[strengthsports]

Alright guys and gals,

I've been a bit quiet as of lately due to summer classes that are very hectic but on Monday I'm done for 3 weeks. I'll have a lot of time to address questions about exercise or any topics that you guys are having questions about exercise, myths about exercise that you want dispelled, a personal trainer might have told you something and you're unsure if they're right or not, etc...

So, if you got em', let me have em', and I'll knock them out.

[magenta]

:( Hi a question for you,I have been using the treadmill at the gym for a couple months now.The other day I saw a lady who was about 70 jogging on one for about 1.5minutes.I have been trying to increase my fitness by adding 1 minute jogs followed by 2 minute walks over a period of 20minutes.When I saw the older lady doing better than me I felt ashamed! :o I want to slowly increase the time jogging to 30 minutes without stopping.Is this the way to do it?Or shall I walk for less recovery time inbetween?It really tires me out to jog for the 1 minute,but I am ok to do it again after the rest walk.I currently weigh 102kg/225lbs and have no injuries.I do this every second day and an aerobics class on the other.I also do a weights program every 2nd day.Am I doing the right thing or should I change it?Thanks 8)

[phaledax]

I think that is the way to do it for you. your going to want to jog as long as you can, then walk till you recover then continue joging. Do this for 30-45 min or as close as you can to that time. This is called slow cardio, normaly you want to be doing a fast jog for 45-60 min without stoping. But we all start somewhere and it looks like your in the right direction.
as for weight training, you want to be working all your muscles at the end of your cycle.
--example--
Monday Quads/hamstrings
Tuesday Chest/triceps
wed: rest
Thursday Back/biceps
Friday Shoulders/calves
sat/sun: rest
repeat
but any working out will help, and you can do that every 2nd day if you like. work your way into any adjustments.

[maymay]

I try to eat before I work out so I'm not starving when I'm finished. What should I eat before I work out and when should I eat. Also my upper body strength sucks, what kind of exercises should I do and how much weight should I use. Because of my weak wrists and tendinidous in my hands it's hard to do push ups and stuff like that. Is there a way I can strengthen my wrists and relieve some of the pain in my hands. I'm 23 and I started getting the pain in my hands when I was 19. I work with kids and I'm a cashier in a retail store, so I need the use of my hands. The only thing the dr told me to do was take motrin and gave me arthritious cream which burns. I feel old, is there anything else that I can do?

[LMGarrett]

Maymay,

It sounds to me like you have the beginning of carpal tunnel (not a doctor so don't quote me LOL). I worked as a cashier for about 4 years, and it's basically just like typing on a keyboard all day. The position your wrists are in when you do your job is a major contributing factor to the pain. I'm on my computer almost all day long between schoolwork, the forums I talk in, and playing games. My wrists weren't great before I started using the computer a lot and they are tons worse now. I have occasional pain and I can tell when it's going to be muggy and hot or when it's going to rain. I understand where you're coming from with the pain.

My step-mom has full-blown carpal tunnel and she gets cortizone shots, has wrist braces that she is supposed to wear when she sleeps, and she also loses feeling and drops things often. I think I remember her saying that the only way to really fix it is to have surgery and even then there is a good chance that it will come back.

I don't know of any ways to completely get rid of the pain, but you might want to try Aleve instead of Motrin because 1) it is a little stronger and 2) it lasts longer than any of the other OTC meds I have tried (You are only supposed to take 2 pills in 24 hours compared to 5 or 6 with Tylenol or Advil).

Good Luck!

[strengthsports]

Magenta,

I would strongly urge you not to compare yourself to others. I do interval sprints with my training partner and he blows me away, so it's very easy to get down on ourself when we compare ourselves to another. My grandmother, who is 78 years old, can literally jog for an hour straight without tiring out and she would leave me in the dust but on the flip side, she wouldn't be able to keep up with my 100 yard sprints.

The way you are doing your cardio is an excellent way to build up your aerobic endurance and your work capacity. Here is something you might try-
Each week add 5-10 seconds on to your jogging time while decreasing your walk time by 10 seconds. It doesn't seem like much, but in the course of 4 weeks, we've added 20-40 seconds of jogging with 40 seconds of less rest time. In 4 weeks time, we can start tracking what percentage of your heart rate you're working at and perhaps even incorporating a bit of higher intensity intervals. Remember, when it comes to getting physically fit, not much happens quickly.

Keep in mind that an overweight person is actually working much harder than someone who is not overweight. So, the fact of the matter is that even though she might be able to spend more time jogging than you, you are more than likely working harder and expending more calories.

I applaud your physical activity level!

[strengthsports]

Maymay,

Your symptoms do seem to be the beginnings of carpal tunnel. Somethings you might consider taking-fish oil, some MSM, and chondroitin. These will act as lubricants for the joints and have helped a lot of people with arthritis and carpal tunnel. However, with carpal tunnel, you might ultimately have to go under the knife to get rid of the build up. You might see another doctor because it sounds like he doesn't want to tackle the problem.

As far as wrist strengthening exercises, you could get one of those grippers that you have to squeeze or take a wet towel and squeeze it in a rolling fashion. With upper body movements, it depends on what equipment you have access to. Are you going to a gym?

[maymay]

Yes, I have been going to the gym and I usually just focus on my legs and abs because I don't know how to use the machines for the arms or all the guys are hogging the mirror infront of the free weights. After I got the first diagnosis for my hands I got a second oppinion and she agreed with the first dr that it was tendinidous. Most of the pain comes from when I lift heavy things. We were just moving a couple of weeks ago. I've only become a cashier withing the past year. Writing with a pen hurts more than typing on a computer. I was a cheerleader for 5 years and ever since then I've had problems with my hands and wrists, I was the one that tossed them in the air. I've tried ALEEVE when I first had the pain and that didn't help at all and I couldn't take more. So since then I haven't used aleeve, I prefer motrin. Thanks for the help.