The Eternal Question: Am I Doing The Right Thing?

This post is based on an article I read in the Simple Dollar, a personal finance blog by Trent Hamm. In fact, large parts of this post were taken verbatim from The Simple Dollar because I found no way to improve on some of Trent’s basic messages. TSD is one of the most interesting, readable and useful blogs out there. So if you have a chance and you’re curious about ways to improve your finances, take a look at it HERE.

About two or three times a month, a reader will send me a very extensive explanation of what they’re doing to stay fit and ask me if I think it’s okay - and virtually every time, it’s just fine. Even though some of the themes are repetitious, I actually quite like these emails, as it shows there are a lot of people out there making good, strong, healthy choices.

What I find interesting is what all these emails have in common: a general sense of “I think I’m doing this right, but I’m not sure.” I have this same exact feeling as well, quite often, when it comes to my own fitness and health. Why is this sense of unease so universal? If I feel it and a fair number of my readers feel it, there must be something to it. I think there is a pretty deep fundamental concern for “getting it right” among people who are getting their health in order.

For me, I made some big health miscues earlier in my life. I basically spent 5 years doing nothing but working, playing video games and eating junk food. These miscues taught me one key thing: I certainly don’t have all the answers when it comes to health, and because of that, I’m often concerned I’m not following the right path. However, there are at least three big factors that make me feel better about this.

No One Has All The Answers

First, no one has all the answers when it comes to health. Even my doctor can’t answer all of my questions although she is very enlightening about some topics. There are a lot of health gurus out there, as well as some great fitness role models. Guess what? None of them have all the answers. The best thing you can do is learn, synthesize, and figure out what’s right for you. For example, I love reading a variety of fitness blogs, from Mark’s Daily Apple and Modern Forager to Cranky Fitness and the Diet Blog. A lot of times, these blogs don’t agree with one another. In other cases, I find things on these blogs that I don’t agree with. So what? Just keep reading and keep educating yourself. You won’t always find things to be clear cut, but you’ll eventually develop a much better understanding of the issues.

But There Are Some Absolute Truths

Second, there a very few absolute truths in all of the information on health and fitness:

• Eat in moderation
• Be physically active

Everything else stems from these two items. Exercise? That’s all about being active. Eating veggies? That’s all about eating in moderation. Smaller, more frequent meals? A great way to eat less over all so right back to eating in moderation. Take the stairs instead of the elevator? You guessed it, be physically active. Everything about fitness essentially comes down to these two truths. Sure, there are an infinite number of details, but always keep those two basic rules in mind.

Communication = Motivation

Finally, we’re not alone in this struggle. I often look at others and think, “They really have their head on straight.” Meanwhile, others look at me and think the same thing. What does that all add up to? We’re all in this together, making little mistakes, but largely following a strong fitness path. Unfortunately, we don’t share enough of this with each other. Quite often in these emails, people tell me all about their exercise plan, but then they say something like “how do I explain all this to my wife/husband/partner/family/parents?” Folks, the hardest part to being fit is staying motivated and the easiest way to stay motivated is to get your friends and family involved. These people know you, care about you and want to help. You’ll find out things from them about yourself that you may not be aware of and they’ll keep you going long after you would have quit on your own.

Sooo…..

If you’re sitting there worried about your fitness, you really only need to ask yourself a few things.

• Are you eating in moderation? Be honest with yourself and look at how much you’re eating (and drinking).
• Are you physically active? Again, look at your life and be as honest as you can.
• Are you communicating with your family and friends? Are you using this amazing support network to keep yourself motivated?

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Fitness isn’t that hard. Eat less, move more, communicate. That’s all there is to it.

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How To Measure Your Heart Rate

A week or so ago I mentioned that you should be measuring more than just your weight. One of the measures I mentioned was resting heart rate. Well, I got a couple of emails from people asking how to measure heart rates and what do the measurements mean.

Please note that all of the numbers mentioned below are averages. They vary by age, weight, gender and a number of other factors. Please don’t try to apply these numbers to yourself without consulting with a doctor. They are intended only as a guideline, not absolute recommendation.

How To

Let’s begin with how to. There are a variety of places you can measure heart rate but the easiest I found is along the wrist. Place both your hands palms up in front of you. Now take one of your hands and place the index and middle finger of that hand on the outside of the wrist of the opposite hand. The fingers should lie together on the opposite wrist about 1/2 inch on the inside of the joint, in line with the index finger.

Feel for a pulse. When you find a pulse, count the number of beats in a ten second section of time and then multiply by 6. If you want to be more accurate, count heart beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4, count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2 or count for 60 seconds. The more time you count for, the more accurate your measure.

Resting Heartrate

For resting heart rate, you should measure in the morning, a minute or two after you wake up. Don’t measure your heart rate if you just woke up from some horrible nightmare or especially exciting dream. Those tend to elevate heart rate and will make for an inaccurate measure. Try to measure on three or four separate days and then average the number for more accuracy.

Normal resting heart rate is about 60 to 80 beats per minute. It will be lower for people who are in good shape and it increases as you age.

Maximum Heart Rate

Maximum heart rate is the level above which your heart is in danger. You really shouldn’t cause your heart to go up this high. Maximum heart rate is roughly calculated as 220 minus age. There are more accurate formulas out there but this one will do for now. Note that maximum heart rate doesn’t really change except with age. It does not go up if you’re in shape. However, people who are in shape can take a lot more physical strain before their heart is pumping this hard. For example, a person who is in shape can run for miles and never even come close to this number while someone who is badly out of shape may be close to their maximum heart rate after climbing one flight of stairs. For most exercise, you should aim for 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate.

So for me, being 34 years old, my maximum heart rate 220 - 34 or 186. My target heart rate for exercise is between 111 and 149 beats per minute. If it goes a bit over 149 that’s probably ok but I shouldn’t be close or over 186 for a sustained period of time.

Recovery Rate

Recovery rate is another important factor when it comes to heart rate. It measures how quickly your heart rate goes back to normal after exercise. To measure it, simply check your heart rate right after your peak exercise point. Now rest for two minutes and measure your heart rate again. The more in shape you are, the quicker your heart rate will return to normal.

So I measure my heart rate at my peak exercise point and find it to be about 140. Now I wait two minutes and measure my heart rate again. This time I find a heart rate of about 100. I subtract 100 from 140 and divide by 2 to come up with a recovery rate of 20 beats per minute. If your recovery rate is below 12 beats per minute, then you’re in trouble. It means your heart doesn’t recover very well from the stress you put on it.

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Heart rate is one of the most important measures of health and fitness that we have. It’s relatively easy to measure at home and is a far better indicator of progress and general well being than weight. Go ahead and give it a try, and don’t forget to consult with your doctor during your yearly physical.

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Measure the Meaningful, Not the Measurable

The title of this post is a paraphrasing of a famous quote by Warren Buffet, the famous investor who’s one of the wealthiest people in the world today.  His point is that lots of things can be measured, but unless those measurements have meaning, then they’re useless.

How Do You Measure Your Health and Fitness?

What are you using as a measurable metric of your health and fitness?  That is, what number do you keep track off to see how well you’re doing fitness wise?  For almost everyone I talk to, the answer is probably weight.  Everyone keeps track of weight, including me.  Unfortunately, for most people, the ONLY number being tracked is weight.

We use weight to measure our success in controlling eating.  We use it to measure our success at exercise.  We even use it to measure our overall health, with people who weigh more being considered less healthy.  Well you know what, weight in and of itself is totally useless and if you’re using weight as the sole measure of your fitness, you’re making a big mistake.

What’s Wrong With Using Weight?

• No account for height - Do you really know how much you should weigh?  My wife is 6′ tall, how much should she weigh compared to my friend who is 5′2″?  How much more weight should your body carry per extra inch of height?  Do you know the ideal weight range for your height?
• No account for gender - On average, women have a higher percentage of body fat while men have a higher percentage of muscle mass.  So should a man and a woman, both 5′10″ weight the same?  Should I at 5′11″ weigh less than my wife at 6′?
• No account for muscle mass - Here’s the worst part about weight.  It can actually tell you you’re doing well when you’re getting worse and vice versa.  That’s because muscle is dense and fat is only a small percentage of your body.  So losing weight could mean losing muscle and that’s a bad thing.  If I stopped working out I could lose weight.  Sounds odd but it’s true.  As my muscle mass shrank, my body would weigh less assuming I controlled my eating.  So my weight could go down but my overall health and fitness would decrease.  If you started exercising, you might actually gain a bit of weight or at least stay at your current weight because the muscle you’re adding weighs more than the fat you’re losing.  However, you’d be far healthier, fitter and slimmer with the added muscle and reduced fat.

So Weight Is A Bad Measurement?

Not completely.  In general, weight loss does correspond with increased fitness and health.  However, if the only measurement you use is weight, then it’s meaningless since there could be a whole lot of other things going on.

What Other Measurement Should I Use?

• BMI - I’m not a big fan of BMI since it doesn’t take muscle mass into account, but at least it’s more accurate than weight alone.  There are numerous websites that can help you measure this.
• Body Fat % - A much more accurate measurement of how good the composition of your body is.
• Resting heart rate - Measure your heart rate when you wake up after a good night’s sleep to see how well your cardiovascular system is doing.
• Active heart rate - Measure your heart rate after 3 to 5 minutes of cardio exercise.
• Strength - There are a variety of these.  For example, see how many barbell presses you can do at a rate of one every two seconds.  For men, do these with an 80lb weight.  For women, a 35lb weight.  There are numerous other strength and flexibility tests.  A personal trainer can help you with these tests.
• Cholesterol and blood pressure - Have you had your physical this year?  If not, why not?  I’m a big fan of staying away from the doctor’s office and I try to avoid the “there’s a prescription drug for every minor issue” mentality that a lot of people have, but I do strongly believe in a yearly physical.  During this physical your doctor can help you check on a variety of health measurements.

So Which One of These Should I Use?

Ideally?  All of them.  Now before you panic, keep in mind that you don’t need to track them every day.  In fact, that would be a little crazy.  Realistically, you should track these monthly or even yearly.  For example, I track my BMI and weight once a month.  I track my heart rate measurement and do my strength tests every 6 months and I have a physical during which I find out my blood pressure and cholesterol once a year.  That’s a pretty minimal amount of time required to get a very detailed picture of how well I’m doing health and fitness wise.  I know people who spend far more time than this every month balancing their checkbooks, tracking their friends on Facebook and catching up on the latest episodes of Lost.  Are those things really more important than your health?

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Our nation is obsessed with weight.  We see it as the holy grail of health when it’s really nothing more than a paper cup filled with misleading data.  Combine it with a few other measurements and it might be helpful but on it’s own it’s pretty much useless.  So stop treating your health as a one dimensional subject that can be measured with a single number.

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Why Your Boss Should Worry About Your Health

One of the most common reasons I hear not to exercise is lack of time due to work. People are always saying “I work too much, I can’t find time for a work out” when I tell them how I work out during the day. Even when I explain to them the benefits of working out and how it can actually increase productivity, they still don’t think their boss would ever agree. So here are a few things to consider.

The Rising Cost of Healthcare

Health care is one of the fastest growing expenses we have. Each year we pay more for our health treatment and our health insurance. Our employers here in the US bear much of that expense. A small investment in employee fitness and health can result in major savings for a company. The Boston Globe recently ran a piece about employers who provide health incentives and it found an amazing return on investment, in some cases as high as 10 to 1.

Team Building

How many times has your company tried various team building exercises and how many times have you thought they were pretty damn stupid?  Well, fitness can be an excellent team building exercise.  The weekly office soccer match, the afternoon group jog or the morning workout with coworkers are all group activities that build personal relationships while increasing fitness.

Productivity

One of the worst productivity breakers is stress, the feeling that we’re not getting enough done and never getting it done on time.  It’s a vicious cycle that feeds on itself as the stress causes us to complete even less thereby causing even more stress.  Regular breaks, even shorts one, tend to break down stress and make us more productive.  Short walks during which we don’t think about work help us refocus on our minds and make us more productive when we do come back to work.

Fear Is The Only Thing Stopping You

Yep, you’re afraid.  Afraid that your boss will think you’re lazy and just want to get out of work.  You’re afraid that your coworkers will think your ideas are stupid.  You might even fear losing your last remaining excuse not to exercise.  I suppose all of these issues could be true, I know some were for me.  Just remind yourself that your boss and your coworkers are in the exact same situation as you.  Some of them have found a solutions for their health, some of them are just as desperate for one as you are.  Even your boss might be wondering how to best shed those few last pounds he put on over the holidays last year.

So come up with a few ideas and pitch them to your boss and then to your HR department.  It doesn’t have to be something revolutionary like building an endless wave pool in the company lobby.  It doesn’t even have to cost the company much money.  Just make sure to show them what the benefits are and how this could help the company be more efficient and productive.

So How Can Employers Help?

Some ideas to suggest:

• Subsidizing gym memberships for employees - The company pays out a relatively minor amount of money for a potentially significant return in lower health care costs.  Find a local gym, ask them about membership prices and whether or not they have package deals.  You’ll usually find a great bargain for groups or companies.
• Subsidizing public transportation tickets - Encourage people to walk or bike more.  The cost is extremely low and your company could use the environmentally friendly PR.
• A weekly office sport - Perhaps a soccer or basketball game you play once a week at a regular time.  Those are easy to arrange, don’t require much equipment and almost anyone can play. Just find a local park or field and choose a time.  These activities require a very low level of effort to set up.
• A company hired personal trainer - No, I’m not saying the company should hire a trainer just for you.  Make it a team activity.  Company pays for a trainer and then sends multiple people to work out with that trainer once or twice a week.  It’s a great team building activity.
• Company fitness challenges - Get a group together and set up some kind of fitness challenge.  Maybe an interdepartmental competition of some kind.  Another great team builder with very low costs for the company.

Whatever it takes, find a way to make your employer see that employee health and fitness is something they should worry about.  It’s in their best interest to have healthy employees and if you can find ways to accomplish that for a relatively low resources investment, you’re likely to have a pretty happy employer.

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How To Train For A Marathon

Today’s post is courtesy of a friend of mine who is currently training for the Boston Marathon.  He passed along some tips that he’s found useful over the years for marathon training.

Find a partner or coach - This is one of the most important things you’ll do.  You’re going to need someone to measure your time, remind you of workouts, provide motivation to get out of bed and run by your side as you train.  It’s great if you can find someone willing to act as your coach.  They don’t have to be a professional coach since you’re not a professional marathon runner, they just need to be able to read a chart, understand a spreadsheet and yell out times.  It’s even better if your coach plans on running the marathon with you.

Write up a training plan - There are a variety of them available online but here’s a sample that my friend used for training for a half marathon:

• Week 1 - one 6.0 mile run on trail, one 4.0 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 2 - one 6.0 mile run on trail, one 4.0 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 3 - one 7.0 mile run on trail, one 4.5 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 4 - Break
• Week 5 - one 7.0 mile run on trail, one 4.5 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 6 - one 8.0 mile run on trail, one 5.0 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 7 - one 9.0 mile run on trail, one 5.5 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 8 - Break
• Week 9 - one 10.0 mile run on trail, one 6.0 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 10 - one 11.0 mile run on trail, one 6.5 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 11 - one 12.0 mile run on trail, one 7.0 mile run on track and one day of intervals.
• Week 12 - Break
• Week 13 - Half Marathon.

A few things of note here.  First, he took break weeks.  These are very important since long distance running puts quite a bit of stress on your body.  Breaks are important to allow your body to recover.  Second, intervals are where you work on your speed.  In general, he did half the distance he would on that week track run while working on intervals, but he did it at a much faster pace.  Third, try to constantly improve on your time on the track run.  This is the one where you’re really measuring yourself and your coach should be there with you in the center of the track letting you know how you’re doing and what you need to change.

Set a goal - Figure out ahead of time what time you’re aiming for and then train to achieve that time.  Be realistic but don’t forget to challenge yourself.  If you find out during training that you can easily achieve that goal, maybe you should set it higher.  However, don’t undertrain.  That is, if you set a goal for a certain pace or time, why are you training to set a slower time or run a slower pace?

Follow your plan - Don’t deviate from your plan.  It’s too easy to get caught up in the “oh, I’ll just run an extra day this week” mentality.  Don’t do it.  Your training should be nice and constant and should NOT overwork your body.  Three strenuous runs in a week is more than enough.   At the same time, commit to your plan and don’t miss any days.  Let your friends and family know what you’re doing and make sure they’re aware of your new schedule.  Best time to train by the way is in the morning.  There are less demands on your time at 6am.

Walk the course - The week before the marathon, walk or bike the course.  You want to get a feel for how tough it is and driving it in a car just doesn’t do that.  Note the hills, the rough surfaces, the steps, portions that will be in direct sunlight and anything else that might affect your performance.  I know someone who paces his Hawaii marathon running to always stay in the shade of the mountain.  Little things like this can make a big difference.

Test out your gear - The gear you plan to run in should be the gear you’re training in.  Worse thing you can do is buy new gear and not use it until the day of the race.  Running shoes have to be broken in and you don’t want to do that while running a marathon.  Shirt fabrics might be too scratchy or too warm and you want to find that out early.  Running shorts or pants might be too constrictive.  All of these things should be found out ahead of time.

Enjoy the run - Too many people do marathons just to say they’ve done them.  You’re missing the point if you do this.  Marathons are experienced to be enjoyed, not suffered through.  If you’re miserable while running a marathon than perhaps you should pick a different challenge for yourself.

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Is It Possible To Work Out Too Much?

My body is exhausted. I’m not tired, I’m getting plenty of sleep, but my body feels worn out and low on energy. I just took a walk and my legs felt like they had no strength in them. Yesterday, while I was jogging, I was barely able to finish my workout. This is the same workout I usually have no problem with. This sort of thing has been going on for about a week now and it was starting to worry me. Was there something wrong? Am I sick? Then I took a closer look at my life and I realized something, I’m working out too hard.

I’m still going to the gym 5 times a week. I’m still running 3 times a week. I’m still doing active things during the weekend. On top of all this, I’ve been using a bike for my commute for the past two months. Before that I was using a car and carpooling with friend. These days I bike about 15 miles a day as part of my commute. I also use the bike instead of the car when I go places like my friends homes.

My body doesn’t feel bad, I don’t have any aches and my appetite is still as good as ever. I just feel a bit tired, especially in my legs. I feel like I just finished a hard leg workout even though I haven’t been to the gym today. So yah, you can indeed workout too hard and that’s exactly what I think the problem is. Sometimes, your body just needs a break. My usual workout schedule has enough breaks in it, but I guess adding the biking on top of normal activities was just a bit too much.  No worries, I’m taking today off. No gym, no running, no biking. I did take a short walk but that’s it. Tomorrow should be better but if I’m still feeling worn out, I might take another day off.

If you’re just starting out with exercise, you’ll want to pay close attention to what your body is telling you. Sometimes rest isn’t a bad thing. Your body needs rest to recover and repair the damage from the wear and tear you put it through. If you feel exhausted and worn out, maybe you should take a day off. Don’t make a habit of it and don’t start using it as an excuse to slack off and not exercise. Just take a day off from your usual workout schedule and then start things back up again. You’ll feel refreshed and reenergized, ready to take on the gym, the running track and anything in between.

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The Yoga Workout

My wife has been talking about working out for a while now. She’s had back issues that prevented her from doing weight and cardio workouts with me, but those have been getting better lately. She’s already physically active, walking a lot and riding horses, but she wanted a more structured workout that will exercise the whole body. She was looking into a variety of options with the following criteria:

• Convenient - Like me, she has a very busy schedule. The workout had to mesh with her life.
• Affordable - She didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars a month for a personal trainer and gym.
• Low Strain - She wanted to minimize the risk of injury or of aggravating her old back injuries.
• Interesting - She didn’t want something dull and boring.
• Social - She wanted to work out with someone.

So putting all that together, she came up with a yoga course offered at her company’s gym.

Yoga As A Workout

I’ve never tried yoga myself, but after she described it to me, I got curious enough to research it. Yoga is an ancient tradition originating from India. Unlike most Asian influenced workouts, yoga did not start out as a martial art. Instead, it used to be a form of meditation in which the body was moved through postures and poses to gain a better understanding of the world inside and outside. I’m not going to go into the metaphysical details of yoga since I’m not particularly interested in them and since this is a fitness blog, but if anyone is interested, here’s the Wikipedia article that gives a bit more detail.

What I was interested in was the physical aspect of yoga.  Is it really a good workout?  Is it more of a cardio workout or a resistance one?  Is it just stretching?  Well, the answers are going to be slightly different depending on the style of yoga you choose to practice, but for the most part yoga can be an excellent workout with its combination of stretching and resistance training.

Stretching and Posing = Workout

A typical yoga session consists of moving through a variety of postures very slowly and in a controlled manner.  The postures themselves can be challenging, although a beginner’s yoga course is not going to ask you to do the splits.  Because you move through the poses very slowly, you can actually get a great workout, almost like a weights workout but with very low weight.

Yoga is also excellent for teaching you control of you body and proper posture and form.  Rather than quickly moving through exercises, yoga teaches you to slowly move each muscle using controlled gestures rather than jerky movement.  You’ll definitely gain a better understanding of your body and how it works after a few yoga sessions.  You might even gain some insight into how to properly exercise and maintain good form.  In fact, after seeing a few yoga videos, I think most gym goers could benefit from a class or two.

Non physical benefits of yoga

Yoga was originally intended for meditation, and many people still find it relaxing.  It’s also a social activity usually done with a group, so if you hate working out alone, you may wish to consider it.

Warning, Expenses Ahead

The only negative to yoga is the slightly higher than usual cost associated with most yoga classes.  They’re typically more expensive than the usual gym membership, unless you can find a good deal like my wife did.  There’s usually no equipment needed, but the yoga classes themselves can range from $5 to $20 a session.

Summary

If you can afford it, yoga is an excellent workout in addition to or instead of your usual weight lifting.  It does not replace cardio but it’s a good form of stretching and resistance training.  It won’t build big muscles, but it can tone up existing muscles while teaching you a lot you didn’t know before about your body.

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