Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

circuit training is great. You get both strength and cardio all at the same time. It is a big trend with personal trainers these days.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Great point, Grantland ....

You certainly don't have to live in the weight room to be healthy. I happen to really like lifting. Others don't. I abhor running. Others call it religion. Find something you really like to help stay fit. Basketball is an incredible workout. So is tennis. If you have fun, you'll stick with it.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

...not to mention neck stretches in order to see the third baton twirler on the left.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

OK, don't presume that I know anything, just because of the screen name, but here are some quick thoughts about health in general.

The risk factors for having a heart attack or stroke are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and family history. The first four all all controllable, but you actually have to see a doctor to get checked out. Jim Fixx died because he smoke too much and had uncontrolled high blood pressure, but tried to make amends by obsessing with running.

The idea of a yearly physical is really tough to sell because it takes time, costs money and is sometimes not very comfortable. Think rectal exam. But who on this site wouldn't get a car's oil changed every few months and consider spending the money and effort on maintenance issues. We pay lots of money for our stiuff and try hard to make them last. We get our bodies for free and sometimes forget that they need to last a lifetime.

Diet and exercise are the mainstays of healthy living. Exercise doesn't have to be an aggressive workout. Walking counts, it just doesn't burn as many calories. The heart and lung benefits kick in after 20 minutes; anything more allows for muscle toning and building.

Each mile walked or run works off 100 calories of energy (actually they are kilocalories, but let's not nitpick). This is the equivalent of an apple, a light beer or a third of a chocolate bar. The average male needs about 2000- 2500 calories a day for maintenance, a woman 1500-1800. Consume more than that and you gain weight, unless your exercise burns up more than the excess you've consumed. Do the math and you can figure outwhere you stand. Elite athletes may burn 5-7000 calories a day in their workouts. Unless your job is hour upon hour of training, try hard not to visit the Old Country Buffet.

More math: a Big Mac meal runs about 1000 calories, so balancing it with exercise means 10 miles of walking or running.

The type of food you eat is also important. Protein and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram of food, while fat has 9 and alcohol has 7. (30 grams equal one ounce.) Carbohydrate in excess is quickly stored as fat. Foods high in fat (cholesterol if it comes from an animal product) affect the risk factors for heart disease including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Balanced diets tend to minimize risk, but there will be a paradigm shift in nutrition education within the next year, so take the food pyramid with a grain of salt.

When the body needs energy, it looks to the carbohydrates stored in the liver first and when that runs out, about 40 minutes into a workout, it looks at fat cells for energy.

OK, so is that enough basic physiology to start. No preaching, just common sense stuff. Let me know if anybody wants more and how detailed.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Excellent post, Doc. Keep it coming (although I'm sure I'm not the only one a little curious to hear about your credentials -- not specifically, but in general. Reporters tend to want to know the source of information).

But you've brought good straightforward info to a fantastic thread. Thanks.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Credentials? I bought a book weekly from KMart, sent in the receipts and they gave me a diploma...

Short list: professor of medicine, adjuct professor of physical education, practice emergency medicine at a trauma center, media work at major sporting events since 1992.

This is a wonderful thread. Too often we invest greatly in career development but not as much in personal matters. Physical and emotional health are important. Good diet, regular exercise, family and friends should balance the stresses of work and travel. Add an occasional Krispy Kreme and a night on the town and all should be well with the world.

Credentials?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Doc have you ever stayed at a Holiday Inn Express?

seriously have you done any studies on creatine?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Doc, I liked what you posted. Was just curious where you were coming from.

Boom, I did a series of stories five years ago on creatine, and every doctor I interviewed warned of serious dehydration concerns and irregular kidney function in most of the high school athletes they saw who were using the stuff. But the doctors all said we were years away from fully understanding what creatine might do in the longterm to health.

I don't work the same beat now, so I've had no reason to revisit the topic. I'm curious if anyone else has done stories on supplements, including creatine.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Doc is being modest about his credentials. He should have his own permanent thread here.

I've done a lot of research on creatine, and I agree completely with the doctors who say we just don't know the long term effects. But you will find very few athletes/trainers who buy that, since creatine occurs naturally in the body anyway.

I'll be interested 30 years from now, when this generation of athletes ages, to see the long term effects of all the shit they put into their bodies for the benefit of 'growth.'

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Forget 30 years, I'm interested to see what happens in 10 years and whether or not a bunch of HOFers and near-HOFers are experiencing a bevy of health problems. My completely amateur hunch is yes.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Creatine is an interesting drug, or food supplement since it has never been presented to the FDA for testing. It has the ability to allow quicker muscle cell regeneration for more effective workouts, but at the risk of dehydration and potential kidney issues. The big deal though, is that it doesn't work uniformly for every athlete. Some people are creatine responders and some aren't.

The bigger question that should be asked, is whether any supplementation should be allowed. Should the use of drugs, prescription or otherwise be allowed. WADA has decided that caffeine is no longer a banned substance, but it can be used to enhance aerobic performance. Similarly, pseudoephedrine has been delisted.

One body buidling tool is the use of insulin and glucose to hyper-load muscle cells with energy prior to a workout and allow the cell and muscle fiber to do more work prior to fatigue and going anaerobic. Insulin is so short acting that it cannot be measured by drug testing.

The purpose of all these behaviors is to take a short cut to an inteded goal. Is that what athletics and sports is meant to encompass? Shouldn't we ask our athletes, role model or not, to perform because of sweat equity and not just by living better chemically.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Hey DocTalk, interesting stuff... way above my head... but on the subject of the low-carb craze... Atkins, South Beach, Zone, etc. etc. ....

Thumbs up or thumbs down to low carbs?