex?  Ok, without getting into details, I’m going to assume the answer is no.  Unless you’re really fond of some unusual positions, the actual strain on your muscles imposed by sex is minimal.

Mild Endurance?

Yep, this one sounds right.  I know people are going to be a little hurt by this term.  No one wants to think of their sex as “mild” but hey, we’re talking about exercise here not sexual performance.  Remember that a lot of sex is foreplay and such (or at least I hope you remember that!) during which we’re moving relatively slow.  Our heart rates do get elevated from the excitement but not to the level of true cardio exercise.  There may be some moments later on, when things heat up, that resemble resistance training or high energy cardio, but quite a bit of a sexual encounter is more like a walk.  It’s slow and steady and doesn’t push your body too hard.

So Can Sex Really Replace Exercise?

Well, I suppose the answer is yes.  If you maintain a healthy diet, all your really need is 30 minutes of walking a day.  I would recommend adding resistance and cardio exercise, but the basic needs are met by a simple walk.  Since we just said sex is the same sort of workout as walking then I suppose we could say that your basic physical activity needs would be met by 30 minutes of sex a day.  Still, I’m not sure if I want to view sex as a workout.  Makes it seem less fun, no?  Just imagine “Honey, I ate a bit too much for lunch today, we need to have sex for 45 minutes instead of 30…”

Summary

That conversation was probably one of the most entertaining and amusing ones I have had about physical fitness.  It made me look at exercise in a whole new way, quite literally.  The basic conclusion was; sex is a physical activity, and as such, it’s a great part of a physically active life.  However, it does not replace a normal workout with resistance and cardio components.  So don’t confuse replace jogging with sex, the consequences are going to be bad, for your health and your sex life :)


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I’ve had the link to You, the Owner’s Manual up on 60 in 3 for a while now, and recently, someone asked me why. Why do I recommend this book to my readers? Well, here’s my answer.

Overview

What do you know about your car? Do you know what the brakes do? How about the transmission? Do you know how your engine works in theory? Most people, even non mechanically inclined ones like myself, know the basics about cars. We might not know the specifics of how the transmission works or what the carburetor does, but we do in general understand the workings of our car. So it’s a bit ironic when you ask the same people how their body works and they don’t have a clue. If you had asked me four years ago how an internal combustion engine works, I could have answered you in good detail. If you had asked me how my own metabolic engine worked and how it kept my body supplied with energy, I would have been clueless. That’s where You, The Owner’s Manual comes in.

Authors

You, The Owner’s Manual was written by two doctors, Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Dr. Roizen created the Real Age concept which you can learn more about on his webpage while Dr. Oz is a professor at Columbia University.

Purpose

The purpose of You, The Owner’s Manual is to provide you with the basic guide to your body. It’s not an encyclopedia or a detailed medical text. Instead, it is a high level overview of every system in your body along with tips on how to improve its performance. Just like a car manual, it will explain the basics, cover day to day use and provide you with maintenance recommendations.

Contents

The book is divided into 12 chapters listed here:

  1. Chapter 1 - Your body, Your Home: Super Health
  2. Chapter 2 - The Beat Goes On: Your Heart and Arteries
  3. Chapter 3 - Do You Mind: Your Brain and Nervous System
  4. Chapter 4 - Motion Control: Your Bones, Joints, and Muscles
  5. Chapter 5 - To a Lung and Healthy Life: Your Lungs
  6. Chapter 6 - Gut Feelings: Your Digestive System
  7. Chapter 7 - Sex Marks the Spot: Your Sexual Organs
  8. Chapter 8 - Common Sense: Your Sensory Organs
  9. Chapter 9 - Sick Sense - Your Immune System
  10. Chapter 10 - This Gland is Your Gland: Your Hormones
  11. Chapter 11 - Hells Cell: Cancer
  12. Chapter12 - The Owner’s Manual Diet

As you can tell by some of the awful puns in the chapter titles, the authors have a low sense of humor and aren’t afraid to use it. This is one of the reasons I liked this book so much and recommend it to everyone. Somehow, the authors managed to make a medical text that’s actually fun to read. I never had to force myself to keep on reading this book, I simply enjoyed every chapter.

Chapter Basics

Each chapter begins with some myths about the topic it will discuss. It then provides information about the system in question and answers basic questions. It also provides tips on how to better care for the specific system discussed in the chapter. The tips are straightforward and easy to follow. Best of all, the authors explain each tip in detail, providing you with the “why” and not just the “what to do”.

Recommendation

This is the first book I would recommend reading if you’re interested in learning more about your body. It provides you with all the basics you need to understand other, more detailed reference sources. It also gives you the foundation to living a healthy life. So if you’re interested in health and how to better maintain your body but you’re not quite sure what to do, start with You, The Owner’s Manual.

Summary

If you’re going to improve your health, you need to better understand your body, and You, The Owner’s Manual is the place to start. If you’re interested in it, check out the link on the left hand side of 60 in 3 or click the following link:

YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger.


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I’ve spoken about my love for hiking in the past.  It’s something that I have enjoyed doing for years.  In fact, hiking was one of the driving factors behind my health turnaround.  I missed going out hiking and wanted to be able to do so again.  In the past few weeks, I’ve been a bit too busy to hike, but I plan on starting again this weekend.  So I thought I would post up a short article about hiking and hopefully get some of you interested in it.

Why Hiking?

There are various reasons to try hiking:

  • Great Exercise - Walking is one of the best workouts you can get.  It’s minimal impact and great for your health.  Hiking is walking but with a bit more effort.  You still get the low impact workout, but you can add a bit of aerobic exercise to that, especially if you’re hiking up hills.
  • Social - Hiking is one of the few exercises you can do while being social.  It’s a great activity to do with a friend or a group.  It’s fun to walk around, chat with someone you know and enjoy the scenery.  If you have no one in your immediate circle who enjoys hiking, look online for hiking groups and clubs.
  • Outdoors - This one is a bit obvious, but it’s one of my favorite reasons to enjoy hiking.  I love the outdoors.  I love walking in the hills, looking around at the plantlife and animals.  I love those rare moments of surprise when you round a hill and see a coyote or when you crest a peak and find yourself in a meadow full of wildflowers.  It’s beautiful and a wonderful break from my day to day life.

How Do I Start?

  1. Look online for a park near you.  You can usually find a listing of parks by finding the website for your local county.  They’ll have a list of county parks.  You might also try state parks and federal parks.  City parks are a possibility but they’re usually too small for good hiking.  There are also a variety of hiking sites dedicated to helping you find a great trail near you.
  2. Find a trail that seems interesting.  Remember to check for elevation changes.  Climbing up and down hills can be more strenuous than long walks.  So don’t be deceived by a trail that looks short but has a serious climb in it.  If you’re just starting out, look for trails that are relatively flat and around 2 to 3 miles.  That’s a good distance to start out with and can be covered in a little under an hour.
  3. Pack the essentials.  You’ll need water and a snack.  Keep it healthy with a piece of fruit and whatever you do, don’t skimp on the water.  You can always pour it out later if it’s too heavy, but there’s nothing worse than being halfway through a hike and having no water.  You’ll also want a hat and sunscreen.
  4. Wear appropriate clothing.  Good shoes are a must.  They don’t have to be hiking boots, I usually hike with running shoes for example, but they need to be comfortable and broken in.  You may also want to consider long pants if you’re hiking in an area with poison oak or other such hazards.
  5. Bring a friend.  If this is your first hike then you really need to find a partner or group.  Hiking does have some dangers and having other people around you will make your first hike safer and more enjoyable.

Summary

That’s it.  Now all you need is to start walking.  Once you get a bit more familiar with hiking, you’ll be able to go on longer trails, more difficult terrain and really explore the wilderness around you.


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Seems like a lot of you are frequent travelers, because there was a whole lot of conversation going on following Thursday’s article on how to stay healthy while on the road.  Several commentators posted very good advice of their own which I thought I would make into a follow up post.

Walking on business

From Dan we have:

Instead of taking a cab everywhere or driving short distances, walk from your hotel to the restaurant you want to eat at. If you’re in a city with a subway, take that instead of a cab because it won’t drop you at the door and you’ll have to walk a bit to reach your destination. In cities like Chicago and NYC, a hotel close to a subway still requires you walk at least 500 feet to reach a station.

Also use common sense when ordering from whatever restaurant you choose. You can find low calorie, semi-low fat meals at any resaurant, even McDonalds (hamburger with veggies). Drink water instead of soda to further hinder the amount of empty calories you consume.

Both very good points.  My only problem with walking places while on a business trip is a personal one.  I sweat, and if I’m in a full business suit while lugging a laptop and walking in a muggy afternoon, I’m not going to be comfortable at all.  However, on other occasions, I’ve found walking places to be a great alternative.   And Dan’s second comment makes perfect sense.  Even the worst of fast food restaurants can have something that’s decent.  It may not be the latest in fresh, organic, low calorie density meals, but it’s not a heart stopper either.

The traveling cook

From Ruth Ann we have this:

If possible when traveling (for either business or pleasure), try to get a hotel with a refrigerator and microwave (or at least a refrigerator). That way you can go to the grocery store (again, if possible) and buy some of your own food and have more control over what you eat.
Sandwiches and fruit are always great to keep on hand. Instant oatmeal makes a great breakfast (you can even use the in-room coffee pot to heat the water if you don’t have a microwave).
One of my favorite business travel meals is brown rice, black beans, salsa and cheddar cheese. The rice is “ready rice”, I think it’s Uncle Bens (orange package) that you just have to heat. Beans are canned (make sure you rinse them well. Dump them into the ice bucket to improvise a collander.). I like Pace salsa, especially since it comes in a little jar, but use what you like/can find. Cheese is pre-shredded. Mix rice and beans about 1-1 (again, if needed use the ice bucket. Or buy disposable plastic containers at the grocery store.), add salsa and cheese to taste. Microwave about 2 minutes (depending on the wattage of the microwave). It’a hot, filling meal that’s pretty healthy and resembles real food.
Leftover meat (I like chicken) can be added to beef this up a bit. (No pun intended, especially since I prefer chicken. The rotissary stuff is good.).
I’ve pretty much lived on this, instant oatmeal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches and apples for weeks at a time while traveling (oh, and lots of tea for the caffeine, especially when I’m working long night shifts). Not a lot of variety, but it’s pretty quick, not bad healthwise and keeps me going.

I don’t know why, but I’ve never thought of cooking on the road.  This is odd because, when I look back at my business trips, there are plenty of times when I had the resources and time to do so.  Yet I’ve always chosen the restaurant route.  So thank you Ruth Ann, that’s an amazingly good suggestion.  I’m going to try it next time I’m traveling and see how it goes.

Snakes… er… Tai Chi on a plane!

From Christopher, we have this bit about exercise on a plane:

On the “exercise” side of things, I have spent an hour a week for the last year or so doing Tai Chi lessons, and the basic “24 forms” represent a decent stretching and movement set of exercise.

If done, with some vigor, for an hour, you can get up a pretty good sweat; if you cut it down to about 10 minutes, it at least means you get a reasonably complete “stretch” of the muscles along with getting circulation moving, and exercising a bit of balance.

Christopher also followed up with some links for those interested in learning more:

Some links I have collected on Tai Chi:
http://linuxdatabases.info/info/taiji.html

There are links there to an 8-part tutorial presented by a school in Vancouver, BC that are quite good.

The Wikipedia has a central page that’s pretty well descriptive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%27ai_Chi_Ch%27uan

Looks like a great work out / stretching routine that can be done with no equipment.  Which makes it ideal for long flights.  I will say that if you’re going to do anything that looks a little odd on a plane these days, make sure to clear it with the flight attendant first.  I’ve been asked what I was doing after a series of slow toe touches before, so I can’t even begin to imagine the sort of attention a Tai Chi routine might get you.

Veggie meals and strength bands

And finally, from a reader who did not leave his name, we have this:

re: meals on the plane. if your flight offers a full meal, don’t skip it, just order one of the better alternatives ahead of time. Nearly all airlines will prepare something vegetarian, diabetic, or even a fruit plate, if asked, which has been superior to the regular meal 100% of the dozens of time I’ve tried this. as a bonus, you’ll get served first (and therefore receive a fresher meal).

for exercise, I pack one of those pilates figure-eight elastic cords. it’s tiny and weighs nothing, but offers numerous possibilities for stretching and strength training. lots of hotels will give advice on nearby running routes as well, just ask.

perishables from the grocery store also keep surprisingly well in an ice bucket filled regularly - yogurt, fruit etc are much healthier & save time, especially for breakfast.

Good point on the specialty meals, they are often healthier than the normal plane fair.  Just make sure to ask for them in advance since airlines carry only a limited number of them.  And thank you for reminding me of the exercise bands, I completely forgot about them.  They’re basically a big rubber band with handles.  You can use them instead of weights when you workout.  They’re light, compact and don’t set off metal detectors or get you odd looks at the security checkpoint.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.  As always, if anyone out there has information that you think will be useful, please feel free to share it.  60 in 3 is supposed to be a place for people to share what they’ve learned about getting and staying healthy.  So let me know through comments or email if you have something to add.  Also, if you have a topic that you would like to see covered, feel free to send it in.


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Just wanted to say thank you to Stephanie over at Back in Skinny Jeans for giving me a chance to guest blog on her site. You can see the post and the lively discussion that followed at this link: Toss Out Your Skinny Jeans.

Also wanted to thank the folks at LifeHacker who chose to feature my article about staying healthy while traveling. I appreciate the link and the great discussion that it caused. I’ll be taking some of the comments from that conversation and putting them into a follow up post tomorrow. In the meantime, you can find the original post here.

And now, on to some useful articles from this week.

From blogging away fat we have this latest entry in Tricia’s weightloss progress. I wouldn’t normally link to an entry like this but the later part of what Tricia wrote really resonated with me. She’s not following some structured plan or a special diet, she’s just eating healthy and being active and the weight is coming off.
@Blogging Away Fat

From eDiet we have yet another article about the negative impact soda can have on your life. If you’re trying to be healthy, this is one of the first bad habits you should kick. Soda is nothing more than chemical water with calories you don’t need.
@eDiets

And from Zen Habits we have this article on how to become a vegetarian. Long time readers of 60 in 3 know that, although I am a vegetarian myself, I don’t really advocate it as a lifestyle for everyone else. However, I do believe that most people eat too much meat and could benefit from this article, even if they don’t intend to cut their meat consumption to zero.
@Zen Habits


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This question came in from a reader called Anna.  She asked if it’s true that evening workouts are bad for you.

I’m not sure where this idea came from.  Evening workouts are not harmful in any way.  They provide the same benefits as workouts during any other part of the day.  However, there are a few issues you may wish to consider if you’re thinking about an evening workout schedule.

Energy Level

Will you be able to commit to working out late every day?  Some people can, but others find themselves too tired by the end of the day for physical exercise.  A workout might actually help elevate their energy levels but they’re too worn out and sleepy to even attempt it.

Sleep

As I just mentioned, a good workout can actually elevate your energy level because your body will be working hard to keep up.  That might make it more difficult to fall asleep, especially if you workout right before you go to bed.  Give yourself enough time between workout and bedtime for your body to get cool down.

Scheduling

Evenings are frequently used for socializing.  So if you plan on using them for working out, make sure you schedule accordingly.  It will be all too easy to start missing workouts because you want to go out with friends.

Summary

Evening workouts are just like any other workout from a health benefit.  Just make sure you plan your schedule properly.


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One of the challenges we face in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, is what to do when traveling.  How do we eat healthy when we’re limited to airport food and business dinners?  How do we keep up our exercise routine when we’re on a plane most of the day or in meetings?

Business vs. Leisure Travel

First, let’s separate out vacations from business travel.  In a vacation you typically control your own schedule.  This means that you should have time to work out if you choose to.  If you choose not to, that’s your choice, but remember that taking a vacation should not mean abandoning all your healthy lifestyle choices.  Also, while on a vacation, you’re typically in control of your eating selections, much more so than while traveling for business.  Again, you can choose to eat unhealthy while on vacation, but why would you do so?  Once you realize that eating healthy can be very enjoyable and does not have to consist of a green salad for each meal, you’ll be just fine continuing your healthy eating habits while on vacation.  Basically, staying healthy on a vacation is a matter of choice.  It’s your choice to do so or not.

The Challenges of Business Travel

Business travel on the other hand, is different.  Your schedule is not your choice when traveling for business.  There are meetings to make, business dinners to attend and deadlines to meet.  Time is off the essence when traveling for business and it seems like there’s never enough time for health.  So how can you meet your work obligations while still staying healthy?

On the Plane

It starts on the plane.  A few tips for healthy plane travel which also apply to vacations.

  • Don’t eat the airline food - Yes, it’s very tempting to take those peanuts or cookies or whatever the flight attendants are passing out, but don’t.  Those snacks are nothing but sugars and junk carbs.   The same goes for most full meals on a plane.  They’re low quality and unhealthy.  Pack some food ahead of time and munch on it if you get hungry.  Good choices are fruit or healthy sandwiches.  For example, I usually try to find a Subway sandwich store at the airport I’m flying out of.  I order a veggie wrap or two to go.  These are low calories (about 200 to 300 each) and relatively healthy.  Much better than the junk food on the airplane.  Takes me zero additional time since I’m waiting to board anyway.
  • Get up at least once an hour - Get up once an hour and stretch.  In fact, you should do more than stretch, you should actually do a very light workout.  You can in fact exercise on a plane.  It requires a bit of improvisation and a friendly flight attendant, but it’s possible.  Exercises like squats, lunges and calf raises can all be done without any equipment.  You can also go through the movements of other exercises like shrugs, curls and triceps extensions without any weights.  Is this as good as a normal workout?  No, of course not, but it will keep you alert, active and moving.
  • Try not to sleep - Sleeping on a plane is bad.  It’s usually very poor quality sleep in uncomfortable positions.  You’ll wake up feeling unrested and your body will ache.  Do something more productive instead.  Work, read, watch a movie, whatever it is, do that instead of sleeping.  You’ll feel better.

At the Hotel

  • Bring your gym gear - Most hotels do have a gym.  It may be small and underequipped but it’s still a gym.  A simple workout doesn’t have to involve much equipment.  Pushups, situps, lunges, squats and other exercises can be done with just body weight.  Plus most hotels have cardio gear.  It’s not ideal, but I usually find enough time in the evening to catch up on my workout.  I won’t do a full one since I have emails to catch up on but I’ll spend 30 to 45 minutes in the gym on a short (15 to 20 minute) weight workout and a short (another 15 to 20 minute) cardio workout.
  • Get some sleep - Resist the urge to stay up all night working.  You’re not being productive, you’re being destructive.  You’ll be sleepy and tired the next day, preventing you from doing actual work.  Get your work done on the plane if you can and hold off those emails for later.  You need a solid 8 hours of sleep a day for both your health and your productivity.
  • Watch that room service - It’s easy to overeat while traveling on business.  Everything is paid for by the company, so why not splurge with that big steak and the cheesecake.  Well, because your health is not covered by your expense check.  Traveling on business is not an excuse to overeat.  Keep your portion size and selection normal.

Business Meals

Business meals come in two flavors, slow meals with customers or other coworkers where you spend hours at the dinner table or fast meals on the run where you’re in a hurry and need to eat something fast.

  • Slow meals - You’ll usually have a good selection of food here so there won’t be a problem choosing something healthy.  However, you’ll also have the temptation of dessert and that endless wine bottle.  Yep, it’s hard saying no to those, especially if you’re with important clients or coworkers who expect you to indulge with them.  If you cannot avoid it, at least minimize the damage.  Go with the lighter desserts like fruit and cheese platters.  Order a wine instead of a mixed drink or beer.  It will have less calories and you can easily nurse it along for hours.
  • Fast meals - You’re on the run, you need to catch a plane and you only have 10 minutes for lunch.  You need food now and you have no time to look for something healthy.  What do you do?  Two things to remember here.  First of all, healthy food does not have to be slow.  There are a wide variety of things that can be had quickly and are still healthy.  The Subway wraps I mentioned before are fast.  A Taco Bell bean burrito, not exactly the paragon of good health but still better than a giant burger, can be had quickly.  Mexican food in general can be healthy while still being quick.  Also, even if you go to a fast food place, learn to minimize the damage by picking healthier options.  Chicken sandwiches for example, are almost always better than hamburgers.  Fries are not a good option so lay off them, and don’t even think about the large soda.  Get your sandwich on its own with a bottle of water, and ask for your sandwich without all those special sauces, they’re nothing but fat.   As I said, it’s not exactly a healthy meal but neither is it a gut buster.

Summary

Travel, especially business travel, can be a bit of a strain on your healthy lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to break it.  Yes, you can be healthy while traveling and it doesn’t really take that much more effort.  The key point is to make smart decisions and not allow the travel to become an excuse for unhealthy habits.


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