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Reader Q&A – Can a home workout be as effective as a gym?

July 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Today’s post is a response to a question posed by a reader. Here’s an excerpt from his email:

My local gym had a trial month, and I enjoyed the wide range of equipment but the normal monthly rate is just too high. So instead I’ve been thinking of getting a cross trainer (around $200) for home and doing other exercises that don’t need any equipment. Does that sound reasonable or do you need all that special equipment the gym has to offer? Also, how does the use of a cross trainer compare to a home trainer? To jogging? To swimming?

Maybe I should mention that I’m mostly interested in:

  • losing some weight
  • becoming fitter (I haven’t done sports for 10 years)
  • getting my back into shape (I’m sitting at a computer all day)

Let’s start by dealing with the top question.

Home Vs. Gym

There’s no doubt that the gym offers more options than any home could. You have a greater range of machines, weights and facilities at a gym which means you can work out different muscles in multiple ways. However, working out at home can be almost as effective. Will you get a workout at home that’s 100% as good as the gym? No, but you can easily get a great workout at home that’s very close to the gym one. I find that I can do about 80 to 90% of what I want to at home. In fact, the only thing I really can’t do at home is cardio, which this reader is going to address with the purchase of a cross trainer. The only thing I would add is a set of dumbbells. You can easily get a good set with a variety of weights for under $50.

Cross Training vs. Swimming vs. Running

First of all, a terminology clarification. Cross trainer is a word that’s usually used to refer to an elliptical machine. However, it can also be used to refer to one of those home gym sets that offers a wide range of weight exercises, like a bowflex. I’m guessing this reader meant an elliptical machine by the context.

If so, cross trainer is going to be used for a cardio workout. Compared to running, the cross trainer is better in that it’s much lower impact. Your feet and knees are safer on a cross trainer than they are jogging, especially if you intend to jog outside on pavement. However, the cross trainer is a bit lower energy than running, meaning you won’t burn quite as many calories on it as you would running. However, the difference is relatively small and for someone just starting out, I would recommend the elliptical cross trainer over running just because of the lower injury risk.

Swimming on the other hand, is about as close as you can come to a perfect cardio workout. The only problems with swimming are the equipment you need (do you have year round convenient access to a pool?) and the boredom factor (how long can you swim back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth without going a little crazy?) If you’re ok with both of these issues, then go with swimming. Personally, I do have access to a pool but I just can’t handle the monotony of swimming. I can’t listen to my iPod or watch TV in the pool, so I choose other forms of cardio.

Summary

I think this reader is off to a good start. I would recommend starting out easy. If you haven’t worked out for ten years, you’re going to find yourself very sore if you overdo things. Do a short weight routine followed by some light cardio three to four times a week. Make sure you adjust your eating habits as well, since exercise alone is not as effective.

Make sure to document everything. That means keeping track of how much you exercise, what exercises you’re doing, what weights and so on. Then, each week, make a small improvement. That could mean staying on the cross trainer an extra minute, adding some weight to a specific exercise or doing an extra rep per set. Just keep increasing things gradually and consistently and you’ll slowly start seeing great results. Remember, you’ve been out of shape for years. You’re not going to fix that in a week or even a month. They key is to gradually improve in ways that you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Related Posts

Ways to cut down on the costs of a gym

A variety of cardio options

Designing a workout, general details

Designing a workout, some specifics

Filed Under: Cardio, Exercise, Gyms, Reader Q&A, Work Out

Summer Health Tips

July 4, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Summer is here in full force. The weather is perfect, the sun is shining and the outdoors are calling our name. In other words, summer is the perfect time for outdoor fitness. Hiking, biking, running or simple walking are all fun activities at this time. However, if you’re going for outdoor activities, don’t forget the following tips:

Hydration - Drink a glass of water (around 8oz) each hour that you’re going to be physically active. Now that doesn’t mean you can hike for three hours and then drink a large bottle of water. It means stop every hour and get that drink. Also, drinks with caffeine or alcohol don’t count since those substances can actually dehydrate you. Stick to water, it’s cheap and healthy.

Sunscreen - If you’re pale like myself you probably know this already, but even those of you with darker screen should heed this. Always wear sunscreen if you’re going to be out in the sun. Even if you’re not out long enough to burn, you’re still letting the sun damage your skin. Wearing sunscreen is not just for the beach, it’s for everyday life. Oh, and tanning lotions don’t count. Get SPF 30 or higher.

Hat - Summer sunshine can be especially hard on your head. Too many hours in the sun can cause sunstroke even if you’re keeping yourself hydrated. So wear a hat and protect your brain from overheating.

Sunglasses - Yep, eyes need to be protected too. Make sure you wear sunglasses with a good UV protection rating.

These four things are a must for any outdoor enthusiast like myself. Remember, being active should help your health, not harm it, and these four little tips can help you stay healthy while you enjoy outdoor activities.

Filed Under: Exercise, Reader Q&A

Reader Q&A – Healthy Grilling Recipes

June 10, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Due to reader feedback, I decided to treat reader Q&A as their own topic rather than use them as my daily post. I will be posting the normal 5 part series every week about a specific topic. In addition, I will also be posting occasional reader Q&A posts.

Today’s post comes from Texas and is appropriately enough about grilling. One of my reader’s wonders if there are healthy grilling recipes.

The answer is sort of. It’s not about the recipe itself, it’s more about some tips and tricks that can make any BBQ a bit healthier. So here’s a short list of tips on how to make your BBQ healthier.

  • Avoid fatty meats – Chicken and fish are good. If you absolutely need red meat then try to go for leaner cuts. You might also try venison or buffalo. Both offer red meats that are tasty and low on fat.
  • Avoid creamy sauces – Marinating in things like ranch sauce is basically just adding fat to your meat. Try leaner marinades. One of my favorites is a bit of beer, some cajun spices and a few pieces of onion. Allow to sit in your fridge for about a day or two and you got yourself a good piece of meat. Also, while eating the meat, avoid drowning it in those creamy sauces. If you’re pouring on the mayo or dipping it in ranch sauce, you’re adding unnecessary fat.
  • Avoid unhealthy side dishes – Some of the worst foods for you are not actually on the grill. Potato salad for example, especially when packed with mayo, is extremely unhealthy. If you want a potato, why not bake one on the grill? Eat it whole, especially the skin, with a bit of cottage cheese. It’s not exactly ideal health food but it’s far better than the bowl of macaroni and cheese you were about to stuff into your mouth. Oh, and avoid the potato chips. They’re nothing but fat and processed carbs.
  • Add some veggies – Yes, veggies can be added to a grill. Try some skewers. Alternate pieces of meat with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and green or red peppers. The veggies will pick up the great flavor while you pick up good nutrients.
  • Watch the buns – Again, not everything that’s unhealthy goes on the grill. Often times, the unhealthiest part of your grilled meat is what you eat it with. In this case, it’s the bun. Most BBQ breads like hot dog buns are nothing but processed carbs. So avoid the bun. Try eating that hod dog with just a pickle. Even better, stick it between two leaves of lettuce.
  • Stop drinking your calories – This is a general tip, but it’s especially important when grilling. People tend to drink too many calories at a BBQ. You’re outdoors, there are no easy sources of water and you’re in a social situation. So what do you do? You grab a beer or a soda. How about bringing water instead?



Last but not least, get active. Grilling is usually an outdoor activity. So how about using this opportunity to move about? Don’t just sit in that folding chair while drinking beer. Get up and move! Toss a Frisbee around, kick a ball, toss a football, you can even go on a little hike. Why waste this great chance to be outdoors?

When we think of BBQ’s we think of social events where we eat too much and come home feeling bloated. Well, there’s no way we can make a BBQ into a healthy event, but we can certainly make it a lot less unhealthy. So go out there and enjoy, but make sure your enjoyment doesn’t come at the expense of your health.

Filed Under: Eating Healthy, Reader Q&A

Reader Q&A – How to stop snoring?

June 8, 2007 By 4 Comments

Quick update. Tyler, a reader here at 60 in 3, has posted some great information in regards to bulking up. You can find his advice in the comments to yesterday’s post about bulking up. If you have advice of your own to share, please feel free to add it into the comments or send it to me if it doesn’t relate to any of my previous topics. I started this blog in order to share what I learned over the past years, but I’d also like it to become a place where readers share their own experiences and advice.

And with that, let’s get to our last post of the week. Finishing up our reader Q&A week is a question that has a lot of personal meaning to me, and that is, how to stop snoring.

Personal History

I know I haven’t always snored, but I really don’t remember anymore when I started. I think it was sometime after college but I’m not sure of that. I know for a fact that I snored rather loudly in the past ten years. I’ve had various friends and girlfriends comment on it but I never took it very seriously. That all ended about a year and a half ago when my fiance commented on the fact that I not only snored, but actually stopped breathing every few minutes. She asked me to see a doctor, not just because my snoring was keeping her awake, but also because the breathing issues worried her.

I’ve always tried to deal with problems on my own, so I started doing a bit of research on snoring. It seemed like the condition I had was called sleep apnea, a situation in which the airways actually close up during sleep and make it impossible to breath. Now, as much as I like avoiding the doctor’s office, this was clearly something I was unqualified to deal with alone. So I made an appointment with my physician. She referred me to a sleep specialist. This sleep specialist put me through a sleep study and she also provided me with a lot of information about snoring and sleep apnea.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Snoring and sleep apnea are related. There are some rare cases where one exists without the other, but usually, if you have problems snoring you will also have sleep apnea. In my case, I snored very loudly, but my apnea was only moderate. Moderate apnea by the way is still a bad thing since even mild apnea can have serious repercussions on your health such as high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, sexual dysfunction and headaches.

Snoring on its own is also bad. You don’t realize it but snoring keeps you from getting the restful deep sleep your body needs. Your body takes an hour or two of light sleep before it can get to the really restful deep sleep it needs. People who snore loudly can end up waking up four to five times a night. So they never get an uninterrupted stretch of time in which their bodies can reach restful deep sleep. Therefore, snoring leads to a variety of issues associated with sleep deprivation even if you think you’re getting a solid 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.

By the way, both snoring and sleep apnea can lead to weight gain. Sleep is when your body produces the hormone related to the feeling of satiety. So if you don’t get enough good sleep, you won’t have enough of this hormone and this leads to eating too much. Lack of sleep also leads to exhaustion, low level of physical activity and a slow metabolism.

Treatment

After hearing all this about snoring and apnea, I was really worried. Here was a problem that happened when I could least control it, while I slept. It had a variety of adverse medical effects, all of which were serious. It was also a problem for my loved ones, in that my snoring was causing them sleeping problems. So I asked about treatment and she told me the following. 80% of snoring and apnea issues can be solved through weight loss and changing the position you sleep in. Yep, while snoring and apnea are indeed serious problems, they can usually be solved through relatively simple means.

Losing Weight

Lose weight and you remove the fatty build up in your airways. It’s this fatty buildup which is causing your airways to be smaller and thus easier to block.

Changing Positions

When you sleep, your muscles relax. Those are the same muscles that hold your airway open. So during sleep, the airway closes a bit. This is especially bad if you sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side or stomach will make a huge difference.

Other Minor Cures

The following things will also help, but they won’t make as big of a change as weight loss or changing sleep position.

  • Stop eating two hours before going to sleep
  • Stop eating items that can irritate your throat four hours before going to sleep – This includes things like chocolate, caffeine and various sugars.
  • Using a breathrite strip – I use these and they seem to help a bit. Here are the ones I buy: Breathe Right-Large Tan Nasal Strips, 76ct (2 Pack).



Other Resources

If none of this works, there are solutions which involve surgery and/or a CPAP machine. You can read more about them here:

American Sleep Apnea Association
Mayo Clinic on snoring
WebMD on snoring

Summary

My snoring and apnea hasn’t gone away completely, but it has improved dramatically. I’m getting better sleep and so is my fiance. I’m hoping that, if I lose that last 25lbs, it will go away completely.

Filed Under: Reader Q&A

Reader Q&A – Bulk up exercises?

June 7, 2007 By 12 Comments

NOTE – I have a few more questions to answer, so will be doing that for the rest of the week, and then it’s back to the normal 60 in 3 series next week.

Today’s question comes from a reader in Asia who asks about bulk up exercises, or exercises that make your muscles larger. To be honest, I don’t know much about this since bulking up was never one of my goals. So I did a bit of reading and came up with the following:

High Weight, Low Reps

Essentially, bulking up uses the same exercises as normal fitness workouts. The only two big differences I found were in the weights used and the reps. People who want to bulk up typically do a lower number of reps with much higher weights. So for example, where I usually do 10 reps per set, they would do 5 reps but with 50 to 100% more weight.

This is an important tip for women by the way, who typically avoid weight workouts because they’re afraid they’ll bulk up. A normal fitness workout with sets of 10 to 15 reps will NOT bulk you up. It will simply make your muscles look more toned and defined. You’ll lose the flab without putting on huge muscles.

Protein, The Basic Building Block of Muscles

One other note for those who are trying to bulk up. Your diet is going to be slightly different. Building muscles takes a lot of calories, especially protein. It’s actually difficult if not impossible to build muscles while losing weight. So make sure you have the correct goal in mind when you design a fitness routine. If you’re looking to build big muscles then you’re going to be adding protein to your diet and not doing as much cardio.

Summary

Again, always know what your goals are before you design your fitness routine. Are you trying just to lose weight? Are you looking to tone up? Bulk up? These are all different goals and require different diets and workouts to achieve. For you folks looking to bulk up, it seems like the basics are low reps, high weights and lots of protein.

If there are any body builders out there who know more about this than I do, would love to hear your opinions and advice. Please feel free to add information in the comments.

Filed Under: Building Muscles, Reader Q&A, Work Out

Reader Q&A – 600 calories a day?

June 6, 2007 By 2 Comments

NOTE – I’m doing some posts about questions readers have sent my way. Only questions which the author agreed to make public are posted. If you have a question, please feel free to send it to me. I will NOT share it on 60 in 3 unless you agree to it.

Starvation Diets

Today’s question came from a young reader who is looking for ways to lose weight. Their question is, since weight loss basically comes down to calories in vs. calories out, should they go to an extremely low daily calorie for a short period of time? The number they used was 600. I’m not sure where they obtained this specific number, but let me be very clear here. This is a really BAD idea. It’s bad for your weight and it’s bad for your health.

That Metabolism Thing Again

Remember yesterday’s talk about metabolism? It’s right here in case you forgot. Metabolism is your body’s rate of burning calories. If you’re not getting enough calories then your body will slow down your metabolism. That means you’ll be burning less calories. So a drastic reduction in calories to 600 a day will cause your body to go into what’s called “starvation mode”. This means the body will spend very few calories. Various systems in your body will slow or even shut down and you’ll be doing damage, sometimes permanent, to your health.

Weight Loss Secret

The trick to weightloss isn’t to reduce your calories to some ridiculous level in an effort to lose weight quickly. Instead, you need to calibrate your calories to the weight you wish to reach and the lifestyle you’re going to lead. Here’s a simple calorie calculator from calories per hour. Go to this site and select the BMR & RMR calculator option. It will ask you for some basic details about you and then calculate a handy little BMR and RMR. These are your metabolic rates. The calculator is essentially showing you how many calories you’re going to be burning based on various levels of physical activity.

Now here’s the trick. Instead of using your current weight, use your goal weight when you enter in your basic information. Now you can see how many calories you should be eating based on your goal weight. You can also see that the more physically active you are, the more calories you need to consume. It’s as simple as that. Find your goal weight, figure out your goal lifestyle and then calculate the appropriate amount of calories per day. Now go out and change your life to match that lifestyle. Starving yourself is a horrible choice and won’t lead to permanent weight loss. Why not live a healthy lifestyle instead and gradually lose the weight in a much more reasonable fashion?

My Example

For example, I am 33 years old, male and 5’11″. My goal weight is 190lbs. So I punch all that in and get a list of results. I live a moderately active lifestyle, so I’m going to use that row. Here are the results:

BMR – 2992

RMR – 2835

RMR is the more useful of the two so that’s the one I use. By the way, the website also has a handy little explanation of both which I recommend you use. So that’s the base amount of calories I need per day if I want to reach my goal weight. That’s assuming I also achieve the goal of living a healthy lifestyle. Now you need to adjust this a bit for your personal style. For example, I adjust down a bit because I know I occasionally snack. So I plan my daily diet around 2400 calories a day which gives me some wiggle room for the occasional snack.

And there you have it. A realistic daily calorie goal that keeps me healthy while supporting me in my weight loss goals.

Filed Under: Eating Healthy, Reader Q&A, Weight Loss

Reader Q&A – Does fruit start your metabolism in the morning?

June 5, 2007 By 3 Comments

Here’s another question I got from one of my readers:

Does fruit start your metabolism in the morning?

First, your metabolism has already started in the morning. In fact, your metabolism is going at all times. Even when you’re asleep, your metabolism is still going. If it wasn’t, well, you’d be dead. So to say that something can “start” your metabolism in the morning is a bit of a misstatement. A better question would be, “does fruit speed up my metabolism in the morning?”

What The Heck is Metabolism Anyway?

Metabolism in general is a bit of a confusing word. There’s no real organ or system within your body that we can point to and say “see this little knobbly thing here? That’s your metabolism!” Instead, metabolism is more of a general term that refers to the rate at which your body distributes and consumes calories, the energy you get from food. If your metabolism is working fast, then your whole body is spending a lot of energy. If your metabolism is working slow, then your body is spending relatively few calories. For the purposes of fitness and weightloss, we want to get our metabolism working fast. That way we spend more calories.

You’re Awake but Your Metabolism Isn’t

So what does all this have to do with fruit in the morning? Well, you may think of nighttime as a pleasant time to relax and catch up on rest, but for your metabolism, nighttime is a little more complex than that. Night is indeed a time to relax. After all, you’re not doing anything strenuous, you’re just lying down. In fact, as you sleep your metabolism slows down quite a bit. That is, the amount of calories you spend while asleep is a fraction of the amount you spend while awake. So it seems intuitive that when you wake up, your metabolism would kick back up into a higher gear. Well, not quite.

See, you might have woken up all recharged, but as far as your metabolism is concerned, something very bad has happened. You just fasted for 7 to 9 hours! Yes, your metabolism expects food all the time. If you stop consuming food for more than 3 or 4 hours, your metabolism assumes food is scarce and starts conserving energy by running at a lower rate. That’s why health experts recommend you eat multiple small meals a day by the way. So when you wake up in the morning, your metabolism is going to be cautious. As far as its concerned, food is scarce. It’s not going to kick back into high gear until you’ve proven otherwise. This is why breakfast is such an important part of a healthy day. It’s the proof your metabolism was looking for, that things are good, food is plentiful and it’s ok to go fast and splurge on energy.

Healthy Options

All that said, are there foods that are better at this kick start than others? Not really. Just about any healthy breakfast will do. Fruit are one excellent options because the simple sugars in them could provide a quick energy boost, but a lot of other healthy options exist. Eggs are great because they contain healthy fat and protein which will keep us satiated until lunch time. Vegetables are good because the fiber will keep our digestive system busy for a while. Even wholewheat breads are a good option because they’re filling and contain quite a few nutrients.

Bad Options

What you want to watch out for are bad breakfast options. These include:

Sugary cereals – The complex sugars and fats might give you a short boost, but they pack in the calories as well. They have zero nutrients and will leave you feeling hungry again in no time.

Heavy, American Style Breakfast – Sorry my fellow US citizens, our traditional grand slam breakfast is simply not that healthy. Piling on the bacon, sausage and three egg omelet and then finishing it off with some pancakes is the opposite of healthy. You’re packing in the calories and fat, and overloading your metabolism. At this point you’ll experience what we call a “food coma” as your metabolism struggles to handle the food overload and shuts down other systems to compensate.

Caffeine - Many people rely on coffee or soda to start them up in the morning. Unfortunately, this is a short term fix. The rush will wear off in an hour or two leaving these people slow and lethargic and looking for another caffeine fix. Stop drinking your breakfast and take the time to eat a small amount of something healthy instead.

Summary

In short, fruit are just one good way to start up your breakfast. Just about any amount of something healthy can be a good start to your day. Just try to make it nutritious, as unprocessed as possible and keep in mind that you’re looking for about 1/6 of your calories at this point. If you keep to these rules, you’ll end up with a healthy breakfast that starts your day, and your metabolism, right.

You may also be interested in this previous 60 in 3 article, which was part of a series on how to start your day right.

Filed Under: Nutrition, Reader Q&A
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